Favorite Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients
2-3 cooked and shredded chicken breasts (I like to grill them)
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing (or blue cheese)
3/4 cup buffalo sauce (Franks or Sweet Baby Rays)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
crackers for dipping

Directions

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

Crispy Tuscan Grilled Kale Chips

1 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 bunches Tuscan kale, washed and spun dry
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste


Preparation


Pre-heat the grill.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, vinegar, zest and juice of lemon and kale. Season with salt and pepper and gently toss until the kale is evenly coated.

Carefully lay the kale side-by-side in a single layer on top of the grill and grill until crispy, about 2 minutes. Turn over and grill on the other side for another 1-2 minutes.

Pile the kale in a big stack on a large plate or cutting board and serve immediately.

Curtesy: http://www.rachaelray.com/recipes/crispy-tuscan-kale-on-the-grill

Sticky Asian Chicken Spaghetti

Sticky Asian Chicken Spaghetti

Recipe from: Created by Cathy Pollak for NoblePig.com | Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken tenderloins, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon vodka*
• 1 Tablespoon Mirin (Aji-Mirin, Sweet Cooking Rice Seasoning, available everywhere)
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger (not chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (not minced)
• 2 cups broccoli, blanched or steamed (small florets)
• 12 oz spaghetti (uncooked)
• green onion for garnish, sliced

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine chicken, hoisin, soy sauce, vodka, Mirin, toasted sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Let sit for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare broccoli (you don't want this mushy so be mindful not to overcook) and spaghetti. Keep warm.
• In a large skillet, over medium-low heat, add chicken to the pan using a slotted spoon. Allow the marinade to drip through the slotted spoon back into bowl, reserving it for later use. I cooked the chicken in two batches, carefully turning each piece and evenly spacing them out to get the desired brownness; about 3-4 minutes.
• While the last of the chicken is cooking pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan (you will not have a lot, but it will be enough). Bring to a boil and simmer over heat for 5 minutes.
• Stir cooked, reserved marinade into spaghetti noodles and top each serving with chicken, broccoli and green onion.
• Serve immediately.
• Note from Chef: *Why add vodka to a marinade (I almost always do)? Just like salt, alcohol brings out the flavor in food. Alcohol does this by evaporation and molecular bonding. Food is also the beneficiary of alcohol's ability to bond with both fat and water molecules. In this way, alcohol bridges the gap between our aroma receptors (which respond only to molecules that can be dissolved in fat) and food (which consists primarily of water). This is very important because most of the great "flavor" in food comes from aromas in the nose rather than tastes in the mouth. In terms of a marinade or a brine with both water and fat soluble ingredients, by taking the flavor compounds in certain aromatics such as garlic, herbs or other fat soluble ingredients, alcohol helps carry those compounds into the meat that's soaking in the marinade or brine. But alcohol also helps carry water soluble flavor compounds into the meat as well. Water soluble flavors would include sour, sweet, salty and bitterness. With alcohol's effort, the result is more flavor and aroma into the marinated food. Even one tablespoon of a neutral-tasting vodka considerably improves the flavor penetration of any given marinade. (Trust me on this one, it's my profession.)
• 
  

Inside Out (unstuffed) bell peppers

Un-Stuffed Pepper Skillet
Shared By: Two Healthy Kitchens


Yield: About 7-8 cups

Ingredients
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1½ cups chopped onion (from about half of a large onion)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
1 24-ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot) (can add to individual bowls if needed)
4 cups cooked brown rice (cook ahead of time or brown rice will not cook)
1½ - 2 cups green pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces (from 1 large or two small green peppers)
additional hot sauce for serving

Preparation
Preheat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat and add beef, onion, garlic, salt and black pepper. Cook until beef is browned and cooked through, stirring to crumble. Drain if needed (although if using very lean beef, you likely won't need to.)
Add spaghetti sauce, using water to swish the residual sauce out of the jar. Add hot sauce. Cook for 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
Add rice and green peppers, cooking just until peppers are hot and crisp-tender.
Serve immediately, passing additional hot sauce as desired.

Creamy tomato tortellini soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
Dash of crushed red pepper flakes (optional or in adult bowls after serving)
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (32 oz) container vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 (9 oz) packages fresh or frozen cheese tortellini (we use Buitoni)
Grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, for garnish, optional

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves and crushed red pepper flakes.

2. Add the diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir in fresh basil and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Simmer on low for 15 minutes.

3. Remove the bay leaves from the pot. Use a hand immersion blender to blend the soup (or carefully transfer soup to a blender to blend and return to the pot). Stir in the Greek yogurt until well combined. Stir in the cheese tortellini and cook on medium-low until tortellini is cooked, about 7-8 minutes. Serve warm.

Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced peeled potatoes (1-3/4 pounds)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups (8 ounces) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

1. In a 3-qt. saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute the onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from the heat; blend in sour cream. Yield: 8 servings (2-1/4 quarts).

Shepard's Pie with Sweet Potato topping

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground sirloin (turkey, chicken or lamb also work)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
2 carrots - diced
1 medium onion - diced
3 garlic cloves - grated
2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
2 cups beef or chicken broth - low sodium
1 cup peas - frozen
4 cups Maple Whipped Sweet Potatoes
6 ounces shredded Manchego cheese (or other sharp cheese)

INSTRUCTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a large, deep sauté pan over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray.
Add ground sirloin to the hot pan along with Worcester sauce, sage, thyme, salt and cayenne. Cook until browned, 7-9 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break down meat. Remove cooked beef from pan and set aside.
In the same pan, sauté carrots, onions and minced garlic over medium heat until tender, about 6-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add reserved beef back to the pan and sprinkle entire mixture with flour. Cook for 60 seconds then pour in chicken broth. Bring back to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer until gravy starts to form.
Stir in frozen peas and cook until heated through, 1-2 minutes.
Spread beef and vegetable mixture in an even layer on the bottom of a casserole or 8 x 11 baking dish.
Top the beef mixture with the whipped sweet potatoes and use a rubber or offset spatula to spread evenly.
Sprinkle with shredded cheese then bake in the oven until bubbly and golden brown on top, 45-55 minutes depending on oven strength.
Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 large sweet potatoes - peeled and cubed
• 2 cups whole milk plain yogurt (I used plain Greek yogurt)
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons butter - unsalted
• 2 teaspoons orange zest (I did not use this)
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer until potatoes are fork tender, 7-9 minutes. Strain potatoes and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Add all remaining ingredients to a food processor (yogurt through pepper) as well as the strained sweet potatoes. Pulse on high until smooth and creamy.
3. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly before serving.