Avocado and Black Bean Salad

"Cooking for people is an enormously significant expression of generosity and soulfulness, and entertaining is a way to be both generous and creative. You're sharing your life with people. Of course, it's also an expression of your own need for approval and applause. Nothing wrong with that." - Ted Allen

Looking for an alternative to the standard side dishes or dips? Look no further. I found this recipe on Skinny Taste and made it for the Super Bowl Party we attended. The freshness of the lime paired perfectly with the creaminess of the avocado and the crunch of the cucumber. Some people ate this as a side salad, I liked it with tortilla or pretzel chips. No matter how you eat it the flavors and textures meld together extremely well.

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 10 servings, 3 weight watchers points plus. 103 calories, 14g carbs, 5g fat, 4g protein

Ingredients:

• 2 Avocados, Diced
• 3 Roma Tomatoes, Diced
• 1 Seedless Cucumber, Peeled and Diced
• 15.5 oz can Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed
• 3 T Red Onion, Diced

Harissa Eggs in Purgatory

This is a great breakfast meal or even better a breakfast for dinner meal! I found Harissa at Whole Foods and Mariano's (you can also find it online) it gives this dish a slight kick. If you want more of a kick you can purchase it in spicy but I have not done that yet. This is such an easy dish that I found on skinnytaste that it can be made for a weeknight meal or for a weekend breakfast when everyone wakes up at the same time. Eggs In Purgatory is a dish that the eggs are poached in tomato sauce instead of water so there is no waste! This can be served over a crusty bread, rice, quinoa or my favorite hummus. I made a garlic hummus that paired perfectly with this once I make it again I will post that as well I have also served this with Sweet Potato Fries which I am posting on Wednesday. Each serving contains one poached egg and one fourth of the sauce.

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 4 servings, 2 weight watchers points plus. 103 calories, 5g carbs, 5g fat, 7g protein

Ready to serve!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 t Olive Oil
• 2T Minced Red Onion
• 14.5 oz Can Diced Tomatoes
• 2 T Harissa
• 4 Eggs
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 1 t Fresh Chopped Parsley and/or Chives (optional)

Directions:

1. Saute Onions in heated Olive Oil until they start to turn golden brown. It should be about 2 minutes.

60 Garlic Chicken

I have seen quite a few different 40 garlic chicken recipes but they never seem to feed more than 4 people. So I adapted a recipe from SlenderKitchen to create 60 Garlic Chicken!!!! (Their recipe states 6 servings but only includes two thirds of a chicken breast and dividing them up is not easy so this recipe serves 6 people with 6 chicken breasts. If you are planning on making this recipe I would recommend having a Garlic Peeler or purchasing Peeled Garlic. I did this by hand the first time and it was not fun. The dish was still worth it though. Many of my chicken dishes you can start with frozen chicken in the crock pot this is NOT one of them.

*Note: We make this dish the day before and reheat it in the oven and the flavors are even better!

Nutritional Information (calculated on myfitnesspal.com): 6 servings,  7 weight watchers points plus. 251 calories, 21g carbs, 4g fat, 38g protein

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs chicken Breasts (6 breasts, I user Perdue frozen, Boneless Skinless)
• 1.5 c Fat Free Chicken Stock
• 1 Chopped Onion, Divided
• 3 Chopped Leeks
• 3 t Paprika
• 60 cloves of Garlic
• 3 t salt
• 3 t black pepper
• 1/3 c Chopped Italian Parsley
• 1 Bay Leaf

Instructions:

1. Saute Leeks in cooking spray until they begin to soften. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Pesto and Chicken and Tomato Skewers

So I have been off for a little while working on prepping for my fantasy football drafts. I am now back and have a lot of recipes to post. I love pesto but there is always sooooo much oil. Gina at Skinny Taste has come up with a healthier pesto and marinated chicken in it. These skewers are amazing and unlike many pestos that are overrun by oil and garlic this one is perfectly balanced and it clings to the chicken and when grilled the flavor is infused into the chicken.

Ingredients

1 c Fresh Basil Leaves

1 Clove Garlic

1/4 c Grated Parmesan

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

3 T Olive Oil

1-1/4 lbs Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into 1-Inch Cubes

24 Cherry Tomatoes

1 Small Red Onion, Sliced into Wedges

16 Wooden Skewers

Directions

1. Blend the Basil, Garlic, Parmesan, Salt, and Pepper in a Food processor. While pulsing the food processor slowly add the garlic.

Slow Cooker Baked Chicken Burritos

My Sous Chef inspecting the spices

When I first ran across this recipe on Laaloosh I was wondering how someone would slow cook a burrito. Well only the filling is slow cooked, it is then wrapped and covered in enchilada sauce and a small amount of cheese and baked. These are packed with so much flavor I am trying to figure out when I can make them again!

Ingredients

1 lb Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts

1 - 15 oz can Diced Tomatoes

1 Large Green Pepper, Sliced Thinly

1 - 4 oz can Chopped Green Chilies
1 can Jalapeno Infused Black Olives

1 Medium Red Onion, Sliced Thinly
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Packet Taco Seasoning*

8 Tortillas
1 - 15 oz Can Enchilada Sauce
1 c Reduced Fat Mexican Cheese

* I created my own taco seasoning because I don't like the amount of sodium in normal mixes. I will list that recipe below.

Directions

1. Place Chicken, Tomatoes, Green Pepper, Green Chilies, Black Olives, Onions, Garlic, and Taco Seasoning in the Slow Cooker. Cook for 5-6 Hours on Low.

Avocado Vodka Burger

This is one of my original recipes that has taken years to perfect but since I am serving it at a party today it is probably time to post it. I love stuffed burgers, I had one for the first time about 5 years ago and that is where this brainstorm started. The topping was a fortunate accident that I have continually refined. It was originally meant to be a side dish that I just made with what I had and it turned into the perfect topping for this burger. I have not taken the time to figure out the points for this burger yet but when I do I will edit this post. I also forgot to take pictures when I was making them so those will have to come later.

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Turkey

1 lb Ground Beef

1/2 Small Onion, Shredded

1 c Vodka Pasta Sauce

1-1/2 c Shredded Mozzarella, Divided

2 Avocados, Diced

1 Small Red Onion, Chopped

3 T Rice Wine Vinegar

2 T Lemon Juice

Salt and Pepper to Taste

6 Hamburger Buns

Directions

1. Preheat Grill to Medium High
2. Mix Ground Turkey, Ground Beef, Vodka Sauce, White Onion, and 1 c Mozzarella Cheese in a large bowl.
3. Divide into 12 patties
4. Create a "crater" in 6 of the patties and fill evenly with 1/2 c Mozzarella Cheese
5. Place the non-filled patties on top and seal the edges, making sure that the edges are completely closed
6. Grill to desired doneness.
7. Mix last 5 ingredients (Avocado, Red Onion, Rice Wine Vinegar, Lemon Juice and Salt and Pepper) in a medium bowl.
8. Place burgers on buns and top with avocado "salsa"

Ditalini Pasta Salad with Lemon, Green Beans and Tomatoes

We have been "World Travelers" the past few weeks. We have been to Memphis, TN, Sheboygan, WI and DISNEY WORLD! My parents built a house down in Memphis while my dad works down there for a few years and Tammy, Giuliana, Karen (my Mother-In-Law), Dan (my Father-In-Law), Travis (my Brother) and Lauren (his Friend/Co-Worker) all went down to visit. We all had a great time and while we were down there we all cooked together (whenever we were not eating out.) At about 4 Points Plus per 1 cup serving this is a GREAT side dish! For this meal we made the Sausages with the Honey Mustard Slaw and a recipe I adapted from Skinny Taste. There was really only 2 changes:

1. She used asparagus and that is a flavor I do not enjoy so I replaced them with green beans
2. The store we were at in Memphis did not have pearl couscous so I substituted ditalini

You will see pictures of some of my family I on this post as many of them helped because the only thing I enjoy more than cooking for a crowd is cooking with a crowd. :-)

Ingredients

6 oz Ditalini Pasta

3/4 lb Green Beans, Trimmed to 1 Inch Pieces

1-1/2 c Grape Tomatoes, Quartered

1/4 c Red Onion, Minced

1-1/2 Lemons, Juiced

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 T Fresh Parsley, Minced

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the green beans cook about three minutes to cooked but still crisp.
2. Remove from pot of water and place green beans in an ice bath.
3. Cook the Ditalini in the same water until desired doneness.
4. Drain the Ditalini and place into a bowl and add green beans to same bowl..
5. Add Tomatoes, Onion, Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, and Parsley to the bowl and mix well.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Enjoy immediately.

 Travis was really proud to show himself starting up the grill.

 Lauren quartering the tomatoes.

 Expertly quartered tomatoes by Lauren.

 Mom B cutting the green beans into perfect pieces before blanching.

 Boiling the water isn't that a beautiful stove!?

 Mom R mincing the parsley. See how careful she is?

 Travis cutting the sausages.

 Apparently cutting the sausages was hard work!

 This is the final product for the pasta salad.

 The sausages expertly grilled by Travis Dad R and Dad B.

 Travis modeling a perfect plate!

 Dad B, Dad R, Mom B and Tammy all following Travis' lead.

 Tammy Showing how to open a bun.

I swear my parents house is not crooked just the photographer. :-)