Strawberry Lemon Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries *I usually double this*
  
• 2 tablespoons white sugar for muffin tops
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, & egg whites. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just blended. Gently stir in the strawberries. Spoon batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining sugar over the tops for decoration, if desired.
3. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool muffins in the tin on a wire rack.

Russian Mushroom and Potato Soup

5 tbsp. butter, divided
2 leeks, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
6 cups chicken broth
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and diced
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup half-and-half
2 tsp. dried dill weed
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup flour

Melt 3 tbsp. butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Mix in leeks and carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in broth. Season with dill, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Mix in potatoes, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender but firm. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Melt the remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat and saute the mushrooms 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Stir into the soup.

In a small bowl, mix the half-and-half and flour until smooth. Stir into the soup to thicken.

chilled dilled new potatoes (Southern Living)

2lbs new potatoes, unpeeled and sliced---boil until tender, drain, leave skins intact (I salt the water)

COMBINE:
1/4c plus 1 Tb EVOO
1/4 c white wine vinegar
3 Tb finely chopped green onions
1 tsp dried dillweed
1/2tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lg garlic clove, minced (I use more, because I like garlic)

pour mixture over potatoes. Gently toss to coat thoroughly. Chill 5-8 hrs (or serve warm).

Pinto Beans with Chiles

2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed
2 cups boiling water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 15-oz. cans pinto beans, rinsed, drained
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Place chiles in bowl. Pour 2 cups boiling water over. Let soak until chiles are soft, about 20 minutes. Strain, reserving 1/2 cup soaking liquid. Seed chiles; place in processor. Add onion, garlic, cumin, salt and 1/2 cup soaking liquid; puree. (This can be made 2 days ahead. Cover, chill).

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add chile puree; stir until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Add beans, broth, bay leaves, and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Peanut Butter Pie

Crust: (Make yourself or buy at store)

1 ¼ cups chocolate cookie crumbs (20 cookies)
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted

Filling:

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Combine crust ingredients; press into a 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, butter and vanilla until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Gently spoon into crust. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Spicy Asian Noodle & Chicken Salad

2-4 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp. chili-garlic sauce, or to taste
1 tbsp. firmly packed golden brown sugar
1 tbsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
3 tbsp. (or more) reduced-sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ lb. linguine or dried udon noodles
4 cups thinly sliced cooked chicken, cut into strips
2 large carrots, coarsely grated
6 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves

Combine 2 tbsp. peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili-garlic sauce, brown sugar, ginger and 3 tbsp. broth in a food processor or blender; blend until smooth. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Add additional peanut butter, if desired.

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, rinse with cold water to cool, and drain again. Transfer noodles to large bowl. Add chicken, carrots, green onions, bell pepper and cilantro; toss to blend. Pour dressing over and toss to coat, adding more broth by tablespoonfuls if dressing is too thick. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper.

Artichoke, Asparagus, & Mushroom Quinoa Risotto

2 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
12 oz. mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cups quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 1/2 cups (or more) vegetable broth
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 8 oz. package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter with 1 tbsp. oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; saute until brown and tender, about 7 minutes. Add garlic; saute 2 minutes. Remove from pan.

Heat remaining 3 tbsp. oil. Add onion; saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add quinoa; saute 2 minutes. Add wine; cook until liquid is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups broth; cook 10 minutes. Add asparagus and artichoke hearts; simmer until quinoa and vegetables are tender, stirring often and adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls as needed, about 7 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese and reserved mushrooms. Stir until cheese melts and mushrooms are heated through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add extra Parmesan cheese if desired.

Can be served as a main dish or a side dish.