Oh my. I know in the food writing world you’re not supposed to use terms like “phenomenal” or “delicious” or “OMGmouthgasmic” because they’re completely subjective and not very descriptive (and that last one isn’t a real word), but these muffins are all of those things and more. They’re just the right balance between sweet and tart and they have a light, fluffy, lemony body bursting with tons of warm, plump, juicy blueberries. These would be perfect for breakfast, a snack, or even dessert. They taste so flavorful and decadent that no one will ever guess they’re light!
So, here’s the deal. I’ve been taking baby steps toward trying to ease myself into liking bell peppers. So many people love them and I want to as well! I used to pick them out of everything, but since I started cooking I’ve found myself enjoying them in many recipes. Green ones in particular. I mean, there are green peppers in the Best Lasagna Ever and…well, it’s the best ever. I must have started liking them right? I decided to abandon the baby steps and take off at a full sprint by making this dish. I’m so risky.
If you like juicy beef with sautéed peppers and onions, smothered in Provolone cheese and sandwiched in a toasty bun, then you are in good shape with this recipe! I was nervous, but I liked these sandwiches and I barely picked out any of the peppers! Okay, I ended up with a few on my plate, but I ate most of them and enjoyed it. That was a pretty big step. I also found one of these sandwiches to be very filling, which made it a nice, hearty main dish. If you are a Philly Cheesesteak lover and you’re looking for a twist on the traditional favorite, this one’s for you!
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." It turns out that not all my Facebook fans would agree with Juliet! I was hesitant as to whether to title this dish a “casserole” because I’ve heard a lot of people shun that entire category of recipes. This confused me, because to me a casserole is just any combination of ingredients layered or mixed together and baked in a 9x13 baking dish. I decided to pose the question to my core group of readers on Facebook and though the majority were casserole lovers, several people mentioned that the word has a negative connotation either to them or someone in their immediate family. Something to do with cream of (chicken/mushroom/etc) soups, it seems. Since you won’t find any of those in this recipe, I decided to call it a bake so that all you casserole haters out there will try it! A special shout out goes out to all you Minnesota readers who suggested I call is a “hotdish” – I’ve never heard people call casseroles that before!
Let me get this out of the way by saying I’ve never had a traditional tamale, so I have no idea if this recipe mimics authentic Latin American tamale flavors. What I do know is that it’s delicious, and that’s all that really matters, right? I absolutely loved the combination of the slightly sweet corn cake and a little bit of heat from the chiles, cayenne pepper and enchilada sauce. I know a lot of you are Bubble Up Enchilada fans, but I personally liked this dish even better and it’s just as easy to make. I think it had something to do with the corn cake smothered in enchilada sauce and covered with chicken and cheese. Yum.
Whether bake, casserole or hotdish, however you’d like to refer to this recipe, I know it will not disappoint. You may even want to call it a casserole. Try it. It may just change your mind about them!
After a freakishly warm beginning to winter in Buffalo, it has been really cold out the past couple days. On top of that, the heating vent in my office at work has been messed up and actually blowing cold air on me all day (finally got fixed today – phew!). Needless to say, by the time I got home from work tonight I was looking for a nice, hot bowl of comfort food to warm me up from the inside out. This dish absolutely did the trick. The dumplings are big, soft and puffy, there is a ton of chicken in each serving and the fresh herbs give this dish so much flavor. I usually save a lot of points for dinner (for those who don’t know, I follow the Weight Watchers Points Plus plan), but after one bowl of this I was stuffed with a few points to spare! Don’t worry, I spent them wisely (on wine). This really is the ideal winter comfort food, and it’s one your body can feel good about!
Oh, pizza. So delicious and versatile. When you bite into this particular pizza, get ready for a mouthful of creamy Alfredo, stringy hot Mozzarella, garlicky greens, big chunks of chicken and thin, crispy crust. It’s creamy, dreamy Heaven in your mouth. Everyone knows that Alfredo sauce is traditionally a calorie bomb, but I’ve had great results with Classico brand light Alfredo sauce. It’s rich and creamy without being heavy and with significantly fewer calories. I loved this with the spinach cooked with garlic, but you could certainly add different vegetables (broccoli, peppers etc) depending on what you like with Alfredo. If you like pizza or Alfredo (or particularly if you love both), this is for you!
This quesadilla contains so many of my favorite ingredients. Avocado, bacon, chicken, cheese…how could it not be delicious? I had something similar to this about a year ago at Ruby Tuesday’s and ever since then I’ve wanted to make my own. This is a great dinner for those nights when you don’t feel like cooking a big meal. It’s quick, easy and tasty. If you’re eating alone it’ll be ready in a matter of minutes and to make several to serve the whole family shouldn’t take much longer. It’s also a great way to use up leftover chicken! Quesadilla anyone?
These cute little portable granola cups are going to make you wake up excited to eat breakfast in the morning. Granola can be surprisingly high in fat and calories but these cups are thick, crunchy and filling for only 4 Weight Watchers Points+ and only 3 grams of fat. I filled mine with fat free vanilla yogurt for some added protein and topped it with fresh, juicy berries. It made for a satisfying and delicious breakfast. You could definitely get creative with the yogurt flavors to change it up or even fill these cups with sorbet, ice cream or pudding and eat them for dessert!
Caramelized cheese.
Oh, you want to know more? I found this recipe on Pinterest and the ‘caramelized cheese’ part pretty much sold me right away. If you’re thinking “what exactly is caramelized cheese?” then you are in for a treat! You know when you make a grilled cheese sandwich and some of the cheese leaks out of the bread and sizzles on the pan, forming a salty, smoky, crusty piece of bonus cheese deliciousness? That is caramelized cheese, and it’s amazing.
This rice is going to knock your socks off because it is literally coated in caramelized cheese. You get some of that smoky, cheesy flavor in every bite. I know I’m dwelling on the cheese, but there’s lots of other great stuff in there too. Tomatoes, green peppers, black beans, olives, corn and chicken round this dish out and give it hearty Mexican flavors. The cheese is what sets this rice apart though. It does take some time for the cheese to caramelize (about 40-45 minutes total), but since you are absolutely not allowed to stir it more often than once every 5 minutes, you can do other things at the same time. The only problem is that you’ll be able to smell it and it smells incredible. I can’t believe I made it 45 minutes without diving face first into the pan.
I added chicken breast and black beans to make it heartier because I wanted to eat it as a main course, but if you’d prefer to serve it as a side dish or make it vegetarian it would be just as delicious without the chicken. I’m even tagging it as vegetarian and listing additional nutrition information sans chicken because it would be such an easy change. If you serve it as a side dish you can simply halve the nutrition information and make fourteen ½ cup servings.
I frequently look forward to eating my leftovers, but I think I felt extra excitement about these. It’s all in the cheese.
You may be thinking “haven’t I see this recipe on here before?” and if you are, the answer is…kind of. Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole is one of the first recipes I ever posted and it’s been one of the most popular as well. While I’ve always been a big fan of the flavors (what’s not to like?) I never found the original very filling for the points. I actually wavered about whether to post it in the first place. When people would rave about the recipe, I used to think “really?” because although it was delicious, it just didn’t satisfy me.
I’ve been meaning to make some adjustments to the recipe for a while now, especially since some of the ingredients I originally used have become difficult to find. This time I used leaner ground turkey (and more of it), regular (as opposed to reduced fat) biscuits, a little less cheese and I added a can of black beans to make the dish more filling. I know a lot of people really liked the original recipe, but I urge you to try it this way – it’s so much better! I was definitely satisfied with one serving and I loved the addition of black beans to the flavor profile. This is the way I wish the recipe had turned out the first time! I’m keeping the old version on the site, but even if you loved it that way I think you should give this makeover a try. You won’t regret it!
I make a lot of lists as a food blogger. Currently my “up next” list, where I index the next few recipes I’d like to make, has 53 ideas on it. That should keep me busy for a while on its own, but it grows every day as I think of something new or see something I want to adapt. If only I was a full time food blogger…*daydreams*. The list is getting so long that I actually implemented a color coded system to determine the order in which I plan to make each recipe. The great thing about this is that I really love making lists. The funny thing is that I rarely stick to them. For instance, French Dip Wonton Cupcakes did not appear on my list until a couple days ago when I saw French Dip sliders on a menu. My cravings tend to supersede any and all organizational systems I put in place, so as you can see, these were bumped up 53 spots, straight to the top.
These “cupcakes” definitely satisfied my French Dip craving. Piles of thinly sliced roast beef, smothered in Au Jus gravy and cheese and nestled in a perfect little wonton cup? Yes, please! The other great thing about this recipe is that it takes almost no time to put together, so it’s a great idea for weeknights when you don’t really feel like cooking.
*For more information or to convert this recipe to mini-muffin sized appetizers, visit the Wonton "Cupcakes" section of my FAQs page!*
That’s right people, not just one cheese, not two or three. I am bringing you FOUR cheeses in this dish. If that itself doesn’t sell you, I don’t know what will. Maybe the soft jumbo pasta shells, the savory tomato sauce and the spicy Italian sausage will do the trick. I planned on using low fat Ricotta in this dish because I’m generally not a fan of fat free cheeses, but my grocery store was out. I figured mixing it with Parmesan and low fat cottage cheese would mellow or eliminate any icky “fat free taste” and honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference. The fat free Ricotta tasted like normal Ricotta to me! This is a great dish to serve your family or to guests because it makes a lot. I plan on freezing half of my pan in individual servings to reheat on nights I don’t feel like cooking. I’ll come back in a few weeks and let you all know how it reheats!
Happy New Year! It’s January, the time when everyone (me included!) recommits to their diet and exercise goals and resolves to eat healthy and get in the best shape of their lives. Naturally, I figured the best way to ease into my resolutions was with chocolate for breakfast! If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know I love baked oatmeal. In 2011 I made Pumpkin, Apple Cranberry and Blueberry & Peach versions. I wanted to make a banana/chocolate adaptation of it and after seeing how much people liked my Sausage, Egg & Cheese Hash Brown Cups and Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit Cups, I decided to try baking them in muffin tins to make them easier to grab and go. You all know how I love my muffin tins! These turned out fantastic. They have a rich banana oatmeal flavor and each single serving is jam packed with chocolate for only 3 P+ each. If eating chocolate as part of a healthy breakfast is any indication, 2012 is going to be a good year.
