BBQ Chicken Pizza Cups

BBQ Chicken Pizza Cups
Makes 4 Servings or 12 appetizers
Recipe Inspired by For the Love of Cooking

Cooking spray
1 tube of refrigerator biscuits
2 oz. 75% reduced fat Cabot cheese, grated
2 oz. reduced fat mozzarella cheese, grated
6 oz. cooked chicken
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
¼ cup parsley, finely diced

Preheat the oven to 375. Coat a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray. Cut each biscuit in half then press dough into the bottom and sides of each muffin tin. Repeat with remaining dough. Shred chicken. Add 2 tbsp BBQ sauce to chicken and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Add 2 more tbsp of BBQ sauce and microwave for 15 seconds. Stir. Spoon 2 tbsp BBQ chicken onto each biscuit. Microwave remaining 4 tbsp BBQ sauce for 20 seconds. While it cooks, mix together cheeses, and top each BBQ chicken biscuit with 10 grams cheese and 1 tsp red onion. Spoon a dollop of BB sauce on top of each. Bake for 10 minutes; remove from onion, sprinkle on parsley, then bake for remaining 5 minutes or until the crust is brown. Let sit for 5 minutes to cool down, then use spoon around edges to ensure each biscuit stays in tact.

Nutritional Information (for 3): 448 calories, 49 carbs, 16 fat grams and 25 protein grams. For 1 (appetizer): 149 calories, 16 carbs, 5 fat grams and 8 protein grams.

Review: LOVED THESE LITTLE GUYS! I had 3 for a meal and was filled up and happy - the flavor was great, the fresh parsley gave it a nice twist and I really liked that BBQ chicken flavor, especially with the blend of cheeses. Awesome little bites - think they would make a great appetizer and tested them - they reheat well. I'm loving the biscuit cup idea I got from Pam, and hope to try more mix ins to the biscuit bites! Try these if you're a fan of BBQ pizza.

Black Bean Fiesta Burgers

Black Bean Fiesta Burgers
Makes 4 large burgers or 12 mini burgers for sliders

1 15-oz. can black beans, drained, rinsed and given time to dry
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
1 tbsp minced garlic, jarred
1 egg
Taco seasoning packet
¼ cup salsa
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs
(Sliders: 6 tbsp fat-free sour cream, divided; 12 small potato rolls)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil a baking sheet. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Strain mixture. Then stir into mashed beans. In a small bowl, stir together egg, taco seasoning, salsa and hot sauce. Stir egg mixture into mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide into 8 small patties. Place patties on baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes on each side.

Nutritional Information: one large pattie - 205 calories, 38 carbs, 2 fat grams and 9 protein grams; one mini pattie – 66 calories, 12 carbs, <1 fat gram and 3 protein grams. For sliders, adding potato buns and sour cream, each: 161 calories, 30 carbs, 2 fat grams and 7 protein grams. I had two mini patties on two potato rolls which each had ½ tbsp fat-free sour cream. This comes out to: 322 calories, 60 carbs, 4 fat grams and 14 protein grams.

Review: Loved them! They tasted kind of like Amy’s breakfast burritos – so much so that Austin suggested we take the big pattie and use it to fill a medium-size tortilla for breakfast burritos! Great flavor, love the fiesta flavor, and truly think that you could take the breadcrumbs down if you want to reduce the calories a bit – up to you. I’m a huge fan and love that it was so filling, but yet had no meat. New favorite for us – so glad we tried it! We even reheated them for breakfast and I found two to be a great, filling breakfast - fabulous!

Pepperoni Pizza Cups

Pepperoni Pizza Cups
Recipe adapted from For the Love of Cooking

Makes 12 appetizers or snacks

Cooking spray
1 tube of refrigerator biscuits
1 ½ cups low-calorie spaghetti sauce
4 oz. 50% reduced fat Cabot cheese, shredded
24 turkey pepperoni slices
30 grams Parmesan Cheese, shredded
dried oregano
dried red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 375. Coat a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray. Cut each biscuit in half then press dough into the bottom and sides of each muffin tin. Repeat with remaining dough. Spoon 2 tbsp sauce into each cup. Top each with 2 slices of pepperoni, 10 grams cheddar cheese, 3 grams Parmesan cheese, and oregano and red pepper flakes. Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is brown.

Nutritional Information (per cup): 140 calories, 15 carbs, 7 fat grams and 5 protein grams.

Review: Perfection in a cup! I love the biscuit bites and know these will become a standard, fabulous little snack, much like the big pigs in a blanket. You could toss anything in here, but I loved the simple pepperoni, cheese and sauce mix. They were also SO easy - it took me about 5 minutes to assemble - the same time it took the oven to preheat. They tasted well reheated, too. Can't wait to make these again!

pan of yumminess

Big Pigs in a Blanket

Big Pigs in a Blanket
Recipe by Hungry Girl
7 Snacks

1 package reduced fat crescent rolls (will not use 1 triangle)
7 Hebrew National 97% fat free hot dogs
2 wedges laughing cow cheese
7 dashes garlic powder
3 strips turkey bacon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside. Cook bacon in microwave and dice into small bits. Put bacon bits on a plate. Slightly stretch out one of the triangle-shaped portions of dough. Evenly spread with 1/3 a wedge of cheese, and then sprinkle with a dash of garlic powder. Place hot dog along the base roll it up. Squeeze dough gently to ensure it’s secure around the hot dog. Press dough-wrapped dog into bacon on one side, then set on pan. Repeat 7 times. Press any leftover bacon into tough. Bake for 15 minutes until dough is browned and crispy.

Nutritional information per snack: 153 calories, 12 carbs, 7 fat grams and 3 protein grams.

Review: YUM! Super flavorful and fabulous! I’m a fan. Honestly, I might remove the cheese next time – it was flavorful enough without it. And if you're feeling SUPER lazy, don't even do the bacon - just wrap those dogs in the roll and call it a day.