PARMESAN CORN CHOWDER 2 C chopped peeled potato 1/2 C thinly sliced carrot 1/2 C thinly sliced celery 1/4 C chopped onion 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 C margarine or butter 1/4 C all-purpose flour 2 C milk 1 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 17oz can cream-style corn 1. In a large dutch over, stir together 2 C water, the potato, carrot, celery, onion & pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover & simmer for 10 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the margarine or butter. Stir in the four. Add the milk all at once. Cook & stir over medium heat unti the mixture is thickened & bubbly. Cook & stir for 1 minute more. **To make preparation even easier & lower in fat, omit the melting margarine step. Instead, combine the milk, four & cheese; stir into soup.** (This is what I do!) 3. Add the cheese, stirring until it's melted. Carefully add the cheese mixture to vegetable mixture. Stir in the corn. Heat the soup through, stirring occasionally. Do not boil! *Makes 6-8 servings *freshly grated parmesan will melt better & give the soup a smoother texture. For 1 C of grated cheese, you'll need 4 oz of ungrated. *Hubby is a meat and potatoes guy, so he likes it when I add some sort of sausage. Good either way!!

RICE-TACO SALAD (This is sooo good!) 3 flour tortillas (8" diameter) 3/4 C uncooked long grain white rice 1 1/2 C water 1-2 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne) 1 can (8 oz) kidney beans, drained 5 C shredded lettuce 1 C chopped tomato (about 1 lg) 1/2 C shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese 1/4 C chopped onion (about 1 small) 1/4 C reduced - calorie Thousand Island dressing 1/4 C low-fat sour cream 4 pitted ripe olives, sliced Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut tortillas into 12 wedges or strips, about 3x 1/4". Place in ungreased jelly roll pan (I just use cookie sheets). Bake uncovered 6-8", stirring at least once, until golden brown & crisp; cool. Heat rice, water, chili powder, salt, garlic powder & red pepper to boiling in 1 1/2 qt saucepan, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Cover & simmer 14" (do not lift cover or stir); remove from heat. Fluff rice lightly w/ fork. Cover & let steam 5". Stir in kidney beans. Mix lettuce, tomato, cheese & onion in lg bowl. Add dressing; toss. Divide lettuce mixture among 4 plates. Top each salad w/ about 1/2 C rice mixture. Arrange tortilla wedges around salad. Garnish w/ sour cream and olives. 4 servings *I use yogurt (vanilla) instead of sour cream. Plain could be used too. My brother thinks it's gross, but my family loves it! Also use brown vs. white rice! I don't use a head of lettuce. I buy either fresh greens or prepackaged so we're eating more dark green leaves! I don't add dressing to salad- let everyone add their own amount to their palte! The nice thing with this recipe, you can tweek it like crazy to fit your tastebuds! Also, the chips can be made just for dipping in salsa by themselves or for any other recipes where chips are needed but you want a healthier option!

Broccoli Tahini Soup This is a great winter recipe and it is pretty easy to make. This is my favorite soup In case you are not familar with Tahini you can find it in nearly any large grocery near the international foods it is a paste made from sesame seeds and has a very full rich flavor. It is a main ingredient in Hummous and other Middle Eastern foods. 2 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth is fine also) 6 cups broccoli, stems and leaves removed and cut into large florets 1 onion chopped 4 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste) salt to taste Olive oil to sautee veggies Heat broth in a 2 quart pan In a large pan sautee the garlic and onions until they are soft briefly add broccoli to the pan to release flavor into the oil. Add to the broth. Simmer broth, onions, garlic and broccoli 15 minutes until the broccoli is soft Puree the mixture Add the Tahini and salt to taste. Serve super extra hot!

Thanks Missa! You have perfect timing! I was just wondering what else I could do with broccoli around here. I've just been eating it raw and steamed. Think I'll give this a try...*if* I can find tahini! ~Joni~

it goes really well in thai green veg curry too...

I *think* Meijer might have it...they have a decent ethnic selection now. k

Yeah, I've found I can usually count on them for things like that! I really like that store. Thanks!

Joni, Did you find the Tahini? If you are anywhere near a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods they also carry it. Sorry I dropped the ball on the question. I forgot I posted the recipe. You can use any green vegetables. This morning after I got home from the farmers market I made the soup with broccoli, asparagus, and green beans. It is just as delicious as plain broccoli soup.

Joni, Did you find the Tahini? If you are anywhere near a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods they also carry it.

I'd KILL for a Trader Joe's in our area. I even started an online petition to show TJ's how much it would be valued in our area...I sent them an e-mail with a link to the signatures, but never heard back. I've heard rumors that in the past TJ's has looked at the West MI area, but decided it wasn't "affluent" or educated enough for their demographic requirements. Not sure what that's all about...this isn't exactly the land of hillbillys, LOL (and we have several large universities and colleges all within an hour of Grand Rapids). Though the current job climate is pretty depressed. k