Janice's Chicago Style Soy Dog

This "recipe" is for the Chefery Football Futbol Challenge. The team - The Chicago Bears!

The sandwich can be made with a soy hotdog or a turkey hotdog, a regular hotdog, or better still a nice Polish sausage! The nutrition facts were done for the soy dog as so many at CC Palate will choose one of those to save calories and sodium (I hear they have improved the taste too!).

If you use any other hot dog, be sure to use Calorie Count to find the nutrition facts for your dog of choice!

A Soy Dog Done in the Traditional Drag it Through the Garden Chicago Way

Ingredients:

1 Soy Hotdog
1 poppy seed bun
1 t mustard (approx)
1 T onion, fine chopped
1 T sweet relish
1 dill pickle, sliced lengthwise
1/4 tomato, half the tomato and make some nice half moon slices
2 Sport Peppers
Dash of celery salt

Directions:

assemble and eat!

Mushroom Bourguignon

Ok, I made this dish after first thinking, hmmmm, I really would love some Beef Bourguignon...then I realized, hey, that's a very heavy meat centric meal and I am not one that eats low carb high protein, so maybe I could bourguignon something else. I waffled and considered. Then I wrote the stew blog for Calorie Count and needed a picture to post with it. A search brought up the most delectable looking stew ever. Turned out, it was a mushroom stew. Win! Now, mushroom bourguignon is a much done before me dish, although I had never heard of it before. Never one to just follow a recipe, I took the idea and came up with my own version. The nutrition facts are here, the serving size in the nutrition facts is about 8 oz which is meant to be a single bowl served up as stew with a nice biscuit or two. If you use it as a garnish for steak or a topping for mashed potatoes your serving will be smaller and lower in calorie! On the other hand, just go ahead and eat a bowl cuz it's good.

Mushroom Bourguignon

Ingredients:

1 T grapeseed oil
3 pounds fresh mushrooms – assorted types
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
2 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 cup chopped onion
1 carrot, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
2 cups good Burgundy wine
1 1/2 t thyme
¼ t fresh cracked black pepper or to taste
2 generous teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions with some notes on what I did:

Clean, stem, and cut the mushrooms into large chunks.

Heat the grapeseed oil over medium high heat in a large pan. When the pan is very hot, add the mushrooms and sear quickly removing as they start to turn brown. Depending on the size of your pan, you will want to do this in a couple batches. When you crowd things they don't tend to brown, just steam. They will begin to reduce a bit in size, so watch them carefully as they should not release all their juices and finish reducing. Place the pretty brown things in a bowl.

In a large heavy saucepan, place the butter and pure olive oil and heat over medium. Saute the carrot and onion until the onion is soft and the carrot begins to soften, add the garlic and saute for another couple minutes. Add the flour and stir quickly to incorporate.

Add mushrooms and stir. Add wine, broth, onion mix, all seasonings, and the Worcestershire sauce, stir until well mixed, and bring to a simmer.

Cook over low heat until mushrooms are tender and sauce thickens and deepens in color, stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasonings. I kept mine simple so the flavor of the mushrooms stayed prominent. You may prefer a more complex dish, if so, get creative with the flavors you love.

Stir in parsley and serve.

Notes on the great flexibility of this recipe:

Great over egg noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, on top of slices of baguette toasty with melted Swiss cheese, in a tortilla, or simply speared with each piece of a very good steak. Another wonderful idea for this is to add beef broth to thin it a bit and add seared chunks of lamb to make a lamb stew.

If you don't cook with wine, just use beef broth! If you are a vegetarian, use veggie broth.

If you don't cook with butter, use just the pure olive oil in the second saute.

Want the complete bourguignon experience? Skip the chopped onion and dump in some frozen or fresh pearl onions when you add the wine and seasonings.

Laura's Thyme for Veggie Soup

The nutrition facts for this tasty and healing soup can be found at Calorie Count!

Thyme For Veggie Soup

Ingredients (with variations so that it can be vegetarian or vegan): 

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 onions, finely chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 quarts (8 cups) beef, chicken or vegetable broth

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, sliced

2 turnips or potatoes, diced

1 cup barley (not quick-cooking)

1/4 tsp celery seed

1/4 tsp thyme

1 29-oz can diced tomatoes

1 cup fresh or frozen peas and/or corn

1 cup fresh or frozen lima or green beans

1 cup greens (Swiss chard, spinach, Napa cabbage, etc)

Directions: 

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until lightly golden.  Stir in broth, carrots, celery, turnips or potatoes, barley, and any other hard vegetables preferred.  Add celery seed and thyme.

Simmer for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in tomatoes, peas or corn, beans and greens.

Simmer for another 15-20 minutes before serving.

Option:  Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Variations:  Any kind of preferred vegetable can be added or substituted.  1.5 cups soup pasta can be added along with the tomatoes, etc, as can 1-2 cups shredded/cubed cooked beef or ham.

Janice's Bulgur with Fresh Basil and Tomatoes

Loved this! If you've never tried bulgur, this is an tasty recipe to start with. The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count! Hint - this dish was super awesome the next day. When freshly prepared it was slightly juicy and tasty with more of a consistency you would find in grits (only with flavor). The next day the juice completed the absorbing but it was still moist and the texture was more like rice. Just wonderful!

Bulgur with Fresh Basil and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
4 small or two large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, rinsed and torn
1 cup bulgur
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 t honey (then to taste)
1 T tomato paste
fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1/4 t cayenne
2 T fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Heat oil in a medium pan until shimmering. Saute onion til it begins to caramelize (about 6-8 minutes), add the garlic and saute another minute or two. Stir in the chopped tomato and cook a few more minutes.

Stir the bulgur. Add the broth and remaining seasonings except the parsley, and cook on low covered for about a half hour or until all liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat and leave covered for 10 minutes or so. Stir, plate, and sprinkle with parsley.

Notes:

If you prefer, use as many pearl onions as you want instead of chopped onion!

Crazypotato98's Roasted Ratataouille

Ratatouille can be made on your stove top, in your oven, or on your grill! The ingredients vary to personal taste - so when Crazypotato98 says "squash" - you use the type you love! The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count.

Roasted Ratatouille

Ingredients:

3 ½ cups  eggplant, cubed

1 cup  squash, cubed

8  pearl onions, halved

1  yellow sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch strips

2 tbsp  fresh parsley, snipped

1 tbsp  olive oil

2 cloves  garlic, minced

1/8 tsp  salt

1/8 tsp  black pepper

2 large  tomatoes, chopped

1 ½ tsp  lemon juice

Directions:

Coat a 15x10x1 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Place eggplant, squash, onions, sweet pepper, and parsley in the pan.

In a small bowl, stir together oil, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Drizzle over vegetables; toss to coat.

Roast, uncovered, in a 450 oven about 20 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned, stirring once. Stir in the tomatoes and lemon juice. Roast, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes more or until tomatoes are very soft and starting to juice out.

Pat's Grilled Baba Ganoush

Remember with Baba Ganoush, a lot is open to your taste preferences. Some like more lemon, some more tahini paste........Enjoy! The nutrition facts for this wonderful dish can be found at Calorie Count!

Pat’s Grilled Baba Ganoush

Ingredients:

1 eggplant

1 t olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice – or more to taste

1/4 cup tahini – or more to taste

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Heat the grill. When the grill is hot, slice the eggplant to about 1/2 inch thick, brush with a bit of olive oil, and grill until soft (about 10-14 minutes), allow to cool and then chop.

Place eggplant, lemon juice, tahini, sesame seeds, and garlic in an electric blender, and puree – or place in a large bowl and blend with an immersion blender. Remove to a bowl and season the mix with a bit of salt and pepper. Slowly stir in olive oil, taste and adjust seasonings. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate a few hours before serving.

Experimental Ratatouille

This is one of my experimental recipes. I've found a bunch of ratatouille recipes on line and in cookery books. I kind of liked the layered idea in this one. It may be that I'll just pan saute the whole thing, but I'd like to see what you all think first!

not mine, but I thought it was pretty ratatouille!

Experimental Ratatouille

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 eggplant

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 t thyme

Crushed red pepper to taste

Black pepper to taste

1 t basil

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 zucchini, sliced thin

1 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced thin

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 large tomatoes, chopped

2 T Romano cheese - optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray Pam inside a 1 1/2 quart casserole.

Cut all vegetables except the eggplant and measure your spices to make assembly a snap.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium high skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until soft. While the onion is sautéing, quickly dice the eggplant and add the diced bits to the pan as they are chopped until the entire eggplant is in the pan. Exposure to air is not a friend of eggplants and one reason it is often bitter or soggy. Add the chopped garlic and stir until the eggplant is soft (10 minutes or so). Add parsley and other seasonings – stir well.

Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with some of the cheese.

Add alternating layers of zucchini and cheese, mushrooms and cheese, bell pepper and cheese, and finally tomatoes and cheese on top of the eggplant.

Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 30 minutes, remove the lid and allow the cheese to brown and the juices to evaporate a bit.

Top with a sprinkle of Romano cheese and serve with couscous.

Eggplant Curry

This is a curry I found doing a recipe search at Calorie Count! The nutrition facts can be found here.

Eggplant Curry

Ingredients:

1 large  eggplant

2 tbsp  vegetable oil

1 tsp  cumin seeds

1 medium  onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp  ginger garlic paste

1 clove  garlic, minced

1 tbsp  curry powder

1  tomato, diced

½ cup  plain yogurt

1  fresh jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped

1 tsp  salt

1/8 cup  cilantro, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place eggplant on a medium baking sheet. Bake 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender. Remove from heat. Cool, peel, and chop.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in cumin seeds and onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender.

Mix ginger garlic paste, curry powder, garlic and tomato into the saucepan, and cook about 1 minute. Stir in yogurt. Mix in eggplant and jalapeno pepper, and season with salt. Cover, and cook 10 minutes over high heat. Remove cover, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro to serve.

Janice's Louisiana Style Eggplant

Excellent low calorie and super healthy way to enjoy eggplant! The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Louisiana Style Eggplant

Ingredients:

1 eggplant
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 (15 ounce) canned crushed tomatoes
8 oz water or veggie stock
2 bay leaves
1 red bell pepper, chopped 

1 stalk celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 t fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 cup grated white cheddar or Swiss cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs

optional - if the pre-baked mixture is too thin, add some prepared or instant roux

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut eggplant in cubes (no need to peel) and boil for eight minutes. Drain into a colander. 

In a large skillet, saute bay leaves, red bell pepper, celery and onion until softened. Put the sauteed mix in a bowl. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel so it can be used for the next step.

Melt the butter over medium heat in the wiped clean skillet, when bubbly, add the flour and stir well until incorporated. Add canned or fresh tomatoes and water or stock; stir to incorporate. Add the sauteed mix. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add roux if needed. I like to use Tony Chacheres Instant Roux. The roux also has some seasonings so taste the liquid after the roux incorporates. You may want to add some of your favorite Louisiana seasoning at this point too - it all depends on if you are a spice person or prefer to let the veggies shine.
 

After the sauce thickens, stir in the eggplant. Pour into a Pam sprayed or non-stick casserole and sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs.

Bake for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees

Serve with brown rice!

Ninav on How to Turn Zucchini into Pasta!

Instead of pasta, my friend Ninav from Calorie Count loves to substitute zucchini! Her method is so simple and accessible that it is a fantastic way to make a lovely work night meal. Zucchini has only 20 calories per cup, a lot fewer calories than pasta -so enjoy this as often as you like!

How to Turn Zucchini into Pasta

Use either a julienne peeler or a vegetable peeler and make wide strips of "noodles".

Lightly sprinkle with salt and let it sit for 10 min.

Then rinse, squeeze off the excess water.

Eat it raw, microwave, or sauté it for a few minutes to heat it up.

Try it! You'll be surprised!

Hollie's Tomato Zucchini Souffle

This recipe, the result of The CC Palate's Chefery Challenge #2, was a delicious success! Excellent combination of ready to prepare (the ready to bake rolls) with freshly prepared vegetables make this dish a terrific choice for a busy weeknight.

The nutrition facts are on Calorie Count!

Tomato Zucchini Souffle

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 can ready-to-bake crescent rolls (8 count)
1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise and then into 1/4 inch slices
3 campari tomatoes, cut into 1/8 inch slices
1 hot hatch chili, finely chopped with seeds removed
5 eggs
1/4 cup low fat milk
4 heaping Tablespoons fresh mozzarella pearls (the smallest size, 1/4-1/2 inch pearls)
Seasonings: a few dashes of each of the following spices, to taste: sea salt, fresh ground pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and cumin - let your nose be your guide. When it smells just right, it probably is.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Generously spray a non-stick pie pan with cooking spray (try not to use an olive oil based spray, because this will burn easier in the oven).

Pull apart the crescent rolls, and line the pan, with the wide side in the center and the pointed ends draped over the sides of the pan. Gently press together any overlapped layers of dough to make a relatively flat surface.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs with milk. Stir in chopped hatch chili and desired quantities of spices. Set aside.

On top of the dough, place the zucchini and tomatoes in a flat layer.
Slowly pour the egg mixture over the veggies, then evenly scatter the mozzarella pearls over the mixture.

Fold the ends of the crescent rolls in to the center. Some of the egg will spill around the edges of the pan, but this will not effect the baking or end presentation.

Place in preheated oven and bake about 30 minutes undisturbed. Pull out and check the center by inserting a knife. If it comes out clean, it's ready to eat! If there is any egg residue, pop back in the oven for about 3 minutes and check it again.

A perfectly baked Tomato zucchini Souffle

Hollie's Tomato Basil Soup

Serve this awesome and simple soup cold or heated. The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

serving suggestion

Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

2 lbs tomatoes, quartered
2 cups vegetable stock
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
3 Tbl olive oil, divided
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Place garlic and tomatoes, skin side up, in a large baking dish coated with 1 Tbl olive oil.
Mix salt and pepper in 2 Tbl olive oil and brush over tomatoes and garlic to lightly coat. Roast tomatoes in the oven 1 hour.

Remove tomatoes from oven and cool about 10 minutes.

Place tomatoes, garlic, stock, and basil in blender or food processor and blend until smooth

Notes:

The type of tomatoes you use will affect the flavor. I buy the vine ripened tomatoes personally, but your favorite type should work just fine.

Try using chicken stock for an interesting flavor combination - unless you are a tomato soup purist.

Trancendenz's Vegan Gyros

The same mix can be used to make Vegan "Chicken" Patties! The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Vegan Gryos

Serves four

Ingredients:

1 package (8 oz) Grated Tempeh (use a cheese grater)
1 Grated onion
1/3 cup panko (or the "binder" of your choice such as vital wheat gluten, bread crumbs, or flour)
1/4 cup Parsley, fresh (use as much as you want, but I use what I can rip with one hand)
1 tsp Dill (or use 1 or two fresh sprigs)
Juice of one lemon or lime
1/8 t Salt
1/8 t pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/8 t Sage (a small pinch)
1/8 t Basil (a pinch)

Directions:

Chop parsley and dill. Mix with grated tempeh and onion, lemon juice, seasoning, and garlic. Once well combined mix in the binder. Form patties and fry for 5 minutes a side in 1 tbsp olive oil on lower heat.

Pile onto flat bread with onions and other wonderful gyros toppings!

Or you can bake them in an oven like a "chicken" patty.

Hollie's Mexican Rice

No Tex-Mex dinner is complete without a bit of that fantastic rice, but you don't have to go out to get it.  Mexican Rice is incredibly easy to make, and just as easy to change up and make it your own. The nutrition facts can be found at the best FREE website on the planet for counting your calories - Calorie Count.

Mexican Rice

about 6 side servings

Ingredients:

1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup frozen corn
~1 1/2 cups water
1/2 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
Include ALL of the tomato juice from the can - juice and water should equal about 2 cups

Directions:

In a large sauce pan, saute onion in oil until translucent.
Pour in rice and stir to coat grains.
Stir in water, tomatoes and juice, corn, salt, cumin, turmeric, and chili powder.
Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
Allow to simmer 20-30 minutes, until rice is tender, stirring occasionally.

Notes:

This is my personal preference on Mexican rice, but a lot of Mexican chefs I know will add carrot medallions or green peas to theirs as well.

45 minutes prep/cook time

Aea's Simply Peas

So easy and aromatic. Give this dish a try soon. The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count.

Simply Peas

Serves two

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen and rinsed peas
2 tsp. fresh mint leaves finely chopped or 2 pinches of dry rubbed mint
1/2 cup thin sliced celery (make sure you include some of the tender leaves)

Directions:

Steam saute in a splash of water for only few minutes until peas are warm and the celery/mint starts to smell great!

Notes:

Serve over brown or white steamed rice.  Aea likes the proportion of 1cup of peas to 1 cup of rice for a delicious meal.

Marie's Cauliflower Soup

The nutrition facts for this beautiful and low calorie soup can be found at Calorie Count!

Cauliflower Soup

10 servings each 

with only 97 calories

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

2 potatoes, cubed

4 mushrooms, sliced

5 baby carrots, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 c milk

2 c vanilla soy milk

1 T chicken bouillon

Directions:

Boil potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower until slightly tender. Drain. Put back in kettle and add milk and soy milk. Bring to a boil. Add mushrooms and onions. 

Simmer. 

Enjoy.

Hollie's Salsa Verde

When I go out for a delicious Tex-Mex dinner, I particularly enjoy the Salsa Verde. Now that I have Hollie's simple recipe, I don't have to wait for dinner out to enjoy this delightful sauce. Dip a few chips in some this weekend!

The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count.

tomatillos!

Salsa Verde

Ingredients:

3 tomatillos, pealed, cores removed, left whole to retain the juices
1 white onion, halved and skinned
2 serano peppers, halved
5 cloves garlic, skinned
1 avocado, peeled and diced
3 tbs lemon or lime juice
olive oil to drizzle
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Preheat broiler.

Place tomatillos, onion, seranos, and garlic in baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt.

Broil about 15-20 minutes until charred on top. Allow to cool about 10 minutes.

In a glass blender, puree roasted veggies until smooth.

Add avocado and lemon/lime juice and blend to desired consistency.

Place in airtight container and chill before serving.

Lasts about 2 weeks in fridge. If color begins to brown, add a splash of lemon juice and stir.

Meganr's Beet Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

Roasted beets are nutritious, the latest foodie craze, and delightful in this salad from Meganr. The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Beet Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

Serves four

Ingredients:

7  beets

¼ cup  pistachios, roughly chopped

½ cup  red onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup  red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon  grated orange peel

1 cup anils (pomegranate seeds)

 2 ounces  feta cheese

Directions:

Using your preferred method, cook the beets. You can either steam or roast them until fork tender. Let the beets cool, then peel and dice into 1/2 inch cubes.

Saute the onion on medium heat for 3 minutes, then add the vinegar and orange peel. Stirring often, let simmer until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, 5 to 7 minutes. Let the mixture cool to room temperature before adding to the beets. You can prepare this a day ahead of time, chilling in the refrigerator until ready.

Stir the vinegar reduction into the beets and add the pomegranate seeds and pistachios. You can serve as is or serve on top of salad greens. Lightly sprinkle with the feta cheese before serving.

Laura's Experimental Crunchy Almond Butter Granola Bars

Easily varied to your taste for a delicious snack or quick breakfast. This recipe is currently under construction and testing, but the most recent version (below) was pronounced DELICIOUS! The bar does not yet quite hold together, but was so tasty the testers were picking up each crumb.

If you would like to collaborate with us on this recipe, give it a try with modifications you think necessary to make the bar stay together but not be like a rock, then post your suggestions below.

The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Crunchy Almond Butter Granola Bars

makes 12 bars

Ingredients:

3 1/2 T chunky almond butter
3 T. honey
3 1/2 T pure maple syrup
1 T vanilla
1 T brown sugar
1 1/2 cups Kashi Go Lean cereal (not the crunchy type)
1/2 cup bran cereal
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not the quick-cook kind)
1/3 cup dried fruit such as cranberries or blueberries
1/3 cup salted sunflower seeds
1-2 t cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°.

8- or 9-inch square pan lined with a long sheet of parchment paper that extends up the side of the pan a bit and then lightly sprayed with Pam.

In a medium pot, warm almond butter, honey, syrup, vanilla, and brown sugar until sugar has melted and almond butter has thinned. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients and sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour warm liquid over the dry ingredients, mixing well.

Spread the mixture into the pan and press well (use a piece of parchment paper. Bake for about 25 minutes. When you remove the pan from the oven, use a piece of parchment paper to flatten the bars a bit. Allow to cool completely. Lisft the ends of the parchment and place the granola onto a cutting board and cut into bars or squares.

Note:

substitute your favorite nut butters, syrups, cereals, dried fruit, seeds, or nuts. Try it with a bit of coconut either raw or toasted.

Richard's Black Bean & Corn Relish

I've had Richard's terrific relish a number of times and finally got him to share the recipe for his simple but fantastic relish! I love it scooped with chips, but it is also awesome as a condiment or side dish. In fact, I think it would make a great starting point for a Southwestern Pasta Sauce...or under polenta...infinite possibilities.

Make it as hot or mild as you like and enjoy it often. The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count.

Black Bean & Corn Relish

Ingredients:

2 cans Bush's Black Beans - well drained
2 cans Green Giant Shoepeg Corn - well drained
1 can RoTel Diced Tomatoe3s with Lime Juice and Cilantro - well drained
1 can RoTel Diced Tomatoes with Habaneros - well drained
1 large bunch of fresh cilantro - chopped



Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Mix well.

CRITICAL: Let sit over-nite in the refrigerator. Stir from time to time. The "aging" really lets all the flavors mature and mingle. This relish is better the second day, or even the third day!

Notes:

Make it hotter or milder by using either 2 cans of hot RoTel or 2 cans of the regular RoTel. Also you can change the amount of cilantro to suit your tastes.

This makes a big batch. The extra amounts beyond party dipping use we serve as a side dish with meals for a couple of days after or just go back and snack on it some more.