Tennessee Taco Soup

I feel a little strange making soup in April since the weather has been so warm, but I had all of these ingredients on hand and decided to give it a go. This recipe is very similar to the original taco soup that I'm used since it has the taco and ranch seasoning. However, this recipe uses white beans and pinto beans instead of the kidney and black beans that I'm used to. I also used ground turkey instead of ground beef. I try to substitute ground beef with ground turkey whenever I can to lower the calories. Since ground turkey can be pricey, I try to buy several packages when it's on sale and freeze it.

The end result was a delicious taco in the form of soup. I took it to Aubrey's family since his cousin was home visiting from college, and they devoured it. His grandmother even requested a second bowl.
Tennessee Taco Soup

Ingredients:
1 can white beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel
1 package Ranch seasoning
1 package Taco seasoning
1-2 pounds ground beef or turkey
2-3 cups water

Directions:
Brown the meat. Mix all ingredients in a large pot, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
If you prefer cooking in the crock pot, cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for about 6-7 hours.

Source: Allison Musso (Shades Mtn. Baptist Church cookbook)

Chocolate Birds' Nests

I got my inspiration for these birds' nests from a cupcake bakery in Homewood, AL called Dreamcakes Bakery.

  They make the most amazing cupcakes, and I'm already searching for an excuse to go back. They also had some chocolate nests filled with chocolate eggs that I tried to recreate for Easter. I think they turned out really cute, and they are delicious as well. I used my mom's recipe for hay stacks and "glued" a couple of chocolate mini Cadbury eggs to the nests with chocolate.

Chocolate Birds' Nests
Ingredients:
12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
6-ounce package thin style chow mein rice noodles
Large bag of mini Cadbury eggs


Directions:
Spray PAM in a mini muffin pan.
Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler (save about 10 chips for gluing the eggs to the nest)
Stir in the rice noodles until all of the noodles are covered.
Drop a heaping tablespoon into each muffin space and make a small dent in the top for the eggs. Place in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes or until they have hardened. Once they are firm, use a knife to help pop them out. Melt the extra chocolate chips and "glue" the eggs onto the nests.

If you don't have a mini muffin pan (or if you don't want to mess it up), drop a heaping tablespoon onto a piece of wax or parchment paper. Then "glue" the eggs on with extra melted chocolate.

Recipe Source: My mom
Inspiration Source:  Dreamcakes Bakery, Homewood, AL

Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

I've made these egg rolls several times, and I'm just now getting them onto my blog to share with my readers. These make a great-tasting and nutritious snack and/or appetizer.
The first time I made these was for my sister's lingerie shower last year. It was a "hot and spicy" themed shower, and we had lots of southwestern hors d'oeuvres for the guests to munch on. These egg rolls were quite a hit. I have to admit that I forgot to put the cheese in the mixture the first time I made these, but there are so many flavors in it that I didn't even miss it.  I would definitely add cheese if making these for a party because it helps to hold everything together in the inside. However, I leave out the cheese when making these for my household snacks so I can save calories.


Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (optional)
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
4 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend. Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you. Place 1/4 cup of the filling in the center of the egg roll. Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center. Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free. Dip a finger in water or beaten egg and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner. Finish rolling and press to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Preheat the oven to 425-degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking. Serve warm with salsa or soy dipping sauce.

Source: Annie's Eats

My notes***  I found that these freeze well after they are baked. I just wrapped them up in some plastic wrap once they cooled and then put them in a zip top plastic bag.
To re-heat, place the frozen egg roll(s) onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake for about 20 minutes at 425-degrees. If the egg rolls start to get too brown, cover with aluminum foil.

Aubrey's Famous Dipping Sauce

My husband makes the best dipping sauce I've ever had, and it's only 2 ingredients. This will probably be the simplest recipe I'll ever have on this blog, but it has so much flavor. He makes 2 different variations of this sauce to go with egg rolls, avocados, steamed artichokes, raw veggies, and a variety of other things. It's even great on top of burgers.

Are you ready for the recipe???
Here it is:
It's only mayo plus a few shakes of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. That's it; I told you it was simple!
You use mayo as your base. I like to use the olive oil or canola oil mayo. Then you add a few shakes of soy sauce or the Worcestershire sauce until you get it to the desired flavor, and BAM (as Emeril would say)!

We recently discovered a new soy sauce made with Tabasco. This is our favorite thing to mix with the mayo.

Source: My Man

Onion-Smothered Italian Burgers

There are thousands of different ways to make a burger stand out, if you know what I mean. I love a plain hamburger, but sometimes I just want it to have a little bit of "umph." This burger is definitely packed with flavor, and the onions are absolutely amazing. I'll probably use this recipe for onions in the future. These were also just as good (if not better) re-heated the next night.

Onion-Smothered Italian Burgers
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons preshredded fresh Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 pound ground beef, extra lean
Cooking spray
4 (1 1/2 ounce) hamburger buns

Directions:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, sugar, salt, and pepper to pan. Cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar to the pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Combine cheese and next 5 ingredients (through beef) in a medium bowl; shape meat mixture into 4 (3-inch) patties. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan. Cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each bun; top each patty with 1/4 cup onion mixture and top half of each bun.
Yields 4 burgers (4 servings)

Nutritional info (per serving): 330 calories; 8.9g fat; 4mg iron; 65mg cholesterol; 142mg calcium; 33.7g carbs; 541mg sodium; 28.9g protein; 2.9g fiber

Source: Cooking Light, August 2008

Low Fat Baked Onion Rings

I'm a sucker for fried foods. I love the crunch I get when taking a bite. Why do fried foods have to taste so good but be so bad for you?
Well, thank heavens for Panko bread crumbs and corn flakes! Now I can have my crunch and eat it, too (and my hips don't have to regret anything).
These onion rings have so much flavor, and they are so easy to make... Not to mention that one serving is only about 75 calories. You can't beat that! I'll definitely be making these again

                                     


Low Fat Baked Onion Rings

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, sliced into 1/4-inch rings
2 1/4 cups low fat buttermilk
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Italian seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup crushed corn flake crumbs
Salt, to taste
Olive oil baking spray

Directions:
Place slices of onion in a shallow dish. Pour the buttermilk over the top and let them soak for about 1-2 hours, refrigerated.
Preheat oven to 450-degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.
Combine Panko, bread crumbs, and corn flakes in a large dish, season with salt.
Dip each soaked onion ring into the crumb mixture; coat well. Place rings onto two cookie sheets. Lightly spray with olive oil baking spray.
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Yields 2 servings

Nurtritional Info (per serving): 74.7 calories; 0.6g fat; 14.7g carbs; 1.6g fiber; 1.7g sugar; 2.9g protein

Source: Gina's Skinny Recipes

Spicy Black Bean Hummus

I bought some hummus from the grocery store the other day. I'm not sure why I did that because store-bought hummus never tastes right to me. It's in the "store-bought-never-tastes-good" category along with cole slaw and potato salad as far as I'm concerned. Anywho, I decided to break out my food processor and make a batch since my husband has been wanting some (I've make a hummus-lover out of him since we've been married).
Hummus is so simple and quick to make (if you have a food processor), and it's always a great appetizer to bring to a party (I would double the recipe for parties). This particular recipe uses black beans in place of the chick peas, but it still incorporates the tahini like traditional hummus. Aubrey and I were amazed when we tasted the hummus. There are so many of our favorite flavors in each bite. Aubrey loves spicy foods, and I love black beans and cumin. We could have easily eaten the whole bowl in one sitting.

Spicy Black Bean Hummus
Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small jalapeno pepper, chopped (about 2 Tablespoons)
Dash of crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Dash of ground red pepper
Pita bread and/or pita chips

Directions:
Place garlic in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, black beans, jalapeno pepper, and crushed red pepper; process until smooth. Spoon bean mixture into a medium bowl, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with ground red pepper. Serve with pita chips.

Nutritional Info (per 2 1/2 Tablespoon serving): 148 calories; 6.2g fat; 1.7mg iron; 0mg Cholesterol; 16mg calcium; 20.6g carbs; 381mg sodium; 4.5g protein; 3.5g fiber.

Source: Cooking Light