Jalapeño Artichoke Dip
c/o Lauren's Latest
1 cup marinated & drained artichoke hearts
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt & pepper, to taste
splash of water
1-2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapenos
Directions
Place artichokes into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Add in parm, cream cheese, mayo, salt and pepper. Pulse in short bursts or until everything starts to blend. I added in a splash of water to get things going at first. Make sure to leave the dip slightly chunky, so it has a good texture. Spoon dip into bowl and stir in chopped jalapenos by hand. Serve with pita, crackers, tortilla chips, veggies, or anything else lying around.
Cheesy Pull Apart Bread
c/o Annie Bakes
1 round or oval sourdough bread loaf
1 package (8 ounces) Colby Jack cheese slices (I also threw in some pepper jack for a little zip)
6 slices bacon-cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup butter-melted
1 green onion-sliced
2 cloves garlic-minced
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a serrated knife, make vertical cuts in the bread, 1 inch apart, but not going all the way through the bread. Turn bread 1/4 turn and repeat.
Cut each cheese slice into thirds and press into the the cuts in the bread along with the bacon. Place the loaf on a baking pan with a piece of aluminum foil on it.
Mix the remaining items and pour evenly over the top of the bread. Wrap the loaf in foil and bake for 25 minutes, unwrapping after 15 minutes.
Cajun Chicken Pasta
c/o Skinny Taste
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked linguine
- 1 pound chicken breast strips
- 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup skim milk
- 1 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp light cream cheese
- fresh cracked pepper
- 2 scallions, chopped
- salt to taste
- Smart Balance cooking spray
Directions
Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt.
Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.
Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.
Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes.
Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.
Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!
