a quick and easy lunch or appetizer

i'm working diligently to lose weight. tough, but doable. that doesn't mean i have to stake myself to a post out back, and only eat lawn clippings or shrub leaves.

here's a recipe from one of my favorite ladies, Gloria. she is related to my wife in a really convoluted way, and she helps out during pumpkin season at the farm. she makes this spread, and it is the highlight of the day to come in and make a sandwich with this stuff.

having said that, let me also state it is really good for those of us trying to lose weight. why, you ask? because most of the diet failures occur when the dieter sacrifices all in the quest to lose those ugly pounds. denial leads to cheating, leads to quitting altogether.

corned beef spread (or is it corned beef salad spread? dunno)

ingredients:

• 1 can corned beef


• mayo, light mayo for you masochists, or salad dressing


• yellow mustard


• pickle relish, sweet or dill, depending on taste


• optional: 2 cloves garlic, finely minced, and a couple of tablespoons of onion, minced (you can use dried onion, as long as you let everything sit for a while before eating. i find this impossible to do, so i use fresh onion)
• optional:1 stalk celery chopped and/or diced, if using for sandwiches

can you see where this is going? looks just like a lot of tuna salad recipes out there, eh? well, it is!

open the can of corned beef and dump into a bowl. using your own taste and by eyeball, add a couple of really good squirts of yellow mustard.
as far as relish goes, individual taste rules the day. a hint, though. if you are like me, and watching those ugly calories, add a LOT of relish. it's almost free in the world of calories, and the moisture you add here won't be required when you start spooning up the mayo. same with the mustard. use lots.
since this is going to be a major part of my meal, i make sure there is a lot of flavor going on. that way, i'm satiated, without having to eat a lot. so this is where i add the garlic, and a lot of onions. again, personal preferences rule here. if you don't like onions or garlic, leave them out. it's still good.
stir and mash to make a paste, and add only enough mayo to make it spreadable (if you are being a good kid), or just add and add and add mayo until the mix is smooth. that's probably best for you young whippersnappers that don't have to keep adding holes to their belts.

how do you serve?

for appetizers, spread on good quality crackers. ryecrisp works very well, as do many multigrain crackers.

sandwiches: use just like tuna

for those of you intrigued by my use as a diet food, here's my secret. it's pretty simple, but upon looking at the ingredient list, you just have to wonder what the hell i'm talking about.

wash and cut 4 or 5 celery stalks, and cut them to 3 or 4 inch pieces. dry with a paper towel. measure out 3 tablespoons of the mix, and spread onto the celery. celery makes up the bulk of the meal, and the spread only costs you about 200 calories. not bad, eh? and when you are done, you don't feel like you've missed anything. certainly better than cheating and buying a double whopper with cheese on the way to work.


for a complete list of my online recipes, follow the link here