Italian Muffuletta

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/3 cup olive oil
10 large pitted green olives, chopped
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1/4 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers
salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
1 lb round bread loaf (about 7 inches in diameter)
4 oz thinly sliced ham
4 oz thinly sliced mortadella
4 oz thinly sliced salami
4 oz sliced provolone cheese
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 oz arugula leaves

1. In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar, garlic, and oregano to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil. Stir in the green and kalamata olives and roasted peppers. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

2. Using a serrated knife, slice off the top inch of the bread loaf. Hollow out the bottom and top halves of the loaf. Spread some of the vinaigrette in the bread bottom. Layer the meats and cheese in the bottom half. Top with the onion, then the arugula. Spread the remaining vinaigrette on the cut side of the bread top, then replace the bread top. (The sandwich can be made a day ahead. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

3. Cut the sanwich into wedges and serve.

**The combination of sliced meats is flexible; feel free to substitute or omit any of them. But what bakes this sandwich a muffuletta is the olive and red peper spread, so don't skip it!

Recipe from: Giada's Family Dinners

Calzones

Dough:*
1 pkg. regular active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp veg. oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 - 1 3/4 C whole wheat flour** (makes it South Beach phase 2 & 3 friendly)
1 egg white beater

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl. Stir in sugar, oil, salt and flours. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough whole wheat flour to make it easy to handle. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, knead about 5 minutes. Don't overknead, or the dough will toughen. Cover and let rest 15 - 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

* Doubling the batch allows for plenty of food with leftovers.
**If you don't have whole wheat flour, just use the all-purpose flour

Filling:*
1 C cut up cooked chicken
4 oz mushrooms
3/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 C chopped onion
8 oz. pizza sauce
1/8 cup chopped black olives
2 T Parmesan cheese

*Filling can range from anything you can find on a pizza (pepperoni, green pepper, bacon, ham, sausage, etc). This is also a great opportunity to have a vegetarian dish.

1. Mix ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Divide dough into 6 equal parts. Roll out into a 7 inch circle on lightly floured surface.

3. Place about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of filling on half of each circle - spread to 1 inch of edge. Fold dough over, press edge to seal with fork.

4. Spray cookie sheet, and place calzones on sheet. Brush with egg white (or butter). Cut vents into top of dough to vent steam. Bake 25 minutes or until golden.

Recipe from: Tara B.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

2 bay leaves
1 pound dried black beans
12 1/2 cups water divided
1 Tbsp canola oil
3 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper (about 3 medium)
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped shallots (about 2 small)
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups diced peeled avocado
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2cups thinly sliced red onion
1 1/2 cups chopped, smoked, fully cooked ham*
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup sour cream**
10 tsp unsalted pumpkin seed kernels, toasted
1/3 cup finely chopped seeded jalapeno pepper (about 2 medium)
lime wedges

1. Place bay leaves and beans in a dutch oven. Add 12 cups water to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 2 1/2 hours or until tender, stirring occasionally.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper, chopped onion, and shallots to pan; cook 10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in cumin, dried oregano, and fresh oregano; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Place vegetable mixture in a blender; add remaining 1/2 cup water. Puree until smooth.

3. Add vegetable mixture, sugar, and salt to beans; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves. Combine avocado and juice; toss gently. Ladle 3/4 cup bean mixture into each of the bowls; top each serving with about 3 tablespoons of avocado mixture, 3 tablespoons red onion, 2 tablespoons ham, about 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream, 1 teaspoon pumpkin seed kernels, and about 1/2 teaspoon jalapeno pepper. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Healthier Options:
* 33% less sodium ham or leave the ham out and make it VEGETARIAN.
** light sour cream

Recipe from: Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2008

Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin or pre-packaged tenderloin (usually comes with two)
1 12-16 oz jar raspberry chipotle dressing, jam or sauce.

1. Place pork in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour raspberry chipotle sauce over entire pork tenderloin. Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes.

Who can resist simplicity?

Recipe from: Eli

Shredded Pork Burritos

1 pork roast
1 medium onion, chopped
1 4-oz can green chilies
1 16-oz bottle of salsa verde (green taco sauce)
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Cooked Rice
Black beans
Shredded cheese
Salsa

1. Combine roast, onion and chilies together in a 4 quart crock pot. Cook on low for 5 - 6 hours. Drain fat and remove bone and/or skin and excess fat. Shred pork.

2. Add garlic salt and salsa verde and continue cooking on low for 2 hours.

3. Serve with rice, black beans, and homemade salsa on a flour tortilla shell.

Recipe from: Elisabeth