Saturday, January 23, 2016

Corn Salad


  • 1 - 16 oz. bag frozen petite white corn, thawed
  • 1 - 16 oz. bag frozen petite sweet corn, thawed
  • 2 avocados, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 2 red bell peppers, chopped
  • 1/2 of a 10.5 oz. container of grape tomatoes, sliced in quarters
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. chopped garlic
First, thaw the corn by putting it into a colander and letting it sit out on the counter.  This will take several hours.

In a large bowl, combine the thawed corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, onion and jalapeno.  Mix well.  Add in the avocado and carefully stir.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, lime juice, salt, cayenne and garlic and mix well.  Pour this over the corn mixture and toss to combine.  Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Big Batch of Crockpot Chili


  • 2 lbs. Extra Lean Ground Turkey
  • 1.25 lbs. Turkey hot Italian sausage (5 links), casings removed
  • 6 slices thick cut hardwood smoked bacon
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
  • 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
  • 3 - 15 oz. cans chili beans in zesty sauce
  • 3 - 14.5 oz. cans petite diced tomatos
  • 1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
  • 4 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 tbsp. dried oregano
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 beef bouillon cubes
Spray your crockpot with cooking spray.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp.  Remove onto paper towels and set aside.

Add the red & green bell peppers, celery, serranos, onion and garlic to the same skillet with the bacon grease.  Saute the veggies over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the veggies to the sprayed crockpot, adding the beans (undrained), tomatoes (undrained) and tomato paste.  Mix everything together. 

In the same skillet from earlier, cook the turkey and turkey sausage over medium heat until it is cooked through, getting everything into a crumble as it cooks.  Add this to the crockpot and stir to combine.  Chop the bacon and add it to the crock, mixing everything again to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine all of the dry seasonings, mixing well.  Add to the crock along with the Worcestershire and bouillon cubes.  Mix everything together.  Your crockpot will be very full!

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.  Uncover, stir it up good and leave it uncovered cooking another 1 - 2 hours until it gets to the thickness you prefer.

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, diced green onions and pickled jalapenos.

Enjoy!



Sunday, January 10, 2016

Cauliflower Gratin


  • 1 large head cauliflower (3 lb.)
  • 1 - 8 oz. container whipped cream cheese
  • 2 cups reduced fat cheddar jack cheese
  • 1 c up shaved Parmesan cheese
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. dried ground thyme
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Butter, to grease the baking dish
Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut the cauliflower into small florets and steam until it is tender, about 15 minutes.  Lay the cauliflower out on paper towels for a few minutes to get as much water out as possible.

While the cauliflower is cooking, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and thyme and continue to cook one minute, stirring continuously.  Remove from heat.

Put the cooked cauliflower  into a large bowl and combine with the cream cheese, mixing it up until the cheese is melted.  Add 1 cup of cheddar jack and the Parmesan and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well.   Add the onion, garlic mixture, mixing everything together.

Pour the cauliflower mixture into a baking dish greased with butter.  Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar jack cheese and bake for 20 minutes, until top is lightly browned.

Enjoy!


Sunday, January 3, 2016

Pressure Cooker Chicken Lentil Soup


  • 1 - 16 oz. package lentils, rinsed and sorted
  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 7 cups water
  • 2 tbsp. Better than Bouillon, chicken flavor
  • 2 tbsp. light butter
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 4 green onions, white and light green parts only, diced
  • 2 tbsp. chopped garlic
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
  • 1 bay leaf
Select saute on the pressure cooker and add butter.  Once melted, add the onion, green onion and celery and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, cilantro and tomato and continue to saute for one more minute.

Add water, Better than Bouillon, chicken, lentils, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, parsley and bay leaf.  Stir to combine.

Lock lid in place, select high pressure and 10 minutes cook time.  When cooking has ended and beep sounds, turn pressure cooker off and wait 10 minutes, do a quick pressure release, unlock lid and remove.

Remove chicken from the soup with thongs and shred with two forks.  Remove bay leaf.  Return shredded chicken to soup and stir to combine.

Enjoy!

Egg White Frittata Cups



  • 2 1/2 cups egg whites
  • 3 large eggs
  • salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • cooking spray
  • 1 small red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 green onions, white and light green parts, minced
  • 1/4 cup shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese
  • 4 small slices Canadian bacon or ham, diced
  • Dried parsley flakes
  • Paprika
Preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and eggs whites.  Season with salt & pepper and set aside.

Spray a 12 muffin tin with cooking spray.  Fill each cup with diced red bell pepper, minced green onions, 1 teaspoon shredded cheese, and diced ham.  Sprinkle each cup with parsley and paprika. Pour the egg mixture over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cool before refrigerating. 

Great for grab and go breakfast.  Enjoy!