Spanish Rice With Shrimp and Scallops

            3 or 4 cups long-grain white rice

            2 cups seafood or vegetable broth

            1 small can tomato sauce

            shrimp, peeled, amount to your liking

            scallops, amount to your liking

            3-5 fresh chilies, yellow, green or red (optional)

            2-4 tbsp, cooking oil

            1/2 onion, yellow or white, chopped

            1 tomato, chopped (optional)

Heat cooking oil in pan. When oil is hot, add rice, chilies and chopped onions. Stir until lightly golden. Add tomato and tomato sauce and stir. Add shrimp and scallops and stir. Add broth, bring to a boil, then turn to simmer and cover. Rice should be done in about 20 minutes or less. This dish is great when you add salsa.

Very Easy Tortilla Salad

Ingredients

            6-8 cups cooked long grained white rice with or without vegetable broth and cumin to taste

            2 cups spinach, fresh or frozen

            2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen (omit if using corn salsa)

            salt and black pepper to taste

Toppings

            beans of choice — pinto, garbanzo, kidney, black, refried (warmed)

            chilies of choice, roasted or pickled

            guacamole

            sour cream

            salsa

            tomatoes, diced (personal preference)

            cheese, or mix of cheeses, shredded

            lettuce, shredded

Garnishes

            lime or lemon

            cilantro, chopped (personal preference)

            cucumber, thinly sliced (personal preference)

            tortilla chips

Set cooked rice aside to cool. If using fresh spinach, steam until tender. Drain and squeeze the water from spinach (frozen or fresh), chop fine and add to the rice. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels from the cobs and add to the rice. (Omit if you use a corn salsa for the topping.) Salt and pepper to taste. The salad may be prepared with warmed or chilled rice. It is excellent either way.

Scoop rice in the middle of a nice platter. Layer the topping ingredients in order. Squeeze a lime over the salad, garnish with sliced cucumbers, cilantro and tortilla chips and enjoy!

Broccoli Mandarin Orange Salad

            5 cups broccoli flowerets

            2 tbsp almonds

            2  11-oz cans of mandarin oranges, well drained

            1 orange, grated peel and juice

            5 green onions, chopped

            3 tbsp white vinegar

            1 tbsp. sugar

            2 tbsp olive oil

            salt and pepper, optional

Steam broccoli flowerets in covered saucepan for three minutes only. Remove quickly and rinse with cold running water until broccoli is no longer warm. Do not cook further. Place in serving bowl and chill, covered.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, combine almonds, drained mandarin oranges, grated peel and juice from orange, green onions, and remaining ingredients except for salt and pepper. Toss gently and allow to stand at room temperature for 15-30 minutes.

When ready to serve, pour marinated orange mixture on chilled broccoli and toss very gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired, and serve. Makes six 1 1/2 cup servings.

Egg, Spinach and Mushroom Casserole

            3 tbsp butter

            3 cups cubed French bread

            2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

            l large can of mushrooms

            shredded fresh spinach

            3 tbsp flour

            1 tbsp dry mustard

            6 eggs

            3 cups milk

            dash of Tabasco

Butter a 13 by 9 inch baking dish. Put in French bread, grated sharp cheddar cheese, mushrooms, spinach or any other vegetables in the pan. In a separate bowl, mix melted butter, flour and dry mustard. In a different bowl, beat eggs, milk and Tabasco until foamy. Add melted butter, flour and dry mustard mixture to the egg mixture and beat with a mixer. Pour the mixture over the pan ingredients. Refrigerate for four hours or overnight. The next day, cook at 350 degrees for one hour.

Tuna Tofu Burgers

            1 can tuna, drained

            1 firm tofu, drained

            1/2 cup grated carrot

            1 small onion, chopped fine

            3 tbsp oyster sauce

            salt and pepper

            1 egg

            green onion

Mash tofu in bowl and add all ingredients. Shape into patties; fry. Makes approximately 10 patties.

Chili Relleno Casserole

Base

            3 cups water

            1/4 tsp salt

            1 tsp cumin

            2 tsp chili powder

            1/2 tsp garlic powder

            pinch oregano and thyme (dried)

            3/4 cup corn meal or polenta

            1 tbsp olive oil

Bring water and seasonings to a boil. Add olive oil and gradually add polenta, stirring frequently until thickened — about seven minutes. Spread evenly in a 9 by 12 inch pan and set aside.

Middle

            3 cans whole green chilies

            5 cups Monterey Jack cheese

Rinse and split chilies and pat dry. Put chilies on top of polenta covering completely. Cover chilies with cheese.

            Top

            10 eggs

            10 tbsp of flour

            2 tsp of water

Separate 10 eggs and mix flour, a little at a time, with the yokes. Add water and set aside. Beat egg whites until stiff. Take a spoonful of the whites and add to yoke mixture until workable. Gradually and gently fold yoke mixture into the remaining egg white mixture until incorporated. Spread completely over cheese and bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cut in squares and top with your favorite salsa. This also freezes beautifully, just thaw and heat through.

Asian Cabbage Salad

            1/2 purple cabbage, coarsely chopped

            1/2 green cabbage, coarsely chopped

            1 cup cilantro, chopped

            1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

            2 carrots, grated

            2 cups snow peas, cut in half

            1 small can mandarin oranges, drained

            1 cup red onion, chopped

            1 cup green onion, chopped

            1 cup dry roasted sunflower kernels, unsalted

            1 cup cashew nuts, unsalted

            2 cups chow mein noodles in the can

Dressing

            1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar

            1/2 cup sugar

            1/8 cup sesame oil

Mix dressing very well. Add seeds, nuts, noodles and dressing just prior to serving.

Crab Mandoo

            1 can crabmeat

            1 pkg imitation crabmeat

            diced green onions

            1 can water chestnuts, minced

            18 oz cream cheese

            pinch of white pepper

            2 pkg mandoo pi (wrappers)

            oil

            1/2 onion, minced

Drain liquid from the crabmeat and break apart in a mixing bowl. Slice imitation crabmeat in 1/2-inch pieces and shred. Blend all ingredients, except wrappers. Fold a 1/2 teaspoonful of mixture into mundoo pi. Seal with water and cornstarch mixture and flute the edges with a fork. Fry in hot oil.

Simple Tuna and Zucchini Dish

            1 tomato, cubed

            1/2 onion, sliced

            2 cans of tuna in oil

            3 small zucchini sliced

            tbsp soy sauce

Place tuna and oil with tomato and onion in a saucepan. Simmer about 15 minutes. Add zucchini, cover and let stand about another 15 minutes. Serve.