Orange Sesame Chicken

Loved how this turned out.

I really enjoy both Sesame Chicken and Orange Chicken so I thought, why not!?!

And, it's lower in fat than most versions out there which is a major plus. 

Not to mention that it's easy to make and is a one pot/skillet meal.

Linked with Sunflower Supper Club: Weekend Potluck,

Rattlebridge Farm: Foodie Friday

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Orange Sesame Chicken

4 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 tbsp oil

1/4 cup flour

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal

1/2 red pepper, large chop

1/2 large onion, large chop

1/2 tsp ginger, grated or chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 dried cayenne chile pepper, torn in half and seeds removed or pinch of red pepper flakes.

Sauce:

1 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp vinegar

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp corn starch

Zest of 1 orange

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Whisk together sauce and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over med-high heat.

In a large plastic bag, mix together flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder and baking powder. Add chicken and shake to coat.

Add oil to skillet and brown chicken pieces until golden (in batches if necessary). No need to cook completely, they will finish in the sauce. Remove from skillet and reserve.

To the same skillet, with more oil if needed, cook carrot, red pepper, onion and chile pepper (can substitute a pinch of pepper flakes) for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger cooking a few minutes more. Add back in chicken and pour over the sauce, stirring to combine. Let simmer for a few minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chili pepper before serving.

Serve over brown rice with additional sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Buffalo Chicken Strip Wrap with Creamy Blue Cheese Sauce

I started making these wraps during the time my sister and I catered lunch around town. 

It was a huge hit and I still make it for my family today. Super easy and they love it.

Linked with Weekend Potluck.

Buffalo Chicken Strip Wrap

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

4 tbsp hot pepper sauce, Frank's recommended

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp Worcestershire

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

6-7 wraps depending on size

Shredded lettuce

Onion, halved and thinly sliced

Creamy Blue Cheese Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise, I use light

1/2 cup blue cheese dressing

1/4 tsp garlic powder
Squirt of fresh lime juice

Pinch salt and pepper

Cut breast into strips and place into a gallon bag. Add hot pepper sauce, olive oil, vinegar, Worcestershire, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Marinate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Stir together sauce ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat oven to 400*

Cook strips on a baking sheet with a rack 12-15 minutes turning half way through until done.

Heat up wraps in a skillet or place wraps in a clean kitchen towel and microwave 15-20 seconds, or until soft and warm.

To serve, spread wrap liberally with blue cheese sauce. Place 2-3 strips of chicken on wrap and top with lettuce and onion. Fold and enjoy.

NOTE: I like to use "Kangaroo" White Greek Pita Flatbread. 

Shrimp and Sausage Pasta with Creamy Sherry Tomato Sauce

I was in a bit of a fix for supper the other night, and came up with this pasta.

I like to have turkey sausage in the fridge and shrimp in the freezer at all times, because when it's crunch time for supper, it's easy to come up with something delicious. 

And it was!

Linked with Weekend Potluck and Foodie Friday.

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Shrimp and Sausage Pasta with Creamy Sherry Tomato Sauce

12oz. Whole Wheat Thin Spaghetti

1 tbsp Olive Oil, plus

4 slices Bacon, chopped (turkey works well)

14 oz. Smoked Turkey Sausage, cut into bite size pieces

12 oz. Shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt and Pepper

1 Onion, chopped

1 Red Pepper, chopped

2 stalks Celery, chopped

4 Cloves Garlic, minced

Pinch Red Pepper Flakes

1 tbsp Flour

1/2 cup Dry Sherry

1/2 cup Chicken Broth

15oz Diced Tomatoes

1 Sazon Goya, Con Culantro Y Achiote seasoning packet

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 cup Half & Half (fat free if desired)

1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Heat up 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Cook bacon and remove with a slotted spoon. Add sausage to the same pan and brown on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon. 

Salt and pepper shrimp; quick cook in the same skillet just to get some color on both sides, adding more oil as necessary. No need to cook all the way done. Cook in 2 batches. Remove and set aside.

Add onion, red pepper, celery, garlic and red pepper flakes with more oil if necessary. Saute until softened. Stir in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add sherry and broth, stirring to scrape up any bits from bottom. Add tomatoes, Sazon seasoning packet and cumin. Stir to combine; reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, reducing slightly.

Stir in cream, sausage, bacon and shrimp. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Taste for seasoning adding salt and pepper if desired. Add pasta and stir to combine. To serve, top with grated parmesan, if desired.

Note: The Sazon Goya seasoning packets can be found in the Mexican section of your grocery store.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Orange Balsamic Rosemary Glaze

These potatoes were awesome!

Enough said.

Linked with Sunflower Supper Club: Weekend Potluck,
Rattlebridge Farm: Foodie Friday,
Addicted to Recipes: Scrumptious Sunday.

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Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Orange Balsamic Rosemary Glaze

2-3 Sweet Potatoes, cut into 1 1/2” chunks

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1/4 cup Orange Marmalade

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbsp Orange Juice

2 tsp Fresh Rosemary, fine chop

Heat oven to 400*

Place potatoes on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes; turn and brush on 1/2 the glaze. Cook another 15 minutes; turn and brush on remainder of the glaze. Roast for 5-10 minutes more or until potatoes are fully cooked and tender.

For the glaze: place marmalade, vinegar, orange juice, rosemary and a pinch of salt and pepper into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until well combined and slightly reduced/thickened. Keep warm. 

Spaghetti with Creamy Butternut Leek Parmesan Sauce

I had no intentions of liking this. 

I'm not a huge squash fan, but do eat it from time to time, and enjoy it. 

Partly because I know how good it is for you.

I had some butternut squash leftover from this Pepita Pesto Pasta with Roasted Squash I had made, so when I came across this from Gina's Skinny Recipes, I was intrigued. 

It sounded really good but on the other hand I kept thinking, "I'm not gonna like this". 

I thought it would be an overload of squash and too sweet.

Well, the verdict is in and it's DELICIOUS! 

It's not very sweet like I figured it was going to be, but more savory. 

Loved it, and so did the hubby. His exact words were, "This is a keeper".

So my words to you are, "Try it, you'll like it". 

Kudos to you, Gina!

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Spaghetti with Creamy Butternut Leek Parmesan Sauce

1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 tbsp butter

8 oz thin whole wheat spaghetti

1 large leek (white part only)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp sage

 Salt and Pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add butternut squash and cook until soft. Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender, blend until smooth. Use a little water you cooked the squash in if necessary.

Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.

Meanwhile, in a large deep non-stick skillet, melt the butter; saute the leeks and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper over medium-low heat until soft and golden, about 5 - 6 minutes. Add pureed butternut squash and a little of the reserved pasta water to thin out to your liking. Stir in parmesan cheese and sage and mix in pasta until well coated. Taste for seasoning adding salt and pepper if desired.

Serve with additional parmesan cheese on the side.

Very slightly adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes.

Shredded Beef Enchilada Casserole

This was super fast and easy to make.

I used some meat from a chuck roast I had cooked the day before, 

but you could just as easily use ground beef or chicken.

It serves 6 easily and I used fat free sour cream and 2% cheese, so it's actually

 pretty low in fat. You definitely wouldn't know it from the flavor.

And guess what??? After the weigh-in this past Friday, our team moved up the ranks to #15. Whoop!

Linked with Sunflower Supper Club: Weekend Potluck,
Rattlebridge Farm: Foodie Friday,
Fresh Eggs Daily: Farm Girl Blog.

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Shredded Beef Enchilada Casserole

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups shredded beef, cooked (chuck roast)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp odobo

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp minced onion, dried

Salt and Pepper

1 10oz can Green Chili Enchilada Sauce, divided use

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn

5 whole wheat tortillas

1 1/2 cups Pace Picante Sauce

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

6 oz. 2% Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated

Parsley for garnish

Heat up olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add beef and cook for 3 minutes. Add cumin, odobo, chili powder, minced onion and a pinch of salt and pepper; stir to combine. Add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, black beans and corn; stir to combine and heat through. Turn off heat.

Mix together salsa, remaining enchilada sauce and sour cream.

Spray a round casserole dish with oil. Layer with tortilla shell, beef mixture, sauce and cheese. Continue with layers four more times ending with cheese.

Cover and bake at 375* for 25-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with parsley.

Serve with lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream and avocado.

Pepita Pesto Pasta with Roasted Squash

I just had the most amazing lunch.

I found this recipe in Rachel Ray's Magazine and knew immediately it would be a hit.

The very last of my fresh basil couldn't have been put to a better use.

It's really easy and fast to make. And...it has roasted squash. Yum!

Linked with Sunflower Supper Club: Weekend Potluck,

Rattlebridge Farm: Foodie Friday,
Fresh Eggs Daily: Farm Girl Blog Fest,
Six Sisters Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday,
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop.

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Pepita Pesto Pasta with Roasted Squash

Serves 4

Salt and pepper

1 pound whole wheat penne

1 1/2 pounds butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (for pesto), plus more for drizzling

Nutmeg, for grating

1 cup packed mixed herbs, such as cilantro, basil and flat leaf parsley

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1/3 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded

2 cloves garlic, crushed or pasted

Juice of 1 lime

Pre-heat the oven to 450ºF.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the starchy cooking water.

While the pasta is working, on a baking sheet, drizzle the squash with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. Roast until tender and charred at the edges, about 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a food processor, pulse 1/3 cup olive oil, the herbs, cheese, pepitas, chili peppers, garlic and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the pesto, reserved starchy cooking water and the squash to the drained pasta. Toss gently and serve.

Ginger Brown Rice with Kale

This was suppose to be for supper tonight but turned out so good we couldn't wait.
So...lunch and supper it is. No complaining from me.

It's awesome!

I ended up adding just a touch of salt and pepper once it was done 
but that's going to depend on how salty your broth is. 

We ate it with a drizzle of soy sauce, but it would also be 

great with a drop or two of sesame oil  and/or toasted sesame seeds. 

Linked with Sunflower Supper Club: Weekend Potluck,
Rattlebridge Farm: Foodie Friday,
Addicted to Recipes: Scrumptious Sunday and
Six Sisters Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday.

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Ginger Brown Rice with Kale

Serves 6-8

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 Onion, small dice

2 Carrots, small dice

2 Garlic Clove, minced

1 tsp Fresh Ginger, microplane or finely minced

Pinch Red Pepper Flakes

1 1/2 cups Brown Rice

1 1/2 cups Kale, stems removed and chopped (3-4 large stalks)

3 cups Chicken Broth

2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp Tamari or Soy Sauce

Heat up olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, carrots, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes; sauté 3-4 minutes. Stir in rice until well combined; stir in kale. Add broth, vinegar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 35-45 minutes. Let sit covered for 5-10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. 

Serve with a drizzle of soy sauce or a few drops of sesame oil, if desired.

Vegetable Quinoa and Kale Soup

Good for you or not, this is now one of my favorite soups.

Really filling, healthy and delicious with very low fat and calories per serving.

I served a couple of the Mini Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins with Orange Drizzle along side. The savory from the soup and the slight sweetness from the muffins was "WOW".  

A perfect flavor combo. So good! 

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Vegetable Quinoa and Kale Soup

3 slices turkey bacon

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tsp sage

Pinch red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper

7 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1 15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups chopped kale, remove stems

2 cups chopped broccoli

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot. Chop up the bacon and brown; remove with a slotted spoon.

To the same pot add onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, sage, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute on med-low 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Return to a boil and stir in quinoa, reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add beans, kale and broccoli and simmer covered for 15 minutes more. Stir in the reserved bacon and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if desired, turn off the heat (replace cover) and let sit for 10 minutes.

Beef and Cheese Burritos (Crockpot)

This is such an easy recipe with amazing flavor. 

If you read my last post, I know you're probably a little surprised, but this was the

 last thing I cooked before the challenge started. It was so good.

The meat is cooked in the crockpot, then broken up with a little of the sauce in a hot 

skillet with olive oil for a few minutes to let the meat absorb sauce/reduce before 

you fill the shells. It's a great "make ahead" too.

I baked them in the oven at a fairly high temperature to not only melt the cheese, but get a slight caramelization on the enchilada sauce. 

Speaking of enchilada sauce, I used canned for this dish, but I have a super easy enchilada sauce recipe that I usually use. You can find the recipe here.

FABULOUS!

Linked with Sunflower Supper Club: Weekend Potluck, Rattlebridge Farm: Foodie Friday,

and Foodie Friends Friday.

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Beef and Cheese Burritos

6-8 burritos

2 lbs stew meat

19 oz can Enchilada sauce

2 tsp beef bouillon

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tbsp olive oil

5 oz Sharp Cheddar cheese

Flour or corn tortillas

Cook the stew meat in the crockpot by placing the meat in first; sprinkle over 2 tsp of beef bouillon, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin; then cover with enchilada sauce. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Preheat oven to 400*.

Heat up a skillet with the olive oil. Remove meat with a slotted spoon with just a little of the sauce (about 1/4 cup or so), and add to skillet. Smash up the meat with a spoon and simmer until any liquid is absorbed by the meat (don't get it too dry). Remove to a bowl. Grate up the cheddar cheese.

In the same skillet, add the rest of the sauce. Dip the tortilla shells in the sauce; fill with meat and cheese, and roll. Place into a 9x13 baking dish. (I actually put a little sauce into the bottom of my dish, laid the tortilla in, flipped it over and filled and rolled it in the pan). Once all shells are filled, pour over any remaining sauce and top with remaining/additional cheese.

Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes.

Adapted from Chef in Training.

Healthy Wage Challenge

So, here's the deal.

You've probably noticed I haven't been posting much lately and here's the reason why.

I'm starting a weight challenge tomorrow and I've been eating mostly junk for the last 

couple weeks. I'm sure you career dieters know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I am so excited. 

You get together a team of 5 (or join a team) and which ever team looses the biggest percentage of their weight wins $10,000. That's right. Pretty great incentive.

We all have to go have our weight verified by a health club or your doctor the day the challenge begins, then once more when it's over. It starts 10/16 and ends in January.

I hate that it runs through the holidays, but I know I can do it. Also, I won't be one of the people waiting until January 1st (or 2nd) to start that fitness routine, like we do every year.

What I wanted to tell you is that, I will still be posting, but pretty much all the recipes are going to be lean and healthy, which is a good thing (for awhile). It may not be as consistent as in the past (not the last 2 weeks past) because I'm sure there's going to be quite a few ordinary salads and chicken breasts. That being said, I do have some wonderful "light cooking" recipe books and am actually pretty good at coming up with original low calorie and fat food. Honest! I know that's kinda hard to believe by the looks of things (me).

I'll also be sharing our teams progress and all interesting and exciting happenings.
If you want to keep up with the new recipes and progress (success:) of our team, 
enter your email address in the subscribe box at the top right of the page 
and new posts will be sent directly to you.

If you want more information check out www.healthywage.com.

Make a team of your own or join another team already in place. You can start up to 2 weeks after it starts (the sooner the better). They place everyone who signs up.

Wish me much loss!

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Easy Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

 This has to be one of the easiest sausage gravy recipes out there.

5 ingredients, including salt and pepper and it tastes, oh so delicious!

Most the time I use canned biscuits, cause let's face it, they can be pretty tasty. 

But if you want, by all means, make em fresh. All the better.

Linked with Food on Friday.

Easy Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

Serves 4

8 oz (half roll) of Jimmy Dean Sausage, any flavor

2-3 tbsp flour

2 cups of milk, plus

Salt 

Pepper

1 can large biscuits, any type

Cook biscuits according to package instructions.

While biscuits cook, brown the sausage in a skillet. Sprinkle over the flour and stir to combine. Cook mixture 3-5 minutes stirring often. While stirring, pour in 1 1/2 cups of milk; stir to combine and cook until it starts to thicken, adding more milk as it cooks to achieve desired thickness of gravy. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve over halved warm biscuits.

Mini Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins with Orange Drizzle

These muffins are so good!

I found them in a book by Pam Anderson called "The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great". It's a great recipe book and if you don't already own it, you should. 

It will become and instant favorite.

I love serving them with soups and stews, especially Spicy Sausage and White Bean Soup, which is another favorite I found in her book.

I like to have them around all the time. I freeze them, then I can just microwave a 

few at a time for snack, tea time, or any time.

To glaze these (I double the glaze), I set my cooling rack on a piece of parchment paper and just drizzle it over with a spoon. Makes clean-up easy. And if you don't feel you have enough glaze on them, scrape up the run off and add that too.

Linked with Sunflower Supper Club: Weekend Potluck and 
Rattlebridge Farm: Foodie Friday.

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Mini Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins with Orange Drizzle

1 can (15 oz.) 100% pure pumpkin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup flavorless oil (vegetable or canola)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

ORANGE GLAZE

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

2 teaspoons orange juice

Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with vegetable cooking spray.

Place pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, to blend flavors, about 3 minutes. Pour hot puree into a medium bowl. Whisk in brown sugar and oil, then slowly beat in eggs.

Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until just combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups (a 2-tablespoon spring-action ice cream scoop works well) and bake until golden and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let muffins stand for a couple of minutes, then remove from the cups and place on a wire rack to cool.

ORANGE GLAZE
Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle over warm muffins. 

Roasted Spaghetti Squash Casserole

I made this for lunch the other day and loved it.

The smoked Gouda cheese and sun-dried tomatoes gave it tons of flavor. 

If a person wanted to, they could add sausage or chicken and turn it into a main course. 

Linked with:

Weekend Potluck

Meal Plan Monday

Roasted Spaghetti Squash Casserole

1 spaghetti squash, roasted

1 tbsp olive oil, plus

1/4 cup shallots, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno or fresno pepper, seeded and minced (red pepper flakes can be substituted if desired)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp Italian seasoning (fresh basil would be good)

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rough chop

2 oz. smoked gouda, grated

2 tbsp Italian bread crumbs

2 tbsp Parmesan, grated

Heat oven to 400*.

Cut squash in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and place cut side down onto a baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until tender. Let cool; then with a fork scrape out squash and place it in a large bowl.

Reduce oven to 375*.

While squash is roasting, sauté shallots, peppers, garlic, Italian seasoning and a pinch of salt and pepper in 1 tbsp of olive oil until tender. Add chicken broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Take off heat and let cool.

Add the cooled pepper mixture and cheese to the squash (make sure the squash has cooled completely) and stir to combine. Place into a 2 quart buttered casserole dish.

Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan, pinch of salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil together. Sprinkle over the top of casserole. Drizzle lightly with more olive oil and bake covered at 375* for 15 minutes, uncover and continue baking for 10-15 minutes or until top is golden and crusty. Let cool 5-10 minutes.

Simple Mango Salsa

This is such a delicious and easy salsa to whip up.

It makes a great change from the ordinary and leftovers go great with chicken or fish.

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Simple Mango Salsa

1 mango, peeled and chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size
1 jalapeno or fresno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 red or yellow onion, diced
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper

Green Chile Sliders with Tangy Tomatillo-Lime Sauce

I made Rachel Ray's sliders the other day and they were awesome!

Just 2 things for football fare that day and both were the bomb.

We had Baked Buffalo Wings and these sliders.

They were easy too. I used Hatch chiles and just threw them on the gas range top to blacken. 

Once peeled, seeded and chopped, just mix those in with the meat and some cumin.

For the sauce...simple. Just blend it all in the food processor. 

The only thing I will probably add to the burger next time is a slice of onion.

DELICIOUS!

Linked with Sunflower Supper Club: Weekend Potluck, Rattlebridge Farm: Foodie Friday 

and Foodie Friends Friday. 

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Green Chile Sliders with Tangy Tomatillo-Lime Sauce

2 large poblano chiles (I used Hatch)
1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck or sirloin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
Sliced cheese

4 tomatillos, husks removed and coarsely chopped

1 jalapeno or serrano chile, chopped

1/2 white onion, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup cilantro or flat-leaf parsley leaves (a generous handful)

Grated peel plus juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the broiler. Place the poblanos on a baking sheet and broil, turning, until blackened. Transfer to a bowl; cover. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel off the skins and remove the seeds; discard. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces.

Sauce:  Using a food processor, mix the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, lime peel, lime juice and honey until smooth; season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, season the beef with the cumin, salt and pepper; combine. Mix in the poblanos. Halve the meat mixture and form each half into four 3-inch patties.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat and cook the patties, turning once, about 5-7 minutes for medium-rare, or until desired doneness. During the last minute of cooking, top with a slice of cheese and tent with foil. Spread the roll tops with the tomatillo sauce and assemble the sliders. Serve with the extra sauce.

Baked Buffalo Wings with Light Blue Cheese Dip

These wings were spectacular.

I can honestly say they were just as good or better than any Buffalo Wings I've ever tried. 

And they're BAKED!

The trick, which I got from a recipe by Alton Brown, is to steam them first. It helps break down and get rid of some of the fat from the skin so they get a better finish in the oven.

I don't even know what else to say about them. Super easy and delicious. Great football food. 

Give them a try...you won't be disappointed.

Oh, and serve them with my lightened up version of Blue Cheese Dip.

Linked with Weekend Gala Dinner Party.
Sunflower Supper Club: Weekend Potluck,
Rattlebridge Farm: Foodie Friday

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Baked Buffalo Wings

1 lb Chicken Wings

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp Butter

1/4 cup Frank’s Hot Sauce
Pinch of Garlic Powder

Bring a pot with water and a steamer basket to boil. Water should not be touching the basket.

Remove wing tips from chicken (save for stock if desired) and split the rest of wings in two, at the joint. Add the wings to the steamer and steam for 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack set over a paper towel lined baking sheet and let cool; refrigerate 1 hour.

Heat oven to 425*.

Prepare hot sauce by combining Frank’s, butter, fresh cracked black pepper and a dash of garlic powder in a large bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir until butter is melted. Remove 1 tbsp of sauce to a small dish and reserve to brush chicken during cooking.

Remove paper towel lining from the baking sheet and brush both sides of wings with a light coating of vegetable oil along with a small pinch of salt and pepper.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with a light coating of the reserved tbsp of hot sauce; turn the wings over and brush other side; return to oven for 15 minutes more or until cooked through. Remove from oven and add to the bowl containing hot sauce; toss to combine.

Serve with Light Blue Cheese Dip, carrots and celery.

Blue Cheese Dip:

1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek Yogurt

3 tbsp Blue Cheese, crumbled

2 tbsp light Mayonnaise

2 tbsp light Sour Cream

1 small Clove of Garlic, minced

Juice of 1 Lime

Salt and Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl and stir to combine.