Cheesy Baked Tomatoes

Saw this on Facebook, and finally got around to making them. They're really quite tasty and pretty healthy as well. I changed the recipe up a little to fit what we had at home.

4 tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 oz Asiago cheese, shredded
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450° F.
Place tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet.
Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl, and top tomatoes with mixture.
Mist lightly with non-fat cooking spray and bake until the tomatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

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.

Slow-Cooker Sticky Wings

Found this on Pinterest and it looked super easy and the blogger said they're crazy good.


Ingredients
1 3" piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 lbs chicken wings, halved at joint and tips removed
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup tomato paste

Directions: 
Make Rub
Pulse ginger, garlic, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper in food processor until finely ground. Add mixture to slow-cooker insert. Add chicken and toss to coat.

Cook and Cool
Cover and cook on low until fat is rendered and chicken is tender, about 3-4 hours. Using slotted spoon, remove wings from slow-cooker and transfer to clean large bowl (discard liquid in slow-cooker). Let wings cool about 20 min (or cool briefly and refrigerate up to 24 hours).

Sauce and Broil
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Set wire rack inside rimmed backing sheet and spray rack with non-stick cooking spray. Whisk water, tomato paste, remaining sugar, remaining oy sauce, and remaining cayenne pepper in a bowl. Add half the sauce to a bowl with cooled wings and toss gently to coat. Arrange wings, skin side up, on prepared rack. Broil until wings are lightly charred and crisp around the edges, about 10-15 minutes. Flip wings, brush with remaining sauce, and continue to broil until well caramelized, about 3 minutes. Serve.

Note: In step 3, rack should be 10" to 12" from heating element. Don't wander off while the wings are in the oven.

Serves 12.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

I've been M.I.A. for a while. Trying to figure out the new normal for me and my Little Ladies. We're getting there ;-)

Another Pinterest recipe! This one's from Can You Stay For Dinner.

I've become a big fan of Buffalo Chicken over the past few years. When I saw this recipe, I just had to try it.... especially since we've had egg roll wrappers hanging around for a while.

I made a version for the Little Ladies that had the slaw, plain chicken and shredded cheese on it. Little C liked them, but Little M did not.

We had them for dinner, but they'd be really good for a party! They were super easy to make too. I whipped them up in about 15ish minutes, after a veeerrrrryyyyy long day out with the Little Ladies.

Ingredients

12 egg roll wrappers (roughly 4 square inches)

1 cup cooked and shredded chicken (6 ounces)

1/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

1 cup crumbled blue cheese (4 ounces)

1 cup broccoli slaw (dry)

Small bowl of water

Nonstick cooking spray

Blue cheese dressing, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lay egg roll wrappers on a clean work surface. In a small bowl, stir chicken* (see note below) and hot sauce until well coated, using more or less sauce depending on your spice preference. The meat should be moist with sauce.

Begin by placing one tablespoon of the broccoli slaw on the diagonal of the bottom right corner of one of the wrappers. Next, place 2 tablespoons of shredded spicy chicken evenly on top of the slaw. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the blue cheese crumbles over the chicken. Do not overfill.

To fold: Fold the bottom right corner over the stuffing mixture so that it covers it completely, with the tip of the corner now pointing to the center of the egg roll wrapper. Fold in the bottom left corner, followed by the right, so that you now have formed an envelope. Roll the wrap upward one time, leaving the top left corner open. Wet your index finger in the small bowl of water and press to moisten the top left corner. Now fold that down on top of the filled roll, sealing it like you would an envelope.

Repeat with remaining rolls.

Place the rolls on a wire rack set on top of a cookie sheet (or just on a greased cookie sheet) coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spritz each roll evenly with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the rolls crisp and turn a light golden brown.

*Note: To make the chicken, place 1/2 lb of uncooked chicken breast in a small pot and fill with enough water just to cover it. Bring to a boil on your stovetop, reduce the heat slightly, then simmer for about 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and let cool before shredding with two forks, pulling against the grain of the meat.

Touchdown Taco Dip

Ingredients

1 can (16 oz) refried beans

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp Southwestern Seasoning Mix

2 garlic cloves, pressed

½ cup (2 oz) grated cheddar cheese

Optional toppings such as diced tomatoes, thinly sliced green onions, sliced pitted ripe olives, snipped fresh cilantro or additional sour cream

Baked Tortilla Chips (optional, see Cook’s Tips)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Using Large Spreader, spread refried beans over bottom of Deep Dish Baker. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, seasoning mix and garlic pressed with Garlic Press; mix well.
2. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over beans. Grate cheddar cheese over top using Rotary Grater. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
3. If desired, dice tomatoes and thinly slice green onions usingChef’s Knife. Slice olives using Egg Slicer Plus®. Snip cilantro using Kitchen Shears. Sprinkle tomato, onions, olives and cilantro over dip. Garnish with additional sour cream, if desired. Remove from oven; serve with Baked Tortilla Chips, if desired.

Yield: 16 servings

Cook’s Tips: Taco seasoning mix can be substituted for the Southwestern Seasoning Mix, if desired.

To make Baked Tortilla Chips, preheat oven to 400°F. Cut eight (7-in.) flour tortillas into wedges using Pizza Cutter; arrange half of the wedges in a single layer on Large Round Stone. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and crisp. Remove from baking stone; cool completely. Repeat with remaining tortilla wedges.

Yield: 64 chips (16 servings)

©The Pampered Chef, Ltd., 2008

Mozzarella Sticks

Original recipe from Taste of Home


INGREDIENTS

12 pieces string cheese

12 egg roll wrappers

Oil for deep-fat frying

Marinara or spaghetti sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Place a piece of string cheese near the bottom corner of one egg roll wrapper (keep remaining wrappers covered with a damp paper towel until ready to use). Fold bottom corner over cheese. Roll up halfway; fold sides toward center over cheese. Moisten remaining corner with water; roll up tightly to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and cheese.
2. In an electric skillet, heat 1/2 in. of oil to 375°.
3. Fry sticks, a few at a time, for 30-60 seconds on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with marinara sauce.

Hummus In A Hurry

Ingredients

3 medium-size or 2 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 can (about 15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste

dash of cayenne pepper, or more to taste

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Using a food processor fitted with a steel blade or a blender, with the motor running, drop in the garlic through the feed tube and process until minced, about 5 seconds. Stop the machine.
2. Drain the chickpeas, setting aside the liquid. Add the chickpeas, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper to the minced garlic. Process in short pulses until the chickpeas are minced, about 5 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
3. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of the reserved chickpea liquid to the processor bowl. Process until the hummus is smooth, adding 1 to 2 more tablespoons of the chickpea liquid as needed - the hummus should have the consistency of a milk shake. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, cumin, cayenne pepper, and/or lemon juice as desired. Spoon the hummus into a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Honey-Apple Brie Bites

Ingredients

1 lemon

1 cup toasted walnuts

2 medium red baking apples such as Jonathan (2 cups finely diced)

¼ cup honey

1 4-in. round (8 oz) Brie or Camembert cheese with rind

2 pkg (1.9 oz each) prepared mini phyllo shells (30 shells total)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Zest lemon using Microplane® Adjustable Grater to measure 1 tsp zest. Coarsely chop walnuts using Food Chopper. Finely dice apple using Santoku Knife. Combine zest, walnuts, apple and honey in Classic Batter Bowl; mix gently.
2. Cut Brie into thirty ½-in. cubes using Utility Knife. Arrange phyllo cups on Large Sheet Pan. Place one Brie cube into each cup. Using Small Scoop, top Brie with a level scoop of apple mixture. Bake 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 30 servings

Chef's Tip: To finely dice apple, slice off each side of apple, avoiding core. Thinly slice apple lengthwise; cut slices into thin strips. Finely dice strips.

Prepared mini phyllo shells can be found in the freezer section of most major grocery stores.

Make-Ahead: Brie cheese can be cut into cubes and placed into phyllo shells; place phyllo shells onto sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 day in advance. Remove plastic wrap, prepare apple mixture and proceed as recipe directs.

© 2009 The Pampered Chef used under license.

Bread Bowl Artichoke Dip

I didn't think I liked artichokes, until I tried this dip. But I supposed everything's good served with sourdough and covered in cheese, right!?!

Ingredients

2 16-oz sourdough bread rounds (about 6-in. diameter), divided

Vegetable oil

4 oz cream cheese, softened

½ cup milk

1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained

1 1.4-oz envelope or one 1.8-oz box (2 envelopes) vegetable soup mix

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 lemon

1 container (8 oz) sour cream

Grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Using Color Coated Bread Knife, slice off top of one bread round to create a lid; set lid aside. Carefully remove center of bread round to form a 4½-inch-wide and 2-inch-deep well for dip. Slice center of first and entire second bread round into 1-in. cubes. Place bread bowl on center of Large Round Stone with Handles. Arrange bread cubes around bowl; spray with vegetable oil using Kitchen Spritzer.
2. In Classic Batter Bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth using Stainless Whisk. Add milk to cream cheese; whisk until smooth. Chop artichokes using Food Chopper. Add artichokes, soup mix and garlic pressed with Garlic Press to batter bowl; mix well using Small Mix ’N Scraper®. Microwave on HIGH 5-7 minutes or until hot (do not boil). Juice lemon using Juicer to measure 2 tbsp juice. Stir juice and sour cream into hot artichoke mixture; pour into bread bowl.
3. If desired, grate Parmesan cheese over bread bowl and bread cubes using Rotary Grater. Lean lid against bread bowl. Bake 13-15 minutes or until bread cubes and top of dip are golden brown. Remove from oven; serve immediately.

Yield: 12 servings

©The Pampered Chef, Ltd., 2008

Bacon-Wrapped Pineapple

The Chinese buffet near us has these and they're yummy. I wanted to make them for the Super Bowl and found this recipe from Rachael Ray. They were so good!


Ingredients

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into half-inch chunks, about 40 chunks

1 pound sliced lean bacon, about 20 slices

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
2. Cut bacon strips in half making 2 equal size pieces, about 4 inches each. Wrap each half-strip of bacon around a pineapple chunk, pierce it with a toothpick and place on a baking sheet. Bake until the bacon is crispy, about 15-20 minutes.