Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Bake

Wow- this was so easy and so good!

INGREDIENTS:
1 roll of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
8 oz of cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat)
1/2 cup of sugar
1 egg

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and egg. In an 8 inch square baking pan, line half the cookie dough down as the crust. Pour in the cream cheese mixture and top with remaining cookie dough. Cook for 35-40 minutes and let cool. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or until chilled. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Poolside Dip

This dip was pretty easy to make- and I would suggest eating them with a tortilla multi-grain scoop chip or fritos. I tried it with crackers, and it just wasn't very good that way. It would be a good dip for tortilla wraps, too!

INGREDIENTS:
1 red pepper, diced
2 jalapenos, diced (I took the seeds out of mine)
1 small can of corn (optional)
1 small can of diced black olives
16 oz of fat free cream cheese (softened)
1 pkg of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
~I added some Accent Salt and a couple dashes of Worcestershire

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients together, refrigerate and serve!

Publix Goodies!

I posted earlier on the Hummus I was trying to make to re-create of the Publix version. I'll also miss their bakery- this is my FAVORITE bread and their Italian Whole Grain loafs are awesome, too. They also carry this Dei Fratelli Pizza sauce (that I use on their home-made pizza dough they sell in their bakery section!) that is amazing. I haven't found it anywhere else, but I'm determined to keep looking. Anyways, if you have a Publix Store nearby- GO and try these things!

PW's Aunt Trish's Salad Dressing

I saw this on PW's cooking show on Food Network. It was so mild and good! HERE is the link to the recipe.

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Alfredo

This caught my eye online because I love goat cheese, pasta and roasted red peppers! I added spinach to ours, as well. HERE is the original link.

Grilled Chicken Marinade

Another great find online- this marinade could be used for other meats, too! Click HERE for the link.

Olive Cheese Bread

Another great recipe from Pioneer Woman (and like she says- mainly for the chicks... or at least not for my husband who doesn't like olives!) HERE is the link! I made it with a Cobb Salad and it was a yummy dinner!

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Another idea I have seen online and wanted to try. Here is my version (but please note, I had to have buns for my husband and kids- who don't like mushrooms!)

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb ground sirloin
Salt/Pepper
1 egg
3-5 dashes of Tabasco Sauce
Portobello Mushroom Caps
Olive Oil
Mayo/Basil/Lemon (mix all together for the topping)
Tomato/Avocado/Lettuce (whatever toppings you want)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix the ground meat with salt and pepper, egg and tabasco. Form into patties. You can either grill them or cook in a skillet. Then coat the mushroom caps (after cleaning them!) in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook about 5-7 minutes on each side. To serve, start with the mushroom, then the burger and last the toppings.

Bean and Veggie Salad

This is a little bit of a fresher take on the Vegetable Salad I've made before- I liked the ingredients in this one, but the flavor fell a little shy. I think next time I'll use these ingredients, but go back to my Granny's dressing. I found the recipe on Echoes of Laugher, but I did use the entire cans of beans- she mentions freezing half of each can, but we're getting ready to move and I don't need to store anything up!

Kale Chips, Take 2

I found some new ideas on how to make these on Pinterest. One good suggestion was to hold each stem and run your fingers down, stripping the stem of all the edible parts! WAY easier than what I had done the last time (it might be obvious to some on how to do this, but I'm new to Kale!).

INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch Kale
Pine nuts
Olive Oil
Sea Salt/Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Clean (let soak in a clean sink of water) and prepare kale (tear the bigger pieces into smaller ones). Heat the olive oil in a skillet and let heat up. As you add the kale, it should sizzle and pop (and wilt slightly). Add in the pine nuts, seat salt and red pepper flakes. When finished cooking (5-7 minutes) remove from heat and top with parmesan shavings.

*I ended up putting these on a cookie sheet in the oven for a little before I added the Parmesan cheese because I had added too much olive oil and my kale wasn't crisping up like I wanted in the skillet.

Barley Salad

My friend, Kristiana, made this for us at her house, and I had to get her recipe! It's so yummy- a perfect cookout or summer side dish! I made it with portobello hamburgers.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of cooked barley (or brown rice- I used barley)
12oz Prosciutto (optional)
6 Cherry tomatoes, quartered
3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped greed onions
1/3cup chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 cup thinly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 TBS Olive oil
4 tsp lemon juice
1/2tsp salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Toss all ingredients in a bowl, and voila! 

Cauliflower Fiesta Rice

I made this to go along with the Collard Green Burritos- I have been wanting to try to rice my cauliflower, and this was the perfect opportunity!

INGREDIENTS:
1 head of cauliflower
Olive Oil
1 can of black beans
Cilantro
Green Onions
Cilantro
Chili Powder
Garlic
Salt and Pepper
Canned Tomatoes/Chiles (I just used a little that was left over from my burritos)

DIRECTIONS:
Rinse and cut up the head of cauliflower. Put pieces into a food processor until they are 'rice like' texture. (Do not steam or cook!) In a skillet, heat up some olive oil and minced garlic. Add in the cauliflower, and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add in the seasonings (I didn't measure any of the spices- just kept adding until it tasted right) or you could add in some salsa. It turned out really yummy- I definitely like this as much as the real thing!

Collard Green Burritos

 My friend, Jennifer, is doing a Whole30 day eating challenge, and she's been posting tons of her recipes on her blog. She linked to THIS one and I was so curious, I had to try it out. I love packing in tons of veggies for the kids- and it was pretty good! It can't replace the good ol' real tortilla, but nice for a lighter change!

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs

I found this on my friend Elizabeth's blog, and you can find her recipe HERE. The only changes I made was that I went ahead and made the full amount of marinade (the only can of pineapple juice I could find was the full 46 oz) and then I divided it into three parts- one for the chicken, one for the veggies and then one to make the sauce. I boiled the third down the entire time the chicken and veggies were being prepared, and it got to be a real thick, sticky, yummy sauce for dipping. I had bought a pineapple to cut up and add on the veggies skewers, but realized today that it's still sitting in my fruit bowl! OOPS! I also made Mexican Green Beans for a side. Love those!

Jalapeno-Cilantro Hummus

I got the idea to make this from Publix- their deli section has this variety of hummus and it's our favorite! We are getting ready to move where there won't be a Publix, so I'm trying to figure out how we're going to live without our staples from there!

INGREDIENTS:
1 can of chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Lemon or Lime Juice
2 TBL Olive Oil
1 clove minced garlic
Splash of Water
1/8 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Salt
Cilantro
Jalapeno- I used the pickled kind from the jar, and just put in about
(I've used Tahini before, but I just sprinkled in a few seasame seeds and called it good- I honestly didn't notice any difference in the flavor or consistency)

DIRECTIONS:
Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve with Stacey's Pita Chips... we like Parmesan Garlic and Herb flavor!

Creamy Sundried Tomato Chicken Breast

Another great find on the Internet! I found this recipe HERE and we liked it! I made it with one of my favorite salads- Avocado Butter Salad.

Skinnytaste Salisbury Steak

I saw this online at Skinnytaste and it looked and sounded so good! I made it with mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes and we all really enjoyed it! You can find the recipe HERE.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

This is a new spin on hash brown casserole! The more veggies I can get into my kids, the better! I found the recipe HERE but I had to use a different cheese mix, because I didn't have cheddar on hand. Either way, it turned out great!

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
½ cup sour cream
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds.  Place in a covered dish with a ¼ inch of water and microwave for 10 -12 minutes.  In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper and thyme and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color.  Salt and pepper to taste.  

Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a small bowl.  Combine the squash, onions, sour cream and half the cheese together and mix well.  Transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

Place into a 375º for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown on top.

Low Country Boil

This is a HUGE hit around the south, but I'm not sure everyone has heard of it or makes it the same. It's super easy, easy to clean up and yummy! Here's how we like it!

 INGREDIENTS:
Zataran or Old Bay Shrimp/Crab Boil Seasoning Packet (this is either liquid or a bag that goes in the water)
Zataran or Old Bay Spice (this is for seasoning afterwards- my FAVORITE is from Pooler Seafood in Pooler, GA)
Shrimp (with tails on, unpeeled)
Sausage (we buy smoked turkey link sausage)
Corn on the Cob
Potatoes
Butter

DIRECTIONS: Bring the cleaned corn and potatoes to boil in a large pot with the seasoning packet. Cook until just done. Add shrimp and sausage for the last few minutes (until shrimp is pink). Drain and sprinkle dry seasoning on with some melted butter. Serve immediately!