Cold Corn Soup w/ Queso Fresco

I ran across this recipe on Skinny Taste and it was a warm soup but that seemed like too much with the heat wave we had been going through. I decided to chill it and see if it was good cold... it was great! Make sure to use fresh corn because it will give a much better corn flavor. To make it easier/cleaner there are two different methods that you can use. 1) OXO makes a corn stripper that catches all the corn. 2) Place a small bowl upside down inside of a large bowl and place the end of the corn on the smaller bowl. now when you cut the corn it will fall into the larger bowl eliminating the majority of the mess.

Enjoy this soup this weekend it is supposed to get into the eightys here so it will be the perfect temperature for a picnic and the next recipe i post will be the perfect compliment for this soup. I will post it today as well.

Ingredients

1/2 t Olive Oil

1/3 c Chopped Scallions

1 Garlic Clove

3-1/2 c Fresh Corn Kernels, Cut from the Cob (5-6 medium sized ears)

1 (6 oz) Russet Potato, Peeled and Diced

5 c Skim Milk

1 Chicken Bouillon Cube

2 T Chopped Cilantro, Divided

1/4 c Reduced Fat Sour Cream

Salt and Pepper, to Taste

3 oz (6 T) Crumbled Queso Fresco

Directions

1. Heat Olive Oil in a medium heavy pot

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"

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

I LOVE Mexican food so when I ran across this recipe on Emily Bites I had to try it. I combined it with a corn soup to complete the meal. I will post that recipe later. I made the soup yesterday and chilled it overnight for today. Today I prepped all the ingredients before I started cooking to make a quick easy cooking process. The Enchilada Skillet is 8 points plus for 1/6 of the skillet.

My Complete 14 pt meal

Ingredients

1.5 lbs Frozen Chicken Breasts

3 cans Red Enchilada Sauce

1 t Canola Oil

1 Small Onion, Diced (I used a small vidalia)

3 Garlic Cloves, Minced

3 T Chili Powder

1/2 t Salt

2 t Cumin

2 t Sugar

15 oz Can tomato Sauce

1/2 c Water

1-1/4 c Canned Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed

8 - 6 inch Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Bite Size Pieces

4 oz can Chopped Green Chilies

1-1/2 c Reduced Fat Shredded Sharp Cheddar

Directions

1. Place frozen Chicken Breasts in slow cooker and cover with Enchilada Sauce
2. Cook on high for 4-5 hours
3. Take Chicken out of the slow cooker and discard remaining Enchilada Sauce.
4. With two forks shred chicken
5. Heat Oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add Onions and cook until softened.
6. Add Garlic, Chili Powder, Salt, Cumin, and Sugar and stir to mix.
7. Add Tomato Sauce and Water, stir to mix and simmer until thickened.
8. Add Chicken and Black Beans, stir to mix.
9. In a separate pan add cut up Tortillas and spray with cooking spray stir until heated through.
10. Add Tortillas, Green Chilies, and 1 c of the Sharp Cheddar
11. Mix until well combined
12. Top with remaining Sharp Cheddar and Cover until cheese is melted on top.

I used a 4qt Crock Pot

I love shredding Slow Cooked Chicken it is sooooo easy.

I made the Tortillas into about 3/4" x 3/4" pieces

All my Prepped Non-Canned Ingredients

Simmering the sauce before adding the Chicken and Beans

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. :-)

Low Fat Sausages Topped with Crunchy Homemade Skinny Honey Mustard Slaw

I love hot dogs but they are not healthy so I went searching for a healthier recipe. I found this recipe on Skinny Kitchen. By using chicken sausages and honey mustard coleslaw, this recipe brings great flavors without the fat and calories. Each Sausage comes in at only 8 weight watchers points.

Ingredients:

1 - 10 oz bag shredded white cabbage

1/4 cup light mayo (I used Hellman's w/ Canola Oil.)

1 T apple cider vinegar

2 T dijon mustard

1/2 T honey

1/4 t white horseradish

6 fully cooked reduced fat chicken sausages

6 whole wheat buns

Instructions:

1. To make the cole slaw dressing - In a small bowl, mix mayo, vinegar, mustard, honey and horseradish. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas

One of my main focuses when cooking is healthy foods. My wife is doing Weight Watchers and I have found that the best way that I can be supportive is by cooking meals that not only fit within the program but also are tasty because otherwise we both fall off the wagon and start eating more junk food. I have found that not only has it be a benefit to her program but I feel much better as well. For those of you who are also doing weight watchers, I will post the points for a recipe whenever I have them. (Which is most times.)

Recently, I have been really inspired to use Mexican flavors in my food. This recipe is one that I made from www.SkinnyTaste.com but Tammy and I both felt as if it was missing something so I made my own little addition that we both feel brings it all together and only adds one point per tostada. Black Bean Hummus inspired by Spark Recipes.

I need to work on my photography and presentation skills but I swear it tastes great!

6 ww points plus per tostada (we generally eat 2 for a meal.)

Ingredients and Directions:

Black Bean "Hummus"

2 Cans Black beans, Drained and rinsed

1 small onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic minced

2 T ground cumin

1 1/2 t olive oil

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 c salsa verde

1. Place drained and rinsed black beans in the food processor and pulse a few times to start to chop up the beans.