Who wants to spend hours slaving away in the kitchen when friends are round for lunch, the garden is in bloom and the wine is chilled and ready to pour. But before you start to cook you can save a lot of energy by buying the right ingredients. That way you don’t need the heavy bottled sauces and dressings to make a great flavor. After all you don’t want to take a beautiful crisp summer salad and soak it in a mixture of fat, sugar, salt and chemicals do you?

If you start off with great food and don’t do too much to them you don’t need all these strong tastes. All you need is to combine it well so that the flavors work together, have a nice crunchy texture and add a little light dressing to set it all off. Let the taste buds do the rest Freshness is, as in all cooking, the way to a good salad.

Don’t take what the supermarkets give you. Although it’s easier to pick up the ready packed tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers etc. To make sure you get the best, take a minute or two and pick over the vegetables, choose what is firm ripe and ready to use. The same of course applies with meat and fish. There is a reason why supermarkets prepackage, and it’s not always convenience. So choose well, cook quickly and simply and your friends won’t have finished the wine by the time you get there! Enjoy a little bit of summer now with this easy poached chicken salad.

Easy poached chicken salad

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (skinless)

1 finely sliced red onion

1 whole half onion

4 good ripe tomatoes sliced thickly

250 grams/4ozs salad leaves mixed

4ozs raisins soaked in hot water for ten minutes

1 half lemon

2 fresh or dry bay leaves

1 teaspoon peppercorns black

1 small

French, stick loaf or similar sliced at an angle into 1/2 inch slices

For the dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1clove garlic crushed

1/2 dessert spoon Dijon or other mild mustard

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

To make the dressing:

Whisk the vinegar and mustard together with the garlic, slowly add the olive oil while whisking and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the salad:

Bring a pan of water to the boil with the bay leaves, 1/2 white onion, lemon and peppercorns.Carefully add the chicken and simmer gently until cooked, if you are unsure it is worth investing a few dollars in a meat thermometer. The temperature should be at least 75 celcius/167 Fahrenheit, put the sliced bread on a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt. Bake in a medium oven until crisp but soft in the middle.

Mix the leaves together with the onions and raisins. Turn in the salad dressing and put into 4 good-sized bowls. Place slices of tomato and bread alternatly around the edge. Slice the warm chicken at an angle and put attractively on top of the salad. Sit back, enjoy and get someone else to do the washing up.

Nearlyhealthy.com is a new quality easy recipe, cookery tips and information site, for great tasting food that is also easy to cook. Cooking should be a joy not a chore.Using the best ingrdients and keeping it simple means your food tastes good with the minimum of fuss. Cookery book reviews, we choose the best in current and classic recipe books and food travel writers. Also product and good food suppliers.

Need to know the best food processer we take the time to choose so you don’t have to. Need to know where to find the best organic pork? We bring you the best suppliers and information.

We have started small but will add more and more content over the coming weeks so do keep checking back.We look forward to seeing you and listening to your comments and feedback.

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While someone is chopping those veggies, wash your Turkey inside and out. Make sure you take the giblets out and keep them in the frig for the gravy that you will make later. After washing the Turkey thouroughly, rub it with salt and olive oil. The oil and salt will help the Turkey to cook better as well as give it extra flavor. Some prefer to use butter instead of olive oil, but I like the taste the olive oil gives the turkey and the drippings which you will use for making gravy.

Place the turkey on the vegetables and stuff the Turkey with celery, carrots, parsley, thyme, sage, oregano, and a bay leaf. You won’t eat these vegetables and herbs, but they will serve to add flavor to the bird. Get the turkey in the oven at 350 degress. Wash your hands as you have been handling uncooked meat that can make you and your family sick. Plan ahead of time and expect the turkey to take between 4-7 hours depending on how many pounds it is. In the meantime you can start on the other fixings like cranberries.

Fresh cranberries are by far worth the extra effort. It’s really not that much extra effort as a matter of fact. Just wash the cranberries and put them in a pan with some water and sugar. Adjust

the water to sugar ratio depending on your taste. Usually 1 cup of sugar per 1/2 pound of cranberries is about the right amount. Add enough water to just cover the cranberries in the pot. Cook off the water on low heat until you have a think cranberry sauce and then place it in the frig to serve later. The next course to work on is the stuffing.

I prefer to make the stuffing outside of the Turkey in a 9 by 13 inch pan. I start by browning some onions in butter. Then I add some fresh spinach and garlic. After the spinach has wilted add some stale bread to the pan. While the bread is absorbing the buttery onion / spinach flavor whisk together come half and half, 2 large eggs, salt, and pepper. Transfer the bread, onion, and spinach mixture to the 13 by 9 inch pan and pour the half and half / egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle with italian seasoning and some fresh chopped parsley. You can put this in the frig and wait to cook it in the oven with the turkey for the last hour.

By this time your turkey has been in the oven cooking for about an hour and it is time to begin basting it. Take your baster and suck up the drippings in the bottom of the pan and release them over the top of the turkey. You’ll want to do this every half hour until the turkey is done. You will know that the turkey is done when your meat thermometer registers 170 degrees F. I like my turkey well-done at a safe high temperature well beyond the recomended internal safe temperature.

John Lorber is a professional chef and writer for EasyRecipes.us. Visit http://www.easyrecipes.us for more of his recipes which he adds to weekly.

But in November, I remember the joys of Texas. Cool breezes and balmy fall days refresh the senses and invite us outside once again. On streets and in parks, pecans are ripe for gathering and shelling.

Those of you who think pecans come in 6-ounce plastic supermarket packages have missed the true texture and flavor of a real Texas treat. Best of all are the small native pecans with shells like granite. But once you’ve cracked them, there are no better fall treats to be had.

With the holidays rapidly approaching, we want to share a couple of our favorite recipes using Texas pecans. Even if you’re forced to use those supermarket replicas, these recipes are great!

Back in the eighties, I spent an unforgetable Christmas with my daughter who was, at the time, studying in Kyoto, Japan. Because of her love of pecan cookies, I made a double batch to take with me, fully aware that taking foodstuffs into Japan was not allowed. I figured I might lose the cookies, but what the heck? I might get

lucky and sneak them past customs.

Arriving in Japan after a 26-hour flight, I was confronted with a Japanese customs agent who went through everything in my luggage. Nothing was too small or insignificant to escape his scrutiny. When he came to the tin of tightly packed cookies, he eyed it with a quizzical expression.

“Desu ka (what’s this)?” he questioned me.

In my best schoolgirl Japanese, I explained that this was a Christmas present for my daughter, hoping that he would go on to the next item. It was not to be.

As I watched in horror, he opened the tin and was immediately enveloped by a dense cloud of powdered sugar.

“Ah,” he announced. “Clismas plesant!” And beaming, he clapped the lid back on the tin and waved me through.

He was right. The holidays just wouldn’t be as pleasant without these pecan gems.

Stored in air-tight tins, these cookies will keep indefinitely.

Enjoy!

About The Author

Phyllis Staff, Ph.D. – Phyllis Staff is an experimental psychologist and the CEO of The Best Is Yet.Net, an internet company that helps seniors and caregivers find trustworthy residential care. She is the author of How to Find Great Senior Housing: A Roadmap for Elders and Those Who Love Them. She is also the daughter of a victim of Alzheimer’s disease. Visit her website at http://www.thebestisyet.net

pando19@yahoo.com

Ribollita is very filling, as you serve it on top of 2 bread slices and a cooking spoon of slightly fried spinach, and top all that with a tablespoon of low fat Parmesan cheese.

You can add bacon bits if you want, but you don’t really need it. This delicious Italian soup is full of flavour and goodness.

Ribolita yields 3 WW points, but you may want to have a double ration and go for a sixer! You won’t go for seconds or dessert after that! (and if you are… you shouldn’t!).

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 Tbsp crushed garlic

2 celery sticks

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped

2 large courgettes, thinly sliced

1 X 425 g (14 oz) can chopped tomates (with onion and basil, or any other combination you want)

1 Tbsp pesto

1 lt (4 cups) vegie stock

1 X 425 g borlotti beans, drained

Salt and pepper

8 slices of white bread

1/2 kg spinach

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp

low fat grated Parmesan cheese

This is what you do:

Ok, first you heat one tsp of olive oil in a large pot, and add the onions, carrots, garlic, celery and fennel and stir for about 10 minutes.

After that, add the courgettes and keep stirring for another 2 minutes.

Next, add the tomatoes, pesto, stock and the beans and stir till boiling, and then simmer for about 30 minutes or so. By then, the vegies will be soft and tender.

Add salt and pepper.

Now prepare your seving dishes by placing a slice of bread in the bottom of the saucers.

Heat a frying pan, and add 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil, and fry the spinach for about 2 minutes.

Spoon equal portions of spinach on the bread slices, and then laddle the soup on top of the bread and spinach.

Garnish with a Tbsp of low fat Parmesan cheese on each portion.

Ahhhhh! Magnifico!

For more of these delicious low fat recipes visit http://www.Jeff-The-Skinny-Chef.com. You’ll find a growing collection of free delicious low fat recipes, articles on healthy eating, and weight loss.

½ Cup Spinach

1/3 Cup Mushroom, sliced

6-8 eggs

1/3 Cup Milk

½ Cup Swiss Cheese, grated

Black Pepper to taste

Nutmeg to taste

Cook the mushrooms and spinach over medium heat until all the liquid is rendered from the spinach and mushrooms.

Blend together eggs, milk, pepper and nutmeg at high speed in a blender. By mixing in the blender the eggs will turn out light and fluffy. Pour the egg mixture into a well greased oven proof skillet, such as an iron skillet or omelet pan.

Stir into the egg mixture the mushrooms and spinach. Sprinkle over top the grated Swiss cheese.

Bake in a 325° oven for 25 minutes or until the eggs are firm.

Muffin Biscuits

These are easy to make biscuits and are always a favorite. They are crumbly and buttery in flavor.

1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp Salt

2 ½ tsp Double-Acting Baking Powder

6 Tbs Chilled Butter

1 Cup Milk

Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in

a large bowl. Cut the butter with a pastry blender into the dry mixture. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk. Stir for one minute.

Fill well greased muffin tins with batter to make shapely biscuits.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400° or until golden brown.

Serve warm with butter.

Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet recipes. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She now has available the Recipe of the Month Club. This is a way for you to give the gift of gourmet to all those people who love to cook. With the Recipe of the Month Club you can give 3, 6 or 12 months of new and exciting gourmet recipes as a gift for Christmas, Hanukah or birthdays to all the cook-aholics in your life. Find out more at http://www.cookbookaddict.com

S’mores

This is every kid’s favorite (including big kids). Simply put a marshmallow on a stick, roast it, and while it’s still hot, slap it against a piece of chocolate bar and sandwich it between two graham crackers.

Banana Boats

Cut a banana lengthwise. Stud it with miniature marshmallows and chocolate chips. Wrap it in aluminum foil and set it on some coals to melt the chocolate and marshmallows. Eat it while it is still warm.

Cheesy Hot Dogs

Split the hot dogs lengthwise and roast on the grill. Turn them over, cover the split side with cheddar cheese, and grill skin side down.

Minute Pizzas

Split English muffins. Spread pizza sauce on them. Sprinkle them with mozzarella cheese, and place pepperoni slices on top. Place them on the grill to cook. Cover them with a can or pan to catch the heat and direct it onto the tops of the pizzas. You can also bake these in a Dutch oven.

Makeshift Pizza

To make Makeshift Pizza, you will need a frying pan as large as the pizzas you will make. Bake the pizza crusts the night before or purchase round pizza-crust bread from the store. Pack them in the frying pan to protect them from breaking. Bring along a can of tomato paste for each pizza

and a mixture of Italian spices. Bring your favorite shredded cheeses—mostly mozzarella—and whatever pizza toppings you prefer. (You can find sliced pepperoni that does not have to be refrigerated in most grocery stores.)

When you are ready for lunch, build a small fire. A few one-inch diameter dead pine branches make the perfect fuel. Let the coals burn down.

As the fire is burning down, spread the tomato paste on the crust in the pan, sprinkle with Italian seasonings, and prepare the pizza with the toppings. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

Scrape the coals away and nestle the pan down into the warm bed. If there is too much heat, the crust will burn. Place a hot stick or two on top of the foil. Let the hot bed warm the pizza through and until the cheese is melted. You may have to recharge the bed with reserved hot coals. When the cheese has melted and is bubbly, the pizza is ready.

Makeshift Pizza only works the first day out unless you have some way to keep the perishables cold. (A good snow bank will do.) And the ingredients are a little heavy to be packing far.

Dennis Weaver is the general manager at The Prepared Pantry (http://www.preparedpantry.com) with recipes, ideas, and the best selection of mixes and ingredients. Visit the free Bakers’ Library for more articles like this, free baking guides, and tested recipes.

*white cake mix (my favorite is french vanilla from Duncan Hines)

*1 1/3 cup water

*1/3 cup oil

*3 eggs

*3 Gala apples (peeled, cored and diced)

*4 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

*2 tbsp cinnamon

*1/2 cup brown sugar

*1 cup quick oats (not instant)

*muffin liners

1-Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pans with paper muffin cups.

2-Pour white cake mix into mixing bowl. Add 2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice to the dry mixture and blend together. Set aside.

3-Peel and core apples. Chop and dice apples into small pieces and place in a medium size bowl. Add the remaining 2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice and the brown sugar. Using your hands, toss the apples until they are well-coated. Set aside.

4-Add

the water, oil and eggs to the dry mixture. Blend on medium speed for 2 minutes (or by hand for 100 strokes). Add the oats, apples and cinnamon and fold in one at a time until the batter is well-combined and all the ingredients are incorporated.

5-Fill the muffin liners to the top and bake for 30 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are golden brown. Remove from the muffin pan and place them on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a covered container.

YIELDS: 28 muffins

Nichelle Parsons is a housewife and an excellent baker. Her favorite things to bake include cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, truffles, muffins and so much more. She loves to experiment with new flavors and combinations. She is also a writer and moderates a frugal living and sweepstakes group called “Our Winning Circle”. http://www.ourwinningcircle.net

Canned tomato products are rich in vitamins A and C. One half cup of canned tomatoes equals a serving from the vegetable group on the U.S. Government Food Pyramid. The USDA has posted recommendations for storing and using canned tomatoes on its Website. Canned tomatoes should be stored in a cool, dry place, the FDA says, on a shelf and not on the floor.

You should avoid freezing canned tomato products or exposing them to sunlight, the FDA adds, because temperature changes shortens their shelf life and speeds deterioration. Leftover tomatoes should be refrigerated in non-metallic containers that have tight lids. Use these leftovers in 2-4 days.

Never buy products in dented or bulging cans. Tomatoes are acidic and, to prevent a reaction between the acid and the metal, the inside of the cans has been sprayed with a protective lining. Dents may damage this lining and the product may be spoiled.

Tomatoes are a fruit and an adaptable fruit at that. There’s nothing like a bowl of Tomato-Basil Soup with Caesar Croutons on a rainy day. If you like fish you’ll like Sole Poached in Tomatoes and White Wine. As for Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes and Tomatoes with Bacon, they go with just about everything, including scrambled eggs. Got a can opener?

TOMATO-BASIL SOUP WITH CAESAR CROUTONS

INGREDIENTS: 1 large can of tomato puree (28 ounces); 42 ounces prepared chicken stock (the kind in the cardboard carton); 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, garlic powder to taste (about 1 teaspoon); 1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil; Caesar salad croutons; grated Parmesan cheese

Pour tomato puree into soup kettle. Using the empty can as a mesuring cup, add 1 1/2 cans of chicken stock to the puree. Pour in a little more stock if the soup seems thick. Add remaining ingredients except croutons. Cover soup and heat until it starts to simmer. Garnish with Caesar salad croutons and

grated Parmesan cheese. Makes 6-8 servings.

SOLE POACHED IN TOMATOES AND WHITE WINE

INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 pounds sole fillets (or talapia); 3/4 cup diced canned tomatoes, drained; 1 medium onion, chopped; 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley; 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper; 1 clove of garlic, minced; 1/2 cup dry white wine; 1/4 cup half and half; 1 tablespoon soft butter; 1 tablespoon Wondra flour

Place fish in a non-stick skillet. In a bowl combine tomatoes, onions, parsley, seasonings, and white wine. Pour over fish. Put lid on skillet, leaving a crack for steam to escape. Poach fish for 5-10 minutes or until it flakes with a fork.

Take lid off skillet. Drizzle half and half around fish. Work the flour into the soft butter and add this roux to the fish sauce. Move the skillet in a circular motion over medium heat until sauce thickens. Serve with rice and butter lettuce salad. Makes 4 servings.

CHEDDAR SCALLOPED POTATOES AND TOMATOES WITH BACON

INGREDIENTS: 3 medium potatoes, washed but not peeled; 14 1/2- ounce can of diced tomatoes with juice; 3/4 cup frozen chopped onions; 1 1/2 tablespoons Wondra flour; 2 cups mild cheddar cheese, grated (may use Velveeta); 2.8-ounce package of real bacon pieces (the precooked recipe kind)

Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Cut potatoes into thin slices. Combine tomatoes, onions, and flour. Spoon a little of this sauce on the bottom of the baking pan. Layer potatoes, tomato mixture, bacon, and cheese in dish, ending with cheese. You should have enough for two layers.

Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Tent the dish with non-stick aluminum foil if the cheese browns too quickly. Cool for five minutes before serving. Makes 6-8 servings.

Copyright 2005 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists. Before she became a health writer she was a food writer for the former “Rochester Magazine” in her hometown of Rochester, MN. Her 24th book, “Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief,” written with Lois Krahn, MD, is avalable from http://www.amazon.com. A five-star review of the book is also posted on Amazon.

Long term weight loss isn’t about hunger, misery and crash dieting. It’s a whole new way of learning to prepare nutritious food that your body needs and enjoys. “Spicy Chicken Cacciatore” is one of a range of hunger fighting, low fat recipes to assist you keep your weight under control. This irresistible, no-hassle meal will help you reach your weight-loss goals – while making mealtime a real treat.

Variety is an essential element of any successful health program. If you get bored with foods, you’re much more likely to abandon your program altogether. Each main meal should be accompanied by an exciting range of colorful vegetables.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

1 red onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves,

minced

1 tablespoon capers

2 tablespoons fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes

400g (14 ounce) can chopped tomatoes

2 red bell peppers, chopped

Directions:
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

2. Spray a large skillet with pan spray and brown chicken over medium heat, 3 minutes on each side.

3. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

4. Add remaining ingredients to skillet and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Return chicken and juices to skillet, spoon sauce over chicken.

6. Cover and simmer for an additional 7 minutes or until chicken is tender and cooked through.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving:

Calories: 242

Protein: 30 grams

Fat: 3.5 grams

Carbohydrates: 24 grams

Kim Beardsmore is a weight loss consultant whose business operates across 60 countries. She uses a world renowned, medically approved program that will give you results you’ll love and all the support you need! Estimate your healthy body weight; tons of recipes, articles, ezine, meal plans and more athttp://weight-loss-health.com.au

This is a loaded fall fruit: potassium, phosphorous, iron, calcium, magnesium – you name it! The double secret and extra benefit of this fruit is that it can prevent constipation and control diarrhea. It knows exactly what your body needs!

An EnergyRich Tip™: keep apples crisp by storing them in a perforated plastic bag in a cool place.

Apple Salsa and Grilled Chicken

Salsa

2 cups chopped, cored Gala apples

1 Anaheim chile pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup lime juice

Salt and black pepper

Grilled Chicken

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup apple juice

1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1.) Prepare Salsa: In medium bowl, combine apples, chili pepper, onion, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste; cover and set

aside while preparing chicken. (If making several hours or day ahead, refrigerate salsa.)

2.) Prepare Grilled Chicken: In large bowl, combine white wine, apple juice, lime zest, salt, and pepper. Add chicken and turn to coat with mixture; cover and refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes.

3.) Heat grill. Drain and discard chicken marinade. Grill chicken until cooked through; serve with salsa.

To Your Health and Success, Heather

Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? You absolutely can! But here?s what you MUST include: Heather Dominick, Certified Nutrition-Energy Consultant, is founder of the EnergyRich Lifestyle Program?, the proven step-by-step program to help you achieve your best health and fullest life. To sign up for her freebie how-to articles and no-charge teleclasses on creating your best energy life, visit http://www.individual-health.net