Peppermint Chocolate Oreo Bars

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Fudge)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 14oz can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp peppermint extract (I used the dry)
14+ Christmas Oreos (or regular), broken up
1.5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 candy canes, smashed

Directions:
Preheat of to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl mix together cake mix, butter, egg and peppermint extract. (I started with a for and then used my hands to get it all together.  Once mixed, it will be a dough consistency, press into prepared pan.  Sprinkle broken Oreos, then pour condensed milk over top.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over top.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until baked all the way through. Sprinkle crushed candy canes. *Optional* crush a couple more oreos on top when still hot!

I adapted this recipe from this recipe that I found on Pinterest! Of course I had to tweak it to make it more Christmas-y for my office Christmas Dinner tomorrow, because really, who doesn't love chocolate and peppermint together?!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup - Heart Healthy Bisquick
1/4-1/2 cup - pureed pumpkin, depends on how pumpkin-y you want it
1/4-1/2 cup - almond milk, depends on how much pumpkin
1tbsp - sugar
1tsp - ground cinnamon
1 tsp - pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp - nutmeg
1/4 tsp - allspice

Directions
Mix all ingredients in a bowl together, using less or more almond milk, I slowly poured it in until the batter was the consistency I need.
Pour about a 1/4 cup of mixture onto a prepared griddle.
Makes 12 silver dollar sized pancakes

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Ingredients

1/4 cup Old Fashion Oats
1/4 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
1/4 cup Non-Fat Caramel Macchiato Creamer
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/4 tsp sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp pecans (optional)

Directions
Combine all ingredients, except nuts, in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, heat through until creamy.
Serve warm and top with nuts and enjoy!

Substitues
Instead of using creamer you can use non-fat milk or unsweetened almond milk

Slow Cooker Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

8 slices of ham (I used lunch meat)

4 slices of Swiss cheese

1 can low sodium, reduced fat cream of chicken soup

1 can low sodium chicken broth

1 box of corn bread stuffing mix

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix can of cream of chicken soup and about half the can of chicken broth, pour a little enough to cover the bottom of the slow cooker.  Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken, place in slow cooker.  Place 2 slices of ham and 1 slice of cheese on top of each piece of chicken, pour rest of cream of chicken soup mixture.  Cover with stuffing mix, pour remaining chicken broth on top.  Cook on low for 4-6 hour of high for 2-3 hours. 

Chicken Enchiladas

 Ingredients:
24 corn tortillas
about 2 cups shredded chicken (I used both breast of a rotisserie chicken)
4 cups (1 big bag) Shredded Mexican Blend cheese
2 small cans enchilada sauce (your spice preference)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Spray a 9x13in pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a bowl, combine shredded chicken, 1 - 1.5 cup of shredded cheese, 1 can sauce.

Take 2 tortillas, layered with cheese a little, maybe about a tablespoon, in the middle (like a quesadilla!) then take a heaping tablespoon (or 2 ;) ) of the chicken mix, roll and place seam side down in pan.  Repeat until you have 12 enchiladas.  Pour remaining can of sauce over enchiladas and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly!  Then enjoy!  I served mine with black beans and rice and white hominy.

Chicken Fajita and Black Bean Egg Rolls

Chicken Fajita and Black Bean Egg Rolls


Ingredients:
2- chicken breast (seasoned with fajita seasoning and baked at 400F for about 25-30 mins)-shredded
1-can low sodium Black beans, drained and rinsed
1- cup frozen corn kernels
1-2 cups of shredded cheese, mexican blend (all depends on how cheese you want it)
1-package egg roll wrappers
*optional*
salsa/pico de gallo
jalapenos, bell peppers

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl mix together chicken, beans, corn, cheese and other ingredients.  Lay out 1 egg roll wrapper, place 2 heaping tablespoons of chicken mixture in middle.  Fold in 1 corner, then 2 side corners and roll to last corner to close. (Use this diagram to see how to roll)  Repeat for the rest of the wrappers.
Spray egg rolls with non-stick cooking spray.  Bake on a cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes or until wrappers are golden brown and crunchy.

These came out really good.  I got the idea from a vegetarian recipe I found on Pinterest.  I used stuff that I had laying around my kitchen, I wish I had some salsa to add o the mixture to make it more southwestern, I'll have to try that next time.  I think some queso on top would make them even more delicious!
If you're interested be sure to follow me on Pinterest

Pork Tenderloin in a Mushroom Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1- pork tenderloin (size of your choosing)

2 -small pints of mushrooms (I did 1 white cap and 1 baby portobello) sliced

2 - small cans reduced fat/sodium Cream of Mushroom soup

1/2-can skim milk (I measured with a soup can)

1 - med-lg potato, cubed (completely optional, I used it for the starch and to help thicken)

salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder to taste

*optional* 2 pinches of red pepper flakes

Directions:

In a slow cooker pour a little of the cream of mushroom soup to cover the bottom, place tenderloin, salt, pepper, and onion and garlic powder both sides. Add sliced mushrooms and potato. Pour remaining soup and milk on top, making sure the tenderloin is well coated. "Stir" in more salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and red pepper flakes if desired.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until pork is pull apart ready!

I served it with parmesan crusted asparagus and broccoli.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Pot Pie

Ingredients:

2 (1 box) - premade pie crust (or home made - top and bottom)

1 lbs - turkey sausage (or plain ground turkey or chicken)

1-2 bags - frozen broccoli cauliflower mix (depending how full you want your pie)

for cheese sauce:

1 cup - any flavor cheese (I did a blend of cheddar and monterey jack)

1/4 cup - skim milk

1/4-1/2 cup - chicken broth

1-2 cloves - garlic minced

salt, peppep, and onion powder to taste

egg + water for egg wash for top crust

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line 9in pie pan with 1 crust.

In a large skillet brown sausage, once cooked through add frozen broccoli mix and heat slightly. Pour mixture into prepared pie dish leaving some of the grease in the skillet for the cheese sauce.

For the cheese sauce, in the same skillet saute garlic, pour in milk and slowly add cheese, stirring in a little at a time until it is completely melted, alternate between cheese and chicken broth until all cheese has been added and is melted. Add chicken broth until it is to the consistency you like, I like mine thick so I didn't add all the chicken broth.

Pour cheese sauce over broccoli sausage mix, cover with other pie crust, pinching the ends to seal. Prick air holes in top of pie crust, then brush with egg wash.

Bake 30-45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

*For a little fun I added a pinch of red pepper flakes to the cheese sauce for a little extra spice!

Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

I made this tonight and it came out really good. I think it might be good with a little bit of bacon too, add some flavor to it, because everything is better with bacon! ^_~

Ingredients:

24 + shrimp (depending on the size) cleaned

1lbs- Asparagus, chopped

1 (14oz) can low sodium chicken broth

enough water added to chicken broth to make it 2-3 cups

2 cups Aborri rice

1tbsp butter

1tbsp EVOO

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 small chopped onion

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat melt the butter in the EVOO. Saute onions and garlic until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add rice and stir-fry until rice gives off a nutty smell. Slowly stir in 1 cup of water and chicken broth mixture, stirring constantly. Once broth is absorbed stir in 1/2 cup at a time in to rice and stir until broth is absorbed, do not add too much liquid (you might not use all the broth). Allow rice to absorb broth and cook until it is al dente.

In another sauce pan at the same time saute shrimp with asparagus in a little butter, season with salt and pepper. Once shrimp are pink and cooked all the way through pour into rice and mix well.

Add more salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Dark Rocky Road Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1- (14oz) can Low Fat Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/2 cup Dark Unsweetend Cocoa Powder

2 cups Heavy Cream

1 cup Light Cream

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Toasted Chopped Pecans

1 cup Miniature Marshmallows

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan over low heat combine condensed milk and cocoa powder until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in creams and vanilla, place in refrigerator to cold.

Pour in to ice cream maker and make as directed by the manufacturer. Pour in pecans and marshmallows about halfway through the freezing process.

For a thicker texture after machine has finished pour mixture into air tight containers and freeze completely in your freezer.

*I did not create this recipe, I adapted it from this recipe on allrecipes.com. The only thing I changed was using dark cocoa powder instead of regular. I also plan on trying to make it with half and half instead of heavy and light creams suggested by another viewer*

Chile Rellenos

Ingredients:

4- fresh poblano chiles

1lbs ground turkey

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 med onion, chopped

1 can of your favorite salsa (or as much as you want)

2 cups Mexican Blend shredded cheese

salt and pepper to taste

flour and egg for dredging

oil for frying

Directions:

Using a Broiler - preheat broiler to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place clean peppers. Roast in oven, turning frequently, until blistered evenly. Remove peppers from oven and let sweat in a plastic ziplock bag, this will help skin peel off easier.

Using a Gas Burner - Roast pepper over open flame, turning frequently. Once blistered evenly place in ziplock bag to sweat. Once sweated to where the skin is peeling off, under cool running water peel off skin, pull off stem and clean out seeds and ribs.

While peppers are sweating, in a large skillet sweat onion and garlic, then add ground turkey, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until turkey is cooked all the way through, remove to bowl (draining the grease). In the bowl mix turkey, salsa, and cheese.

Make slit in one side of pepper and stuff with the turkey mixture. Secure edge with toothpick, dredge through egg and then flour. Fry in oil (either deep fry or pan fry) until golden brown. Place on plate lined with a paper towel to drain.

I served these with black beans and brown rice. Enjoy!

Shrimp and Cheese Grits

Ingredients:

For the Grits:

3/4 c grits

1 14oz can Chicken Broth + water (Should be 3 cups of liquid)

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or your cheese preference)

1 tbsp butter

pinch of salt

For the Shrimp:

24 shrimp, cleaned

4 slices of bacon

1-2 cloves garlic minced

1 lbs asparagus, cut into pieces

pinch of red pepper flakes

pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring chicken broth-water mixture to a boil, stir in grits and lower heat to medium-low and cover, stirring occasionally, let cook for 5-7 minutes. Add butter and gradually stir in cheese.

Brown bacon in pan, remove crumbles to a plate lines with a paper towel. Drain bacon fat, saving about a tablespoon. Add garlic to bacon grease and stir until fragrant, about a minute. Add shrimp, pepper and pepper flakes, cook until shrimp is almost done. Add asparagus and bacon, cook until done.

Serve warm.

My grits came out fairly thick and cakey, if you want more creamy add more liquid, but I like grit cakes ^_^

Chicken Enchilada Pie

So this is a small variation of what my mom has been making since I was little. It looks kind of nasty when you're making it, I'm not joking it looks so gross, but it tastes absolutely amazing!

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breast, boiled and roughly chopped, with some of the boiling water reserved

1 sm can low sodium cream of mushroom soup

2 (8oz) cans enchilada sauce, your spice preference

1 can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

1-1.5 cups frozen corn (or 1 can corn drained and rinsed)

small can or 3tbsp salsa (optional)

4+ cups "mexican blend" cheese

about half a bag of your favorite tortilla chips

Directions:

For the boiled chicken breasts:

Season both sides of chicken breast with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste. Sear both sides in stock pan, then reduce heat and add 4-6 cups of water, just enough to cover chicken breasts all the way. Boil until cooked most of the way to all the way through. For this recipe I did most of the way though because the chicken will cook the rest of the way though in the oven.

For the pie:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9in pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a sauce pan over low heat combine cream of mushroom soup, enchilada sauce, and salsa. Add in black beans, corn, and chicken and stir to combine.

Break or used crushed tortilla chips on bottom of prepared pan, then using whole chips line the edges, with them standing up. Then layer chicken mixture, cheese, chips (I did it twice) ending with the remaining chicken mixture over chips and lots of cheese. Pour a little of the reserved chicken broth over the top of the cheese, it will help keep the pie from drying out.

Cook pie for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and top of edge chips are lightly toasted. Serve warm with cheese and tortilla chip garnish!

Enjoy!

Asparagus Tart

So this really isn't a tart, but I don't know what else to call it...maybe a flatbread thing? But I don't care what you call it, it's still tasty!

Ingredients:

1 container/roll refrigerated pizza crust, or fresh

1.5-2lbs of fresh asparagus, depending on the size of the spears

1/2 lbs of shrimp

1/2 container of button mushrooms sliced

1 container shredded parmesan cheese

1tbsp EVOO, enough to drizzle

salt and pepper to taste

1tsp Italian Seasoning (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F

On a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray, unroll pizza crust and press into pan, be sure to fix any holes made. Poke holes with a fork in the middle of the crust leaving about a 1/2-1 in border. Bake crust for 3-4 minutes. Pull out of oven and place asparagus tip to end to cover crust. Spread mushrooms and shrimp evenly over top of asparagus. Drizzle EVOO and then sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15-20 more minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Pull out of oven and sprinkle cheese and italian seasoning over the top and put back into oven for a couple more minutes until cheese is melted.

*Dipping in fat free ranch is very tasty, marinara is good too ^_^*

Green Beans and Mushrooms

I made this the other night as a side dish with fish and rice, it was really good, I didn't do the bacon this time, so instead of adding the bacon I added a little bit more salt.

Ingredients:

1 lbs of fresh green beans, cleaned and cut into pieces

1 pkg of button mushrooms chopped

2 tbsp butter or EVOO

1-2 cloves garlic, minsed

2 slices of bacon chopped (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet brown bacon, remove once crisp. Add butter and garlic. Once garlic is cooked add green beans and let cook until bright green, salt and pepper. Once green beans are done to your likeness, add mushrooms and bacon and cook a couple minutes.

Starry Broccoli Cheese

I tweaked a recipe I found on allrecipes.com I made a few changes to my taste. So here we go...

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp onion powder (you can use real onion, but I just wanted a slight taste instead of onion pieces)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 brick- velveeta cheese, cut into cubes

2 (14oz) cans - Chicken broth

1 1/2 cups milk, I used fat free

1 1/2 cups water (for the milk and water I filled the can from the chicken broth)

1 (16oz) bag - frozen broccoli/broccoli cauliflower mix

1 bag star shaped pasta

shredded cheese for garnish

pepper to taste

Directions:

In a soup pot melt butter and saute garlic with onion powder. Add chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes, not completely cooked.Reduce heat to medium and add broccoli, milk and velveeta, stirring constantly until cheese is melted, do not let come to a boil or cheese will burn. Serve immediately and garnish with shredded cheese on top.

Sweet and Spicy Nuts

I got the basics for this recipe off allrecipes.com and then just made some minor changes to suit my liking, I like a lot of spice so I used more cayenne pepper then what I wrote here...I like that left over burning sensation =p

Ingredients:

2-3 cups toasted nuts (I did almonds and pecans, it's all your preference)

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup +1 tsp sugar

~1tbsp honey (I didn't measure it out, just a couple times around the pan drizzling out of the bottle)

1/2tsp +1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on how hot you like it)

pinch of salt

Directions:

In a large skillet melt butter with honey, 1tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper and pinch of salt.

In a large (heat proof) bowl mix together 1/4 sugar and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. Put in nuts and then pour in butter mixture over. Toss to coat, add more sugar cayenne pepper mix if you'd like them to be less sticky.

Baked Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

12+ corn tortillas

vegetable oil (or EVOO)

Kosher or Sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut tortillas into 1/8ths and place in single layer on a cookie sheet.

Brush oil on each side of chips, then sprinkle with salt.

Bake in oven for 5-8 minutes, depending on how crisp you want them.

Let cool on cookie sheet and enjoy!

**I made my chips small, but feel free to make them as big as you want!

Chocolate Gooey Cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter at room temperature

1 (8oz) brick cream cheese at room temperature

1 egg

1tsp vanilla extract

1 box (18oz) super moist chocolate or devils food cake mix

Powdered Sugar, for rolling in

Directions:

In a large bowl cream together butter and cream cheese. Add egg and vanilla extract, beat until well mixed. Slowly add in cake mix.

Refrigerate mix for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Roll dough into 1 inch balls (dough will be sticky), then roll in powdered sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies are firm. Cool completely on on wire rack.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

I made this the other night with a left over stuffing and turkey casserole, very tasty...it's like a dessert and side dish rolled into sweet deliciousness ^_^

Ingredients:

3-4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced

1/2 stick of butter, but into separate tbsp

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 bag of miniature marshmallows

2 tbsp toasted pecans (optional)

pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large skillet melt butter with sliced sweet potatoes, coat potatoes with melted butter and cover. Steam potatoes until just cooked through. Add brown sugar and pinch of salt, cook until dissolved and a good syrup is made. Pour sweet potato mixture into prepared dish, sprinkle pecans over top, then top with marshmallows.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until marshmallows are browned.