Salsa Chicken Salad Wrap

• 1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup spicy red salsa
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 8 ounces diced cooked chicken or turkey (about 2 cups)
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, thinly sliced
• corn from 1 ear
• salad greens
• 2 whole-grain tortillas

Stir sour cream, salsa and 3 tablespoons cilantro in medium bowl to blend. Add chicken and toss to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand 10 minutes to blend flavors.

Arrange lettuce, bell pepper, corn, and avocado slices on each tortilla. Mound chicken atop vegetables, dividing equally. Sprinkle salads with remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro, roll and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

adapted from Epicurious

Waldorf Salad

• 2 firm, ripe green apples, unpeeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
• 1 firm ripe red apple, unpeeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1 c. chopped celery
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 2 T. apple cider or juice
• 1 1/2 t. honey
• 1 head Bibb lettuce

Place the apples in a serving bowl and toss with lemon juice to coat. Add the celery and walnuts. Combine the mayo, cider, and honey and toss until salad is thoroughly blended. Serve on a bed of Bibb lettuce.

Serves 4

from The Greenmarket Cookbook, p. 41

Baked Falafel Balls

• 3/4 c water
• 1/2 c bulgur
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (1 t.)
• 1/4 t crushed red chili flakes
• 1 1/4 t. cumin
• 1 1/4 t. coriander
• 1 1/2 c cooked chickpeas
• 1 1/2 T. lemon juice
• 1/4 c + 2 T. dried bread crumbs
• 1/8 c. minced fresh cilantro
• 1/8 c. minced fresh parsley
• salt to taste
• olive oil for spraying

Bring the water to a boil and remove from the heat. Mix in the bulgur. Cover; allow to sit until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a small pan. Saute the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onion is translucent. Add the red chili flakes, cumin, and coriander, and saute for 1 minute.

Combine the chickpeas and bulgur in the bowl of a food processor; add the lemon juice, bread crumbs, cilantro, parsley, and salt, and process until just mixed.

Preheat oven to 400F. Allow the mixture to rest for 15 minutes before forming into 2-inch balls. Place the balls onto a lightly oiled sheet pan. Spray the balls with olive oil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden, turning the pan once during baking.

Serve stuffed inside pita bread with tahini sauce.

Per Serving: Calories 160; Protein 10g; Carbohydrate 20g; Total fat 8g

Serves 8

From The Whole Foods Market Cookbook, p. 27

Roasted Turkey with Herbed Cream Cheese and Strawberries

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs such as dill, tarragon, chervil, chives, basil, parsley, marjoram, thyme
• 4 slices good quality bread, toasted
• 1/2 pound roasted turkey breast, thinly sliced
• 1/2 pint strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
• Fleur de sel*, optional

Combine the cream cheese and herbs. Spread the toasted bread with a layer of the herbed cream cheese. Place turkey on top and then some strawberry slices. Garnish with more herbs and a few grains of fleur de sel, if using. Slice each sandwich in half. Adapted from Tyler Florence, Food 911 via The Food Network

Tomato-Corn Salad

Fresh corn is often so sweet and tender that there is no need to cook it. Prep Time: 15 minutes. Notes: Chef Bart Hosmer uses basil flowers in this dish. Just pull the flowers from the stalks and sprinkle them like confetti into the salad in place of (or in addition to) the chopped basil. They add a light, floral note. Optional: add black beans, rinsed, for additional protein and fiber.

• 3 ears sweet corn
• 1 pound tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup diced red onion, rinsed in cold water and patted dry with paper towels
• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped basil
• Salt and pepper

Over a large bowl, cut kernels off corn cobs and stir in tomatoes and onion. Toss with vinegar and basil; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tomatoes with wine: Parcel 104's Master Sommelier, Randall Bertao, likes wines with clean, focused flavors and a medium acidity to balance the tomatoes--such as Charles Melton Rosé 2004 (Barossa Valley, Australia; $12) and Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc 2005 (Russian River Valley, CA; $27).

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Per serving: CALORIES 58(12% from fat); FAT 0.8g (sat 0.1g); PROTEIN 2.3g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; SODIUM 14mg; FIBER 2.4g; CARBOHYDRATE 13g

Adapted from Sunset Magazine

Thai Green Curry Coconut Sauce

• One 14-ounce can unsweetened light coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Thai green curry paste, or more to taste
• 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• Four 1-inch strips of lemon zest (see Alternatives)
• One 1-inch piece of fresh ginger--peeled, thinly sliced and lightly smashed
• Four 1-inch strips of lime zest (see Alternatives)
• 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
• 1 T. cornstarch

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk 1/4 cup of the coconut milk with the curry paste. Stir in the remaining coconut milk, the stock, lemon zest, ginger, lime zest, 2 tablespoons of the fish sauce and the brown sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook the sauce over moderately high heat until reduced by one-quarter, about 15 minutes.

2. Using a slotted spoon, remove the lemon zest, ginger and lime zest and discard. Stir in the lime juice, cilantro, basil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of fish sauce; transfer to a bowl.

Alternatives:Replace the lemon zest with the bottom 4 inches of 1 stalk of lightly smashed fresh lemongrass, and replace the lime zest with 4 kaffir lime leaves that have been lightly crushed.

Applications: Use as a stir-fry sauce or as a poaching liquid for chicken, shrimp and vegetables. Or, toss with Asian noodles or serve over rice.

Make Ahead: The curry sauce can be refrigerated in a glass jar for up to 2 days.

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

from Food & Wine, DECEMBER 2002

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions

Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss well to coat. Set aside.

Combine juice, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and chile paste, stirring with a whisk; set aside.

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger and garlic to pan; stir-fry for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Add shrimp mixture; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add juice mixture and onions; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Serve immediately.

Wine note: Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce needs a wine with a lot of bold fruit to go up against the "punch" of chiles, ginger, and garlic. My favorite choice, rosé, may be conventional, but wait until you taste a good one. Rosés are fruity (like many red wines) but cool and refreshing (like a white). Try Marqués de Cáceras Rosé 2006 from Rioja, Spain. It's a steal at $8.

4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 301(30% from fat); FAT 10g (sat 1.1g,mono 4.6g,poly 3.2g); PROTEIN 35.3g; CHOLESTEROL 259mg; CALCIUM 103mg; SODIUM 621mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 4.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 16.8g

from Cooking Light, AUGUST 2007