Watermelon Boat!!

Impress everyone at a party with this creation!!!!

Ingredients:

• At first cut a thin slice from bottom of watermelon with a sharp knife to allow it to sit flat. • With a long sharp knife, cut the melon longitudinally and gently pull off the top section. • Cut the corner of melon in saw-tooth shape with a sharp knife. • Remove center with the help of a melon ball scoop, leaving an inch of melon fruit intact. • Now in a large bowl, combine honeydew, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes and watermelon; spoon into boat and serve chilled. How to make Watermelon Boat: • At first cut a thin slice from bottom of watermelon with a sharp knife to allow it to sit flat. • With a long sharp knife, cut the melon longitudinally and gently pull off the top section. • Cut the corner of melon in saw-tooth shape with a sharp knife. • Remove center with the help of a melon ball scoop, leaving an inch of melon fruit intact. • Now in a large bowl, combine honeydew, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes and watermelon; spoon into boat and serve chilled. Credit goes to for the recipe!!

Beef Taco Salad with Chunky Tomato Dressing

Prep Time:

35 min

Inactive Prep Time:

10 min

Cook Time:

12 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

For the Meat:

• 3/4 pound lean ground beef (90 percent lean or higher)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/3 cup water

For the dressing:

• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

• 2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar
• 2 ounces baked corn tortilla chips (about 32 chips)

Directions

To prepare the meat, heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink, stirring occasionally and breaking the meat up with the spoon. Add the garlic and beans and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the chili powder, cayenne and water and stir until well combined and some but not all of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. Meat mixture may be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

To make the tomato dressing, in a medium bowl, combine tomatoes (with their juices), oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Dressing may be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Place 2 cups of lettuce on each plate or in a lunch container. Top each serving with 1 cup of the beef mixture then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of cheese. If making to-go, pack 3/4 cup of the tomato mixture in a separate sealable container and put about 8 chips in a separate bag. Right before eating, pour a portion of the tomato mixture with the liquid on top of each salad, and crush tortilla chips on top.

Nutritional analysis per serving (Serving size: 2 cups lettuce, 1 cup beef mixture, 2 tablespoons cheese, 3/4 cup of tomato mixture, and about 8 crushed tortilla chips)

Calories 430; Total Fat 22 g; (Sat Fat 8 g, Mono Fat 10 g, Poly Fat 2 g) ; Protein 29 g; Carb 36 g; Fiber 9 g; Cholesterol 70 mg; Sodium 770 mg

Excellent source of: Protein, Fiber, Vitamin A, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc

Good source of: Riboflavin, Vitamin K, Manganese

Credit goes to Food Network

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour, 10 Minutes


Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
* 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika
* 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tablespoon minced onion
* 10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
* 1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
* 1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving Calories: 491 | Total Fat: 35.2g | Cholesterol: 0mg

**This isn't one of my recipes, this is the site of where I got it so I'm giving credit for using it:http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Strawberry-Spinach-Salad-I/Detail.aspx

Enjoy!

Vegetable Lasagna

VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Ingrediants

* 2 Tbsp. olive oil
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 cup diced green pepper
* 1/2 cup diced red pepper
* 1/2 cup diced zucchini
* 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
* 2 26 oz. jars spaghetti sauce or 6 cups homemade spaghetti sauce
* kosher salt and black pepper to taste
* 15 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 cup shredded asiago cheese
* 12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, such as Ronzoni or Barilla
* 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese


Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat olive oil in a large (12- or 14-inch) skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and peppers. Saute several minutes until vegetables start to soften.

Add zucchini and mushrooms. Saute 2-3 more minutes until the vegetables have released most of their water. Stir in spaghetti sauce.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let the sauce simmer about 7-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

In a medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, eggs and asiago cheese together. Set aside.

Spoon about 3/4 cup of the vegetable sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.

Top with four lasagna noodles, going crosswise. It's okay if they overlap.

Top with 1/2 of the ricotta mixture, the Parmesan cheese and 1/3 of the sauce.

Top with four more lasagna noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the sauce.

Top with the remaining lasagna noodles and remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the spaghetti sauce.

Cover with aluminum foil, and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake another 10-20 minutes until golden and bubbly.

Let rest 15 minutes before cutting.

Credit: This is where I found the recipe, it's not my own I just wanted to share it with everyone! http://kidscooking.about.com/od/dinnerrecipes/r/vegetablelasagn.htm