Enchiladas...Es bueno!

Sticking to my more veggies theme, tonight I went meatless! But no worries, I got my protein from beans and veggie crumbles! I really liked it - es bueno!

Saucy Enchiladas

3/4 cup fat-free refried black beans

1 tablespoon taco seasoning

4 (8 in.) flour tortillas

1 cup frozen burger style vegetable crumbles (I used Morning Star)

3/4 cup enchilada sauce

1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

low-fat sour cream (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the beans with taco seasoning. Spread each tortilla with 3 tablespoons of the bean mixture. Sprinkle veggie crumbles down the center of each tortilla and roll up tortilla. Arrange, seam sides down , in an 8" square backing dish. Pour enchilada sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 min. or until bubbly.

Source: Cooking Light

On the side I served a salad of baby spinach, orange sections, chopped cashews, and raspberry vinaigrette. Yum!

Happy Halloween!

If you know me at all, you know that I would never let you down on posting Halloween recipes! I hosted our annual Ghoul's Night and here are the frightful tricks and treats that I served. (Sorry the pictures aren't the best, we were in a hurry to eat!)





Snake Sticks

1 (11 ounce) can refrigerated breadstick dough
1/4 teaspoon butter, melted
herbs or spices, to taste
pimiento, for tongue sliced
black olives, for eyes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray each skewer with non-stick spray. Wrap each breadstick around the skewer and flatten out the end a bit. You will have to work with the dough a bit, but place 2 black olives on the top for eyes and a small piece of pimiento in the "mouth" for the tongue. Bake on a prepared baking sheet for approximately 20 minutes or until the breadsticks are golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the herbs/spices of your choice. Let cool. If desired, slide the skewers off the bread or serve with the skewers in for easy handling.


Source: Recipezaar.com







Green Slime Dip


1 pound pepper jack cheese (shredded or cubed)
1- 4 oz. can diced green chilis
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8-oz. block cream cheese
Green food coloring

Combine in saucepan and stir over medium heat until smooth.


Source: Lisa Graves, ghoulfriend





Crunchy Worm Salad


2 bags shredded cabbage
3 green onions
1 (3-ounce) package ramen noodles with seasoning pack
1 (6-ounce) package slivered almonds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Black food coloring

Preheat the broiler.
Tear the cabbage and slice the onions, and place in a large salad bowl. Crumble the noodles into a broiler pan, add the almonds, sesame seeds, and broil for 2 minutes, being careful not to scorch the sesame seeds. In a jar with a tight lid, combine the oil, sugar, vinegar, and salt with the contents of the seasoning pack. Cover the jar and shake well to blend the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad, add the toasted sesame and almond, and toss to combine Toss the ramen noodles with black food coloring for added effect.


Source: Paula Deen

Werewolf Claws

Nonstick vegetable spray
10 chicken cutlets
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1 12-oz. can large pitted black olives, drained
Ketchup
1 head of lettuce

Spray a cookie sheet with the nonstick spray. Slice the cutlets into strips about the width of one bony finger, the more crooked the better.
Place the flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs into three separate bowls.
Dust the chicken strips with flour, dip them into the eggs, and then roll them in the bread crumbs. You probably won't use all the flour or crumbs.
Place the strips on the cookie sheet and broil about 5 minutes on each side until brown.
To make the fingernails, cut the olives in half lengthwise. Trim the halves into pointy nail shapes, and place one on the end of each chicken strip. Press them into the chicken and, if you need help in making them stick, use some ketchup as glue.
Serve the claws on a head (of lettuce, of course).


Source: www.familyfun.go.com



Spooky Pasta

1 16 oz. bag of Halloween shaped pasta
1 26 oz. jar of pasta sauce
4 oz. sliced pepperoni (chopped)
2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese

Cook pasta as directed. Mix pasta with sauce and pepperoni. Pour into a casserole dish and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 min or until cheese is melted.

Burried Alive Cupcakes

chocolate cupcakes
chocolate frosting
crushed chocolate cookies
baby doll arms (available at craft stores)

Bake and frost cupcakes. Push a babydoll arm into each cupcake and the top with crushed chocolate cookie crumbs.

No-Cook Fast Supper

My new favorite cook book is the Cooking Light Super Fast Suppers cookbook. I'm sure you will soon come to find a lot of recipes from this cookbook on my blog, as everything is fast, healthy, and looks delicious.

The first recipe I tried came out great, and will be a staple for summer time eating in our house.

Crunchy Picante Salad

6 cups preshredded lettuce
5 cups baked tortilla chips (broken in to bite-sized pizza)
1 cup pincante sauce
1/2 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (2.25 oz.) can sliced ripe olives, drained
1 ripe avocado, peeled and chopped
1 large lime, quartered
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place 1.5 cups of lettuce on each of 4 plates; top evenly with chips. Spoon picante sauce evenly over chips; top evenly with cheese, beans, olives, and avocado. Squeeze lime quarter over each salad. Top each salad with 2 tablespoons of sour cream and cilantro.

Source: Cooking Light

Better Than B-dubs! (BW3's)

As you can see from my blog, I love salads for dinner! I also love spicy foods, so Buffalo wings are also one of my favorites. Throw the two together and you've got a great spicy salad. You can put out the fire with some semi-homemade Ranch dressing of course!

Crista's Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad

1 Chicken Breast, cut into strips
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
salt & pepper
Vegetable oil
1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot
1/4 cup melted butter
Salad Mix
Grape Tomatoes
Shredded Cheese
Ranch Dressing

Season chicken strips with salt and pepper. Combine flour with garlic and cayenne pepper. Dredge strips in flour and shake off excess. Next, toss chicken strips in the beaten egg, and then coat a second time with the flour mixture. Pan fry in a skillet over medium high heat in vegetable oil until browned on both sides.

Combine Frank's Red Hot and melted butter. Toss chicken strips in the hot sauce mixture and serve over a salad of lettuce, grape tomatoes, and shredded cheese.

Toppings Galore!

I love Cobb Salads. Especially Cobb Salads with Ranch Dressing! And since I have a huge container of freshly made Ranch, I'll surely be posting recipes that will allow you to use it all up!

Here is my version of a Cobb Salad, with all my favorite toppings. Feel free to make substitutions. It is a great way to use up veggies and cheeses from your fridge!

Crista's Cobb Salad

Lettuce
Blue Cheese crumbles
Diced tomatoes
Grilled chicken strips
Diced red onion
Bacon pieces
Shredded Colby jack cheese
Hard boiled eggs
*Ranch Dressing of course!*

Salad Du Jour

Since I'm still on my salad kick, and get excited everytime I see a farmer's market, I threw this together for dinner tonight. It also incorperates a new find from Trader Joe's, shredded pre-cooked BBQ chicken. It was of course awesome, as is everthing I buy there.

BBQ Chicken Salad

(The following makes 2 very large salads)
1 bag salad mix
1 vine ripe tomato
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped English cucumber
1/2 cup sweet corn
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded BBQ chicken

Assemble as shown and serve with your favorite dressing.

Source: Me

It's All Greek to Me!

I love salad, but get kinda tired of your run of the mill lettuce based salad. This recipe had gotten rave reviews, had a ton of vegetables, and no lettuce what so ever. It was so good, I could eat it every day!

Greek Salad

3 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 European seedless cucumber, cut into bite-size chunks
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chunked
1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and chunked
1 cup Kalamata black olives
Several sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, about 1/2 cup
1/4 pound light Greek feta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and black pepper

Combine vegetables, olives, parsley, and feta in a large bowl. Combine oil, vinegar, and oregano in a small plastic container with a lid. Shake vigorously to combine oil and vinegar and pour over salad and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and let the salad marinate until ready to serve.

Source: Adapted from Rachel Ray

Brown Baggin' It

I'm tired of the usual frozen entree for lunch, so to get myself motivated to go back to work after a vacation, I made chicken salad to have with mixed greens and tomato slices for lunch tomorrow. I thought I'd try a Barefoot Contessa recipe, and of course it turned out great, even though I did make a few slight changes.

Chicken Salad Contessa

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts

Olive oil

Kosher Salt

Black pepper

1 cup walnuts halves

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 cup light sour cream

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves, divided

1 cup green grapes, cut in 1/2

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside until cool.

When the chicken is cool, cut chicken into a 3/4-inch dice.

Meanwhile, place the walnuts on a separate sheet pan and toast in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.

For the dressing, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in half the chopped tarragon leaves.

Place the diced chicken in a bowl, add the walnuts and grapes. Pour the dressing over the chicken and toss well. Sprinkle the remaining chopped tarragon leaves on top, and serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

Source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

Scott's Pics

Since neither of our NCAA March Madness pics are doing well, I decided to let Scott announce his pics for dinner. He said he wanted any combination of broccoli, chicken, cheese, tomatoes, and mushrooms. So for dinner I decided to make him a Caprese salad and Chicken Divan.



Crista's Caprese Salad

2 vine ripe tomatoes
1 ball of fresh mozzarella cheese
fresh basil leaves
good extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella, and alternate on a plate along with the basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Voila!



Chicken Divan

1 (10-ounce) package frozen broccoli, chopped

3 cups shredded chicken, cooked (I used rotisserie)

1 (10 3/4-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used light)

1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)

1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the outer wrappers from the boxes of broccoli. Open 1 end of each box. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes, until thawed. Drain the broccoli and put into a casserole dish. Add the shredded chicken.
In a medium bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, Cheddar, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper, to taste, and wine. Whisk together to make a sauce. Pour the sauce over the broccoli and chicken. Mix well with a spatula.
Place the mixture into an 8x8 casserole dish. Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula. Combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over the top.
Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes.

Serve over rice if desired.

Source: Paula Deen

Happy Valentines's Day Dinner

We both enjoy going out to dinner, and celebrating love...but we don't really care to partake in the craziness of Valentines Day Dinner out, so as part of my gift to Scott, I made him a nice 4- course dinner at home. (But totally cheated on dessert!)

First Course, The Appetizer:

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

2 Portobello mushrooms (stemmed)
2 oz. dry stuffing mix for chicken
½ Cup water
2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
¼ cup chopped roasted red peppers
½ stick of butter
½ tsp. minced garlic cloves

Preheat oven to 350.
In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and mix in water and stuffing mix. Alow stuffing to absorb the liquid for about 5 min. Add in cheese, peppers, and garlic and stir until well blended.
Place mushrooms on greased baking sheet and fill evenly with the stuffing mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Source: Me!

Second Course, The Salad:

Spinach, Strawberry, & Hearts of Palm Salad

Recipe for 12 servings - cut down for servings needed

1/3 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 small red onion, grated
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach, washed and torn into pieces
1 can hearts of palm, drained and chopped
2 cups strawberries, stemmed and sliced
1 cup chopped walnuts

For the dressing, combine the vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a small non-reactive saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat and let cool to room temperature. When cooled, whisk in the oil, onion, poppy seeds, dry mustard and paprika until thoroughly combined. Set dressing aside. In a salad bowl, combine the spinach, hearts of palm, strawberries, and walnuts. When ready to serve, add some of the dressing, and toss gently. Serve the remaining dressing alongside the salad so diners may add more, if desired.

Source: Paula Deen


Third Course, The Pasta:

Chicken-In-Love Pasta

Makes 2 very large portions

4 oz. linguine, uncooked
1 large chicken breast, cut into thin slices
1 14.5 oz can of Italian Style Diced Tomatoes
1/2 cup reduced fat cream cheese
1-1/2 cups baby spinach
½ of a medium onion
½ tsp minced garlic clove

Cook pasta as directed. Meahwhile, saute chicken, onions and garlic in a large skillet. After the chicken is cooked, add the canned tomatoes, cream cheese, and spinach. Simmer until sauces is thouroughly combined. Toss with pasta.

Source: Adapted from Kraftfoods.com

Fourth course, The Dessert:

Carrot Cake for Two

Go to your local grocery store bakery. Buy two pieces of carrot cake. Now wasn't that easy?

And if you are lucky, it will all pay off in the end: