Mexican Potato Casserole

Mexican Potato Casserole

7 points per serving
Serves 4
 
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. lean ground beef (10% fat or less)
2 green peppers, seeded and chopped
8 scallions, sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 T. chili powder
1T. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and very thinly sliced
3/4 c. r/f shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray and 8x8 pan with Pam.

2. In a large nonstick skillet heat the oil. Add the beef, bell peppers and scallions; cook, stirring, until beef is browned, about 6-8 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, pepper and salt. Cook, stirring, until flavors have blended, about 5 min.

4. Arrange alternate layers of potatoes and beef mixture in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes; uncover and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake until potatoes are cooked through and cheese is melted, about 10 min. longer.

This recipe is from my wonderful Weight Watchers leader, Anne. Her are some notes from her.

"I usually double this casserole and make it in a 9x13 baking dish. When I double it, I use one 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained, instead of the fresh tomatoes. I serve this with fresh salsa on the side, and with chopped avocado (add the points!) more chopped scallions, even low fat sour cream.

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Carolina BBQ Pork

Carolina BBQ Pork

4 lb. boneless lean pork roast
1 onion, quartered
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 TBLS brown sugar
1 TBLS. paprika
1 tsp. sugar or Splenda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 tsp. worchestershire sauce

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Place onions in crock. Combine brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper; rub over roast. Place roast over onions. Combine vinegar, worchestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar or splenda, mustard, garlic powder, and cayenne; stir to combine. Drizzle 1/2 over roast; cover and refrigerate the rest. Cook on low 10-12 hours or 4-6 on high. During the last half hour of cooking pour the remaining vinegar mixture over the roast. Shred the meat and onions and stir together. Serve on a bun with homemade Carolina BBQ Sauce.

Carolina BBQ Sauce

1 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup ketchup
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Combine all in a sauce pot and cook over low heat 5 minutes.

Spicy Baked Beans

This is my favorite recipe for baked beans. I never used to be a fan of them until I moved here and had some pretty awesome beans at Jack Stack. I decided to do a search for baked beans and found this recipe. It's not Jack Stack, but I think they are pretty darn good!

Baked Beans

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. canola oil
4 (15 ounce) cans pork and beans (I use a variety of Bush's)
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbls. lemon juice
2 tbls. balsamic or cider vinegar
2 tbls. chili powder
2 tbls. finely chopped jalapeno
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. liquid smoke

Saute onions and garlic in oil until tender. Add to beans and the rest of the ingredients in casserole dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

1/2 cup serving:

205 calories
4 g fat
8 g fiber
 

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Margarita Beef Skewers

This is one of the easiest and tastiest beef marinades I've ever had! Ridiculously good!

Margarita Beef Skewers

1 cup margarita mix
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbls. white sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 lb. sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or resealable plastic bag. Toss sirloin cubes in bag and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Thread on skewer with onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc. Grill approximately 10 minutes for medium. Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Easy Chicken Pot Pie
 
7.5 oz. can refrigerated Pillsbury biscuits
12 oz. bonelsess skinless chicken breast, cooked and cubed
1 can rf cream of chicken soup
8 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, soup, veggies, parsley, black pepper and salt. Mix well to combine.

Spray 8x8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken mixture in dish. Slightly flatten each biscuits between your palms. Top chicken mixture with biscuits.

Bake for 30 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Serve immediately.

Asian Pepper Steak (Slow Cooker)

This is a new Rachael Ray recipe. She has started featuring some slow cooker recipes on her talk show. This is the first one I've tried. It was really good. It tasted like pepper steak you would get at a restaurant. It calls for sirloin steak, but since Price Chopper had Patio steaks on the Massive Meat Sale this week, that is what I used. The steak was so tender, it was falling apart! Enjoy!

Asian Pepper Steak ( Serves 6-8)

3 pounds sirloin steak
3 tbls. cornstarch for dusting meat
3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 tbls. ginger, grated
1 large onion, sliced
3 red bell peppers, sliced
3 yellow bell peppers, sliced
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
4 tbls. brown sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups rice

Topper:
2 cups bean sprouts
1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 limes

Preparation

In a large skillet, sear the steak in some EVOO until nice and brown on both sides. Remove the steak to a cutting board and slice into 1 inch strips.

Place the sliced steak into the slow cooker, then dust the meat with the cornstarch and mix the meat until there is no more visible cornstarch.

Add the remaining ingredients, except the rice and topper ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

When you are ready to serve, get a medium bowl and mix the topper ingredients and place a portion of the mixture on top of each portion of pepper steak. This will add a pop of flavor. ( I didn't use the toppers because I didn't have any of these things on hand.)

Serve on top of cooked rice.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip Chicken

Ok, friends, here it is! It was very tasty, but rich. I think next time I might add a can of diced tomatoes (drained) to cut the richness. If you have sour cream and want that tanginess, I would use it. I think I might even sneak a bit more cheese in next time. This is a very adaptable recipe to taste. So feel free to change it up as much as you want! Enjoy! :)

Spinach & Artichoke Dip Chicken

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1 can cream of chicken soup, lf
10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
14 oz. canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 oz. rf or ff cream cheese (the original recipe called for lf sour cream, but I subbed this because I didn't have sour cream on hand)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup water
1/8 cup rf parmesan cheese
1/4 cup 2% mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp. black pepper & salt, each or to taste
2 cloves garlic

Spray 2 quart crock pot with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts into crock. In a separate bowl, mix soup, spinach, artichoke hearts, onions, parmesan cheese, cream cheese, garlic, black pepper, & water. Pour mixture over chicken breasts. Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 7-8 hours. Stir in mozzarella cheese right before you are ready to serve. Serve over pasta or rice.