Individual Lime Cheesecakes

This is one of my favs - I always get requests to bring to parties. So easy too. Not so healthy though. :)

Recipe from Sandra Lee (love that lady!)

Ingredients
-1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese (recommended: Philadelphia), softened
-1/2 cup sugar
-3 tablespoons lime curd (recommended: Dickensons) *I always have a harder time finding this - it is in a -jar and I have had the best luck finding it at Target in the past.
-6 mini graham cracker crusts (recommended: Keebler)
-Whipped topping (recommended: Cool Whip)
-Sugared lime slices, for garnish

Directions
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in the lime curd on low speed until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into the graham cracker crusts. Place on a small baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of whipped topping and 1/4 of a slice of lime that has been sprinkled with sugar.

Tuxedo Brownies

Picture cheesecake, on a brownie. You get the idea.

Tuxedo Brownie Cups (from Pampered Chef)
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray with flour
1 pkg (18-21 oz or 450 g) fudge brownie mix (plus ingredients to make cake-like brownies)
2 square (1 oz/30 g) white chocolate for baking
2 tbsp (30 mL) milk
8 oz (250 g) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (50 mL) powdered sugar
1 cup (250 mL) thawed, frozen whipped topping
1 pint small strawberries, sliced
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Spray cups of Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies. Fill wells of pan two-thirds full. Bake 14 minutes or until edges are set. (Do not overbake.) Remove pan from oven; immediately press tops of brownies to make indentations. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove brownies from pan; cool completely. Wash pan; repeat with remaining batter.
2. Combine white chocolate and milk in large microwave-safe bowl; microwave on HIGH 1 minute. Stir until smooth; cool slightly. In large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar; mix well. Gradually stir in white chocolate mixture until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
3. Pipe cream cheese mixture into brownie cups; top with strawberries. Refrigerate 1-3 hours before serving.
Yield: 4 dozen brownie cups

Nutrients per serving: (1 brownie cup): Calories 100, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Carbohydrate 11 g, Protein 1 g, Sodium 50 mg, Fiber 0 g  (Really, are you honestly reading this?? Amy, I know you are. Trust me, all you need to know is they are bad for you and you can't make them every week. Nothing else matters. haha.)

Cheesecake Factory Cajun Jambalaya Pasta

1/2 tsp. white pepper 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 5 quarts water
1 1/2 tsp. salt 6 ounces plain fettuccine
1/2 tsp. paprika 6 ounces spinach fettuccine
1/4 tsp. garlic powder 2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp. onion powder 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 small green bell pepper, sliced 1 Tbs cornstarch
1 small red bell pepper, sliced 2 Tbs cooking white wine
1 small yellow bell pepper, sliced 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 small white onion, sliced

( I happened to have a cajun seasoning blend that I used)

1. Make a cajun seasoning blend by combining the white pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bow.

2. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Use about one-third of the seasoning blend to coat the chicken pieces.

3. In another bowl, sprinkle another one-third of the spice blend over the shrimp.

4. Start your pasta cooking by bringing 5 quarts of water to a boil over high heat. Add both fettuccines to the hot water, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 12 to 14 minutes or until the pasta is tender.

5. While the fettuccine cooks, heat 1 Tbs of the olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, saute the chicken in the pan for about 2 minutes per side or until the surface of the chicken starts to turn brown.

6. Add the shrimp to the pan with the chicken and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the shrimp from sticking. When the chicken and shrimp have been seared, pour the contents of the pan onto a plate or into a bowl. Do not rinse the pan!

7. Put the pan back over the high heat and add the remaining Tbs of oil to the pan. Add the tomatoes, peppers, and onion to the oil. Sprinkle the veggies with the remaining spice blend and saute for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables begin to turn dark brown or black. (I didn't let them turn black)

8. Add the chicken and shrimp to the vegetables and pour 3/4 cup of the chicken stock in the pan. Cook over high heat until stock has been reduced to just about nothing. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of the stock to the pan. The liquid should become dark as it deglazes the pan of the dark film left by the spices and cooking food. Stir constantly, scraping the blackened stuff on the bottom of the pan. Reduce the broth a bit more, then turn the heat down to low.

9. Combine the cornstarch with the wine (or more broth) in a small bowl. Stir until it is dissolved. Add this to the pan and simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly.

10. When the fettuccine is done, drain it and spoon half onto a plate. Spoon half of the jambalaya over the fettuccine. Sprinkle half of the parsley over the top. Repeat for the second serving.

(this made 4 servings for us) and fyi this is now your father's favorite meal!!!

Lime-and-Honey Glazed Salmon with Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
juice of 2 limes
3 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 6-ounce salmon fillets
1 red pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 10-ounce box frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, (a handful), chopped
6 cups baby spinach

Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO. Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. While the onions are cooking, preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO. In a shallow dish, combine the juice of 1 lime, honey, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add the salmon fillets to the lime-honey mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Add the seasoned salmon to the hot skillet and cook until just cooked through, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
To the cooked onions, add the bell peppers and corn kernels and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the black beans and cook until the beans are just heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the juice of the second lime, the cilantro, and spinach. Toss to wilt the spinach and then taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the lime-and-honey-glazed salmon on top of the warm black bean and corn salad.
4 servings.
(You can serve the spinach salad alone as leftovers with something else if you like. If you don't want the spinach to wilt too much for leftovers divide the mixture before adding the spinach and only add half, then you can add the spinach the next day after heating the beans, it is good cold as well)

Avocado Mango Chicken

Hi girls! Its been a long time since I posted a recipe so I figured I'd better get a move on it. This is so good, and its from self magazine so its lowfat. I altered it a little because I'm usually not a fan of whole baked chicken unless it has a thick sauce (I know. weird) anyway...I put instructions for had I did it at the bottem. enjoy!

Ingredients
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from canned chipotle chiles)
2 limes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 oz each)
1 large mango, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons sea salt
4 white-corn tortillas
Preparation
Mix Worcestershire, soy and adobo sauces with juice from 1 of the limes in a bowl. Place chicken in a sealable plastic bag and pour in marinade. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine mango, avocado, cilantro, onion, salt and juice from remaining lime in a bowl, then refrigerate. Transfer chicken and marinade to a baking dish and cook until tender and no longer pink, approximately 20 minutes. Remove chicken from oven, place each breast on a plate and top with 1/4 of salsa. Serve with 1 tortilla each.

So instead of using the whole chicken breast I sort of made fajitas. I marinaded just strips of chicken and then poured it in to a saute pan to cook until it was cooked through. Then I just piled the chicken, and delicious avocado mango salsa in a tortilla. delicioso. I served it with this really yummy bean side dish. you just sautee one stalk of celery and half of an onion until they are soft. Then sprinkle two teaspoons of taco seasoning over them. Then stir in one cup of black beans (I just did the whole can. whatev) and 2/3 cup chicken broth. just keep it on the heat until most of the liquid cooks out. they are so good. and healthy :)

Chicken Pesto

Ingredients
prepared pesto
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
breadcrumbs (I added my favorite italian spices)
4 slices provolone cheese, cut in half
1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms

Directions
1 Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2 Spray rectangular dish (9 by 12 inch) with non-stick spray.
3 Moisten chicken with water, shake off excess, and coat complete with bread crumbs.
4 Place chicken in baking dish.
5 Spread pesto sauce evenly over chicken breasts.
6 Cover each breast with ½ slice of provolone or mozzer. cheese.
7 Spread mushrooms over cheese.
8 Bake in oven for 45- 50 minutes.
9 Serve with pasta.
*I waited until about 10 minutes prior to the chicken being done to add the mushrooms and cheese to avoid the cheese being overcooked.
I served with a white sauce pasta, asparagus (boiled then added parm. cheese), and rhodes roles because they are so easy and taste like you baked fresh roles. This recipe was without a doubt one of the easiest ones for how good the flavor is. You are going to love it! Will someone please upload a delicious recipe for me to try? Love you girls.

Mexican-Style Pasta With Chicken and Peppers

A delicious, easy and healthy meal, you're going to love it!

Ingredients
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons sugar
4 plum tomatoes, well drained or 6 whole canned tomatoes, well drained
3 scallions
1 large green bell pepper
3/4 lb vermicelli or other thin pasta (I used bowtie pasta)
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (4 ounce) can chopped mild green chilies, drained
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using regular chicken broth)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro


* I added red pepper flakes to taste, stirred in a 1/2 cup light sour cream just before removing from heat and then topped with some shreaded pepper-jack cheese to individual servings.

Directions
1 In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth, garlic, cumin and chili powder to a boil over medium-high heat.
2 Meanwhile, coarsely chop the tomatoes, scallions and bell pepper. Break the vermicelli into 2-inch pieces.
3 Add the chicken to the boiling broth, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and set it aside to cool slightly.
4 In a large nonstick skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the vermicelli and cook, stirring, until the vermicelli is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. (I omitted this step; I began to cook the pasta, then finished cooking in broth mixture with veges.
5 Add the broth mixture, tomatoes, scallions, bell pepper, green chilies and salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked, about 7 minutes.
6 Meanwhile, shred the chicken. Mince the cilantro (if using).
7 Stir the shredded chicken and cilantro into the pasta mixture and serve hot.