Low Fat Fruit Dip

Just mix equal parts of whatever flavor yogurt you like and LITE cool whip. Easy!

I used 1 container of orange yogurt and the other flavor I had was creamy vanilla. I used 1 container of Cool Whip for both dips, just halved it.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Jalapeno Popper Dip

2- 8oz. Pkg cream cheese, softened

1 C. mayonnaise

1 C. shredded Mexican blend cheese

½ C. fresh grated parmesan cheese

1- 4 oz. can chopped green chilies, UNDRAINED

1- 4 oz. can sliced jalapenos , UNDRAINED

½ C. panko bread crumbs

½ C. shredded parmesan cheese

¼ C. melted butter

In food processor, mix first 6 ingredients. Pulse until smooth.  The juice of the peppers helps blend.  Spread the dip into a greased 2 Qt. casserole dish.  In a small bowl, mix last 3 ingredients, sprinkle crumb mixture on top and bake at 375 for 30 minutes til golden and bubbly. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.  (can add more peppers for more heat if desired!)

White Chicken Chili

Yes, another new recipe!! Each night this week was a new one. A few were a bust. But not this one!! Mmm. I am making it again soon!!!

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped (I left this out)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp fresh jalapeno, finely chopped
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers (I put the garlic, jalepenos, and green chili's in amy food processor, so there were no chunks)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
3 (15 oz) cans white beans, drained and rinsed (I used navy beans)
salt and black pepper, if needed

Heat oil in large soup pot over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings to your liking.

Slow cooker chicken

Night #2 of a new recipe that was delicious!!!

In a slow cooker, mix together:

One 24-ounce jar medium or mild salsa. I used Pace picante in Medium and it was only 16 oz and pureed it in my processor first. No chunks :)

Juice from one lime

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

One 1.25-oz. package taco seasoning

2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped, optional. (I used 1/2 of a serrano, that was all I had.)

Add 4-6 thawed chicken breasts.

Though the recipe didn't call for it, I added about 1/4 cup of water since I was short on the salsa, and I didn't want it to be dry. It wasn't!

Cook on low for 4-6 hours and serve immediately.

We put them on corn tortillas and added some avocado on top.

My house smelled like Chipotle all day....mmmmm.

Chicken and brocolli noodle casserole

Mine seriously looked just like this. It was good. It was definitely a lighter meal, I could tell, but I like food like that. Eric prefers food really rich and creamy, but even he liked this.

NOTES:
I left out the shallots.
I used mild chedder instead of sharp, but I will probably use sharp next time.
I used whole wheat rotini and added about 9 oz, instead of the 6 oz it called for.
I used frozen shredded chicken breast from a Rotisserie chicken I had saved from awhile back, and it was still really moist.
It is a lot of steps to get the sauce right, and it was kind of annoying with 4 kids running around, I was afraid I would mess it up. But now that I did it once, it should be easier next time.
It took me about an hour from start to finish.



Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole
Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:


6 oz Ronzoni Smart taste noodles (or no-yolk)
2 tsp oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
12 oz fresh broccoli florets, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 medium shallot, minced
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1-3/4 cups fat free chicken broth
1 cup 1% milk
12 oz cooked shredded chicken breast
4 oz shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar (Sargento)
cooking spray
3 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
2 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat)

Directions:

Cook noodles in salted water until al dente, or slightly undercooked by 2 minutes. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook on medium heat until golden, about 1 minute. Add the broccoli and a little salt, sauté and cover the broccoli for about 3 minutes on medium heat until the broccoli begins to soften. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly spray a 9 x 12 casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large pot, heat butter over medium-low heat, when melted add the shallot and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat.

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined over medium heat; whisk well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium heat, mixing occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes). Remove from heat and add reduced fat sharp cheddar and 1 tablespoon of the parmesan cheese; mix well until the cheese melts

Add the shredded chicken, noodles and broccoli to the sauce and mix well until evenly coated. Pour into a casserole dish and top with the rest of the parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray on top and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes. Place the casserole under the broiler a few minutes to get the crumbs crisp and golden.

White Bean, Sausage and Collard Greens Soup

1/4 C. olive oil
1/2 C. diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Pound Sweet Italian Sausage ( I used the turkey variety)
1 t. red chile flakes
10 C. low sodium chicken broth
1 C. dry navy beans
1 Bay leaf
1 15 oz. can white canellini beans
2 C. collard greens, chopped small (or kale or spinach)
Pecorini Romano cheese, shaved


Use large soup pot and heat olive oil. Add diced onion and garlic and pinch of salt.  Cook til onions and garlic are soft, about 3 min.  


Peel the sausage, discard the casings. Break up the sausage as you put it in the pot.  Crumbled is good. Brown the sausage til cooked through.  Add the chile flakes. 


Add the chicken broth, and dried navy beans, with Bay leaf.  Bring to boil and then cook on medium for 1-2 hours till navy beans are almost done.  Add the cannelini beans and cook another 30 minutes. Test all the beans and make sure they are cooked through. Mine took a bit longer.  After the beans are done, throw in the collard greens with a little salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for 10 minutes til they wilt.  (the recipe called for 8 C. of the greens but that was way too much for us.  The kids were not thrilled with the greens but I thought they had a good taste and texture mixed in!)


Serve with grated Pecorini Romano cheese on top.


Serves 8. 

Crusty Italian Bread

1 pkg (2 1/2 t. Yeast)
1-1/4 C. warm water
3 C. bread flour
2 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1 T. olive oil
Cornmeal for dusting


Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 C. warm water. Set aside.  After it bubbles up, add it to the bowl with the remaining 1 C. warm water.  Stir. Add the flour, sugar, and stir.  I used my kitchenaid and dough hook and mixed slightly. THEN add the oil. If you add the oil too early, it binds with the flour and won't let the gluten form right.  Turn dough out onto floured counter.  Knead and stretch it for quite awhile til it gets smooth and elastic.


Place dough in an oiled bowl. Toss the dough around to get it oiled well.  Cover with plastic wrap, pressed all the way onto the dough.


Let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours til double in bulk.


Tun dough out onto counter and smash down to get air out. Shape into two loaves or one large loaf if you have a big pan to put it on.  I used my round stone. Cover pan with cornmeal first so it won't stick.  Cover loaves with plastic wrap sprayed with oil and let rise another 40 minutes.


Cut each loaf down the middle with a sharp knife. This will prevent the dough from splitting when it rises and bakes in the oven.


Bake in preheated 425 oven for 10 minutes. Then turn down oven to 400 and bake 20 more minutes.  Place a pan of water in the bottom rack of the oven to make a steam oven.  It will help make the crust crisp and allow the bread to rise more.

Roasted Jalapeno Salsa

1 big can 32 oz. whole peeled tomatoes
2-3 jalapeños
Handful of cilantro to taste
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp salt

Here is the work. Roast the jalapeños. I have a flat top range so roasting them over the flame wasn't an option. I did it in a cast iron skillet on high heat. Just roll them over and over til they turn charred black on all sides. This took about ten minutes. Then put them in a sealed bowl for 10 minutes til cooled. Then they are easy to peel the skins off.

Chop the roasted peppers, throw with the other ingredients in the blender. Mix til puréed. Add more salt as needed. I had to do a half batch without cilantro for Jeff. It has a yummy taste! Ours was hot, you might start with 1 pepper, then taste and add more if you want hotter. The extra roasted peppers can be frozen.