Couscous Salad with Dried Cherries
From the Cherry Marketing Institute website, www.cherrymkt.org.

• 1 cup water or chicken broth
• 3/4 cup quick cooking couscous, uncooked
• ½ cup dried tart Michigan cherries
• ½ cup coarsely chopped carrots
• ½ cup chopped unpeeled cucumber
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

• Bring water or broth to boil in a medium saucepan; stir in couscous. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Uncover; let cool 10 minutes.

• Spread pine nuts or almonds on an ungreased pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally or until brown.

• Put cooked couscous, dried cherries, carrots, cucumber, green onions and pine nuts in a large bowl; mix well. Combine vinegar, olive oil and mustard in a small container; mix well. Pour over couscous mixture; stir to coal all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Makes four cups; about six servings.

Italian Beef and Vegetable Soup
From the Michigan Beef Industry Commission website, www.mibeef.org.

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 large clove garlic, crushed
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cans ready to serve beef broth
• 1 can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained, broken up
• 1 cup sliced (1/4" thick) carrots
• 1 can cannellini (white kidney) or Great Northern beans rinsed, drained
• 1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise in half and crosswise in 1/4" thick slices
• 2 cups torn spinach leaves lightly packed

• Heat Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add ground beef and garlic; brown 4-5 minutes, breaking up in to 3/4" crumbles. Pour off drippings. Season beef with pepper and salt.

• Stir broth, tomatoes and carrots into beef. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir in beans and zucchini; continue to cook 4-5 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Serves four.

Bean and Vegetable Salad with Rice
From the Michigan Bean Commission website, www.michiganbean.org.

Salad:
• 2 cans (15 ounce) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup long-grain rice, white or brown, uncooked
• 1 cup fresh broccoli, florets cut, stems sliced, and steamed for 5 minutes
• ½ pound snow peas
• ½ pound mushrooms, sliced thin (about 2 ½ cups)
• 4-6 scallions, sliced

Dressing:
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon tarragon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Garnish:
• Greens for serving
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

• Cook rice. In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients, including the cooked rice. In a jar, combine all dressing ingredients. Cover the jar, shake well, and pour over the salad mixture. Toss the salad thoroughly. Refrigerate salad until serving time. On a large platter, serve salad on a bed of greens surrounded by a ring of cherry tomato halves. Serves six.

Applesauce Glazed Chicken
From the Michigan Apple Committee website, www.michiganapples.com.

• 1 pound chicken tenders or 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup unsweetened Michigan applesauce
• 2 tablespoons sliced green onions

• Wash and dry chicken. If using chicken breasts, cut each breast lengthwise into 4 pieces. Place in single layer in foil-lined 13x9x3 baking pan. Set aside.

• In 1-quart saucepan, combine marmalade, cornstarch, ginger and garlic. Add Michigan applesauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture starts to boil. Spread evenly over chicken.

• Bake at 400 degrees about 20 minutes or until chicken is tender and juices run clear. Garnish with green onions and serve hot over rice. Serves four.

Maple Apple Crunch
From the Michigan Maple Syrup Association website, www.mi-maplesyrup.com.

• 8-10 graham crackers, crushed
• ½ cup butter or margarine
• 4 Michigan apples
• ½ cup Michigan maple syrup

• Mix cracker crumbs and butter thoroughly. Slice apples. Butter a 1 quart baking dish and place apples in bottom of dish. Pour maple syrup over apples and add cracker and butter mixture. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves six.