Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce Wraps- shared by Susan 

Ingredients:Ground turkey or chicken
Water chestnuts, drained and chopped
Green onions, chopped
Roasted peanuts, chopped
Carrots, diced (I buy the bag of slivered carrots from Trader Joe's, then dice those)

Iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce leaves

2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 pkg Lee Kum Kee (Panda Brand) Sauce for Lettuce Wraps (in the asian food aisle at the grocery store)

Directions:
Heat oil over high heat in large frying pan or wok.
Add chicken or turkey and stir fry until browned. 
Add all vegetables, stir fry another 2 minutes
Add 3/4 pouch sauce. Bring to a simmer. Add peanuts. 

Save some sauce for drizzling into lettuce cups.

ENJOY!

Pizza Dip

PIZZA DIP- Another great appetizer/dip shared by Courtney!

All ingredients from Trader Joes.

1 tub ricotta cheese
Fresh basal
Quattro Farmaggio shredded cheese blend
Pizza sauce
Pepperoni
5-6 cloves Garlic
Garlic salt and garlic pepper to taster. I like a lot of garlic :)
Boboli pizza crust cut to bite size pieces or what ever you like for dipping.

In a blender, food processor, or Vitamix finely chop garlic and basal and pepperoni. I used a one or two handfuls of basal. Then do the same with the pepperoni. I used several slices.
Mix basal, garlic and pepperoni with ricotta and spread over the bottom of a square dish.
Add the garlic salt and garlic pepper if needed.
Pour a layer of tomato sauce over top of the ricotta mixture.
Top sauce with Quattro Farmaggio cheese, as much as you like.
Top the cheese with whole slices of pepperoni
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and serve with toasted boboli pizza bites.
Enjoy!

Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas

Zoe hosted book club and provided a delicious main dish.  

Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 – 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken

2 Tbs. Butter

2 Cups chopped Onions

½ Cup chopped Scallions

2  15oz. cans of Chickpeas (Garbanzos)

1 Cup Water

1 Tbs. Minced Garlic

1 Tsp. Ground Ginger

¾ Tsp. Salt

½ Tsp. Ground Cinnamon

½ Tsp. Black Pepper

¼ Tsp. Ground Red Pepper

½ Cup Chopped Cilantro

Directions:

-       Melt butter in pot.  Add chicken (cut into whatever size pieces you prefer) and brown on both sides.  Remove all chicken to a plate.

-       Add onions and scallions to the pan.  Cook 5 -7 min.

-       Stir in chickpeas (drained), water, garlic, ginger, salt, cinnamon, black pepper and red pepper.

-       Return the chicken to the pan and coat.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cover tightly and cook 35 – 45 min., stirring occasionally.

-       Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

-       Serve with rice, cous cous or quinoa.  

Healthy Cookie Dough Dip

Lauren provided us with Healthy Cookie Dough Dip!  Need I say more.  Whomever tried a taste of this at book club knows what I am talking about ;)  

It is easy to make and a hit at any party/event you bring it too.  Follow this link to see how this delicious creation can be made by: 
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/23/want-to-eat-an-entire-bowl-of-cookie-dough/ 

Beet Nectarine Salad

Thanks to Molly we had an AMAZING Beet Nectarine Salad.

Beet Nectarine Salad

Spinach
Sliced nectarines
Steamed sliced beets, cooled
A handful of chopped red onion
Chopped pecans
Goat cheese sprinkled on top
Dressing - Brianna's creamy balsamic

YUM!

Book Club's Two Main Dishes & Dessert

Thanks Lara for hosting book club and providing some delicious recipes!  Lara made two great summer recipes.

1.  GRILLED CHICKEN AND SUMMER SQUASH SALAD from finecooking.com (http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/grilled-chicken-summer-squash-salad.aspx).

2.  MEDITERRANEAN PASTA SALAD WITH CALIFORNIA AVOCADO from the California Avocado Commission (http://www.californiaavocado.com/recipe-details/view/31470/mediterranean-pasta-salad-with-california-avocado).

**This recipe calls for pasta but for this version Lara used quinoa instead of the pasta.  The recipe is great with either one!

I don't want to forget the delicious dessert provided by our special guest visitor Molly!  She made decadent chocolate chip brownies (http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes.php?recipe=878).

http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes.php?recipe=878

Pear and Cheese Baguette Appetizer

Courtney was at it again bring new and delicious appetizer to bookclub!

PEAR AND CHEESE BAGUETTE APPETIZER

Ingredients:
1 baguette - cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (recipe says it makes 40. I used one baguette and had a lot of the mixture left over, only made half that)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 - 8 oz package cream cheese
6 to 8 oz crumbled gorgonzola cheese
2 - 15oz cans sliced pears in juice, drained (I used 1 can)
1/2 cup candied pecans, chopped
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions:1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Lightly brush baguette slice with olive oil.  Place the slices on a baking sheet and toast 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Let cool.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and gorgonzola, stirring well until well mixed.
5. Spread the each toast with the cheese mixture.
6. Top with the pear slices and chopped candied pecans.
7. Sprinkle with the parsley.

ENJOY!!