Kitchen Focus

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 T. less sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 1 T. rice vinegar
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/2 tsp. minced ginger
• 2 cups rotisserie chicken, chopped
• 8 Romaine lettuce leaves
• 2 cups pre-shredded dry coleslaw mix
• 4 T. rice vinegar
• 2 plum tomatoes, halved and sliced

Combine the peanut butter, soy/tamari sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice and ginger in a medium bowl. Stir in the chopped chicken.

Place two romaine lettuce leaves on each of four serving plates. Drizzle the rice vinegar over the coleslaw and toss. Top each plate with 1/2 cup of the coleslaw and vinegar mix. Surround the romaine with sliced tomatoes, then top each plate with one-fourth of the peanut chicken mixture.

• Yields: 4 servings
• Preparation Time: 10 minutes

• 10 oz. bag mixed salad greens
• 12 oz. sliced Canadian bacon
• 2 peaches, sliced
• 1/2 cup honey mustard salad dressing

Cut the Canadian bacon into quarters. Toss with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and serve.

• Yields: 4 servings
• Preparation Time: 15 minutes

• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2 T. chili powder
• 1 red onion, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 avocados, peeled and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 lb. shelled deveined cooked medium shrimp
• 12 taco shells
• Torn butter lettuce leaves
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 1 cup shredded Cojack cheese

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, cucumber, half of the chili powder, red onion, avocados, red bell pepper, and lemon juice. In another small bowl, toss the remaining chili powder with the cooked shrimp and add to the sour cream mixture. Make the tacos using the shrimp mixture, taco shells, lettuce, salsa, and cheese.

If you want to make this a hot recipe, combine the sour cream mixture except omit red onion and red bell pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet; add the onion and bell pepper and cook until tender. Add the shrimp; cook until heated; sprinkle with the remaining chili powder and lemon juice. Make the tacos using the hot shrimp mixture, the sour cream mixture, and the remaining ingredients.

• Yields: 12 tacos
• Preparation Time: 20 minutes

• 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 11 oz. can corn, drained
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 T. white wine vinegar
• 3 cups vegetable cocktail juice
• 6 oz. can tiny shrimp, drained
• 1 cup garlic croutons

In a large glass bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the croutons and mix gently. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours to blend the flavors or serve immediately. Top with croutons before serving.

• Yields: 5 servings
• Preparation Time: 10 minutes