Southwest Corn, Mango & Black Bean Salad

My sister Tracy is going on a camping trip and asked if I had a salad idea that will travel well. I thought my Southwest Corn, Mango & Black Bean Salad would do the trick. This is one of the most colorful salads you'll ever see... yellow, red, white, purple, orange, green, and brown. It's also one of those concoctions that gets better the longer the ingredients are sitting together. You can easily stash it in a tupperware dish and throw it in a backpack or cooler.

For those of us that prefer a less rustic experience, try it at home with a mesquite rubbed chicken breast.

Southwest Mango, Corn & Black Bean Salad

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canola oil

• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 3 ears)

• 1 1/2 tsp Club House seasoning - Spicy Mesquite or similar flavour

• 1 large ripe mango (about 1 pound), peeled and diced

• 1 15-ounce or 19-ounce can black beans, rinsed

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion

• 1/2 cup diced red & yellow bell pepper

• 3 tablespoons lime juice

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 jalepeno, seeds and ribs removed

• 1 small canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, drained and chopped

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add corn and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle with Club House seasoning and sauté for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer the corn mixture to a large bowl. Stir in diced mango, beans, onion, jalepeno, red & yellow bell peppers, lime juice, honey, chipotle, cilantro, cumin, a couple shakes of the Club House seasoning and salt.

The Oakville Salad

Asian Pear, Smoked Almond & Walnuts, Crumbled Blue Cheese in a Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette ... a.k.a. The Oakville Salad

I know the title is a mouthful, but I don't know what to call this salad. How about the "Oakville Salad"? Okay, sounds good.

We make variations of this salad all summer long. To us it's like having dessert with your dinner. Essentially, it's a mixed green salad with any fruit and nut combination, some savory cheese and a sweet/tangy vinaigrette.

For the Oakville Salad, I used almond and walnut that I had hickory smoked (I stash them in the freezer for safe-keeping), some diced Asian Pear, crumbled blue cheese and a vinaigrette made from raspberry balsamic vinegar. It's served here with a Cajun Rubbed Center-cut Chop. The heat of the Cajun rub is perfectly balanced by the creamy blue cheese and juicy crunch of the asian pear. Give it a try!

Lasagna Rolls

What if you feel like a nice lasagna, but don't have the time or energy to prepare an entire tray? Here's a quick way to enjoy all of the lasagna flavors in a quicker, rolled up version. I made a béchamel with skim milk, then coated a glass baking dish. Then I piled a light ricotta/spinach/parmesan filling onto a cooked lasagna noodle and rolled it up. Once I had 6 of those I placed them in the dish on top of the béchamel, then ladled on some marinara sauce, light mozzarella and a bit of parmesan reggiano. In 20 minutes you've got a nice gooey lasagna dish, that's low cal and satisfying.

This was based on a recipe shown on Giada De Laurentis' "Everyday Italian"

Lasagna Rolls

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted light butter

• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

• 1 1/4 cups skim milk

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

• Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:

• 1 (15-ounce) container skim milk ricotta cheese

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

• 1 large egg, beaten to blend

• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles

• 2 cups marinara sauce

• 1 cup shredded light mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Directions

To make the sauce: Melt the light butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the skim milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the light ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Spray a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish with some Pam. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, on top of the bechamelsauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.

Apple & Shallot Stuffed Pork Chops with Brandied Cherry Sauce

These chops are a fresh take on pork chops and apple sauce. You can have them with or without the brandied cherry sauce... but we recommend you try it with!

Apple & Shallot Stuffed Pork Chops with Brandied Cherry Sauce

APPLE STUFFED PORK LOIN

4 Boneless Pork Loin Chops

1 tsp. salt

Dash of ground ginger

Dash of ground cloves

BRANDIED CHERRY SAUCE

1 (15-ounce) can whole black pitted cherries in natural juices, drained

2 rounded spoonfuls sugar - for fresh cherries only

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Splash of brandy

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

APPLE SHALLOT STUFFING

1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots

2 green apples, grated or chopped

2 tbsp. soft butter

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. mustard

Mix all ingredients for stuffing and set aside.

Make slits in loin, deep enough for filling. Rub pork loins with salt, ginger and cloves. Place in roasting pan and spoon stuffing into pockets in loin. Bake at 350 degrees for 33-40 minutes or until internal temperature is 160*. Remove meat from oven and transfer to dinner plates. Cover chops with foil to keep warm. Place roasting pan back on stove over medium heat. Add a tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Add shallots and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Add cherries and warm through. Add brandy by removing the pan off the burner to add the alcohol, then flame the pan. Burn off alcohol for 1 minute, then add stock. reduce stock a minute, then add butter in small pieces. Toss sauce to combine and pour down over chops.

Marsala Onion Jam

Marsala is a wine produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily. The wine produced for export is universally a fortified wine similar to port. I use it a lot in sauces and reductions.

You'll want to add these sweet and tart onions to your favorite panini’s, burgers and sandwiches. The sweet Marsala wine, butter and thyme combination perfectly balances out the tart onions and red wine vinegar. Cook the mixture just until the liquid evaporates and there is some spongy crunch left in the onions - don’t caramelize them. If you don’t have any Marsala wine on hand, go get some! (or use a fruity pinot noir). Cheers.

Onion Jam with Marsala Wine

DIRECTIONS

In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the red wine, vinegar, honey and thyme and simmer, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated, 15 minutes. Season the onion jam with salt and pepper; discard the thyme.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

1 cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

1 thyme sprig