Baked Potato Pizza

Ingredients

1

can (11 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated thin pizza crust

6

slices (1 oz each) provolone cheese

2

cups cubed unpeeled baked potato (about 1 large)

2

tablespoons olive oil

2

tablespoons ranch dressing and seasoning mix (from 1-oz milk recipe package)

8

strips crisply cooked bacon, chopped

1

cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

1/4

cup sliced green onions (4 medium), if desired

Sour cream, if desired

• 1Heat oven to 400°F. Spray or grease 15x10-inch or larger dark or nonstick cookie sheet. Unroll dough on cookie sheet; starting at center, press dough into 15x10-inch rectangle.
• 2Arrange provolone cheese slices on dough. In medium bowl, mix potato, olive oil and ranch dressing mix. Spoon evenly over cheese. Sprinkle with bacon and Cheddar cheese.
• 3Bake 13 to 16 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with onions. Serve with sour cream.

Tabbouleh

Ingredients
1 cup bulghur wheat
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 cup good olive oil
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Place the bulghur in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; mix well. Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours.

Cheese-garlic biscuits

Heat oven to 400 degrees

2 cups of Bisquick baking mix

2/3 cups milk

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix baking mix, milk, and cheese until soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds.  Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until brown. Mix garlic and butter; brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.

Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

Two 8 ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
16 oz. precooked chicken pieces (such as Tyson brand Chicken Breast Strips)1 cup buffalo wing sauce1 cup ranch dressing1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheeseTortilla chips

Directions:1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.2. Spread the cream cheese on the bottom of a 9×13” pan or similar sized casserole dish.3. Mix the chicken, wing sauce, ranch dressing and 1 cup of the cheese in a bowl. Spread the mixture on the top of the cream cheese. Top with the remaining ½ cup cheese.4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve warm with tortilla chips or celery sticks.

Simple Chili Bean Dip

photo and recipe from Love Grows Wild

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

15 ounce can Hormel chili

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1. evenly spread the softened cream cheese into the bottom of an ungreased glass pie pan or other round baking dish. Spread chili over the cream cheese. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
2. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Check the dip to see if cheese is melted and microwave 1-2 minutes more until cheese is completely melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

Skinny Black Bean and Corn Quesadilla

prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Serving  size: 1 Quesadilla

Ingredients:
15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen yellow corn
1/2 cup reduced-fat Mexican cheese, shredded
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped and divided
1 cup tomato salsa, divided
4-9" La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb, High Fiver Tortillas
1 ripe avocado, diced
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

*Optional toppings
jalapenos
lime wedges
tomatoes, diced

Instructions:

1. Combine beans, corn, cheese, 1/4 cup cilantro, and 1/4 cup salsa in bowl
2. Place tortillas on a large baking sheet or platter
3. Spread filling on half of each tortilla (a little more than 1/3 cup on each).
4. Fold tortillas in half, pressing to flatten
5. Add oil to large frying pan and brown tortillas on medium-low heat until cheese is melted, flipping once, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
6. Or grill on T-fal OptiGrill o the sandwich setting
7. Repeat until all tortillas are golden brown and cheese is melted
8. Slice in halves and top with remaining fresh salsa, cilantro, avocado, and any other toppings of your choice.

I

Oreo truffles

1 package Oreo cookies

8 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature

melted chocolate

crush Oreos an mix with the cream cheese until completely combined.  Chill for one hour.  roll into small balls and dip in chocolate.  Enjoy!   

Sara's granola dough

1  cup dry oatmeal

2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ

½ cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

Stir all ingredient together until thoroughly combined. Let chill in refrigerator for half an hour.

Roll into balls. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Pavlova with Lemon Curd Pudding and Berries-Elysianna Ashcraft

 Low Carb Lemon Chiffon

Ingredients
3 eggs, separated
3 oz Splenda, Stevia, etc
juice of 1 lemon
grated rind of ¹/₂ lemon
Beat the egg yolks and Splenda together until creamy, then gradually add the lemon juice and rind. Heat gently in a thick-based pan or the top of a double boiler, stirring all the time, until the mixture thickens - do not overheat or it will curdle.
Allow to cool. Whisk the egg whites stiffly and fold into the lemon cream mixture. Pile into individual glasses and chill before serving. Eat the same day.
Instead of adding egg whites, I added heavy whipped cream, whipped with 1/3 c powdered sugar. It helped a lot with the bitter aftertaste of the Stevia.

MERINGUE NESTS:

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR 1 vanilla bean (seeds only)
juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 ounces egg white, about 5-6 large eggs

I did 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup Stevia, to cut down a little on the carbs. :)

Divide the egg whites from the yolks. Save the yolks for a later use, such as Citrus Curd or another favorite recipe that requires egg yolks. Bring the egg whites to room temperature for 30 minutes before beginning the recipe.
Prepare by preheating your oven to 250 degrees F and lining a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Whisk the cornstarch and sugar together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, turn the speed on to low. Mix for 1 minute, then gradually increase the speed to medium-low.
Continue to beat at medium-low for another minute, then increase mixer's speed to medium. Continue until the mixture has small bubbles and soft peaks start to develop, about 2 minutes.
Slowly add the sugar mixture into the bowl as the mixture continues to beat. Increase the speed to medium-high. Beat for 2 minutes.
Add the vanilla and lemon juice. Increase the speed to high and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes. It is ready when the meringue is shiny and has developed stiff peaks.
For individual pavlovas, you can spoon little nests (6-8 total) of meringue onto the prepared baking sheet. Then, bake at 250 degrees F for 45 – 65 minutes. Rotate the pan(s) halfway through baking.
Finished meringue should be crisp and dry, but not cracked. The insides will have a marshmallow-like consistency. Cool baked meringue on a wire rack.
Tip: Form a dip in the center of each pavlova with the back of the spoon before baking to act as a dish to hold the lemon curd and berries.
After pavlova has cooled, top with lemon curd and fresh berries. Best served immediately. If you assemble the dessert too soon then the lemon curd with begin to dissolve the meringue.

Sweetened Ricotta with Berries

Ricotta:
8 cups milk (any kind)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup lemon juice

Dessert:
1 cup fresh black berries
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, heat milk and cream to 180° over low heat, stirring constantly. Stir in lemon juice. Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes (milk and whey will separate).
2. Line a large strainer with four layers of cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Pour milk mixture into prepared strainer; strain for 1 hour or until most of the liquid is strained. Discard liquid. Wrap ricotta with edges of cheesecloth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Squeeze out any liquid; remove cheesecloth and discard liquid from bowl.
3. In a small bowl, combine berries and sugar; set aside. Place ricotta in a food processor. Add honey and salt; cover and process until blended. While processing, gradually add cream in a steady stream; process until creamy. Serve with berries.

Yield: 7 servings.