Green Chile-Chicken Casserole

This recipe is very similar to my White Chicken Enchilada recipe but is even better because 1. it is faster and 2. it is lower in calories and fat but doesn't lose any of the taste. YUMTOWN!

Side note: As previously discussed, I'm lazy. But then I read that my hero, Ellie Krieger, also uses Rotisserie chickens so I don't feel so bad suggesting that here. Just take off the skin if you are watching calories and fat.

Green Chile-Chicken Casserole

Serves 6, but can be easily doubled

Ingredients:

2/3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup canned chopped green chiles, drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 (10 1/2-oz) cans condensed 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 garlic clove, minced
Cooking spray
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 Rotisserie Chicken, skin removed and shredded

1 cup finely shredded 2% fat sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Spread 1 cup soup mixture in a small-ish baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 6tortillas over the soup mixture, and top with 1 cup chicken and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the cheese. Spread remaining soup mixture over cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Baked Potato-and-Broccoli Soup

I'm always looking for one-pot recipes and soup seems to always be an excellent solution. However, it's strangely hard to find soup recipes that also include a veggie. I jumped for joy when I found this one and the taste did not disappoint. I know this a lot of cheese in it but the calorie count for a hearty 1 cup serving is 223 calories with 8 grams of fat. I promise, it will be ok.

Baked Potato-and-Broccoli Soup

Serves 7

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 (14 1/4-ounce) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided
3 cups peeled, cubed potato (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (8oz) block 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
7 tsp shredded 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
7 tsp fully cooked bacon pieces (about 4 strips)
7 tsp chopped green onions

Directions:

Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.

Combine remaining chicken broth and next 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.

Stir in milk and 8 ounces shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Top each serving of soup with 1 teaspoon cheese, 1 teaspoon bacon pieces, and 1 teaspoon chopped green onions.

Greek Spiced Shrimp

I stole this recipe from my favorite LA girl and fellow cupcake lover, Amanda, over at Modern Swap. It.Is.So.Good. And so simple too! I layered over some fresh spinach and should have also added some rice, as Amanda suggested. Next time I will.

Greek Spiced Shrimp
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained, reserving juice, and chopped
Pinch of sugar
1/2 pound large peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 pound feta, crumbled
2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Cook onion and garlic in oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in spices and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes with juice and sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Season shrimp with salt, and place into 8x8 Pyrex dish. Pour sauce over shrimp and stir slightly to coat - make sure shrimp and sauce is distributed evenly in dish. Top with feta and bake until just cooked through (sauce will be bubbly and feta will be slightly melted), about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with dill and serve over basmati rice or with crusty french bread and a salad.

Crockin' Mac and Cheese

This.Is.Beyond.Good. The flavor is not a little kids mac and cheese...in fact I served it to a 10 year old who didn't care for it. But, the adults all loved this as the Parmesan cheese adds a nice flavor. I didn't take a picture of this because it's mac and cheese. Seriously, it's cheese and noodles. How good could it look? ;)

Crockin' Mac and Cheese
Serves 4, but can easily be doubled. Best in a medium crock but if you double, use a large one.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups skim or low-fat milk
12oz can evaporated skim milk
1 large egg, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups shredded medium or sharp cheddar
8oz elbow macaroni
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Coat the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the first 5 ingredients in the cooker and whisk until smooth. Add the cheese and noodles, gently stir with a rubber spatula to coat evenly with the milk and cheese mixture. Sprinkle the Parm on top.

Cover and cook on LOW until the custard is set in the center and the pasta is tender, about 3 1/2-4 hours. Do not cook more then 4 hours, as the sides will dry out and burn.

Bacon Corn Chowder

I saw this recipe on cookinglight.com and was immediately drawn to it. Why, might you ask? Basically because it has my 3 favorite things in the world...bacon, corn and cheese. I did make a few changes however, the most important to note was the increase of the amount of bacon called for. 2 pieces of bacon for 6 servings? Come on. I used a slice of bacon/serving. I taste tested this last night and while I thought it was awesome, I couldn't really taste the cheddar cheese. I'm not super crazy about the idea of adding more but I might actually just top each serving with the cheese to see if that adds to the taste. If not, I will just omit it next time. I also prefer a chunkier soup so I didn't blend part of the corn and milk, as the original recipe called for. If you prefer less chunk, blend 1 bag of corn and 1 cup of milk together and add in once the peppers, onion and corn have been sauteed.

Bacon Corn Chowder

Serves 6 (about 1 cup/serving)

Ingredients:

6 bacon slices
1/2 chopped onion

1 yellow pepper, chopped
2 (16-ounce) packages frozen baby gold and white corn, thawed and divided
2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
3/4 cup reduced-fat shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble and set aside. Add onion, pepper and 1 package corn to drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in milk, second bag of corn, salt, black pepper, and cheese. Cook over medium heat (do not boil), stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Add in reserved crumbled bacon and stir to combine. Sprinkle with additional black pepper, if desired.

Chicken Orzo Salad with MY FAVORITE

Little known secret outside of my family and fellow blogger...I love goat cheese more then life itself. On a cracker, on some bread, on a burger, on some chicken, thrown in a salad..doesn't matter. If I see it on a menu, I order. I saw a version of this recipe in Cooking Light and made a few tweaks because their version was BORING. I serve this on a bed of fresh spinach but you could really do it on any kind of lettuce leaf. You can serve this warm or cold. The sister gives this 4.5 stars...I'd give it 5.

Chicken Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

Ingredients:
Serves 4-6

1.25 cups uncooked orzo
3/4lb grilled chicken, cut into bite size chunks
4-6 cups fresh spinach
1.5 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp oregano
Balsamic Vinegar
EVOO
salt
pepper
1.5oz goat cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta, drain well

Combine pasta, chicken, tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and oregano in a large bowl and toss to combine

In a small bowl, combine balsamic vinegar and EVOO. The amount of really depends on how much "dressing" you want. Just eyeball...remember you can always add but you can never take away.

Drizzle dressing over pasta and toss well. Spoon over spinach and top with crumbled cheese.

Super Easy Turkey Club Pie

This is straight out of old school Pittsburgh. Which means I took a very fatty recipe, made some replacements and out came a totally tasty treat (that won't pop the button off your jeans). Unless you REALLY hate real bacon, don't try to substitute with turkey bacon. This only uses 8 slices. Spread over 6 servings. That's 1.33 slices/serving. Stop being weird. It won't kill you. The sister gives this 5 stars.

Super Easy Turkey Club Pie
Serves 6 (if you double, just use a 9x13 pan, works fine)

Ingredients:

1 pack lean ground turkey
8 slices bacon, crispy cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Bisquick Heart Smart
1 cup skim milk
2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Spray 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.

Cook turkey in pan until no longer pink. Once cooked, sprinkle the turkey, bacon and cheese in pie plate.

In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Naughy but Delish

My sister made these mac and cheese bites for our very successful game night this past Saturday. They.Are.So.Good. These aren't good for you. Don't try to make them good for you. Enjoy them as an occasional treat and hit the gym the next day. They are worth every bite.

Mac and Cheese Bites
makes about 50 (recipe is very easily halved)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1.5 cups milk
3 packed cups sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 extra large egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 24-count, nonstick mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Cook, whisking occasionally, for about 2 -3 minutes until thickened. Add cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and stir to melt. Remove from heat and stir in egg yolks, salt and nutmeg. Stir in macaroni.

Spoon slightly rounded tablespoons of macaroni and cheese into the prepared mini muffin pan. Each cup should be filled to the top. Pack each one down gently. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden and sizzling. Let cool for 5 minutes. Using a teaspoon, carefully loosen the mac and cheese bites and transfer to a platter to serve.

To make ahead, bake and cool mac and cheese bites. Package and refrigerate. Place bites on a baking sheet and bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon

Filet, you say? The topping for this is so good I was eating the little bits that fell onto the baking sheet when it came out of the oven. Yes, I have no shame. I will also confess that upon seeing the amount of topping in the bowl, I increased it by a bit. The amounts below are from the orginal recipe so feel free to behave. The sister gave this 4.5 stars, I'd give it 5!

Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko)
2 tbsp blue cheese crumbles (I used reduced fat)
1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
4 4-oz filet mignon steaks
ground black pepper
salt

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil (don't skip this part or turn all conservationist on me. This gets messy)

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, blue cheese and olive oil

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Season each filet with salt and pepper and cook two minutes per side

Top each steak with 1/4 cup of the blue cheese mixture. Roast in pre-heated oven for 4 minutes for medium rare (145 degrees) or 6 minutes for medium (160). If you want it more cooked then that, you shouldn't be eating steak.

On a side note, the cuts of filet I got were VERY thick so they took a bit longer to cook. I probably should have cut them in half length wise!