Recipe Time

In lurking around the NYTimes Website I came across this yummy salad and thought I'd share it with you -- maybe in time for an addition to Thanksgiving??

For the salad:
1 quart water, chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
Salt to taste
1/3 cup lightly toasted broken walnut pieces
3 celery stalks, preferably from the heart, thinly sliced on the diagonal (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage (2 good-size leaves) (optional)

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons walnut oil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons buttermilk or plain low-fat yogurt

1. Bring the water or stock to a boil in a large saucepan, add salt to taste and the wild rice. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender and splayed. Drain and toss in a large bowl with the remaining salad ingredients.

2. Mix together the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk in the walnut oil, olive oil, and buttermilk or yogurt. Toss with the wild rice mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Enjoy!

Recipe time

Salad Bar Pasta Salad (Weight Watchers)

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

* 5 oz. whole wheat bow-tie pasta, cooked and drained
* 1 cup shredded carrots
* 1 cup chopped, seeded red or green bell pepper
* 1 cup bean sprouts
* 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
* 1/4 cup crumbled feta
* 1/4 cup sliced green olives
* 2 marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
* 2 Tbsp lemon juice
* 4 tsp olive oil
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
* Several dashes hot red pepper sauce

Instructions

* Toss all the ingredients in a large salad bowl until well-blended.

* Serving size: 1 1/4 cups.

Recipe time

Frozen Strawberry Layer Cake (Weight Watchers)

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 6 cups)
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 tsp table salt
* 12 oz store bought angel food cake, cut into 1/4-inch slices
* 4 cup fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt

Instructions

* To make strawberry sauce, combine strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and salt in a saucepan, stirring over medium heat until the sugar melts and the liquid comes to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes. Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash about half the berries against the side of the pan. Cool to room temperature and use immediately or refrigerate, covered, up to 2 days.

* Spoon the frozen yogurt into a large bowl and mash it with the back of a wooden spoon until soft and spreadable.

* Line the bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan with one third of the cake slices, cutting any slices to fit the shape of the pan. Top with half the frozen yogurt, spreading it to the sides. Spread 2/3 cup strawberry sauce over the frozen yogurt, then top with half the remaining cake slices, again cutting any to fit. Spread the remainder of the frozen yogurt over the cake, top with 2/3 cup strawberry sauce, and finally seal the top with the remaining cake slices. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 6 hours or up to 3 days. Let the cake stand at room temperature 10 minutes before unmolding. Slice into 12 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Recipe time

Berry-Melon Pops (http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeId=50452)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cup watermelon, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup blackberries
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Instructions

• Purée ingredients in a blender until smooth. Strain into a 2-cup measuring cup, pressing on remaining solids to extract all the liquid. Pour into 8 Popsicle molds. Freeze until hard, at least 5 hours or overnight.

Recipe time

The food you consume has SO MUCH to do with your overall health (or weight loss).

This recipe is from Weight Watchers:

Stir-Fried Chicken with Broccoli, Red Peppers and Cashews

Ingredients

• 2 tsp vegetable oil, divided
• 1 tsp sesame oil, divided
• 1 1/2 Tbsp ginger root, finely chopped
• 3 small garlic clove(s), finely chopped
• 1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large sweet red pepper(s), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cup broccoli, florets
• 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 20 items cashews, roasted, unsalted, roughly chopped

Instructions

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil, ginger and garlic; cook 15 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry until starting to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes; remove to a plate.
  
  
• Add remaining teaspoon of vegetable oil, pepper and broccoli to same skillet; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add chicken back to skillet, pour in soy sauce and cook, stirring, until chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes more; toss with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil. Sprinkle on cashews and serve. Yields about 1 3/4 cup per serving.

Notes

• We chopped the nuts so we could cut back on the total amount used but still sprinkle a lot on the dish.