Summer Vegetable Tian

(Serves 6)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium potato
1 medium tomato
(optional 1 medium sweet potato)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Italian cheese

Preheat oven to 400°. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Saute both in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about 5 minutes)
While the onion and garlic are saueing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.
Spray the inside of an 8x8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread teh softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern.
Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and thyme
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Warm Crack Dip

Warm Crack Dip
serves 10-12

• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 (1oz) package Ranch dressing mix
• 1 (3oz) bag bacon bits (Oscar Meyer)
• 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 16 oz sour cream

Preheat oven to 400.

In bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Transfer to 2-quart baking dish; cover.

Bake dip 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

http://www.plainchicken.com/2014/01/warm-crack-dip-football-friday.html

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

Chili Tots

Chili Tots Recipe photo by Taste of Home

1 pound ground beef
2 cans (15 ounces each) chili
8 ounces tomato sauce
2-1/4 ounces sliced ripe olives, drained
4 ounces chopped green chilies
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
32 ounces frozen Tater Tots

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook the beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the chili, tomato sauce, olives and green chilies. Transfer to two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Sprinkle with cheese; top with Tater Tots. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months.
2. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.
3. To use frozen casserole: Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw). Cover and bake at 350° for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until heated through. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

Taco-Filled Pasta Shells

Makes 12 servings

Taste of Home recipe

2 pounds ground beef
2 envelopes taco seasoning
1-1/2 cups water
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1/4 cup butter, melted

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS (for each casserole):
1 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1-1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
3 green onions, chopped

In a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.Stir in taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until melted. Transfer to a bowl; cool. Chill for 1 hour.

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Gently toss with butter. Fill each shell with about 3 tablespoons of meat mixture. Place 12 shells in a freezer container. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months.

To prepare remaining shells, spoon salsa into a greased 9-in. square baking dish. Top with stuffed shells and taco sauce. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheeses and chips. Bake 15 minutes longer or until heated through. Serve with sour cream and onions.

To use frozen shells: Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours (shells will be partially frozen). Spoon salsa into a greased 9-in. square baking dish; top with shells and taco sauce. Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with cheeses and chips; proceed as directed. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

Chicken Tamale Casserole

 
Cooking Spray
2 1/4 Cup – Pre-shredded 4 Cheese Mexican Blend Cheese, Divided
1/3 Cup - Milk
1 - Large Egg
1 Teaspoon - Ground Cumin
1 (14.75 Ounce) Can - Cream Style Corn
1 (8.5 Ounce) Box - Corn Muffin Mix (I Used Jiffy)
1 (4 Ounce) Can - Chopped Green Chiles
1 (10 Ounce ) Can - Red Enchilada Sauce-I Used Mild
2 -3 Cups - Shredded, Cooked Chicken
1/4 Cup - Green Onions, Thinly Sliced
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°.  Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 6 ingredients (through chilies) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 2 cups cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Top casserole with green onions and cut into serving pieces;
read more:  http://www.gonnawantseconds.com/2013/02/chicken-tamale-casserole/

Chicken Enchilada

29 ounces tomato puree
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
2 packets of taco seasoning
1 chopped onion
4  chicken breasts cut into strips
grated cheese
queso
Put into crockpot on low for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. When done, mix a con of refried beans with queso and smear on tortillas with a spoonful of crockpot chicken mix (use slotted spoon to limit juice). Sprinkle grated cheese on top and wrap. Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 375 degrees until cheese is melted.
leftovers can be used as taco soup. add a dollop of sour cream and serve over Fritos.

Fruit and Cheese Kabobs & Dip

1 pint fresh strawberries, halved

1-1/2 cups green grapes

cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese cubes

1 cup (8 ounces) vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

On 12 wooden skewers, alternately thread the strawberries, grapes and cheese cubes. For dip, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, sour cream, honey and cinnamon. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Yield: 12 kabobs (1-1/2 cups dip).

Nutty Ham and Apple Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 8 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
• 8 slices rye bread
• 4 lettuce leaves
• 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
• 4 slices cheddar cheese
• 1/2 pound fully cooked ham, thinly sliced
• 1 tart apple, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions

• Spread mustard on each slice of bread. On four slices, layer the lettuce, tomato, cheese, ham and apple. Top with almonds and remaining bread. Yield: 4 servings.

Breakfast Pizza

This delicious recipe was inspired by this one from Our Best Bites.

French Toast Breakfast Pizzas
6 Whole Wheat English Muffins
4 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp. salt
10 dash's of Tabasco Sauce (optional, I have not tried it this way but have heard it adds a nice kick.)
12 thin slices of ham (sliced bite size) 10-12 slices of bacon crumbled
3/4-1 cup Cheddar, pepper jack, mozzarella, Swiss, or whatever you want depending on the flavor profile your looking for.
assorted chopped veggies such as mushrooms, green onions, peppers, tomatoes, olives etc.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray to keep the egg from sticking.  (The recipe from our best bites recommends spraying aluminum foil.  This does not work nearly as well as the parchment paper so I recommend sticking with parchment.)  In a pie plate whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and Tabasco sauce.  Soak each half of the English muffin in the egg mixture.  The muffin should hold some egg but not fall apart.  Place the English muffin cut side up on the baking sheet.   Sprinkle a small amount of cheese over each muffin then place the ham, bacon, or other choice of meat on each muffin.  Place your assorted vegetables on the meat and then top with the remaining cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes and serve immediately. 

These can also be individually frozen for a quick breakfast.  Be sure to let them cool completely before putting them in the freezer.  When it comes time to thaw you can microwave for about 90 sec (depending on the power of your microwave).  If you have some extra time you can thaw them for about 45 seconds and then pop them in a 400 degree oven for about  5 minutes.  They will come out crisp and delicious.

"Hot Hawaiian" Pizza

Use whatever pizza crust you want. (For recipe night I used the pop-open biscuits and flattened them out for the crust. Then just cook it according to the package directions.) Top with a thin layer of barbecue sauce of your choice. Then add toppings of cooked chicken, bacon, pineapple, jalapenos and cheese. Cook and eat!

Tuna Cruz Melt

1 can (12 1/2 ounces) water-packed tuna, drained
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies
1 can (2.2 ounces) sliced olives
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
4 flour tortillas
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 green onion with top, chopped

In medium bowl, flake tuna. Add chilies, olives, mayonnaise, and seasoned salt; blend well. Spoon 1/4 mixture onto each tortilla. Top with equal portions of Cheese. Place on broiler pan and broil, 4 inches from heat, until cheese is hot and bubbly. Sprinkle each tortilla with green onion. Serve open-faced, or fold over soft-taco style

makes 4 servings

Bowtie Apple Pasta

Approx. 1 1/2 boxes/bags of bowtie noodles

Half a tub of sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

Salt and pepper to taste (a lot of pepper)

A lot of cheese (a couple cups? Depends how cheesy you like it)

2 apples cut up in chunks

Add sour cream and cream of chicken to cooked hot noodles. Mix. Add salt and pepper. Mix. Add as much cheese as desired. Mix. Add apples. Mix. Enjoy!

Southwest Chicken Burrito Filling

1 bag frozen corn
4 chicken breasts
1 can black beans, drained
1 jar salsa, any kind
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Cheese
Lettuce
Tortillas

Throw corn, chicken, beans and salsa all in the crock pot in that order and cook for 8 hours on low. Shred the chicken and mix together. You may need to take out some excess liquid. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve in tortillas with guacamole, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, etc. Makes a lot.

Good for feeding a lot of people. If you want to make more, just increase how much of everything you put in. It doesn’t have to be exact.