Southwestern Chicken Egg Rolls

Ben and I loved these! and the dipping sauce. Yum!

Southwestern Chicken Egg Rolls

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 T. green onion, sliced
1 can or 1 c. frozen or canned corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced green chilies
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. salt
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Flour tortillas

Avocado Dipping Sauce:
1 c. ranch dressing
1 avocado, seeded and mashed
Juice of 1 lime
Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

Directions:
Cook chicken breasts. Cut the chicken into pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the drained corn, black beans, seasonings, shredded cheese, diced bell pepper, green onions and diced green chilies. Slightly warm the tortillas to make them easier to roll. Place a portion of the chicken/bean mixture into each tortilla and roll as tightly as possible. Spray a large jelly roll pan or baking stone and place the chicken rolls an inch apart from each other. Brush the tops of each tortilla with a little butter and bake in the oven at 400 degrees until golden brown. Dip the rolls in the dipping sauce that has been pureed until smooth.

Potato Celery Soup

4 cups chicken broth
1 lb. celery, chopped
carrots, cut
2 medium potatoes, chopped
onions, chopped
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups milk, hot
1/3 cup butter



1. Pour the chicken stock into a large pot, and bring to a boil. Add the celery, carrots, potato and onion to the pot. Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and milk; add to the pot along with the butter. Boil for 10 minutes or so, until veggies are tender.

8 servings 4 pts plus

Green Bean Casserole Lightened Up

When I was a kid, Green Bean Casserole (you know the one with cream of mushroom soup and french onions on the top! Such a great comfort food!!) was one of my favorite dishes. Of course, I didn't realize how much fat and sodium was in them....nor would I have cared if you had told me! But now that I am trying to eat healthier, I was excited when I came across this recipe. I adapted it a little to my tastes and cooking experience and plan to experiment on my family at Thanksgiving Dinner this week!


2 quarts water
1 T. salt
1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed and cut (or frozen)
10 oz. mushrooms, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
pinch cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 T. apple juice
3/4 cup fat free half and half (or whole milk)
1 1/2 slices whole wheat bread
1 T. butter
1/8 tsp. salt
1/16 tsp. pepper
1 3 oz. can French fried onions

Bring water and salt to boil in large pot. Add beans to boiling water. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Drain beans and spray with cold water to halt cooking process. Remove as much water as possible. Set aside.

Spray a non-stick pan with Pam and heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are very soft. Whisk the flour into the chicken broth and add to the mushrooms along with the apple juice. Simmer, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Add half and half and simmer until thick, about 5-10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and stir in the beans.

For the casserole topping: put the bread, butter, salt and pepper into food processor and pulse until crumbly. Pour into a bowl and add the onions. Stir to combine.

To assemble: Put the green beans into a greased casserole dish and top with the onion mixture. Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes. If you are not baking right away, do not add topping until ready to bake.

Serves 8. 2 pts plus

Ranch Dip

2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup(s) light sour cream
1/3 cup(s) light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp water
1/3 cup(s) chives, fresh, chopped or green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp parsley, Italian (flat leaf), chopped
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
1 tsp white wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice and/or water to taste

Mince garlic and sprinkle with salt. Add sour cream, mayo and water and stir until smooth. Stir in chives (or green onions), parsley and pepper until blended; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to mix flavors. Thin out with lemon juice or vinegar, if desired. 2 T. equals 1 serving. Makes 8 servings.

Dirty Quinoa

If you have never tried quinoa, you should! It is very high in protein, fiber, calcium and iron and is a fun change from your basic potato, rice, pasta staples! Rinse it in a fine mesh strainer before using.


Dirty Quinoa
Adapted by Mimi from Confections of a Foodie Bride

1 lb lean ground Turkey
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup medium white or yellow onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1/2 medium green or red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 green onion, sliced thinly (dark green parts separated from white/light green)
1 cups quinoa, uncooked
2 cups chicken broth/stock
1 bay leaf
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne (optional)
Tobasco sauce (optional)

Brown lean ground turkey in a non-stick pan over medium heat until mostly browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to the pan and add onion, celery, and bell pepper. Stir frequently until the vegetables begin to brown. Add garlic and white/light green parts of the green onion. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes.

Pour in quinoa and stir to mix. Add cooked ground turkey, chicken broth and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally) until the liquid has been absorbed. Season to taste. Serve topped with green onions, additional chopped bell pepper (if desired), along side your trusty bottle of hot sauce.

Serves 4.

Pasta Fagioli Soup (like Olive Garden's) in a Crock Pot

This is a great food storage recipe. Lots of canned goodies and few fresh ingredients! Gotta love the crock pot too, right?



Pasta Fagioli Soup in a Crock Pot(Olive Gardens Soup)

2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, chopped carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16 oz.) can white kidney beans, drained
3 (10 oz.) cans beef stock
3 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons pepper
6 teaspoons parsley
1 (20 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
8 ounces pasta

1. Brown beef in skillet.2. Drain fat from beef and add to crock pot with everything except pasta.3. Cook in crock pot on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.4. During last 30 minutes on high or 1 hour on low add pasta.5. For extra zip add a little ketchup to individual bowls.
This serves 12-14 people 7 pts plus

Caribbean Jerk Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans

Caribbean Jerk Chicken with Sweet Potatoes & Black Beans
Borrowed from Mimi's Fit Foods-Modified from a recipe found at Group Recipes

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled, cut into ½-inch chunks
4 teaspoons Caribbean jerk seasoning, divided (I used half of this amount and it was HOT!!)
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lime
14.5 oz. black beans, rinsed
Salt, to taste
Cilantro, optional (for garnishing)

Heat large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, then onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in sweet potato. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons jerk seasoning over the vegetables; cook for 1 minute. Add broth and bay leaves; simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile. . . cook/grill the chicken. Preheat broiler (or an indoor grill such as the George Foreman). Sprinkle the remaining 2 tsp. jerk seasoning over chicken; coat chicken with cooking spray. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat source until the chicken is just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side. (Alternatively, cook in a ridged grill pan…like a George Foreman Grill…over medium heat or grill over medium coals.)

Grate enough lime zest to measure 1/2 tsp. Stir zest, black beans and salt into the sweet potato mixture. Continue cooking for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender. Discard bay leaves. Remove from heat. Juice lime and stir lime juice into sweet potato mixture. Transfer the sweet potato-bean mixture to 5 plates, top with chicken. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

ENJOY! Serve with salad or some other yummy vegetable.

Note: I have also cut my chicken into bite-sized pieces, seasoned it with jerk seasoning and then cooked it in my skillet BEFORE cooking my onion. Once the chicken is done, I transfer it to plate and tent it with foil. I follow the rest of the recipe as outlined and add the cooked chicken back to the skillet when I add the black beans to the sweet potatoes so that it can heat back through. This seems easier at times (with less dishes to wash) and it’s much easier to divide amongst 5 people….considering there’s only 4 chicken breasts in the recipe.)

Serves 5. 8 pts plus