Tabouleh

Tabouleh, where have you been all my life?  Perhaps I led such a sheltered life or my home town which was primarily Italian or of Slavic descent, did not import from Tabouleh's country of origin.  Mostly from Lebanon and Syria this grain is loaded with high fiber, magnesium and Vitamin C.  It boasts no cholesterol and is low in saturated fat!  

Tabouleh is the name for a salad dish made from bulgur.  Nowadays,  you can readily find it in any store.  I like it because it seems to curb cravings while filling me up.  I cheated a bit and bought the brand Near East Tabouleh which already has a spice pack inside.  Next time it'll be from scratch!  Try it....you may like it!

Tabouleh Salad

1 box "Near East" Tabouleh

6-7 cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

1 roasted red or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 heaping tsp of fresh parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

handful of pine nuts for garnish

In a large bowl put tabouleh and packet provided with box.  Add 1 cup of boiling water, stir and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients mixing well.  Chill for at least an hour or better yet, overnight as the flavors blend.  Serve with more pine nuts (optional).  Soooo good!

Southwestern Turkey Pinto Spinach Salad

I'm sure this may not look like much to you but to me, it tasted like heaven!   For a little over two weeks now I've had no coffee, no sugar, barely any meat, mostly turkey, chicken and fish.  No alcohol (okay, I sipped 2 ounces one night and 2 ounces the next)  And no cheese, no carbs except for the allotted 1/2 cup of brown rice per day.  Why?  Because it's necessary !  Has it been easy? no...the first two days were a struggle.  Have I lost some weight? Yes, teetering on 7-8 lbs.  Is that enough? No...but now I've hit a plateau for the past few days.  

Does this stubborn scale make me crazy?  Yes!  So...I'll "break the fast" so to speak for a day and return to the plan.  Maybe that will shake things up.  In the mean time here is a simple way to incorporate pinto beans into your diet.  I made a big batch the other day and simply throw a few into salads or a faux wrap (without using a tortilla, lettuce works).  Beans are a great source of protein, they fill you up and stave off cravings, I've found.

On a bed of spinach, add about 1/3 cup beans, sliced turkey, avocado and salsa for dressing and there you have it!   Very satisfying, filling and delicious.

STAY TUNED for a restaurant review possibly.  I haven't done one of those in a while!

Asian Cucumber Salad

I confess, I've never been a fan of cucumbers.  I tolerate them in salads, usually, but after buying some at the farmer's market a few weeks ago (because they were gorgeous) I proceeded to put them in whatever I could.   I even added them to tuna sandwiches for extra crunch and freshness!  Pretty good!  

Not to change the subject, but, I don't drink as much water as I should.  To compensate for this I've been trying to eat more foods with a high water content in them, such as melons and cucumbers.   Enter the Asian Cucumber Salad recipe.  If you've ever eaten in a Thai restaurant this is always on the menu or placed as a side dish for certain entrees.  I love all the ways it hits my taste buds, fresh, crunchy, spicy, tangy and sweet all rolled into one dish!  Try this, it may make you a fan of cucumbers.

Asian Cucumber Salad

2 cucumbers, washed and peeled, then thinly sliced (use side of a box grater)

2 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup rice vinegar (I used roasted garlic flavor, that's what I had)

1/8 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp red chili paste

salt & pepper

1 handful of chopped cilantro

In a small bowl mix the vinegar, sugar, chili paste and salt and pepper.  Whisk.   Add the cucumbers, green onions and cilantro and stir.  Refrigerate for at least an hour to blend the flavors.  Serve with your favorite soba noodles  or by itself!

Pesto Edamame Tortellini Salad

Looking for a Summer salad that's a little bit of Asian Italian fusion?  This hits the target!  A few weeks ago hubby and I went salad tasting at the local store.  We were actually trying to find a cold salad that could supplement a wedding brunch menu for the already planned wedding that's happening in , count them........33 days!  I'm not sure, yet, whether I'll be making from scratch or ordering it, but I wanted to make some crucial changes.  The original had peas in it.

You see, this girl does not eat her peas...they don't go down very well, never have.  As a matter of fact, my sister and I used to feed the peas to our dog, Laddie, under the table.   Laddie loved peas or anything else we'd sneak to her.  At the time, we thought we were "home free"....no peas for us.  We thought we were sooo smart!    My parents were VERY aware of what was being done under the table.  Our punishment......eat more peas and couldn't leave the table until they were gone.  Those peas packed a powerful punch (and memory).

Needless to say, I substituted edamame for peas.  Wise choice on my part.  I'll definitely prepare this salad again with a few more additions, but this was the first "draft".

Edamame Pesto Tortellini

1/2 cup precooked and shelled edamame beans, cooled

1 package of 4 cheese store bought tortellini, (you've seen that green packaging)

zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

1 Tbsp mayo or plain yogurt

1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped

1 1/2 Tbsp prepared pesto

2 Tbsp chopped walnuts

1 Tbsp olive oil + some at the end

Cook the pasta according to directions and drain.  Put all the remaining ingredients into a large bowl.  Mix well and salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate until well chilled.  Then serve.  Delicious!!

NOTE: For more crunch you can wait to add the walnuts until right before serving.

Chicken Waldorf Salad

Why do I love chicken?  Let me count the ways!  Here's another variation for the famous Waldorf salad created in New York way back in the 1890's.  If I'm remembering correctly either my mother or grandmother  (probably both) made this with cherries and walnuts or sometimes grapes.  This is my kind of lighter meal when the temperature climbs outside and you don't want to turn on the oven or stand over a hot barbecue.

Use this recipe as a guide because substitutions are allowed!   Maybe you want turkey instead of chicken.  Or try pecans instead of walnuts, dried cranberries instead of raisins!  You get the idea!

Chicken Waldorf Salad

Serves 2

1 1/2 cups precooked chicken, cubed

1 apple, peeled and chopped

1 celery rib, sliced

1 handful of raisins

1 handful of walnuts, chopped

2-3 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp plain yogurt

1 Tbsp lemon juice or lemon zest

Mix all ingredients well, refrigerate for about an hour.  Then serves on a bed of lettuce.  Enjoy!

Mango Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Nothing evokes the taste of the Tropics better than a juicy bite into a fresh ripe mango, right?  It's mango season, so now is the time to create ANY recipe featuring this beautiful fruit.   This is perfect for those hot Summer days and super easy to put together.  I mounded the filling into romaine lettuce "wraps", but they would be good in a sandwich or appetizers in puff pastry cups or Belgium endive leaves.

You can buy precooked chicken these days, however, I usually bake or boil some breast meat  to have on hand for last minute meals or salads.

Mango Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2 cups cooked and cubed breast meat.

2 green onions (scallions), chopped

2 Tbsp mayonnaise (or a combination of mayo/plain yogurt)

1 mango, peeled and cut up

1 heaping Tbsp of fresh chopped cilantro

salt & pepper to taste

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.  Then, fill the lettuce wraps and garnish with avocado.  Yum!

Creamy Pear Thyme Salad Dressing

Do you get tired of the same old salad dressing?  Or maybe you have your "go to" salad dressing.  Why not get creative and make your own.  At least, you'll know what goes into it.   For so many years we only ate ranch dressing or blue cheese.   When ordering a salad at a restaurant it was like hearing a skip in a record, reciting " ranch please" every time!  No longer!  

Now, I enjoy dressing my salads...no more boring oil and vinegar or bottled ranch for me.   The taste is incredible when the ingredients are fresh!  Salad at its best!

Creamy Pear Thyme Salad Dressing

In a blender or food processor mix the following:

1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil

1 small shallot, chopped

1/2 pear, peeled, cored  and sliced

1 tsp dijon style mustard

1 Tbsp sour cream

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

3 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves, removed from woody stem

1/2 tsp lemon zest (optional, but adds a zing)

salt and pepper to taste

Let your blender or food processor do all the work.  Refrigerate in your own nice bottle.  Makes about 8 oz. (8 servings)  I highly recommend making it an hour or longer before you use it.

Homemade Gourmet Croutons

Why would anyone go through the trouble of making their own croutons?  Isn't it easier to just pluck them from the grocery store shelf?  It may be more convenient, but, have you read the back of the label, lately?  What's that sodium content?  And what were you going to do with that days old french bread, anyway?  Toss it?   Would you throw away a dollar bill?  Didn't think so!

It only takes a few minutes to create your own gourmet croutons.  I'm SURE you have the ingredients handy waiting for the bread to get hard.  Try this at home.

Home Made Croutons

1 1/2  cups of French bread, cut into cubes, crust and all

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

salt and pepper

seasoning of your choice (garlic, rosemary, herb de Provence are my favorites)  I usually use 1/2 to a full teaspoon of herb sprinkled in.

Melt the oil and butter in a skillet.  Throw in the bread cubes stirring briskly.  When they begin to brown add the salt and pepper and seasoning of your choice.  Done!  If you like them really crunchy , lay them out on a cookie sheet and place in the oven on very low heat for a bit.  Pop one in your mouth to test.  You be the judge!

Use for soups or salads.  They are so much better than packaged "salt cubes"!  This recipe can be easily doubled, do the math.

Here's a label of a best selling packaged crouton, if you're curious.

Ingredients:

Enriched Wheat Flour [Flour, Barley Malt, Ferrous Sulfate (Iron), B Vitamins (Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Folic Acid)], Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Garlic Powder, Salt, Romano CheesePowder (Pasteurized Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes, Sodium Phosphate). Contains 2% or Less of: Onion Powder, Yeast, Blue Cheese Powder (Pasteurized Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes, Sodium Phosphate), Spices, Whey, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Anchovy Powder, Autolyzed Yeast, Dehydrated Parsley, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Vinegar Powder, Citric Acid, Dough Conditioners (Calcium Iodate, Calcium Dioxide), Calcium Sulfate.

WHAT IS THIS!

Tangy Zucchini Slaw

For the longest time I turned my nose up at the thought of eating any kind of slaw.  My first job was at Kentucky Fried Chicken where you got cole slaw or mashed potatoes instead of fries with that!  I would pour huge bags of cabbage into trash can-like containers, open bags of liquid dressing and mix away, practically diving into the mess slaw with every stir.  You get the picture.  So, yes, it took me a while to realize I was better off making my own.  Most of the time I know exactly what goes into my food.

For some unknown reason I  recently had a craving for slaw!  Here's my version of it with the addition of shredded zucchini.  MUST get rid of this zucchini any way I can!

Ingredients:

2 cups very thinly sliced "ribbons" of red cabbage (green cabbage can also be used)

1 cup shredded zucchini  Squeeze the excess liquid from it before measuring.

1/3 cup thinly sliced onion.

Vinaigrette

juice from 1/2 lime

1 Truvia packet (or the equivalent of other sugar, a tsp or so)

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar  (I used roasted garlic flavor)

1 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Put the cabbage, zucchini and onion in a large bowl or container.  In a smaller bowl whisk the vinaigrette together and pour over the cabbage.  Blend well and season with salt and pepper to taste. This can be served immediately but it's best if it "marries" in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  Serves 4.

Good and Good For You Broccoli Salad

Have you ever had cravings for something sweet, and crunchy with a bit of saltiness?  That just about covers most craving sensations!  I'm not talking about grabbing a scoop or two of salted cashew caramel ice cream, although that doesn't sound too bad right now!  This recipe looked interesting to me because 1) it was simple 2) the calorie count was low 3) and it transformed plain old broccoli into a "good and good for you"  treat or side dish.

Ingredients:

4 cups of fresh broccoli florets

1/2 bunch (about 3) of green onions, chopped 

1/4 cup dried cranberries

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar ( I used roasted garlic flavor)

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup sunflower kernels

about 3 pieces of cooked and crumbled panchetta

In a large bowl combine the broccoli, onions and cranberries.  In a smaller bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, vinegar and sugar and drizzle over the broccoli.  Stir well to combine the flavors and refrigerate for about 1-2 hours or longer.  At the time of serving, sprinkle with the sunflower kernels and panchetta and then mix.  One serving of 3/4 cup has only 121 (or so) calories, and very low fat!  This is  a salad that is better the next day, too.

Apricot Ginger Salad Dressing

As promised, here's the apricot ginger homemade salad dressing that was mentioned in the previous post.  How did I not know how easy and inexpensive making my own salad dressing could be?  ALL these years, and they are many, I've been searching for the tastiest, healthiest drizzle for my salads.  I had it all along.  "There is no place like home"!

Instead of bottled dressings and marinades, which can be quite costly and filled with names you can't pronounce, try this recipe.  You WILL like it!  Most of the ingredients are probably already in your frig and pantry.  If not, use your imagination and taste buds to improvise.  Instead of apricot, try strawberry.

Apricot Ginger Salad Dressing or Marinade

1/2 cup apricot spreadable fruit or jam

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (I used pomegranate flavor)

1 1/2 Tbsp honey

1/2 Tbsp spicy brown mustard

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3 Tbsp canola or olive oil

1/2 cup apricot nectar (Usually in the juice or Mexican section)

1 Tbsp zested fresh ginger

salt and pepper to taste (if needed)

Put all the ingredients into a large measuring cup and whisk.  Then put into a nice jar and refrigerate until time to use.  This makes 8 fl oz and is enough for many salads.

Lancer's Spinach Salad Dressing

If you've been around these parts for at least 25 years, you would recognize the name, Lancers, as being the restaurant that burnt to the ground on Mount Rose Highway.  It had a prime spot for viewing the lights of Reno and evidently the food was amazing.  I did manage to salvage their spinach salad dressing recipe, which in my opinion, is the best! 

I made a batch for Easter dinner and now that my spinach is maturing in my garden it may be time to make more.  It's that good!

Ingredients:

1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 Tbsp salt

1/2 Tbsp dry mustard

1/2 Tbsp steak sauce (like A-1)

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup burgundy wine

1/4 cup ketchup

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup wine vinegar

1/4 cup honey

Mix all the ingredients in a 4 cup capacity bowl.  Pour into a jar and shake.  Serve over spinach.  Delicious!

A Date with Chicken Salad

What would we do without chicken?  When in doubt, make something with chicken, right?  It's so versatile and easy to disguise.  For this meal, I wanted to create a chicken salad that would be a little out of the ordinary.  Add dates!   With a few ingredients we had a nice light dinner - very Spring-like!

Chicken Salad with Dates
serves 2

2 cups pre-cooked chicken breast meat, chopped.  I baked
 them with a little olive oil and herb de Provence

10 dates, chopped

1 handful sliced almonds

1 Tbsp red onion, chopped

2 Tbsp organic mayonnaise

1 tsp organic horseradish mustard

Place all the ingredients into a bowl.  Mix well and mound onto salad greens, with avocado slices and maybe a bit of wonton strips for crunch.  Drizzle with your favorite dressing.  This would be great in a sandwich, too!

Broccoli Slaw Delight

For many years cole slaw was a "turnoff" for me.  Why, you ask?  My first job was at a Kentucky Fried Chicken where I made and mixed the Colonel's wonderful side dish.  In my fashionable long food service gloves and long blond hair wrapped in a bun, I would literally dive into a large vat (looked like a large plastic trash can) and pour the secret dressing into bags and bags of cabbage.

I also prepared the mashed potatoes in a huge commercial mixer.  If you added the liquid first, and turned the machine on, the ingredients would whirl across the room and spatter anyone standing within a few feet of it.  And gravy making was another story...what a greasy mess!   When the main cook called in sick I was called upon to operate the commercial pressure cookers filled with loads of grease and skin scalding chicken.  Not my favorite!  My boss told me that if the timer went off,  you  had better release the pressure or it would explode sending grease and chicken everywhere!   What you do to pay the bills!   But my faithful cat , at the time, was always eager to greet me every evening, as I wreaked of chicken.  We both lived on a steady diet of chicken and cole slaw!

This cole slaw rendition has shredded broccoli but you can use regular cabbage.  It's a nice change from salad.

Ingredients:

3 cups broccoli slaw or shredded cabbage

1/4 c sliced almonds

1/4 c raisins

1 tsp ginger zest

For the dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp roasted garlic flavored vinegar

1 tsp horseradish mustard

1 tsp sugar

Make the dressing and reserve.  In a bowl add the 4 main ingredients, add the dressing and mix well.  Refrigerate for an hour or so.  This is great for that end of summer barbecue!  Serves about 4 people but can easily be doubled or tripled...do the math!

My First Summer Salad

This last week I had my first Summer salad with fixings from my garden!  The butter lettuce has been flourishing along with the spinach and radishes.  I'm loving the taste of fresh picked veggies!  There is nothing like it!  Even going to the farmer's market doesn't compare when you can walk right out the door and start gathering.

My hops vine reaching for the sun - Beer anyone?

The night before,  I made my maple glazed salmon in foil packets on our new grill.  I had leftover chunks of salmon  so into the salad it went with a drizzle of FF honey mustard and a sprinkle of goat cheese.  All my favorites!

Simple salmon and butter lettuce salad

The next night I sauteed the "first pick" of the swiss chard in olive oil and garlic.  Yum!   I've been making use of the fresh parsley and lemon verbena before a hungry rabbit demolishes it.  The war of the garden has begun with all the critters so most of my garden is extremely "raised" or double fenced!

Resting and digesting after a meal of parsley and lemon verbena

  Hopefully, this year the harvest will be plentiful, enough for all.  I'll keep you posted.

An American Twist on French Nicoise Salad

I wish I could be nibbling on this salad while sitting at a cafe on the Left Bank near the Eiffel Tower.  Traveling to France is still on my bucket list but it doesn't look promising at the moment.  But never say never is my motto.

The truth be told I made this last week as the weather began to warm up in between our Spring snowstorms!  I can't wait to wander around my yard while picking some of these fresh ingredients from my veggie patch!   The lettuce and spinach are sprouting.  I need to plant the radish seeds soon, but I've never had much luck with green beans.  Last year they were gobbled up by the critters, such as rabbits and squirrels! 

Looking for more green beans!

I've been working on my husband in regards to a chicken coop, but that idea flew away along with the goats to make my own cheese!  He says I'd name each chicken and then I wouldn't be able to "part" with them when the time came for roasting.  He's probably right!  Yes, I should have been a farmer...

I made this nicoise type salad without the classic tuna it calls for.  I added a few of my favorites, aromatic fennel, crunchy radishes and cooked french lentils for more protein and called it a meal!  I didn't measure anything.  Just get a nice platter and start piling on your ingredients.  I chose:

bed of spinach

cut up radishes, slices of fennel and shallots

blanched, steamed or roasted green beans

halved hard boiled eggs

about 1 cup of cooked lentils

sprinkle of goat cheese

drizzle of classic vinaigrette (recipe follows)

1/2 cup pomegranate infused balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp Emeril's kicked up mustard

pepper, pinch

Warm the vinegar and dissolve the sugar over low heat.  Pour into a jar and cool slightly before adding the rest of the ingredients.  Add the oil, mustard and pepper to the jar, cover and shake. Refrigerate to chill.  Drizzle a small amount on salad or individual serving.  Bon Appetite!

Ole Fiesta Salad

Somewhere in the world there is a fiesta going on. It's sure not in this neck of the woods. Fall has settled in. Most of the colorful leaves of a few weeks ago have flown away. I love those wind storms we get only because they save me from doing any raking. The leaves are usually nicely blown into neat piles around the yard. The weather is noticeably cooler with storm clouds hovering over the mountaintops.

So why am I putting this recipe on my blog? It seems so inappropriate for the weather. Everyone is busy making Halloween costumes or making concoctions where pumpkin plays the starring role.

One reason is that it has been on my featured recipes list long enough and it's also super easy to throw together. Healthy too! You can always offset it with a few snickers bars, tonight! So if you're in a bind for time make this any time of the year.

Ingredients:

1 cup black beans

1/2 c red pepper, chopped

2 T onions, cut up

1 T chipotle hot sauce

1 T fresh lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

1 c roasted corn, or cooked frozen will do.

1/2 c chopped cherry tomatoes

1 handful chopped parsley

1 handful chopped cilantro

Mix all the above in a bowl, refrigerate for an hour or longer. Ole!

Seared Tuna Salad with Ginger Wasabi Vinaigrette

As a farewell to summer salads my ginger wasabi tuna salad was an overwhelming success. Quite the surprise! So much so that Ralph put aside his favorite dressing (blue cheese) for a drizzling of my homemade vinaigrette. I'll toot my own horn on this one. I even had visions of bottling my dressing it was that great! Any takers?

Growing up I always had an endless supply (so I thought) of tuna fish. There were several canneries in the port of LA town I was from. Most of them are now gone. Over the years I've found myself actually craving tuna for whatever reason, I'm not sure. Could it be the protein or the taste or both? Was I conditioned from living in "fish town, USA"? Was I experiencing homesick tuna syndrome? After doing a little research I suppose I could be lacking in omega fatty acids, protein, magnesium or potassium, all of which are found in abundance in tuna. Listen to those cravings, your body may be trying to tell you something!

Before I met my husband I would dine on tuna sandwiches and chocolate milk! My kitties loved me for that. Very affordable when you're living on your own. Another way I like to enjoy my tuna sandwiches is with a slice or two of jellied cranberry sauce! Pretty weird but it works for me!

As I strolled through the market the other day the tuna caught my eye. I must have had that craving again. Almost as powerful as a chocolate craving! I have to say thanks to my hubby for letting me experiment from time to time (quite often). This time the payoff was great. I only purchased a small amount but what I bought went a long way with the following recipe.

Ginger wasabi Vinaigrette:

Whisk together

1 tsp finely grated ginger root

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp wasabi powder

1 T minced cilantro, fresh

2 T oil, canola

1 T garlic infused rice wine vinegar

1 T honey

Season the tuna steak (1/3 -1/2 lb piece for 2) with salt and pepper. Using a grill or griddle pan on med-high heat, sear on both sides for a total of about 5 minutes. Slice thinly and add to your salad greens, tomatoes, onions, etc. Drizzle with ginger wasabi dressing. Yum! Another great addition would be orange or pineapple slices or toasted almonds! Serves 2.

Savory Orange Chicken Fennel Salad

Some days my recipes are the brainchild of what's in the frig or pantry! I enjoy being creative while imagining the finished project. My taste buds are usually the guide because I rarely use a written recipe. There are no rules in my kitchen. I'm always searching for new and innovative ways to assemble a meal using the ever-versatile ingredient, chicken! This recipe has a freshness to it that seems to squelch the Summer heat.

15 oz can orange segments (use 3/4 c for salad)

1 small fennel bulb, sliced thinly

1 large chicken breast, precooked,boneless, skinless and cut up

1/2 handful parsley

2 T red pepper, diced

2 T onion, diced

Mix the above in a medium bowl. Make the dressing and add some to the chicken. Put the avocado in at the end before mounding chicken onto the greens.

1/2 - 1 avocado, chunks

mixed greens

For dressing:

3 T Balsamic vinegar (I used pomegranate infused vinegar)

1 T lemon juice

1 T Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

1/2 handful parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

remaining orange segments plus 1 T juice from can

Place in blender and mix

Add 3 T of the dressing to the chicken mixture reserving the rest to drizzle over the top. You may substitute the parsley for cilantro.

Hawaiian Camping Salad

This salad recipe goes way back to our camping days. We acquired a small travel trailer from my parents around the time my son was 2. That was 31 years ago! We called it the "Flintstones trailer". The kitchen area was non-existent except for a sink and mini oven so I learned real quick how to improvise at mealtime. Usually it was burgers, chicken or sandwiches. To go along with these main courses I'd always bring the ingredients and literally throw it together in minutes!

We graduated to a cab over camper years later and the recipe followed us. We now do most of our camping at the Hilton, so, sorry to say I don't make it as often. It could easily pass as a dessert, it's that tasty.

1 20 oz. can of chunk pineapple

1 11 oz. can of mandarin oranges

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded coconut

Drain the juices from the canned fruit. Place all ingredients into bowl, mix and there you have it! Don't let the sour cream scare you if you don't care for it. It actually cuts the sweetness! Your kids will love this one. Serves 4-6