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.

This is what we had last night at my Pampered Chef party!

Mango Confetti Salsa

Ingredients:

1	large mango
1/2	small jicama
1/3	orange bell pepper
1/3	red bell pepper
1	jalapeño pepper, stemmed
1/3	small red onion
1	tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4	tsp salt
1/2	tsp chile powder lime zest
	Tortilla chips

Directions:

1. On Large Grooved Cutting Board, cut mango using Mango Wedger. Remove skin from mango using Avocado Peeler. Peel jicama using Serrated Peeler. Dice mango, jicama and bell peppers into 1-in. pieces using Chef’s Knife. Cut jalapeño in half; remove seeds using Core & More.
2. Combine mango, jicama, bell peppers, jalapeño and onion in Manual Food Processor; cover and pump handle until coarsely chopped. Add lime juice and salt; pump handle to chop to desired consistency, removing lid and scraping down sides of bowl as necessary using Mini Mix ‘N Scraper®. Pour salsa into serving bowl. Serve with tortilla chips, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (about 2 cups salsa)

Easy as Pie Key Lime Pie

Lauren was craving key lime pie but I have never made it. We googled allrecipes and found an easy one that we had the ingredients for. It was tasty and easy!

2 cans Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk

1/4 c. sour cream

3/4 C. fresh squeezed lime juice

1 T. lime zest

green food coloring (optional)

Graham cracker crust

We actually halved this recipe since I only had one can of the milk. I have those mini cheesecake springform pans, and the recipe we did made enough for 3 of them-which is like 6 small servings-perfect for us. Mix the milk, sour cream till smooth. Add a drop of green food coloring, the lime juice and zest. Taste before you add all the juice to your desired sourness. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust. Bake 10 minutes at 350 till little bubbles form. Let chill. Then spread a mix of 1/8 C. sour cream and 1/8 c. powdered sugar on top. (optional)

Buttermilk Pancakes

This recipe is from Becky.

Pancakes

1 1/4 c. Flour

1 egg

1 1/4 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 c. oil

1 pinch of salt.

Mix all together. Heat a lightly buttered griddle to medium heat. Spoon batter onto griddle and brown both sides until golden brown.

Buttermilk Syrup (the BEST syrup I have ever had)

1 cube butter

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter, sugar and buttermilk over medium heat. When it starts to boil, remove from heat and add soda and vanilla. Stir. It will foam up. Serve hot. Can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Garlic Lemon Tilapia

4 Tilapia fillets
3 T. Lemon Juice
1 T. butter, melted
(I triple the butter and lemon juice since we usually make like 8 fillets. And with fish, especially if you are not a fish lover, the more lemon and butter, the better)
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tsp. dried parsley
Pepper to season
Tinfoil

Pre-heat oven to 375
Rinse Tilapia and pat dry
Set Tilapia in a square piece of foil, and fold up the sides, to pre-vent the juices from spilling out.
Pour on some of the melted butter, lemon juice, sprinkle with crushed garlic, pepper, and parsley flakes.

The original recipe said for you to put them in a shallow baking dish and just pour everything over and cook in the dish. I prefer the foil, it bakes everything better together and gives more flavor. Fold up foil, and set in oven.

Cook for 25-30 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yum!

Taco Soup

lb. browned hamburger (with onion if you'd like, yuck!)

2 cans if kidney beans

2 cans of chili beans

2 cans of pinto beans

2 cans of stewed tomatoes (I blend these in the blender)

2 cans of corn

1 can Rotel tomatoes (also blended to get rid of chunks)

1/2 pkg. of taco seasoning

1 pkg. ranch dressing

Combine and cook in crock pot until done, usually a couple of hours. I like to put it over lime tostitos then top it with a ranch and sour cream dip and cheese. To make the ranch and sour cream dip, mix equal parts sour cream and ranch dressing.

*I usually half this recipe so it fits in my crock pot. There is still enough to feed my family. You can also do it on the stove top in a big pot but then you can't just leave it unattended like you can with the crock pot.

Cranberry Nut Granola

1/3 c. pumpkins seeds
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/3 c. maple syrup
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened cranberry juice
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. craisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine maple syrup, brown sugar, cranberry juice, and cinnamon over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved.
In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and salt. Pour the maple mixture over the oat mixture and stir until combined. Spread the mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15, stirring occasionally. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Stir in craisins and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the mixture begins to brown. If you over bake it will be hard. Cool completely. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Cadbury Egg Cookies

***WARNING*** Do not attempt these cookies if you are trying to lose weight, or eat healthy. They are addicting and not very calorie friendly. But, oh so good.

Cadbury Egg Cookies
1/2 C Crisco (I use butter flavored)
1/2 C Butter
1 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 1/2 C flour
6T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 10 oz bag Cadbury Mini-Eggs*

Preheat oven to 350. You’ll need to chop up those Cadbury Eggs. I just put them in a ziplock bag and bang on them with a hammer.

You know the drill. Cream together the butter, crisco, brown sugar and white sugar. Add in eggs one at at a time and the vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter mixture to combine and then mix in the candies. And a little secret…if you want your cookies to look pretty like the picture, save a few egg pieces and pop them on top of the cookies before baking so you get those colorful speckles on top!

Drop onto a cookie sheet and cook for about 8-10 minutes. Mine were done in exactly 9. They’re soft and fudgy in the middle and a little crisp on the edges with crunchy little candy bits throughout. Yummers.

Mine also made 36 quite large cookies(like the size of Subway's cookies), I even ended up tossing some of the dough because Lord knows I do not need 45 huge cookies. I think I will half the recipe next time.

Monterrey Chicken-for Lauren

Easy as pie. Just take chicken tenders or chicken breasts. Grill them or cook them in a frying pan with a little oil till done. Salt and pepper and seasoning salt for flavor. I used the George Foreman grill and cooked them. Grilled is way better. Place done chicken pieces on a baking sheet or pan and spread barbecue sauce over the top. Layer with small pieces of cooked bacon on top. Then top with a slice of monterrey jack cheese. Broil in oven until melted and heated through. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and diced tomatoes-optional.

Cool Berry Pie

I took a photo of the pie half gone. I had some blackberries that were getting a little soggy but I hated to throw them out. I also had a half bag of frozen raspberries that Dallin and I snack on. I decided to make a berry pie with them both. I made up the recipe as I went along, just thinking what would taste good and what I had on hand.

1/2 pint blackberries is what I had left

1/2 bag of frozen raspberries

1/4 c. sugar

1 t. cornstarch

Filling:

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 small tub of Cool whip

1 c. graham cracker crumbs

3 T. melted butter

I made the graham cracker crust with the crumbs and butter. I don't use sugar in my graham crusts, I like it not so sweet. Then I blended the cream cheese and cool whip and folded that into the pie dish. On the stove I heated the berries and sugar, mashing them with a masher. Add the corn starch and stir until sightly thickened and mixed well. Cool slightly, pour over the creamy pie. Refrigerate for an hour or so till set and cool. Delish!

Baked chicken taquitos

 

                            These may not look pretty but they are delicious!


4oz cream cheese softened                             
1/4 c green salsa
1 Tbs lime juice(i never use this)
1/2 tsp cummin
1tsp chili powder
1/2tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3Tbs chopped cilantro
1 green onion
2 c shredded cooked chicken
1 c grated monterey jack cheese
corn tortillas

Heat oven to 425, combine all ingredients. Line baking sheet with foil and a light coat of cooking spray. place 3-4 tortillas between 2 damp paper towels and microwave 30 seconds. Place 2-3 Tbs of mixture inside tortilla and roll up. Place filled tortillas seam side down on cookie sheet. spray with cooking spray and bake 15-20 mins.

I have made these so many times and I put them in the freezer and they make a perfect snack or lunch.

Easy Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Instant Or Active Dry Yeast

1-½ cup Warm Water

4 cups All-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

⅓ cups Olive Oil

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.

In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.

Note: it’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.

When you are ready to make the pizza, grab HALF the pizza dough (recipe makes 2 crusts) and squeeze the dough toward the bottom to form a nice, tight, pulled ball. You can roll out the pizza with a rolling pin if you’d like, but sometimes it’s just as easy to throw it around and pull and stretch till it feels right. And when the crust is nice and thin, lay it on an oiled baking sheet or pizza pan. Drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and spread it with your fingers. Very lightly sprinkle some salt on the crust.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Top your crust with your toppings of choice. Then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Light Whole Wheat Baguette

This isn't my photo but I promise mine looked and turned out just like this. My boys demolished one before I could take a picture. I have tried and failed many times finding a good recipe for a crunchy chewy baguette. These reminded me of the good ones we would get in Europe. The whole wheat makes them healthier. And it was really easy. Just make sure you start them in the early afternoon if you want it in time for dinner!

Makes 2 baguettes

1 1/2 C. warm water (110 degrees)

3/4 T. yeast

3/4 T. kosher salt

1 1/4 C. fresh ground whole wheat flour

2 C. all purpose flour

Combine the water, yeast and salt in a large bowl with a lid till salt and yeast dissolves. Mix the flours together and then pour them into the liquid mix. Stir until well blended. Dough should be sticky. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to get it all mixed together. Don't knead it, but if stirring gets too hard just use your hands to mix together.

Cover the bowl with lid but don't seal it. Let the dough sit for 2-5 hours at room temperature. It will begin to flatten and fill the bowl. (you can refrigerate the dough until the next day if you don't have time to bake it)

Preheat the oven to 450. Place a baking stone on the middle rack and put a metal pan on the bottom rack. Sprinkle the counter with flour and roll the dough into two balls. Shape into two loaves- long and skinny about 2"x12". I placed mine on a floured cutting board. Let the shaped dough rest for 20 minutes.

Use a basting brush and water and paint the surface with water, then use a sharp knife and score diagonal lines across the baguettes. Slide the loaves carefully onto the hot stone in the oven. (this was kind of tricky, they kind of stretch out when you move them but just plop them on the stone as quickly as you can). Pour water in the metal pan on the bottom rack, about an inch deep. Bake for 25 minutes until deep brown and firm to the touch.