Tag: garlic

Cheesy French Bread

Cheesy-French-Bread

 

I think it is apparent that I enjoy cooking. I love reading recipes, and I like trying them out even more. Recently, it seems that every new recipe I have tried has been terrible though! Do you ever experience that?  I suppose you could say I have been in a slump.  

Over the past month, I have been helping with a church cookbook. Reading the recipes that have been handed down through the years has been fun. While looking through a few of my own old recipes, I ran across this.  Cheesy French Bread is something that I frequently made when we lived in Florida.  The kids were younger then, and it seems I cooked spaghetti more than ever. Spaghetti and this bread pair wonderfully. However, don’t let that keep you from serving it with other meals. Cheesy French bread can make a light meal more satisfying, or serve it alongside meat or poultry. This delicious cheesy bread is simple to make and it is sure to be a hit at your next meal!

Cheesy French Bread
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 (8-oz.) pkg. shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • ¾ c. mayonnaise
  • 1½ tsp. dried parsley flakes
  • ½ - 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 (16-oz.) loaf French bread, cut in half horizontally
Instructions
  1. Combine cheese, mayonnaise, parsley and garlic powder. Spread evenly on cut sides of bread; place on baking sheet. Bake at 350℉ for 10 to 20 minutes or until melted and lightly browned. Slice and serve.

 

One-Pan Pork Tenderloin with Green Beans and Potatoes

I am all about easy meals these days. If I can cook a whole meal in one pan, I am a happy camper! Frankly, my family likes it too because that means less clean-up for everyone.

One-Pan Pork Tenderloin with Green Beans and Potatoes is one of our favorite one-pan wonders! The fabulous herb butter takes this meal over the top.

A microplane grater is a great tool for the garlic in this recipe.  Also, a good meat thermometer is essential to guaranteeing that your meat is cooked correctly. We have been using an instant-read thermometer for years, and now we seldom cook meat without it. They have substantially dropped in price over the past few years. You can find a good quality instant-read thermometer for $20 or less.

One-Pan Pork Tenderloin with Green Beans and Potatoes
 
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Serves: 4-6
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Ingredients
  • 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tbsp. minced fresh chives
  • 1 garlic clove, minced to paste
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 (1-lb.) pork tenderloins, trimmed
  • ¼ c. hoisin sauce
  • 1 lb. fresh green beans, ends trimmed
  • 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1½ lb. medium Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
Instructions
  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450℉. Combine butter, chives, garlic, ¼ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper in a bowl; set aside. Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Brush tenderloins all over with hoisin sauce.
  2. Toss green beans, 1 tbsp. oil, ¼ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper together in a large bowl. Arrange green bean mixture crosswise down center of rimmed baking sheet, leaving room on both sides for potatoes. Toss potatoes, remaining 2 tbsp. oil, ¼ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper together in now-empty bowl. Arrange potatoes, cut side down, on both sides of green beans.
  3. Lay tenderloins, side by side without touching, lengthwise on top of green beans. Roast until pork registers 140 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer tenderloins to carving board and dot each with 1 tbsp. reserved herb butter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest while vegetables finish cooking.
  4. Gently stir vegetables on sheet to combine. Return sheet to oven and roast until vegetables are tender and golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven, add remaining 2 tbsp. herb butter to sheet, and toss vegetables to coat. Transfer vegetables to platter. Cut pork into ½-inch thick slices and place over vegetables, pouring any accumulated juices over top. Serve.

 

Slow-Cooked Chicken Tacos with Chipotle Aioli

Slow-Cooked Chicken Tacos

Have you ever had to cook two meals? Do you cook something that others will eat, then cook something healthy for yourself? I spent years doing that occasionally. I say “occasionally,” because it never lasted long. Preparing two meals because the kids or the hubs will not eat the low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie option was for the birds!

I have passed that stage in life. Greg is open to new tastes and flavors these days, Savannah doesn’t live at home, and Wes is so busy with school and coaching that he’s seldom home for dinner. However, if I were cooking something that everyone would enjoy these Slow-Cooked Chicken Tacos would be perfect.

Pop the chicken in the slow-cooker in the morning, and it’s ready at dinner. Use beef or pork if you prefer. Shrimp or fish also work well. Skip the slow-cooker, prepare as you chose then top with the Mango Jicama mixture and Chipotle Sauce.

 

Slow-Cooked Chicken Tacos with Chipotle Aioli
 
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Serves: 8
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Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 3 tbsp. reduced-sodium taco seasoning
  • 1-10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes
  • 1 c. shredded romaine lettuce
  • 1 c. chopped mango
  • ⅔ c. thin bite-size strips peeled jicama
  • ½ c. light mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp. lime juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ to 1 tsp. finely chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
  • 8 - 6" flour tortillas, warmed
  • Fresh cilantro
Instructions
  1. Place chicken in slow-cooker. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and pour in the can of Rotel tomatoes. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours on low. Remove meat, reserving cooking liquid. Shred meat using two forks. Toss meat with enough cooking liquid to moisten.
  2. In a medium bowl combine lettuce, mango, and jicama, set aside.
  3. To make the chipotle aioli combine mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic and chipotle pepper with adobo sauce.
  4. To serve, add shredded meat to a tortilla, top with lettuce mango/lettuce mixture and chipotle aioli. Serve with cilantro and lime slices.
Notes
6" flour tortillas = 3 points each
1 tbsp. chipotle aioli = 2 points
All other ingredients = 0 points
Assembled as listed one taco = 5 points

Serves 4 to 8, depending on the points you have to use. I served these tacos with Lightened-Up Cowboy Beans. I will share this recipe soon.

You will have enough meat for leftovers. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

 

Lightened-Up Cowboy Beans

Lightened-Up Cowboy Beans

 

Cowboy Beans is a recipe that I posted back in September of 2015.  They have been a favorite of Not Just Sunday Dinner readers for a while now, and one of my all-time favorites.  As mentioned then, I was raised on beans and cornbread.  Not one of my favorite meals when I was growing up.  In fact, there were a few meals I dreaded and beans and cornbread was one of them.  Funny how things you hated as a kid can turn out to be one of your favorite things.

I have changed up the recipe, ever so slightly, to lighten it up just a bit.  It’s still every bit as delicious as before.  This recipe makes a big pot of beans!  As noted on the recipe, I did not measure the finished product to see exactly how many cups where in the pot.  When I sat down to figure the points I just guessed at 10 servings, there may actually be more servings than 10, which could lower the points value even more.  However, using 10 servings as my guide this recipe has 3 Weight Watchers Smart Points per serving.

Lightened-Up Cowboy Beans
 
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Ingredients
  • 6 pieces Canadian bacon
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 lg. onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced (or jalapeno)
  • ½ lb. Mexican chorizo sausage
  • 5 (15.5-oz.) cans pinto beans, drained, rinsed, and drained again
  • 1 (10-oz.) can Rotel
  • 1 (12-oz.) bottle of light amber beer
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1½ tsp. dry oregano
  • Chicken broth, as needed
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to grill to 325°F.
  2. In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon until done. Remove from pan to a paper-towel lined dish and set aside. When cool to the touch, dice the bacon.
  3. Remove the chorizo from it's casing. Add to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned through. Remove the sausage to another paper-towel lined dish and set aside.
  4. Add the garlic, onion, and serrano chiles (or jalapeños) to the Dutch oven. Cook for a few minutes, or until the onions start to soften but watch closely so that you do not burn the garlic.
  5. Add the bacon, sausage, pinto beans, tomatoes, beer, cumin, and oregano; stir to combine. If the mixture seems a little dry, add chicken broth 1 cup at a time.
  6. Cover and place the Dutch oven on the grill or in the oven. Bake the beans for 1½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. These beans are traditionally soupy, but if they seem too soupy, remove the lid during the last 15 minutes of cooking. If the seem dry, stir in a little chicken broth. Stir in the cilantro during the last 15 minutes of cooking and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
This make a big pot of beans. I did not measure the cooked pot of beans to see how many cups it makes. However, when I figured the points I used 10 servings. Each serving = 3 Weight Watchers Smart Points.

 

Banh Mi Turkey Burgers

 

Banh Mi Turkey Burgers

We all get comfortable with our normal, or I know I do. My normal was a handful of dinner meals that I made on a routine basis. They are easy, need no recipe, and I always know my family will enjoy them. Finding new, healthy recipes can sometimes be a challenge. Not because I have little kids to please, but because Greg is so hard to please.

I had never heard of this burger until I was researching recipes. With the ingredient list, I knew it would was something we would enjoy, and it did not disappoint! We ate our burgers in lettuce wraps, but a whole wheat bun or English muffin would be a nice addition. The turkey burgers themselves have a ton of flavor, the pickled vegetables add a fantastic component, then top that off with the mild heat of the sriracha sauce, and it is terrific! This burger will most definitely be part of my new normal!

Banh Mi Turkey Burgers
 
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Serves: 4
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Ingredients
  • 1 lb. 99% fat free ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 tsp. fresh lime juice
  • 2 tsp. soy sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
  • ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 - 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. sesame oil
  • Pickled jalapenos
  • Lettuce leaves or buns
  • PICKLED VEGETABLES:
  • ¼ c. sliced English cucumber
  • 1 carrot, peeled and grated
  • 1 -2 radishes, grated
  • 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • pinch granulated sugar
  • SRIRACHA SAUCE
  • ⅓ c. fat free plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp. Sriracha
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, gently mix turkey, fish sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, black pepper, cilantro, onions, and sesame oil. Cover bowl with plastic and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
  2. In the meantime, mix the cucumber, carrot, and cilantro in a bowl. Add the lime juice, salt and sugar and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. To make sauce whisk the yogurt and Sriracha in a small bowl and set aside.
  4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator. Divide into 4 sections and gently pat out the burgers. This will be a little messy. Gently place the burgers in the heated skillet and cook about 5 to 6 minutes per side or until cooked through.
  5. To assemble, place burger on lettuce leave or bun and top with Sriracha Sauce and a tablespoon or so or the pickled vegetables.
Notes
WW Freestyle Points = 1 point per serving