Guacamole Burgers

Ingredients:
2lbs ground hamburger
salt and pepper (to taste)
8 slices bacon (cooked)
4 slices pepper jack cheese
4 hamburger buns
Guacamole-
3 ripe avocados (peeled and pitted)
The juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup onion (diced)
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped)
2 roma tomatoes (diced)
1 teaspoon fresh garlic (minced)
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Step 1: To make guacamole- in a medium bowl mash avocados together with the lime juice. Add salt. Stir in cilantro, tomatoes and garlic. Mix in cayenne pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Step 2: Shape the ground burger into 4 patties. Season on both sides with freshly ground salt and black pepper. Lightly grease the grates of your grill and heat the grill to medium high heat. Grill hamburger patties until they have reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Within the last few minutes of cooking top patties with 2 slices of bacon and a slice of pepper jack cheese.
Step 3: Split the hamburger buns and lightly toast the halves on the grill. Remove from the grill and set aside. Place a burger patty on each bun. Top with guacamole and the top half of the bun.
Yield: (4 Servings)

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/4 pound (4 ounces) unsweetened chocolate

4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) butter

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pound bittersweet chocolate (chunks or chips)

1. In a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

2. In the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a fork, combine the eggs, vanilla and sugar. Mix just until incorporated and set aside.

3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

4. Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and mix just until combined. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients and mix just until combined, then stir in the bittersweet chocolate.

5. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill thoroughly. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

6. Divide the dough into 18 portions. Grease your hands (to prevent the dough from sticking) and shape the portions into balls. Place the balls on a greased, parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving 2 to 3 inches between each.

7. Bake until the edges of the cookies are just set and the center is still soft, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Place the cookies, still on the parchment, on a rack and cool completely before serving. They will be very soft.

Makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies

Each cookie: 251 calories; 4 grams protein; 29 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 18 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 42 mg. cholesterol; 92 mg. sodium.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
1 cup white hominy
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
crushed tortilla chips
sliced avocado
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
chopped green onions


Directions:
1. In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

Olive Garden Salad

Salad Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoon corn syrup
2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoon Romano cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt, or one clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
sugar (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender until well mixed. If this is a little too tart for your own personal taste, add a little extra sugar. You can enjoy your Olive Garden salad dressing for about 10 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Another great use for the Olive Garden salad dressing is as a marinade for vegetables or even meats that you might like to grill. So you can see the Olive Garden salad dressing can be used in more than one way.

Salad:
1 bag Dole American Blend Salad
4-5 slices red onion
4-6 black olives
2-4 pepperoncini (if you like a sweet pepper, you could use a banana pepper)
1/2 cup croutons
1 small tomato, quartered
freshly grated Romano cheese (Parmesan Cheese works well too!)

Chill one salad bowl in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Place bag of salad in bowl. Place on top of the lettuce the red onion, black olives, pepperoncinis, tomatoes, and croutons. Add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you like, and add plenty of Olive Garden Salad Dressing on top.