• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 tsp peppercorns
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp green onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream
• 1 tbsp parsley, minced

Heat up your grill.

Shape your ground beef into 4 hamburger patties and set aside.

Place the peppercorns on a large piece of foil or waxed paper. With a heavy object (bottom of pan) crush and crack peppercorns coarsely. Spread the cracked peppercorns evenly on the paper and place the four patties on top of them. Press down so that the peppercorns stick to the meat and turn around. Repeat until all peppercorns are used up. Put the peppercorn patties onto the BBQ.

In the meantime, heat vegetable oil in a pan and add the green onions and wine vinegar. Cook over medium heat until green onions are just done. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the yogurt/sour cream and parsley.

Spoon the sauce over the burger and enjoy.

• 1/2 avocado
• 1 tbsp sour cream
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 4 slices of your favorite bread
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken (leftover roast chicken or BBQ chicken)

Scoop out the avocado in a small bowl together with the lemon juice and sour cream and mash with a fork.

Spread one slice of bread on one side with mayonnaise and the other slice with the avocado mixture. Put the chopped chicken on top of the slice with the mayonnaise and top with the bread covered with the avocado. Cut and serve.

This same method also makes a great wrap. I skip the mayo and add some chopped tomatoes to the wrap instead.

Grab and Go Tostados

Ingredients:
4 small flour tortillas
Olive oil
4 tbsp mango chutney
8 oz cooked good quality ham or turkey
8 oz cheddar, grated
4 spring onions, chopped

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Brush each tortilla with olive oil.  Arrange them with oil side down on a large baking tray. Cover the tortillas with mango chutney, then turkey/ham, cheese and onions.

Put them in the preheated oven until crispy (about 8 minutes).

Enjoy the tortillas as a light and easy lunch cut in wedges with a tossed salad.

So I’ve been experimenting a bit with an oil based dressing to use instead. Here’s my new favorite. I’m calling it an italian chicken salad because the dressing and the veggies I use in it remind me of regular italian dressing. This stuff is perfect eaten on it’s own or on some panini bread.

Yummy Italian Chicken Salad

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, Cubed
1 pound fresh green beans, broken in half
2 plum tomatoes, Chopped

Place 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet.  Add the chicken and cook over medium heat until when pierced with a fork juice runs clear about 10 minutes.  Remove from skillet and allow draining on a paper towel.  In a large saucepan place green beans and enough water to just cover the beans.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover the saucepan and allow the beans to simmer about 10 minutes or until just beginning to tender.  Drain well.  Place the vinegar, basil, 1 tablespoon of oil, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Use a spoon to mix the ingredients together.  Add the cooked chicken, green beans and tomatoes.  Mix well to be sure the chicken, beans and tomatoes are covered completely.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours.  When ready to serve stir a couple of times to make sure everything is mixed together well after sitting.

Last night, I cooked up a batch of lentils in a little chicken broth and seasoned them with salt, pepper and bay leave. Most of them will be turned into soup, but I used about a 1/2 cup of them just now to make a healthy and filling pita sandwich.

Lentil and Ham Pita

1 whole wheat pita
1/2 cup of lentils
2 slices of ham

Toast the pita bread and cut it in half. Fill each pocket with about 1/4 cup of lentils and a slice of ham. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.

I used cold cooked lentils and it tasted delicious, but I’m sure it would have been just as yummy with warm lentils and I guess you could even pan fry the ham first. I used thin deli sliced ham, but you could easily substitute some cubed ham. It’s like having a cup of lentil soup in a pita – Yummy!

Vegetable Hummus Wrap

For the Hummus:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons Greek natural yogurt
Juice of one lemon
Pinch of paprika
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Place the chickpeas, garlic, yogurt, lemon juice and paprika in the blender or food processor and mix on high until smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and season with salt and pepper if desired.

For the Roasted Vegetables:

1 Eggplant, sliced
2 zucchinis, cut into matchstick strips
1 red pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil

Flour tortillas to serve

Place all the vegetables in a non stick roasting tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for approximately 45 minutes or until tender and roasted.

Warm the tortilla wraps according to package instructions, then spread with hummus and fill with roasted vegetables, wrap and serve.

Use smoked mozzarella if it is available in your area for an even richer and smokier taste.

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich

1 large eggplant
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 mozzarella cheese ball, cut into 8 slices
2 plum tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
8 large basil leaves
Salt and black pepper
Balsamic vinegar for drizzling (optional)

Cut the eggplant lengthways to make 10 thin slices, discard the two outermost slices. Sprinkle the slices with salt and leave for 20 minutes. Rise and pat dry with paper towels. This process helps get rid of the bitter taste.

Place the eggplant slices on a non stick baking try and brush with olive oil. Place under a hot grill for approximately 10 minutes or until golden and tender. Turn once halfway through grilling.

Remove the eggplant slices from grill but leave in baking tray. Place one slice of mozzarella, tomato and basil leaf in the center of each eggplant slice. Fold each end of the eggplant slice over towards the middle. Grill the slices seam side down for approximately 2 minutes or until heated through and mozzarella begins to melt. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar if using and serve.

Use whatever vegetables and lettuce is in season, or you already have on hand. I’ve used chunks of cucumber, pea pods, grated zucchini and thinly sliced peppers in these wraps. Of course you can also vary the type of lettuce and cheese you use.

These wraps are also easily customized to everyone’s particular taste. My daughter for example can’t stand onions and my husband isn’t very fond of blue cheese. I just make up the basic wraps and leave out the onion on one and put grated cheddar cheese on one instead of the blue cheese.

Cold Vegetable Wrap

1/2 c. fat-free cream cheese
4 8-inch flour tortillas
2/3 c. romaine lettuce, shredded
2/3 c. red cabbage, shredded
1 red tomato, diced
1/4 c. red onions, sliced
1/3 c. carrots, grated
1/4 c. blue cheese
1 c. alfalfa sprouts

Spread cream cheese on one side of tortilla. Divide remaining ingredients evenly and add to tortilla. Roll tortilla closed and cut each diagonally in half.

Tips: You can use various vegetable to make this a bit different each time. Also, try adding flavored cream cheese.

Make Ahead Tuna Sandwich

1 16-ounce loaf sourdough French bread
1 12 1/4-ounce can water-packed low-salt tuna, drained and flaked
2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fat-free, cholesterol-free mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh chopped parsley leaves

Cut the bread in half lengthwise and hollow out each half, leaving a 1/2-inch shell. Set aside bread removed. Combine tuna and vinegar; set aside. In another bowl, stir mayonnaise and anchovy paste. Spread the inside of each bread half with mayonnaise mixture. Spoon tuna mixture into the bottom half of bread. Arrange tomato slices over tuna and season with pepper. Top with onions and sprinkle with parsley. Add top remaining bread halves.

Wrap loaf in foil and store in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.

Tip: To store the leftover bread from this recipe, place it in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Cover and process until ground into fine crumbs. Freeze and use with a recipe that calls for soft bread crumbs, such as meatloaf or casseroles.