Chipolte Chicken Salad

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Ingredients

Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained
Preparation

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.
To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Tip: Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad. Kidney or pinto beans also taste great in this dish.

Bacon Bread

Source: High Protein Foods FB page.  For more recipes check out their page.

BACON BREAD!!! Yes! Now!


Ingredients
12 bacon strips, diced
1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 envelope (1 ounce) ranch salad dressing mix

Directions
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes or until partially cooked; drain on paper towels. Roll out dough to 1/2-in. thickness; brush with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cut into 1-in. pieces; place in a large bowl. Add the bacon, cheese, dressing mix and remaining oil; toss to coat.
Arrange pieces in a 9-in. x 5-in. oval on a greased baking sheet, layering as needed. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled.
Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Cover with foil; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown. Yield: 1 loaf.

Nutritional Facts
1 serving (1 each) equals 149 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 621 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein.

French Toast Muffin

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French Toast Breakfast Muffins. 
These are amazing!! Taste exactly like French toast!!! Made with skim milk and light butter was only 121 calories a muffin if you make 12!
1/3 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg (preferably room temperature)
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. milk

Topping (option: cut topping in half*)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium-large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir just until combined, but still a bit lumpy. Do NOT overmix; overmixing will ruin the texture of the finished muffins. Scoop batter into muffin tins that have sprayed with cooking spray. Using a large ice cream scoop, I got 8 medium-large muffins out of this batter; I think you could get 10-12 muffins by distributing the batter a little less generously. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they just start to turn a bit golden at the edges.

For the topping, mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place melted butter in another small bowl. Dip the warm muffins in melted butter (you can dip just the top, but it's even tastier to dip the whole muffin!), then dip/roll the muffin in cinnamon sugar. *May have left-over topping; the extra topping can be used for dipping, while eating the muffins (oh my). Another option is to cut the topping ingredients in half.

Cherry Pastry Bars

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Cherry Pastry Bars

1 cup butter, softened
2 cup sugar 
4 eggs
3 cup flour 
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
1 large can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling

Icing
3 tbsp milk ,
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp soft cream cheese
5 heaping tbsp powdered sugar.

Oven 375. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.

Cream butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then beat in the extracts. Gradually mix in the flour until well incorporated.

Spread 3/4 of the batter in the bottom pan lined with parchment paper. Scoop cherry pie filling over batter in pan. Drop remaining batter by spoonful's over the cherries.

Bake for 45 min. Let cool completely.
To make icing whisk together icing ingredients and drizzle over cooled bars before slicing, grandmotherskitchen.org

Mexican Casserole

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Mexican Casserole

MEXICAN CASSEROLE 

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 (1 ¼ ounce) package taco seasoning
1 (15 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups Colby Jack Cheese
1 cup salsa (you can make your own as well)
1 (2 1/3 ounce) can sliced black olives (drained)
1 tomato (chopped)
1/8 cup jalapenos
2 cups corn chips (crushed)

Directions:

1: In a large skillet brown ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning and cook according to package directions by adding the amount of water stated on the package. Set aside. Heat refried beans in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until hot. Stir in 1 cup of cheese and 1 cup of salsa. Stir until combined.

2: Place crushed corn chips onto the bottom of an 8×8” casserole dish. Pour the bean mixture over the chips in the casserole dish. Add taco meat on top of the bean mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese on top of the taco meat. Sprinkle green onions, jalapeños and black olives over the cheese.

3: Bake in the oven at 375 degrees until the cheese has melted and the casserole is heated through. Take out of the oven and sprinkle with chopped tomatoes.

Yield: (4 Servings)

Lemon Garlic & Rosemary Roast Chicken

http://divascancook.com/2013/05/roasted-chicken-recipe-lemon-garlic-rosemary.html

Complete link with step by step pictures

Zucchini Parmesian Sticks

Zucchini Parmesan Bites.

Ingredients
4 medium, fresh zucchini, sliced in half
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1-2 tablespoons fresh rosemary & thyme, minced
smidge of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350F, lightly brush both sizes of the zucchini with olive oil and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Mix cheese and herbs together in a small bowl and sprinkle over the zucchini along with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15 minutes and place under the broiler for the last 3-5 minutes until cheese is crispy and browned.

St Louis Gooey Butter Cake

 

 source:  www.food.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter ( NOT MARGARINE!)
• 18 ounces yellow cake mix ( one box)
• 3 eggs
• 1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese ( cut into quarters)
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract or 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar ( A.K.A. Powdered sugar)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Lightly grease (or spray with Pam) one deep 9x13 rectangular cake pan. I would suggest a 4 in deep pan, as the cake rises when it is cooking, but a oven-safe disposable coffee cake pan from the grocery store would work fine too.
3. Melt butter. I do this by heating the the microwave on low power for 30 seconds.
4. Empty cake mix into a large bowl.
5. Stir melted butter, along with ONE egg, into the cake mix.
6. PRESS mixture into pan. Mixture will have the consistency of sticky dough. Using a spatula works for me, but pressing with clean fingers will do the trick as well.
7. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, almond or vanilla extract, confectioners sugar and the remaining two eggs.
8. Beat for three minutes with an electric mixer set on medium high speed, or until smooth with NO lumps.
9. Pour evenly over top of the cake mixture in the pan. Use a spatula to spread.

Page 2 of 2St. Louis Style Gooey Butter Cake (cont.)

Directions

10. Place a large cookie sheet on the rack below the cake. Sometimes when you use a cake pan with less depth, the cake bubbles and spills over. The cookie sheet will spare your oven! Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until golden brown on top. Cooking time is estimated, you will really have to watch it here! I always take the cake out when it turns a darkish golden brown. Note that there will be a paper thin sugar "crust" that will form while the cake is baking. It the top layer of sugar hardening, and this is what will turn golden brown. It adds great texture!
11. Allow cake to cool COMPLETELY. This is very important, as the cake will not cut easily until it is completely cool. You will notice that the cake has sunken and set. This is normal. Refrigeration is optional. I personally like it at room temperature.
12. Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar.
13. Cut cake into bars and serve with or without utensils, but make sure you have plenty of napkins, because this treat will have you licking your fingers! (Cake should be gooey underneath the sugar "crust", so don't over bake!).

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 (123 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 10

Amount Per Serving

% Daily Value

Calories 588.7

 

Calories from Fat 219

37%

Amount Per Serving

% Daily Value

Total Fat 24.3g

37%

Saturated Fat 11.5g

57%

Cholesterol 106.2mg

35%

Sugars 69.9 g

Sodium 512.1mg

21%

Total Carbohydrate 88.8g

29%

Dietary Fiber 0.5g

2%

Sugars 69.9 g

279%

Protein 5.5g

11%

Copycat White Castle Burgers

 

 Source: Foodies TV FB page

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
1 tablespoon peanut butter (yes, peanut butter.. trust me)
1/2 cup milk
1 onion, finely chopped
Sara Lee Classic Dinner Rolls (or the really soft small-sized dinner rolls from the bakery), sliced in half
Cheese slices(you can use Kraft Singles or sliced Velveeta cheese.. we used Velveeta)
Instructions

In a large bowl mix the hamburger, Lipton onion soup mix, peanut butter, and milk. Spread the meat mixture on a cookie sheet. Use a rolling pin to roll over the meat to smooth it out.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. The meat will shrink. Take it out of the oven and put the diced onions all around the edges, this will give the meat a great flavor.
Bake for 15 more minutes, remove from oven, then spoon the onions from the edges all over the top of the meat and layer with cheese slices.
Bake another 7-10 minutes (until cheese is melted). Then add the tops of your rolls (the bottom part of the rolls will just sit on the counter) and place back in the oven for about 5 more minutes.
Take it out of the oven. Slice the meat with a pizza cutter and pick up the slider/top bun with a spatula and set it on the bottom bun.

Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Bacon

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Ingredients

: 1 teaspoon #vegetable oil,

 4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces, 

1 onion, thinly sliced,

 1 medium green cabbage, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces,

 ¼ cup cider vinegar, 

¼ cup sugar, 

3 tablespoons soy sauce.

 

 Instructions: Heat oil in a large, heavy pot (Use a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crisp, stirring frequently. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a plate. Add onion and cabbage to pot and cook, stirring often, until cabbage is wilted (about 10 minutes). Add vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce and cook until cabbage is crisp-tender, about 10 more minutes. Stir in bacon.

Green Chili Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 jar Cookwell & Company Green Chile Stew
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
12 oz shredded chicken
1 package of frozen rice


Preparation

Dump all of the above in a large pot.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce and simmer for 20 -30 minutes.

Baked Eggplant Parmesian

 SOURCE: http://www.joybauer.com/healthy-recipes/roasted-eggplant-parmesan.aspx

 Lots of healthy adaptations on this site..:)

1 eggplant, ends trimmed
salt, Kosher, to taste
pepper, black ground, to taste
3/4 cup(s) marinara sauce, *
3/4 cup(s) cheese, mozzarella, part-skim
2 tablespoon cheese, Parmesan, grated
oregano, dried, to taste
pepper, red, crushed, to taste

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 400°. Liberally coat a baking sheet with oil spray. Slice the eggplant into rounds (about 10 slices). Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Mist the tops of the eggplant slices liberally with oil spray, and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper (omit the salt if you have high blood pressure). Bake for 20 minutes, or until eggplant is soft and golden brown.
Top each slice with about 1 tablespoon marinara sauce and 1 heaping tablespoon mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the slices with the grated cheese, as well as oregano and crushed red pepper to taste. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

Crispy Cajun Shrimp Fettucine

 Source: Foodie TV FB share

CRISPY CAJUN SHRIMP FETTUCCINE

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz fettuccine
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
16 large shrimp
1 tbsp cajun spice (you can find recipe here)
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:

Cook fettuccine according to package instructions.
Clean the shrimp and season with 1 tbsp of cajun spice.
Drizzle the flour over the shrimp and toss in a bowl to make sure each shrimp is covered in flour.

In a deep skillet add butter and olive oil and heat over high heat. Add shrimp and cook on each side about 2 min until crisp. Remove shrimp from skillet and set aside.
In the same skillet add chicken broth and heavy cream.

Season with additional cajun spice if preferred. Cook until sauce thickens a bit from the heavy cream, then add Parmesan cheese and whisk. Add fettuccine and shrimp to the sauce and toss.
Serve warm.

*Cajun Spice*

2 1/2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp red chili powder
1 tbsp ground black pepper

*or you can use a cajun spice from store

Key Lime Pound Cake

 
 Source: Southern Living Magazine

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
2. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (12-cup) tube pan.
3. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.
4. Prepare Key Lime Glaze, and immediately brush over top and sides of cake. Cool completely (about 1 hour).

 Glaze:

 Ingredients
    1 cup powdered sugar
    2 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

    Whisk together powdered sugar, fresh Key lime juice, and vanilla until smooth. Use immediately.

Crockpot Sweet Garlic Chicken

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Ingredients:
4-6 chicken breasts
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (diet or regular)
2-3 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 Tablespoons water
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray or use a crockpot liner.   Place chicken (frozen, thawed or fresh) inside slow cooker. Mix together brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper together. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Take chicken pieces out of slow cooker (mine basically fell apart) and pour remaining sauce into saucepan. Place saucepan over high heat. Mix together corn starch and water, pour into saucepan, and mix well. Let sauce come to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to thicken and turns into a glaze. Remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two (it will continue to thicken as it cools down).

Sprinkle red pepper flakes on top if desired. This can be served over rice or noodles, I also like it with a baked potato on the side (It's good on top of the potato too!)

Caramel and Chocolate Pecan Bars

Caramel and Chocolate Pecan Bars from  http://www.bakeorbreak.com

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

 For the crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup pecan halves
For the topping:
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

To make the crust:

Combine flour, brown sugar, and butter, beating at medium speed with an electric mixer until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Press onto bottom of ungreased 9″x 13″x 2" baking pan. Place pecans evenly over top of crust.

To make the topping:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine butter and brown sugar in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Continue stirring and allow mixture to boil for 1 minute. Pour evenly over crust and pecans.

Bake 18-22 minutes, until caramel layer is bubbly. Be sure not to overbake.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and allow to melt slightly. Swirl chocolate chips over the crust. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Land O'Lakes.

http://www.bakeorbreak.com/2011/10/caramel-and-chocolate-pecan-bars-2/

Red Lobster Garlic Cheese Biscuits

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Garlic Cheese Biscuits
Cheese garlic biscuits like those served at a certain famous seafood restaurant.

Ingredients
Original recipe makes 1 dozen
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

For the Topping:2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided½ teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley (or ¼ teaspoon dried)

Crock Pot Taco Soup

 
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(this is very, very similar to Joanie Garza's Tamale Soup which I also have on this blog)

CROCKPOT TACO SOUP

Ingredients
1 lb Ground Beef, cooked and drained
1 can corn
1 can Great Northern Beans(white)
1 can Black Beans
1 can Red Beans
1 can Diced Tomatos
1 Hidden Valley Ranch packet
1 Taco seasoning packet
2 cups water
Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in Crockpot except Tortilla Chips, Shredded Cheese and Sour Cream.

**Do not drain any of the cans. Stir and cover with lid. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream.

Pizza Dip

 
 Source:  FoodiesTV FB  page

Pizza Dip

8oz cream cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
8oz jar pizza sauce

Take you cream cheese and Italian seasoning and mix together. Put into bottom of 8 by 8 casserole dish. Top with half of the mozzarella and parm cheeses. Pour you pizza sauce on top of the cheese. Then top with remaining cheese, sprinkle with more seasoning, and bake at 350' for 30 minutes.....yup, its that easy! SERVE WITH CRACKERS OR NACHO'