Spring Salad with Homemade Croutons and Balsamic Dressing

I tasted this at a recent YW activity and it was fabulous!

Kristin's Homemade Croutons
1 lg. loaf French Bread
2 cubes of butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
Parmesan cheese
Season salt

Cut bread in approximately 1/2 inch squares. Melt butter and mix with olive oil and garlic. Put in a plastic bag and toss bread cubes in butter mixture. put single layer of bread crumbs on large cookie sheet. Sprinkle on season salt to your taste. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1/2 hour. Watch closely - you may want to take them out and turn with spatuala half way through baking. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese while still hot!


Kristin's Yummy Salad Dressing
1 clove of garlic mashed in mortar and pestal (you can also send it through a garlic press in a bowl)
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
(you can also squeeze a lemon into the dressing to get a more zesty flavor or for a sweeter side of things, add 1 Tbsp brown sugar)

Green salad of your choice (I buy the Spring Mix from Costco and add more spinach to it)
Craisins
Nuts of your choice (I like almonds or pecans) - roasted in butter and brown sugar on the stove
Cheese - Parmesan, blue cheese, feta are my favorites
Bacon cooked and broken into pieces
Pears or strawberries cut up

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies...using beans!

Okay so I know you'll all be shocked that I'm finally posting and when I do it's a recipe for cookies using beans! But I'm a believer now! I got this recipe from a book called "I Can't Believe It's Food Storage" and the cookies turned out great when I used chocolate instead of raisins! I even gave them away. So if you're feeling brave...

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies - Low Fat
1 c. whole cooked white beans (pureed in blender or just mix with sugar-used instead of 1 c. butter)
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
3 c. quick-cooking oats
2 tsp cinnamon
2 c. choc chips or raisins

Cream together beans and sugar, eggs and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients and add to mixture. If dough is too sticky, add a little water. (Mine was fine.) Drop by rounded tablespoons and bake at 375 for 8-10 min. ENJOY!!