I'm always trying to find ways to put feta cheese in my food. So when we attended a dinner party at my friend Cindy's house and she served brown rice with spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and golden raisins, I thought it would taste even better with feta. I went home and started working on a recipe. I think I could have used a little more feta but the husband and kids seemed to think it turned out just fine the way it was. They aren't as big a fan of feta as I am. I had lots of leftovers which I ended up eating for lunch several days in a row.

2 cups of cooked (steamed) brown rice
3 cups cooked spinach
1 cup of finely chopped green onion
1 cup of seedless golden raisins
1/2 of sun-dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers
5 oz. fat free feta cheese
10 tablespoons Red Wine Vinaigrette


Cook the rice and spinach separately. Set aside and let them cool once they're done. (1 cup of uncooked brown rice yields a little more than 3 cups of cooked rice) In a large bowl, combine rice, spinach, feta, raisins, sun-dried tomatoes(red peppers), green onions, making sure everything is evenly distributed. Add the red wine vinaigrette and continue to stir, ensuring even distribution.

Found this on Slashfood. Easy instructions and great taste.

1 1/4 cups water, warm (110F)
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup quick-cooking (or whole) oats
2-3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 1/2 tsp salt

Combine 1/4 cup of the water with the yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, until foamy. Stir in the rest of the water, honey, oats, salt and 1 1/2 cups of flour.

Using the dough hook attachment on the mixer or stirring by hand with a wooden spoon, mix the dough together. Add in the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough comes together into a ball and pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl.

When the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured flat surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. Let dough rise until doubled in size.

Once it has risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press into a rectangle. Divide into eight equal pieces. To shape the buns, draw up the corners of each piece of dough and pinch together, forming a tight ball. Place, seam side down, on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the balls about 2 inches apart so that they will gently touch as the bread rises and bakes. This gives the same "stuck together" effect as you get with the store bought rolls. Sprinkle the tops with a bit of extra oats or sesame seeds and let rise for 45 minutes, covered with a clean dishtowel, until almost doubled in size.

Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes, until dark gold. The rolls will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. The rolls will soften slightly as they sit. These can also be used for sandwiches.

Makes 8 buns.

I couldn't walk past the southern Living July issue because of the picture of blackberry cobbler on it. I picked up some blackberries the other day at the farmers market and decided to try the recipe. It was very good but my guy still likes my other cobbler better.

Preheat oven to 375

Place 4 cups fresh blackberries in a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish; sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Stir together 1 large egg, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup all-purpose flour in a medium bowl until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over fruit. Drizzle 6 Tbsp. melted butter over topping. Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired garnish with fresh mint sprig. Makes 6 servings.