Taco Bake

Taco Bake

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning
* water as called for on back of seasoning packet
3 large flour tortillas (8-inch size)
1/2 cup Salsa Con Queso
1 1/2-2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions:
Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease.
Add in taco seasoning and water (following directions on back of seasoning packet).
Once the taco meat is ready, turn off heat and add in 1/2 cup salsa con queso.
Give it a good stir until thoroughly combined.
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Spray an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Layer the bottom of the pan with a flour tortilla.
Now add about 1/3 of the ground beef taco filling on the the first layer.
Then add 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
Continue until you are done with all the layers: another tortilla, more taco mixture, more cheese.
Bake at 350F degrees for about 15-20 minutes.
Until cheese is melted and edges are slightly golden brown.
Allow to cool for a couple of minutes.
Then slice and serve.
Top with sour cream and diced tomatoes.

Crisp Cucumber Salsa

2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4-1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 c reduced-fat sour cream
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
Tortilla chips

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Recipe from My Fridge Food.

Baked Spinach Dip Mini Bread Bowls

Spinach dip.... Mini Bread Bowls... what's not to love???

Ingredients

13.3 oz roll of refrigerated french bread loaf

1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and excess moister squeezed out

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

4 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 Cup light sour cream

2 Tablespoons fresh shredded parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon chile powder

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll package of french bread loaf and slice into 12 equal size slices, about 1 inch thick. Press each slice into about a 3 inch round, I did this by pressing in between my fingers. Spray muffin cups with non stick cooking spray (I used a non-stick pan and didn't need to spray it). Press into the bottom and up sides of the muffin cup. Set aside.

Place cream cheese, sour cream, spinach, garlic, Parmesan Cheese, Chili Powder, garlic salt, salt and pepper into a medium bowl. Mix until well combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dip into each of the centers of bread bowls. Top evenly with shredded cheese and bake for 15-17 minutes until just turning brown on edges.  Remove and let cool for 3-5 minutes before removing from oven.

Original recipe found at Picky Palate.

Bacon and Swiss Quiche

Found these recently and tried it out. It was great! I really love quiche, so this was a nice version that was a bit healthier.

I didn't ahve any phyllo that would have thawed in time, so I used a pre-made pie crust instead. It was a bit more calories, but not too bad. The original recipe can be seen on WeightWatchers.com.

Ingredients
2 sheet(s) phyllo dough, cut into three strips each  
3 large eggs
1/4 cup regular egg substitute
1 cup(s) fat free half and half
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup(s) (shredded) low-fat hard cheese, Swiss, grated
4 oz cooked crisp turkey bacon, diced 


Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

Lay phyllo dough in pie plate, one piece at a time, coating each layer with cooking spray — dough should cover bottom and sides of dish. Fold in any overhanging corners.

Whisk together eggs, egg substitute, milk, flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Sprinkle cheese and bacon over phyllo dough. Pour in egg mixture and place quiche on a baking sheet. Bake until firm, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool at least 5 minutes before cutting into 8 wedges.

Hard Boiled Eggs

Sounds simple enough right? A friend gave me this method and it's worked like a charm for me every single time!

I have a foolproof one! I've had great results every time, with no yucky green rings around the yolks.

Place eggs in medium saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat (don't just turn off the heat - actually take them off the burner!), cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with 1 quart water and 1 tray of ice cubes (or equivalent). Transfer eggs to ice water bath with slotted spoon; let sit 5 minutes. Peel and use as desired. 

Storage by Alton

I love Alton Brown. My ex has a man-crush on him. He's simply amazing!

He posted this picture on his Facebook page recently. His caption was "Where else would I store my Peabody?!", but all I saw was the amazing storage solution!

15 Minute Chicken Fajitas

This is a Pampered Chef recipe I've been hearing about for quite a while, but I never got around to making it. Until last night that is... when I had a PC party at the house and the consultant made them. They're AMAZING!!! 

You make them in the microwave and the chicken stays so juicy because of the Deep Covered Baker!

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 Tbsp. Pampered Chef Southwestern Rub or taco seasoning

2 medium onions

3 bell peppers (any colors of your choosing)

1 package fajita-size flour tortillas

Optional toppings

Shredded cheese

sour cream

salsa

guacamole

Directions

Slice up onions and peppers; place in bottom of Deep Covered Baker or other microwavable dish with a cover. Sprinkle with Rub/taco seasoning and place on top of veggies. Cover and microwave for 10-15 minutes. 

When the chicken is cooked through, shred with 2 forks or cut in to bite-sized pieces. Build on tortillas with toppings of choice