Low Fat Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

Just a few days after I made Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing I saw this recipe for Lowfat Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing on Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes. I am 100 percent hooked on homemade dressing! Store bought dressing just does not measure up.

I used the Blue Cheese Dressing to cool off Buffalo Chicken that I served with cruidtes. The dressing was excellent and you would never know it's low fat - actually mine not be since I used full fat mayo. Oops! :) I doubled this recipe so we would have extra for dipping veggies into later on. After it sat for a day or two it was even better, too!

Lowfat Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

From Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Ingredients

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

6 ounces fat free yogurt

1 tablespoon light mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (I just used regular vinegar)

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

In a small bowl mash blue cheese and yogurt together with a fork. Stir in mayo, lemon juice, vinegar, and garlic powder until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 1 cup. 

Black Beans and Rice

When I made Creamy Chicken Enchiladas this week, I cooked up Elizabeth's Black Beans & Rice to go with them as a side dish. This yummy side dish is so easy and quick! I will definitely be making it again to accompany Mexican dishes.

Black Beans & Rice

Modified from Dutch Oven

Ingredients

2 cups of rice, cooked to desired tenderness

1 can of black beans

1 clove of garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions

In a medium sauce pan heat the olive oil and garlic. Add the black beans with their juices. Heat through. Stir in rice. Serve.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

My husband and I just got back from Mexico and the best vacation we have ever had! We did not want to leave the beautiful resort, unlimited drinks, and yummy Mexican fare. Alas, reality called and here we are back at home doing the daily grind. In a vain attempt to keep the vacation feeling going, I made these extremely delicious Creamy Chicken Enchiladas that I found on my blogging friend Elizabeth's cooking site. The shredded chicken, cream cheese, and green chilies shine through in every bite of these rich, soft enchiladas. 

A confession: In the past I "made" tacos, burritos, or enchiladas from a box. This recipe showed me how easy it is to create your own yummy Mexican cuisine. The boxed stuff doesn't even hold a candle to these enchiladas.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas 

From Elizabeth at Dutch Oven

Ingredients

Enchilada filling:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon onion powder (I used minced onion since I didn't have onion powder)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken (I used three chicken breasts that I baked in the oven with salt and pepper for about 15 minutes but Elizabeth says you can also used store bought rotisserie chicken)

10 tortillas (Somehow I only had enough filling for 7 and used whole wheat tortillas)

Topping:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 can chopped green chilies

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (Oops, I used a whole package of Mexican shredded cheese since we are HUGE cheese lovers)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl beat the cream cheese, water, onion, cumin, salt, and pepper until smooth. Stir in chicken. Place 1/4 cup of the mixture on the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam down in a 9X13 greased backing pan. In a bowl combine the soup, sour cream, milk, and chilies. Then pour over enchiladas. Bake uncovered for 30 - 40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake 5 more minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with salsa and sour cream. 

Asian Meatballs

During my cooking blog surfing I found Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes. This fantastic cooking blog immediately made it to my favorites list because the food looked so yummy but is actually healthy! Since I started this cooking blog in November I have been so excited to make dishes that are delicious that I've thrown any concerns about calories, carbohydrates, and fat grams to the wind! Not such a good idea, especially now that bathing suit season is quickly approaching. I discovered Gina's website just in time. For each recipe she gives you the WW point value, serving size, and calories. I've tried two of her recipes now and they are not only Weight Watcher Friendly but super flavorful! You won't even notice you are eating healthy! Even if you aren't a health conscious eater go check out her website because I guarantee you will find something that grabs your attention!


These Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce were the first recipe I tried from Gina's site. They appealed to me because of the flavor combinations: ginger, cilantro, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime. Yum yum! The meatballs turned out very moist and had a distinct Asian flavor that was very different flavor from any meatball I've ever tried. I served them with Veggie Lover's Fried Rice and with the Lime Sesame Sauce to drizzle over the meatballs and rice it was a filling and delicious meal. I will definitely be adding this one to our meal rotation. I noticed that some people commented these make great appetizers too, but you would probably want to double the recipe for a larger crowd because although the meatballs are large, the recipe only makes 12.


Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce
From Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Ingredients


1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey
1 egg
1 tablespoon of ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Dipping Sauce


4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons water
1 chopped fresh scallions
*I also added in 1/2 tablespoon of sesame seeds


Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Mix ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, salt, scallions, cilantro, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons of oil with your hands until combined. Shape 1/4 cup meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

For the dipping sauce mix together lime juice, water, soy sauce, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a bowl. Add scallions (and sesame seeds).

Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with 1 tablespoons sauce. Serve meatballs with remaining sauce.

Balsamic Brown Butter Ravioli

This is one of those recipes that are super simple, very easy, and great for those nights when you don't have a lot of time to cook. It literally takes about 15 minutes from start to finish and it's so good - how can it not be with 6 tablespoons of butter?

It's one of my favorite recipes from Giada De Laurentiis, but I honestly love just about anything of hers. The sauce is tangy and velvety from the balsamic vinegar and the crunch of the toasted walnuts is a great combination with ravioli of your choice. I also added in wild mushrooms that we got from our local Farmer's Market that I sauteed in butter. 

Balsamic Brown Butter Ravioli

Modified from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

18 to 20 ounces of store-bought ravioli (cheese, mushroom, or squash) *I used chicken and proscuitto 

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup toasted, chopped walnuts (Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes, shake around, taste a couple and bake about 2 more minutes)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring a lot pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain ravioli onto a large serving platter. 

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides and the butter begins to turn to a golden brown, about 3 minutes, turn off the heat. Let cool for about 1 minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

This is also when I sauteed the mushrooms in butter over medium heat. 

Transfer the ravioli to the saucepan with the balsamic brown butter. Sprinkle walnuts and Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.