When you want to really treat your family or guests to a special summertime breakfast, this is the place to start.  You can’t beat the taste of fresh strawberries inside a sweet toasted sandwich.

8 slices bread, can be stale
¼ C. Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
¼ C. strawberry smashed up or use preserves
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons skim milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
cooking spray
strawberries for garnish

Spread 1 teaspoon cream cheese on each slice of bread. Spread 1 teaspoon of strawberries on top of each. Put bread together to form 4 sandwiches. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, skim milk, and vanilla extract. Beat well with fork. Cover large skillet with cooking spray. Dip each sandwich into egg mixture, coating both sides. Place in skillet and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.  Top with a few fresh strawberries to serve.

Sometimes my family gets a hankerin’ for a sweet and crunchy sweet potato dish about halfway between the last holiday and the upcoming holidays.  This is a perfect quick little dish to satisfy those cravings until the next big holiday shows up on the calendar.

2 (15 oz.) cans sweet potatoes with juice, cut into ½ inch chunks
½ C. firmly packed brown sugar
¼ C. margarine, melted
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ C. chopped pecans

Layer potatoes, pecans, brown sugar, and margarine in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.

What a great way to turn a sweet fruit salad into a healthy meal.  You’re going to pull out all the stops with this salad – please your youngsters with crunchy apples and sweet raisins, while keeping the dressing well within your diet plans with lowfat yogurt.  Good for you!

2 medium apples, cored and chopped
1 Tablespoon and 3 Tablespoons orange juice
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
¾ C. chopped celery
1/3 C. chopped dates
1/3 C. raisins
½ C. plain nonfat yogurt
2 Tablespoons honey

To prevent browning, toss apples in a bowl with 1 Tablespoon of orange juice and 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice. Coat well. Add celery, dates, and raisins. Mix together yogurt, honey, and 3 Tablespoons orange juice to make a dressing. Pour over fruit mixture and blend well. Cover and chill for 30 minutes before serving. (Serves 6)

I love to see those big, beautiful heads of cabbage start to appear in my grocery store and farmer’s markets.  Cabbage is so good for you… and so cheap!  This is just one more way to use cabbage in your family’s meals.

1 lb. ground, lean turkey or beef
1 egg
6 Tablespoons bread crumbs
1 ½ C. shredded cabbage (or coleslaw mix)
¼ C. finely chopped onion
¼ C. finely chopped red bell pepper
¼ teaspoon dried, minced garlic
2/3 C. ketchup
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 5 inch pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine meat, egg, breadcrumbs, cabbage, onion, pepper, garlic, and one-half of ketchup. Mix well. Pat mixture into pan and bake for 45 minutes. Spread remaining ketchup on top of loaf and bake 15 minutes longer. (Serves 6)

What a great way to make a meal out of baked potatoes!  Whether you have vegetarians in the family or not, the combination of mushrooms, Dijon mustard, honey, and tofu make an incredibly satisfying, and healthy, meal.

4 medium baking potatoes
1 C. chopped spring onions
1 C.  chopped mushrooms
1 (8 oz.) package soft tofu, drained & mashed
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
paprika
Butter flavored cooking spray

Wash and dry potatoes. Using an ice pick or sharp knife, stick a hole all the way through each potato. Coat potatoes with a thin layer of cooking spray. Place potatoes in a microwave safe dish and cook on high for 10 minutes. Turn potatoes over and cook 10 minutes longer. Cut baked potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out insides, leaving a cup that is about ¼ inch thick.

Combine onion and mushrooms in skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms become tender. Combine scooped out potato with tofu, parsley, mustard and honey. Mix well. Stir in mushrooms and onions.

Re-fill potato skins with tofu mixture and sprinkle with paprika. Reheat in microwave for 2-5 minutes or until heated through. (Serves 4)

Rhubarb pie, rhubarb sauce, rhubarb strawberry pie… when the rhubarb is ready, you have to be ready, too!  Add this one more recipe to your repertoire and you might just be able to use up the last of the rhubarb this spring!

4-5 large apples
3 rhubarb stalks
1/2 pint strawberries
1/4 cup water

Peel rhubarb and cut into small pieces.  Next, core and peel apples and chop.  Remove stems from strawberries.  Combine all ingredients into a pot and add water.  Cook mixture over medium heat until boiling.  Turn heat down and open cover just enough to allow a bit of steam to escape the pot.  Simmer until the majority of apples are dissolved and sauce isn’t watery looking, stirring occasionally.  Simmer for approximately 30 minutes.  Turn heat off when there is still a bit of water left in pot.  Allow to cool and then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Some prefer a chunkier texture to their apple sauce and you can accomplish this by not simmering the mixture as long.

Tips:  You can use cranberries as a substitute for rhubarb in this recipe.