Jalapeno Popper Dip: Recipe Swap

For my third round of the Recipe Swap I was assigned The Jey of Cooking.  I was very happy with this assignment because this is a blog I already follow!  I just went to my Google Reader and looked at what recipes of hers I already had 'starred'.  I immediately decided on this dip.  It had made the rounds a few times on many popular food blogs, but I hadn't yet made it.  What prompted me -- a fresh batch of jalapenos straight from our porch garden!  


This dip was creamy and cheesy and spicy and awesome!  It goes perfectly with salty tortilla chips and a nice, cold beer.  It's just like it's namesake appetizer, but in casserole form.  I only made a few changes -- using reduced fat cheeses (since it's what I usually buy), chopped roasted Hatch chiles (from our own freezer stash)  and fresh jalapenos, seeded and diced.  Unfortunately (even though I swear I remember taking a photo of the dip ... grrrrrr) I can't seem to find the picture!  So, just a lonely recipe to post today, but once our next 'harvest' of jalapenos comes in I'll be sure to make this delicious dip again and this time snap a picture!


Jalapeno Popper Dip
from The Jey of Cooking


Ingredients:

8 ounces of cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat.)
1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup chopped green chiles
8 medium jalapeños (I'd use 4-6 if large peppers and 10 if small.)
8 ounces shredded cheese, Mexican blend or colby jack
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan
cooking spray


Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Seed and dice jalapenos.  Wear latex gloves for this step -- trust me, you don't want to rub your eyes a few hours later and end up in burning tears!
• Combine softened cream cheese, Greek yogurt, green chiles, jalapenos and shredded cheese in a large bowl.  Stir to combine, until the peppers and shredded cheese are evenly dispersed.  Spread mixture out in an 8x8 baking dish.  
• Combine panko and parmesan in a small bowl.  Sprinkle evenly over dip in baking dish.  
• Spray the top with cooking spray.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, until browned on top and bubbling.  

Parmesan Risotto with Roasted Vegetables

This is one of our standard recipes, it makes an appearance on our menu at least once a month, if not every other week.  I can't believe I haven't posted it to the blog before now, but we're about to fix that!  This recipe is from The Best Light Recipe by America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated.  It never fails us and it's incredibly versatile.  We typically make up the base parmesan recipe, but we will throw in other cheeses if we have those lying around.  One of our favorite variations is to add in some of our homemade mozzarella cheese at the end instead of the parmesan.  Another great version is saffron risotto, which turns out a beautiful golden color (second picture), and I've included the directions for it as well.

We top this with any number of toppings -- seen here is roasted brussel sprouts, but any roasted veggie works just as well, asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, butternut squash.  Sauteed zucchini or summer squash make a great summer meal as does grilled shrimp or chicken.  Halved cherry tomatoes or diced regular sized tomatoes, and chopped basil fresh from the garden with mozzarella makes a great caprese version.  Risotto can be a great vehicle for leftovers as well.  Mix in some leftover steak cut into bite-sized pieces, veggies, pork chops, really anything!

Parmesan Risotto

from The Best Light Recipe

serves 6

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt

2 cups arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

2 ounces grated parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

ground black pepper

Directions:

• In an electric kettle heat the chicken broth and water to boiling.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cook over medium heat until the onion is softened.
• Add the rice, stirring to coat all pieces with the oil.  Toast the grains until the edges start to turn transparent, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the wine and cook until completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in 3 cups of the broth/water mixture.  Stir occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Continue to cook the rice, adding 1/2 cup of the broth/water mixture at a time and cooking until completely absorbed, about every 4 minutes.  Taste the rice starting after 10 minutes, cooking until al dente, with just some bite in the center.
• Add in the butter, cheese and then season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Variation:  Saffron Risotto

• Follow the recipe but omit the parmesan and add 1/8 teaspoon of saffron threads when you add the rice to the onions/oil.  

Zuchinni Parmesan Loaf

I know this recipe might be a bit late for prime zucchini season, but I'm hoping people will give it a try with the end of the season zucchinis rolling in.  I had saved this recipe from a magazine years ago.  I remembered it while trying to think of something different to do with our growing pile of green squashes.  I opted for this since it is a savory bread and not the usual cinnamon spiced zucchini bread -- not that I dislike those breads, cinnamon is one of my favorite flavors, but week after week of typical zucchini bread can wear on even the biggest cinnamon lover.  It has the nutty, salty parmesan flavor and would be a great side to many dinner dishes and even a savory breakfast addition, say, toasted and slathered with butter along side scrambled eggs with cheese.

Zucchini Parmesan Loaf

from Everyday Food, September 2005

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 pound (about 1 medium) zucchini, coarsely grated

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 and spray a loaf pan (9x5) with non-stick spray.
• In a large bowl combine flour, cheese, baking powder, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.  
• In a medium bowl combine olive oil, milk and eggs.  Beat with a whisk.  
• Add grated zucchini to flour mixture, stir to combine.  Then add liquid ingredients to the flour/zucchini mixture.  Stir until just moistened.
• Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake 60-70 minutes.  It's ready when a toothpick comes out clean.  
• Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Mushroom Provolone Patty Melt

I cut this recipe out of a fall copy of Cooking Light.  It had been in the back of my mind since then, always as a menu idea, but never quite making it on the menu.  Then we bought some ground beef in bulk and I was looking for something else besides the standard burgers or meatloaf to do with it and this recipe came to mind.  It also uses beer, which is never a bad thing in a recipe in my opinion.  

It made a quick and pretty tasty weeknight dinner.  I really enjoyed it and it will definitely show up again in our meal rotation.  The flavors were great, the earthiness of the mushrooms paired well with the dark beer and the beef patties.  I really liked it and I took one of the extra sandwiches with me the next day for lunch.  I prefer the fresh out of the pan version, but it worked well as a leftover, cold sandwich as well. 

Mushroom and Provolone Patty Melt

slightly adapted from Cooking Light

serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces mushrooms (white or cremini), sliced 

1 1/2 teaspoons flour
1/4 cup dark beer (such as porter or stout)
8 slices bread (I used sourdough, but you can use your preference.)

Spreadable butter or margarine
4 slices provolone cheese

Directions:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Shape beef into 4 (4 inch) patties. Add patties, cook 4 minutes on each side or until done.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, salt, pepper, and mushrooms, cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in beer and cook 30 seconds or until thickened. Remove from heat.
• When patties are done, remove from skillet. Wipe pan clean and reheat over medium high heat. Coat 1 side of each bread slice with butter or margarine. Place 4 bread slices, coated sides down, in pan. Top each with a patty, cheese slice, and one quarter of mushroom mixture. Top with remaining bread slices and then spread with butter or margarine. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned.

Baked Chicken Parmesan

This recipe definitely caught my eye the first time I flipped through ATK's Healthy Family Cookbook.  Chicken parmesan is delicious, but not great for you when it's fried.  A version that is baked and is easy for a weeknight meal -- awesome!  This is simple and fabulous.  I think it has a great balance of ingredients and the strips of basil on top really brings out a fresh flavor.  I went light on the sauce on mine, I don't like chicken parmesan smothered in tomato sauce -- the whole point is the crispy crunch of the chicken, right?

Baked Chicken Parmesan

from America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

serves 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 large egg whites
1 tablespoon water
vegetable oil spray
6 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, pounded 1/4 inch thick
salt and pepper
2 cups tomato sauce, warmed
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil


Directions:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  
• Combine the bread crumbs and olive oil in a non-stick skillet and toast over medium heat until golden.
• Set up a breading station.  Let the toasted bread crumbs cool in a shallow dish, then mix in the parmesan.  Whisk the egg whites and water in a second bowl.  In a third bowl combine the flour and garlic powder.  
• Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and spray with the cooking spray.  
• Pat the chicken dry, season with salt and pepper.  Take one piece of chicken at a time through the breading stations -- first in the flour, patting off any extra flour.  Then coat in the egg whites, letting the excess drip off.  The last step us to coat with the toasted bread crumbs, making sure to pat them on to stick to the chicken evenly.
• Place the coated cutlets on the wire rack, then spray with the cooking spray.  
• Bake about 8-10 minutes or until any juices are clear.  You can also use a meat thermometer to check that the chicken reaches 160 degrees.
• Top with desired amount of sauce and 2 tablespoons of the shredded mozzarella.  Bake until the cheese has melted, 3 to 5 minutes more.  
• Sprinkle with basil and serve.  

Zucchini Pistou

I saw this recipe during my first reading of July's Cooking Light.  My first reading of a food magazine is usually the day it arrives, flipping through during dinner that night, or as we are watching tv.  Which is then soon followed by my second reading of the same magazine of the previous month -- which involves tearing out pages and cutting out recipes.  I like to keep the latest month's magazines on our coffee table, so as soon as a new one arrives, the old one gets cut up for recipes to file away.   Sometimes a recipe looks so good that it will jump to the 'must be made' pile even while it's still in the magazine and not yet cut-out.  That happened with this recipe.  It looked delicious and we had an abundance of zucchini and basil from our CSA that week.  It was a great way to use up some zucchini and broke me free of my normal habit of sauteeing them in a bit of butter, garlic and oregano.  It definitely made it's way into the 'keeper' binder of recipes.  I did make a few changes.  I made the substitution I use in all pestos -- almonds instead of pine nuts.  I used a mix of zucchini and yellow summer squash.  And, I used fat free half and half instead of heavy cream since that is what we already had on hand. 

Zucchini Pistou

adapted from Cooking Light, July 2010

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups pasta and 1 tablespoon cheese)


Ingredients
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices small zucchini (about 3/4 pound)
1 cup packed basil leaves
1/2 cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
2 tablespoons almonds
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion 

1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
1/4 cup fat free half and half
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

• Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender and golden. Remove from pan; cool. 
• Place 1/4 cup cooked zucchini, basil, 1/4 cup cheese, almonds, and garlic in a food processor; process until finely chopped. (Keep mixture in processor.)
• Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until golden. Return remaining cooked zucchini to pan. Remove from heat.
• Combine 6 quarts water and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain in a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid. Add pasta to vegetables.
• With processor on, add reserved liquid to basil mixture; process until smooth. Add basil mixture to pasta. Add cream, remaining salt, and pepper; stir. Top with remaining cheese.

Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Mushrooms

I made these as an appetizer for our second anniversary dinner.  We celebrated by going to VOLT later in the summer, but on our anniversary we had a nice meal at home.  These I made on the spur of the moment.  I looked at our menu -- steaks, a bottle of red wine, and a panzanella salad and decided it would be nice to have an appetizer to snack on while we did the cooking.  Zach and I love cooking together and had planned to prepare our anniversary meal together; so I wanted these ready for us to snack on while we chopped and prepped.  I found the recipe on CookingLight.com.  It was written with smoked cheddar, but I love smoked mozzarella, so I made that substitution.  I think they turned out very yummy and delicious!  The smokiness of the cheese was a good play off the flavor of the mushrooms and the bread crumbs rounded everything out and held it all together.  

Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Mushrooms

adapted from CookingLight.com

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1/4 cup minced shallots (about 1 large)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound button mushrooms
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 4 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon water

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 400°. 
• Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add minced shallots and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until tender. Place shallot mixture in a medium bowl. 
• Remove stems from mushrooms; chop stems. Add chopped mushroom stems, breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and smoked mozzarella cheese to shallot mixture; toss with a fork until blended. Add olive oil and 1 teaspoon water; stir well to combine. 
• Spoon about 1 tablespoon filling into each mushroom cap. Arrange mushrooms, filling side up, on a baking sheet. 
• Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until filling begins to brown and cheese melts. Serve warm.

Pesto Pizza with Tomatoes and Pancetta

After we got garlic scapes for the second week in a row in our CSA Box, we figured we would make the pesto again.  It's great because we can freeze half of it, and use half of it now.  We went with a different application this week, pizza instead of pasta.  It was delicious!  We used the pesto as the sauce and then added toppings we thought would work well -- pancetta, fresh tomatoes and cheese.  When it came out of the oven we added fresh basil leaves, which you can see in the second picture.  They got a bit discolored by the heat, but they tasted just fine!  You can use any kind of pizza dough, either homemade, store-bought dough or a store-bought partially baked crust.  

Pesto Pizza with Tomatoes and Pancetta
Serves 4


Ingredients:
pizza dough (I used the recipe below)
1/2 cup pesto 
2 ounces pancetta, cubed
2 tomatoes (I used 1 roma and 1 orange), seeded and sliced into strips
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella


Directions:

• Prepare pizza dough or crust on stone with cornmeal, or as directed.  Preheat oven as appropriate for the dough you choose.  
• Cook pancetta in skillet over medium heat until crispy.  Drain on paper towels.
• Spread pesto on prepared pizza dough.
• Sprinkle pancetta on pesto.
• Arrange tomato slices on pizza.
• Top with mozzarella.
• Bake according to directions for pizza dough.  

Pizza Dough 

from The Best of Cooking Light

Makes 2 12 inch pizza crusts

Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (1 package)

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees)

3 1/2 to 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

cooking spray

Directions

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water in a large bowl.  Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Add 3 1/4 cups flour, oil and salt to yeast mixture, stirring until well blended.  
• Knead until smooth and elastic, about ten minutes.  I use my stand mixture, but you could do it by hand on a floured work surface.  Add remaining flour as needed to prevent dough from being too sticky.
• Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts about 45 minutes or until doubled in size.  
• Punch dough down, cover and let rest 5 minutes.  
• Divide dough in half , shape each half into a 12 inch circle on a floured surface.  
• Top and bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

NOTE: This dough may be frozen.  After the kneading step, you can separate the dough into two balls.  Coat with cooking spray  and place into a zippered plastic bag to freeze.  Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.  Shape and bake as instructed.   

Italian Meatloaf with Fresh Basil and Fontina

I found this recipe while looking for ideas to use up some of the ground beef we had stored in the freezer.  I wanted something fairly low points, and I don't think that 6 points for two slices of this is bad at all.  We really enjoyed it, it was a nice twist to traditional meatloaf because of the Italian flavorings.  It was pretty straightforward and easy and made for good leftovers the next day.  We served it with our standard meatloaf accompaniments, mashed potatoes and baby carrots.

Italian Meatloaf with Fresh Basil & Fontina

adapted from The Best of Cooking Light

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 slices)

Ingredients
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded cheese (provolone or fontina)
2 large egg whites
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground beef
Cooking spray
1/3 cup ketchup

Directions:

• Combine boiling water and tomatoes in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain tomatoes; finely chop.

• Preheat oven to 350°.

• Combine 1/2 cup ketchup, breadcrumbs, and the next 6 ingredients (breadcrumbs through beef) in a large bowl. Add tomatoes to meat mixture.

• Shape meat mixture into a 9 x 5-inch loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Spread 1/3 cup ketchup over meat loaf.

• Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a thermometer registers 160°.

• Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Cut into 12 slices.

Nutritional Information

Calories:294

Fat:8.7g

Fiber:2.5g

WW Points: 6

Sausage, Cheese and Egg Breakfast Braid

I found this recipe while searching for breakfast recipes to use when were were expecting weekend house guests.  However, when I saw this recipe I knew it would be great for my own weekday breakfasts.  I usually take a breakfast sandwich made up of a whole grain english muffin, veggie or chicken sausage patty, and a slice of 2% pepper jack cheese.  First off, because it's only 3 points, and secondly because I can eat it in the car while on my morning commute.  I knew that when cooled and then sliced this would be easy to eat in the car as well.  I adapted it a bit, since I didn't have any jalapeno peppers and I used the sausage I had on hand; but, I think the original recipe would be great too and I'll definitely try it that way in the future.  I also used just a mexican blend of 2% shredded cheese since, again, it's what I had on hand, but any mix of cheeses would work as well. 

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Braid

Adapted from Cooking Light

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients
1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 ounces chicken sausage
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup shredded cheese
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425°.

• Unroll dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 15 x 10–inch rectangle.

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sausage; cook 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in eggs; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until set. Remove from heat.

• Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese lengthwise down center of dough, leaving about a 2 1/2-inch border on each side. Spoon egg mixture evenly over cheese. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over egg mixture.

• Make 2-inch-long diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart on both sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling using a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Arrange strips over filling, alternating strips diagonally over filling. Press ends under to seal. Brush with egg white. 

• Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices.

Lighter Eggplant Parmesan

I found this recipe in an old copy of Everyday Food that I "borrowed" from my parent's house over the holidays.  By "borrowed" I mean that I took it without telling my mom, cut out the recipes I wanted and threw out the rest of the magazine.  :-)  I was looking for a meatless recipe for the first Friday of Lent and this was perfect.  I thought it turned out fantastic.  I can't say too much about the actual execution of the recipe, since Zach made dinner that night, but the flavors and taste were great.  I really liked the pink sauce that was used for between the layers of eggplant, it was not acidic like a straight marinara sauce might be, and I really enjoyed it.  This definitely makes our "keeper" recipe list.  We had it with a slice or two of Italian bread.  Yum!

Lighter Eggplant Parmesan

from Everyday Food, December 2008

Serves 4

WW Points per serving:4

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant (2 pounds), sliced 1/2 inch thick crosswise
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup fat-free (skim) milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup grated part-skim mozzarella
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Arrange eggplant on two rimmed baking sheets. Brush eggplant on both sides with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and very tender, 20 to 25 minutes, turning slices and rotating sheets halfway through.

• Meanwhile, make sauce: Off heat, in a medium saucepan, whisk together 1/4 cup milk, flour, and garlic. Gradually whisk in remaining 3/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup marinara sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until pink sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

• Spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Alternate layers of baked eggplant with pink sauce. Dollop with remaining 1/4 cup marinara sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake on upper rack until browned and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes.

Tortilla Soup with Black Beans and Quesadillas

I found this Tortilla Soup with Black Beans recipe in an old copy of Everyday Food.  My mom, aunts and grandma each subscribe to a magazine, then they pass around the copies of the magazines to each other.  By the time this January 2009 issue got to my mom it was Christmas 2009.  I swiped it from my parents house while we visiting over the holidays.  I knew it would get more use with me than at my mom's.  I love my mom and her cooking, but she doesn't regularly try new recipes, so I knew I'd find at least a few things for Zach and I to make.  I really like that the magazine listed the nutrition info since we're following the Weight Watchers program and that makes it super simple to find out the right points for a recipe.  Seeing it would be fairly low points, and a large serving size I was sold!  We also needed a meatless meal for Ash Wednesday and this fit perfectly.  We decided to make the quesadillas to turn it into a mexican inspired version of tomato soup and grilled cheese.  It was very good, and the leftovers made a great lunch. 

Tortilla Soup with Black Beans

From Everyday Food, January 2009

Serves 4 (2 1/2 cups per serving)

WW Points per serving: 5

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice

2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup crushed tortilla chips, plus more for serving (optional)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

Directions:

• In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Cook garlic and chili powder until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with juice), beans, broth, corn, and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper.

• Bring soup to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Add tortilla chips; cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Serve soup with lime wedges and, if desired, more chips.

Quesadillas
serves 2
WW Points per serving:  5

Ingredients:
4 whole wheat tortillas
1 red pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup 2% mexican shredded cheese

Directions:

• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add oil to pan, then peppers and onions.  Saute until tender crisp, about 5 minutes.  When done transfer vegetables to a bowl.
• In same skillet, spray with PAM cooking spray and turn heat to medium-low.  Then begin layering quesadillas -- whole wheat tortilla, half of pepper and onion mixture, 1/4 cup of cheese, then a second tortilla.  Heat until bottom tortilla gets browned, then spray the top of the second tortilla with PAM spray.  Next, carefully use either a large spatula or a large plate to help flip tortilla.  Cook until browned on other side. 
• Cut into quarters and serve.

Chipotle Potato Skins

This was a recipe that took some searching to find.  As the Super Bowl approached I knew I wanted to make some yummy appetizers for us to snack on.  But, since we recently started Weight Watchers, I knew they had to be recipes that would be fairly low in points and still make us feel like we were indulging.  This fit perfectly.  I thought I had a recipe in my files for baked potato skins from Weight Watchers, but after looking through my shoebox of recipes I couldn't find it.  So, off to the Weight Watchers website I went.  Their search function is not really user-friendly, but I found this recipe eventually.  It had a great spiciness and I did use regular bacon instead of canadian bacon.  Mostly since I already had some in the freezer, and partly because, well, it's just better!  It was the Super Bowl after all, and a planned indulgence, so it was worth it!  

 

Chipotle Potato Skins

from WeightWatchers.com

Serves 8 (serving size is 2 potato skins)

WW Points per serving: 4

Ingredients

4 large potato(es), baking-variety, cooked, cooled and quartered lengthwise
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder, or chipotle chili powder
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
6 slice(s) cooked Canadian-style bacon, finely chopped
3/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
2 medium tomato(es), diced (We omitted these as the quality of tomatoes when we were grocery shopping left much to be desired.)
3 medium scallion(s), finely chopped
1/2 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Scoop out flesh of potatoes, leaving a thin layer of potato flesh in potato. (Reserve remaining potato flesh for another use such as mashed potatoes, or use in this soup.)

• In a small bowl, combine oil, chili powder and hot pepper sauce. Using a pastry brush, brush insides of potato wedges with oil mixture. Place potato wedges in a single layer on a large nonstick baking sheet; sprinkle with bacon and cheese.

• Bake until cheese melts and potatoes are heated through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with tomatoes and scallions; serve with sour cream on the side. Yields 2 potato skins and about 2 tablespoons sour cream per serving.

Pita and Naan Pizzas

We got this idea from the best grocery store ever - Wegmans!  Now, Wegmans are fairly new to people down here in the DC area, but coming from Rochester, the home of Wegmans, I have been a lifelong customer.  They truly are the best, I could go on and on.  Their store brands are high quality, the bakery, cheese and produce departments simply can't be beat plus they always have lost of yummy samples!  Their prices are consistently low and they are a family run business that really does care about their customers.  Anyway, that's enough Wegmans love for now, but they inspired our pita and naan pizzas.  One week one of the samples was pizza made using a new product they were featuring - their naan bread.  We had the sample and went on our way.  Then, last week we had red curry chicken and bought the naan for that meal.  What to do with the leftover piece of naan?  Pizza!  I don't know how true we stayed to the original recipe, since I tried to look it up on the website and could not find it, but we made our own version.  It's less of a recipe and more of a process, since everyone really understands the basics of topping a pizza, but it was so good I had to share!

Pita and Naan Pizzas

Inspired by Wegmans!

Ingredients:

For the pita pizza:

whole wheat pita shell

2 tablespoons jarred pizza sauce

various toppings - We used onions, yellow peppers and turkey pepperoni.

1/4 cup 2% shredded cheese

For the naan pizza:

naan flatbread, We used Wegman's brand whole wheat.

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic

onions

1/4 cup shredded fontina cheese

1 tablespoon parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place pitas on pizza stone. (Or sheet pan if you don't have a pizza stone.)
• Mix olive oil, minced garlic, rosemary salt and pepper in small bowl, let sit.
• Slice onions and peppers.   Quarter the turkey pepperoni.
• Assemble pita pizza with pizza sauce, onions, peppers, pepperoni and then cheese.  
• Assemble naan pizza by spreading oil mixture on naan, then topping with onions, fontina and then sprinkling with parmesan.
• bake for 12-15 minutes or until cheese melts and breads are crisp.

WW Points:  For the pita pizza we figured 5 points, using one serving size of turkey pepperoni split between 3 pizzas.  For the naan pizza the total was 11 points.  You would recalculate based on the ingredients you choose.  

Fontina and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Chicken

This is another recipe from The Best of Cooking Light.  It caught my eye right away since it was originally entitled Brie and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Chicken.  I am a recent convert to Brie cheese and definitely wanted to try this recipe right away.  We put it on the menu for the next week.  When we were shopping at the store though, the Brie was in larger chunks.  The recipe only calls for 2 ounces, and I knew if we had that extra Brie sitting around it would do damage in our efforts to lose weight,  So, I decided to use Fontina instead since we already had some at home from a previous recipe.  That's the only change I made to the recipe, besides scaling it down to make two chicken breasts instead of four.  It was very good, and felt much more rich than just 220 calories.  I would definitely make it again, both in my modified version and tro try again with Brie.  

Fontina and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Chicken


Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 3 tablespoons sauce)


Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups sliced onion
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2/3 cup dry white wine, divided
2 ounces Brie or Camembert cheese, rind removed and cut into small pieces (about 2 tablespoons)  (I used shredded Fontina.)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 3/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
Sage sprigs (optional)


Directions:

• Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onion; sauté 30 minutes or until golden brown. Add sliced garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup wine; cook 5 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Spoon onion mixture into a bowl; let cool. Stir in Brie, salt, and pepper.

• Cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the onion mixture into each pocket.

• Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sauté 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from skillet. Set aside; keep warm.

• Add 1/3 cup wine, minced onion, sage, and minced garlic to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil, and cook 7 minutes or until reduced to 3/4 cup. Return chicken to skillet; cover and simmer 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve sauce with chicken. Garnish with fresh sage, if desired.

Nutritional Information 
Calories:220 
Fat:7.1g 
Protein:30.8g
Carbohydrate:7.1g
Fiber:1g
WW Points: 5

Cheese Souffle: Barefoot Bloggers

I made one change to this recipe, the type of cheese.  Neither Zach or I like blue cheese, not at all.  So, I read through the reviews of the recipe, and also looked up an alternate recipe and subsequent reviews for a cheese souffle from one of my other favorite Food Network personalities, Alton Brown.  From these sources I got the idea to change the cheese to Emmanteler.  I gotta say, I did not love this recipe.  I am glad I made it, since souffles are one of those things that you hear about being tough to master, but I didn't think it was hard to make at all, I just did not like the texture for this type of savory flavor.  I will try a chocolate souffle sometime in the future, but probably not a cheese one again.  It just wasn't that appealing to me.

Ina's Blue Cheese Souffle

Mac and Chee -- Baked Macaroni and Gouda

This is by far our favorite mac and chee recipe. I picked up 'mac and chee' from my sister. She says that the macaroni gets abbreviated to mac so the cheese should get abbreviated too. I can't argue with her logic. This came from a Rachel Ray magazine. It was one of those recipes that I read and that day went to the store to buy the ingredients to make it that night. So good! We like to use fun shaped pastas instead of macaroni, and whole wheat when possible. This particular version we left out the italian sausage, but it's excellent with it as well. We've also done bacon instead of the sausage and it's phenomenal! Also, we always use smoked gouda and it's awesome. I dream about this mac and chee -- mmmmmmmmmmmm!

Baked Macaroni and Gouda

from EveryDay with Rachael Ray

8 Servings

Prep 40 min

Cook 1 hr

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound macaroni

1-1/2 pounds uncooked sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1-1/2 cups caramelized onions

1 quart whole milk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons flour

3/4 pound aged Gouda cheese, grated (about 4 cups)

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl and wipe the saucepan clean.

Add the pasta and 1 cup caramelized onions to the sausage and stir to combine. In a medium saucepan or a microwave oven, heat the milk until steaming.

Return the large saucepan to the stove, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk, 1/4 cup at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce is smooth and thick and comes to a simmer. Add 2-1/2 cups cheese, remove from the heat and whisk until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta mixture and stir to combine.

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and add the pasta mixture in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup caramelized onions and 1-1/2 cups cheese on top. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.