Cheesy Salsa Chicken and Rice

  • Prep Time5 mins
  • Cook Time1 hr
  • Total Time1 hr 5 mins

Ingredients

  • 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 1/4 lbs)
  • 1 (10-ounce) package yellow rice mix
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400° F and lightly spray a 13×9-inhch baking dish with nonstick spray.
  • Place the chicken breast in the dish and pour the rice mix around them. Pour the water over the rice. Season the chicken with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pour the salsa over the chicken.
  • Tightly wrap the baking dish with foil and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the chicken juices run clear (about 165°F when tested with a meat thermometer).
  • Remove from the oven and remove the foil. Top with the cheese and return to the warm oven just long enough to melt the cheese.

Notes

Actual cook times may vary based on the size of your chicken breasts.

HAM EGG AND CHEESE POCKETS

Homemade copycat hot pockets are so easy to make! You can freeze and reheat as needed – for breakfast or late-night cravings!

  • yield: 4 SERVINGS
  • prep time: 15 MINUTES
  • cook time: 20 MINUTES
  • total time: 35 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 (8-ounce) tube crescent rolls
  • 4 ounces thinly sliced ham
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add eggs whisking, until they just begin to set; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Continue cooking until thickened and no visible liquid egg remains, about 3-5 minutes; set aside.
  3. Remove rolls from the can, separating them into 4 rectangles, 2 triangles each. Press each rectangle to form a 6×4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.
  4. Top half of each rectangle with eggs, ham and cheese. Fold dough from the top over the filling, pressing the edges to seal.
  5. Place onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 12-13 minutes.*
  6. Serve immediately.

NOTES:

*TO FREEZE: Cover each pocket tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze up to 1 month. To reheat, (1) microwave for 2-3 minutes, turning halfway, or (2) bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, or until completely cooked through and warmed.

Skinny Cauliflower “Mac” and “Cheese” Casserole

This skinny  cauliflower macaroni cheese casserole will be ready in 35 minutes time and won’t cause any blood sugar spikes like the traditional recipes. Enjoy this as a side dish or as a topping without any guilt. 

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cooking time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Serves: 6 

Ingredients

  • 1 Kosher salt as needed plus ½ teaspoon
  • 1 large cauliflower cut into small florets
  • 1 Vegetable oil cooking spray
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 oz cream cheese cut into small pieces
  • 1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded, plus ½ cup as topping for the casserole
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder

Cooking Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Boil a large pot of water and season it with salt.
  • Spray the baking sheet with a vegetable oil spray.
  • Once the water is boiled, add the cauliflower into the pot and allow it to cook until it is crisp and tender. This will take about 5 minutes. Drain well and pat between several layers of paper towels to dry. 
  • Transfer the cauliflower to a baking dish and set it aside.
  • Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan and to this add in the cream cheese and mustard until smooth. Stir in a cup of cheese, pepper, salt and garlic and whisk nicely until the cheese melts for about 1 to 2 minutes. 
  • Once done, remove from the stove and pour it over the cauliflower and stir well to combine. Top with the remaining ½ cup of cheese and bake until it is browned and hot for about 15 minutes. 
  • Serve warm

PALEO GLUTEN FREE BLENDER BANANA MUFFINS

Fluffy paleo banana muffins made in the blender- in 5 minutes! Easy gluten free and paleo banana muffin recipe made with cauliflower! Best healthy paleo-diet breakfast banana muffins.

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Servings: 12 muffins or 6 large bakery style muffins

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 medium/large bananas
  • 1 cup raw cauliflower
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips and some for sprinkling on top

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. In a blender combine all ingredients (except chocolate chips) until smooth. Pour batter 3/4 way up a muffin pan lined with paper liners. Sprinkle tops with more chocolate chips (optional).
  3. For six large bakery style muffins bake 350F for 45 mins. Cook less for twelve regular muffins.

SLOW COOKER APPLE PEAR CRISP

The easiest fuss-free apple pear crisp made right in your crockpot with a sweet crispy topping that is TO DIE FOR!!!

  • yield: 8 SERVINGS
  • prep time: 15 MINUTES
  • cook time: 4 HOURS
  • total time: 4 HOURS 15 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 3 Bosc pears, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Pinch of ground nutmeg

FOR THE TOPPING

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes

DIRECTIONS:

  1. To make the topping, combine flour, oats, pecans, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Add cold butter and toss to coat, using your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.
  2. Lightly coat the inside of a 4-qt slow cooker with nonstick spray. Place apples, pears into the slow cooker. Stir in brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Sprinkle with reserved topping, using your fingertips to gently press the crumbs into the batter.
  3. Place a clean dishtowel over the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 2-3 hours or high heat for 90 minutes. Remove the dishtowel and continue cooking, uncovered, until the topping is browned and the apples are just tender, about 1 hour.
  4. Serve warm.

Bombay Carrot Salad with Cashews and Raisins

Bombay Carrot Salad with cashews and raisins, tossed in a flavorful Indian dressing. Healthy and vegan this carrot salad recipe is so EASY to make, and can be made-ahead.

  • Prep Time: 15
  • Total Time: 15
  • Yield: 4-5 cups 

Ingredients

  • 10–12 ounces carrots, grated or matchstick ( about 4- 5 cups, feel free to use store-bought matchsticks)
  • 1 tablespoon lime or orange zest (or some of both)
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced ( use a garlic press)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced ( or use ginger paste)
  • ⅓  cup raisins ( golden or regular)
  • ½ cup toasted cashews ( or slivered almonds)
  • 3 scallions
  • ½ cup cilantro or italian parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice (or sub apple cider vinegar)
  • 2 tablespoons honey or agave or alternative sweetener
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • pepper to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric ( or use 1–2 teaspoons fresh grated)
  • 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne ( optional, and/ or more to taste)

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and toss well. Taste. Adjust salt, acid and sweetness to taste.
  2. This will keep up to 4 days in the fridge.

2 INGREDIENT BAGELS

These shortcut homemade bagels are just 2 ingredients and take less than an hour to make.  

  • PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
  • COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES
  • TOTAL TIME: 35 MINUTES
  • SERVINGS: 4 BAGELS

Ingredients:

  •  1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  •  1 cup self-rising flour or mix 1 cup all purpose flour + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp table salt

For the Toppings

  •  1 egg whisked (for egg wash finish)
  •  white sesame seeds
  •  everything bagel seasoning I bought mine from Trader Joe’s

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
  2. In a large bowl, add yogurt and flour. When measuring out the yogurt, make sure that you strain out any liquid. Any extra liquid sitting in your yogurt will cause the dough to be too wet.
  3. Using a large spoon or spatula, mix together flour and yogurt until it begins to form a crumbly dough. Use your hands to push the dough together into one ball. The dough will be very sticky.
  4. Add your dough to a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Knead the dough until it comes together in one ball and has pulled away from the sides of the mixing bowl. As soon as it reaches this stage, it is ready and you should stop the mixer immediately. (You can view my video above for reference). If you continue to let it knead, the dough will actually become sticky again. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand. You will need to cover your kneading surface with flour and knead the dough by hand until it is tacky and no longer sticky. I prefer using the stand mixer because it is faster and the dough comes together without the extra flour which results in a lighter bagel.
  5. Divide dough into four equal balls. Roll out a ball on a lightly floured surface until it becomes a rope about 3/4 inch thick. Try to make the rope as even and smooth as possible. Pinch ends shut to form a round circle. Repeat with remaining dough.
  6. Place bagels onto a baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash. Sprinkle tops with whichever seasonings you prefer.
  7. Bake bagels for about 23-25 minutes or until bagels are cooked all the way through. Remove bagels from the oven and turn heat up to 500°F. Place bagels back in oven and bake about 2-3 minutes until surface is browned. (If you are making plain bagels without toppings, you can also set your oven to low broil for 2-3 minutes to brown the bagels but I don’t recommend this if you have toppings as the toppings will start to burn before the bagels finish browning.) Let bagels cool a few minutes before eating.

Notes:

Some Tips for Making the Bagels

  • A few recipes I found boiled the bagels before baking them. Traditional NY bagels are boiled first but I didn’t feel that it was necessary for this recipe. While it did expand the bagels and make them bigger, they also took a lot longer to bake and they were not as smooth and round because of the boiling.
  • You can knead the dough by hand or use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. I prefer the stand mixer because it’s less labor and it doesn’t require as much flour coating so the bagel comes out lighter and airier. You do need to watch the mixer carefully. As soon as the dough comes together in one ball and is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl, it’s ready. If you over-knead it, it will actually start becoming too sticky to work with again.
  • Make sure you use a brand that makes a thick Greek strained yogurt. Not all brands offer the same consistency. I used Fage for these.

FRIED MAC AND CHEESE BALLS

A comfort classic that everyone will be fighting for! Crisp on the outside yet so soft, creamy and cheesy on the inside. YESSS!

  • yield: 12 SERVINGS
  • prep time: 15 MINUTES
  • cook time: 15 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups macaroni and cheese, homemade or store-bought
  • 2 cups vegetable oil, or more, as needed
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups Panko
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place macaroni and cheese into the refrigerator until firm, about 3-4 hours.
  2. Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat.
  3. Using a small cookie scoop, roll macaroni and cheese into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch balls, forming about 12.
  4. Working one at a time, dip balls into eggs, then dredge in Panko, pressing to coat.
  5. Working in batches, add balls to the Dutch oven and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
  6. Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.

Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Legs

Delicious lemon garlic baked chicken legs that are full of flavor, easy to make & loved by the whole family. One of our favorite baked chicken legs recipes!

  • Prep Time: 5 min
  •  Cook Time: 1 hour
  •  Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  •  Yield: Serves 4-6 

INGREDIENTS

  • 2–2.5 pounds of chicken legs (about 8 legs)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • zest and juice from 2 large lemons (or 3 medium), separated
  • 2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, optional
  • 2 tablespoons honey

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Pat your chicken legs dry with paper towel and set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the salt, lemon zest (but not juice), minced garlic, pepper, and thyme. Use the back of a spoon to smash the mixture together and release any moisture the zest or garlic might have into the herbs (a mortar and pestle works well here but isn’t a must). The goal is to have a spice mix that is well blended using the garlic to bring it all together.
  4. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken and set the chicken legs inside a baking dish (9×13 or 8×11 both work).
  5. Bake the chicken for 40 minutes.
  6. While the chicken is baking, mix together 1/3 cup of the lemon juice and the honey. If the honey is too thick, warm it just a bit so that it’s mixed into the juice well.
  7. After the 40 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven. Turn the chicken legs over in the pan and then drizzle the lemon juice mixture over the chicken. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.
  8. Remove from the oven again. Flip the chicken over again and spoon the juice that has collected in the bottom of the pan over the chicken. Return to the oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 165 degree F. on an instant-read thermometer.
  9. Remove the chicken from the oven and spoon the pan juice over the top one more time. Enjoy hot.

NOTES

  • I don’t feel like there’s a good sub for the fresh lemon here. The mix of the zest and the juice of the fresh lemon are so great. I don’t think dried lemon or bottled juice would have the same effect.
  • No thyme on hand? Skip it all together OR pick your own favorite herb. This would be great with fresh or dried rosemary, basil, or parsley.
  • Wondering if your chicken is done? Investing in a little thermometer is the best way to make sure your meat is not over or under cooked. I have a really basic thermometer and it’s such a cooking game changer.

Chili Cheese Dog Bake!

 Grab a knife and fork to dig into this comforting Chili Cheese Dog Bake! So quick and easy it will become a family favorite!

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 HOT DOGS
  • 4 STRING CHEESE (CHEDDAR)
  • 1 CAN PILLSBURY PIZZA DOUGH
  • 1 CAN CHILI (15 OZ.)
  • 1/4 CUP BUTTER, MELTED
  • 1 TEASPOON GARLIC POWDER
  • 1 TEASPOON FRESH PARSLEY

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. PREHEAT OVER TO 375F  
  2. POUR CHILI INTO A 6 X 10 OR 7 X 11 PAN (OR WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU, REALLY)  
  3. REMOVE THE CHEESE FROM THE WRAPPERS AND CUT IN HALF LENGTHWISE. SET ASIDE.  
  4. OPEN THE CAN OF PIZZA DOUGH AND ROLL OUT. CUT THE DOUGH INTO 4 EQUAL SECTIONS.  
  5. TAKE A WIENER AND SANDWICH IT WITH THE TWO SIDES OF CHEDDAR. BEGINNING AT ONE END OF THE STRIP OF DOUGH, BEGIN TO WRAP THE BUNDLE INTO THE DOUGH, COVERING THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE WIENER WITH THE  
  6. DOUGH.  
  7. PLACE IN THE PAN WITH THE CHILI, SEAM SIDE DOWN.  
  8. WHEN ALL FOUR ARE COMPLETE, BAKE IN THE OVEN FOR 20-25 MINUTES OR UNTIL THE DOUGH IS COOKED AND GOLDEN BROWN ON TOP.  
  9. MIX THE GARLIC AND PARSLEY WITH THE MELTED BUTTER AND BRUSH THE TOPS OF THE HOT DOGS WITH THE GARLIC BUTTER.
  10. ENJOY!

TO AVOID DOUGHY BOTTOM- JUST PLACE THE DOGS IN FIRST THEN POUR CHILI AROUND THEM.

0 Shares
Share via
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Mix
Email
Print
Copy Link
Powered by Social Snap
Copy link
CopyCopied
Powered by Social Snap