Creamy Taco Mac

One serving

Creamy Taco Mac
Adapted from Annie’s Eats
Makes 4 Servings

1 pound 96/4 ground beef
8 oz. dry pasta
½ cup onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic, jarred
1 (14 oz.) can plain or mexican/zesty diced tomatoes, drained
1 pack taco seasoning
3 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened
½ cup fat-free sour cream
Salt and pepper
1 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese
Fresh cilantro (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onions over medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add beef and cook until beef is no longer pink. Once meat is cooked, mix in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.Mix in tomatoes and taco seasoning and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 4 minutes to reduce the sauce. Turn off heat. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and cilantro. Cover and let it sit off the heat until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

Nutritional Information: 457 calories, 58 carbs, 7 fat grams and 34 protein grams.

Review: Creamy is right - the sour cream/cream cheese mixture made the red sauce a lighter color -  it was so creamy! I loved it with the pasta shells - it was really like Mexican Mac and Cheese! Big fan. I will say I only had Italian diced tomatoes on hand (boo) so I drained them, but next time would like to use zesty jalapeno diced tomatoes - or just plain. This is a great recipe and makes HUGE servings - I couldn't even eat the whole thing! We'll definitely put this one in the rotation!

Whole pan!

Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna
Recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Café
Makes 6 servings

1 pound 96/4 ground beef
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 small (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
2 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
8 no-boil lasagna noodles
3 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese
½ cup fat-free sour cream, light or regular
5 ounces fat-free cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan. In a large skillet, brown beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add minced garlic and tomato paste. Stir to combine well and cook for a minute. Stir in chili powder, cumin, cayenne, oregano and salt and pepper. Mix well. Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Add black beans. Mix well and heat through, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Spread 1/2 cup beef mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer four noodles on top. Spread 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture over the noodles. Dollop 1/2 of the sour cream and 1/2 of the cream cheese (pinch off chunks) across the top. Repeat layers (4 noodles, remaining beef mixture, remaining cream cheese). Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover, add all cabot cheese on top, and bake 12 minutes, until lasagna is hot and bubbly.

Nutritional Information: 421 calories, 56 carbs, 6 fat grams and 36 protein grams.

Review: We loved this! The little bits of cream cheese added a lot, and the sour cream added a lot, too. I was so glad to find a Mexican lasagna recipe that used lasagna noodles. It seemed like all of them used smaller pasta shapes, no layers, etc. This one was great, made a lot of food, hearty servings and had a lot of flavor. Note, the original recipe called for corn, but I just doubled the black beans and was glad I did -I loved that every bite had beans! This was a fairly simple recipe with common ingredients - I have no doubt we'll make it again!

Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls

Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls
Makes 4 Servings
Adapted from Sweet & Savory

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
6 tbsp Frank's Cayenne pepper sauce
3 tbsp reduced fat parmesan cheese
12 pasta wraps (egg roll wrappers)
8 tbsp fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 packet ranch seasoning

Preheat oven to 400. Combine shredded chicken, Frank's and parmesan cheese. Stir well. Combine softened cream cheese with ranch seasoning. Stir well. Lay out wax paper and place 12 pasta wrappers on top. Top each with about a 1/4 cup chicken mixture and a little less than 1 tbsp of cream cheese mixture. Roll up, sealing with water. Cook for 10 minutes, flip, then cook for 10 minutes.

Nutritional Information (per serving/3 wraps): 436 calories, 2 fat grams 56 carbs and 36 protein grams.

Review: Awesome. I loved that you got three wraps for one serving - lots of bang for your calorie count. The cream cheese/ranch mix added a great kick, and the buffalo chicken really was awesome - that parm/frank's paste gives it a  lot of flavor, which helped balance the plain, crunchy shell. These are winners - Austin is a HUGE fan. I haven't tried reheating yet, but plan to microwave for 30 second on medium, then "toast" on the George Foreman, so these will be best for dinner meals, rather than lunch (unless you're home for lunch - lucky!). OR just have the chicken mixture and cream cheese mixture ready/mixed, but don't wrap in roll/bake until you're ready to eat.

Breakfast Ham Sliders

Ham sliders
Adapted from Say Cheese
Makes 4 Servings

8 small potato/slider buns
8 servings Oscar Meyer black forest ham, sliced
4 slices Jarlsberg light Swiss cheese, cut in half
4 tbsp reduced fat chive and onion cream cheese
2 tbsp light butter with canola oil
1 tsp died onion flakes
½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Slice rolls in half, place bottoms in a baking dish. Layer ham and cheese on each roll. Spread ½ tbsp cream cheese on each roll top and complete sandwich. Melt butter and stir in Parmesan, Worcestershire and onion flakes. Brush on top of sandwiches. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Heat oven to 350, cover baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Nutritional Information: 412 calories, 35 carbs, 13 fat grams and 37.5 protein grams.

Review: Love these little guys! The cream cheese and swiss cheese mix so well together, making this a very tasty little sandwich. I also love how the ham, worcestershire and onion work together, adding a lot of flavor and a nice salty kick. You could serve these as appetizers, but I really liked it as a great, filling breakfast with lots of flavor and lots of protein.

Chicken & Cheese Crescent Pockets

Chicken & Cheese Crescent Pockets
Recipe inspired by Blog Chef
Makes 4 Servings

1 (8 ounce) can reduced fat crescent rolls
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can fat-free cream of chicken soup
½ cup cabot 75% reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Filling:
2 ounces fat-free cream cheese (softened)
2 tbsp light butter with canola oil (softened)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
16 oz. chicken breasts, cooked in salt and pepper and shredded
¼ cup Cabot 75% reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
¼ tsp seasoning salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp fat-free mayonnaise
Topping: ¼ cup Cabot 75% reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese; optional topping: fresh parsley flakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a rectangular casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a saucepan mix cheese and soup. Heat until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. To make the filling- in a bowl mix cream cheese and butter until smooth, add garlic powder. Add in chicken and cheese. Mix until well combined. Add mayonnaise. Stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle a small amount of the chicken soup mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish. Unroll crescent rolls on wax paper, and separate into 4 rectangles. Press seams together. Divide mixture into four, and top on each crescent rectangle, then pick up one side and fold over to the middle. Pick up the other side and do the same. Press together the new seam, flip it over and put it seam side down in the dish, then use your fingers to press the sides closed. Repeat with the other three. (make sure to put the four pockets as far away from each other as possible in the pan). Drizzle remaining soup mixture on top and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information: 453 calories, 32 carbs, 16 fat grams and 43 protein grams.

Review: Loved! So creamy and fabulous. I used to eat a recipe similar to this in college - but it was all-fat! I liked combining the crescents into one large (rather than two small) -it made the filling stand out more and it was more fun to eat. The shredded chicken went well with this, and the garlic powder gave it a nice kick. I also couldn't get over how creamy the mayonnaise and cream of chicken made this dish - it was definitely comfort food to the max an something I would crave if I was ever tired or just wanted something "bad for me." :) I could see myself doubling this and freezing half!

Tuscan Macaroni and Cheese Bake

Tuscan Macaroni and Cheese Bake
Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café
Makes 4 Servings

3 links Italian chicken sausage, diced and cooked for 4-5 minutes until heated
7.5 oz. elbow macaroni
6 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened
80 grams shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp light butter
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp sage
¼ tsp thyme
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 ¼ cups fat-free milk
1 tomato, sliced thinly
4 tbsp Kraft parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Cook macaroni according to package directions but undercook by 1-2 minutes since it will continue baking. In a large bowl, combine sausage, pasta, cream cheese and mozzarella cheese. In a small bowl, mix flour and spices together. In a medium saucepan melt butter, then whisk in flour and spices. Allow the flour/butter mixture to cook without browning for about 30 seconds while whisking/stirring. Slowly add the milk and stir until slightly thickened, this may take 5-6 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan. When slightly thickened, pour milk mixture over pasta mixture and mix well. Pour into an 11x7-inch lightly greased casserole dish. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove cover and add tomato slices on top then sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and bake for another 10 minutes uncovered.

Nutritional Information: 456 calories, 52 carbs, 14 fat grams and 32 protein grams.

Review: We really liked this one! It was my first time cooking with fat-free cream cheese so I was a bit nervous, but loved the mix it made with the mozzarella cheese, and the milk sauce/mixture helped ensure that nothing was too dry. I also like the spices that the Italian chicken sausage added. If anything next time I may consider saving some mozzarella cheese for the top as the parm isn't very melty/pretty. All in all, I liked the bake, thought it was quick/easy to put together and it made a lot of food and is very filling!

full dish

Snickers Pie

Snickers Pie
Recipe makes two pies
Recipe from Recipegirl

8 ounces cream cheese, softened (divided in half)
1½ cups powdered sugar (divided in half)
½ cup chunky or creamy peanut butter (divided in half)
3 regular-sized Snickers candy bars, chopped (divided in half)
16 ounces Cool Whip, thawed (divided in half)
Two prepared chocolate pie crusts
Lite Chocolate syrup for garnish
Caramel Syrup for garnish
Chopped nuts for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat 4 oz. cream cheese, ¾ cup sugar and ¼ peanut butter until creamy. Stir in one chopped candy bar. Add to pie crust, smoothing across top. Add whipped cream on top, smoothing for 2-3 minutes on top with a rubber spatula. Now, repeat with leftover cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter adding to other pie crust. Now you have two pies, with no toppings. Add syrups making a grid pattern, then top with nuts. Divide the third and final snickers bar in half, and top each pie with the pieces. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information: Not calculating! This is a sinful dish to enjoy without knowing. :)

Review: They were SO good – it went over well with Austin’s family and mine- love that the recipe makes two pies! Next time, I’m going to try reduced fat cream cheese and cool whip – I don’t think you would have been able to tell!

Enchiladas with Chicken in Verde Sauce

Enchiladas with Chicken in Verde Sauce
Adapted from Cookinglight.com
Makes 4 Servings

1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp minced garlic
6 oz. salsa verde, divided
11 oz. cooked chicken breast (browned in pan; diced)
3 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray
2 oz. cabot 75% cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 tsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 425°. Combine onion, cilantro, garlic, 4 oz. salsa and cream cheese in a blender; process until smooth. Add chicken and process again. Bring broth to a simmer in a medium skillet. Working with one tortilla at a time, add tortilla to pan; cook 20 seconds or until moist, turning once. Remove tortilla; drain on paper towels. Repeat for the other tortillas, then lay them all out. Spoon 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place each tortilla, seam-side down, in an 8x8-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour remaining salsa mixture over enchiladas; sprinkle evenly with cheese and chili powder. Bake at 425° for 18 minutes.

Nutritional Information: 303 calories, 4 fat grams, 26 carbs and 30 protein grams.

Review: They were SUPER yum – very light! If I made this again I’d probably add a side of black beans for more protein. I laughed when I found only 4 fat grams – all of that fat free stuff you know? This recipe, with all of the salsa/cilantro/etc. made all of the other ingredients taste fatty (if that makes sense) and I LOVED cooking the tortillas in the chicken broth – SMART – made them taste authentic.