Buffalo Chicken Ring

Football season is upon us and so are all those amazing Fall football recipes. Here is a great take on chicken wings and chicken wing dip. It came out yummy and really satisfied my chicken wing craving at a portion of the calories. If you cut the ring into 12 pieces, which are a good size, then each piece is about 213 calories. Enjoy with Ranch or Bleu Cheese but make sure you add in those calories if you are tracking. Enjoy and let me know how yours comes out!

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/2 cup onions, finely diced
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot
2 (6 ounce) packets cooked chicken, very finely diced
2 tubes crescent rolls
1/2 cup ranch dressing (for dipping), optional

Directions:
 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, celery, onions, Buffalo sauce, and chicken. (Or, if you'd rather, mix it all together in a food processor.

2. Open the tubes of crescent rolls and separate each roll into four rectangles. Lay the rectangles on a parchment lined or nonstick baking sheet to form a large circle.

3. Spoon chicken mixture into the center of the crescent dough ring. Fold the top of each crescent dough rectangle over the chicken filling, pressing into place to secure the dough all the way around the filling.

4. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving. 

Saucy Italian Noodles with Sausage

Thank you pinterest for all your dinner ideas. The kids love spaghetti and meatballs, and I though this would be a fun take on it. This dish was AMAZING! The kids inhaled all ingredients and the serving size was generous. The recipe says this serves four, but in our home I said it serves six and it is approximately 400 calories/serving. Enjoy on it's own and it is enough, or add a salad and have it serve eight for a lower calorie count. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Olive oil
3 spicy Italian chicken/turkey fresh sausage links, casings removed
1 large onion, quartered and sliced thinly
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
½ cup white wine (I used Chardonnay)
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, julienned, divided use
8 ounces Pappardelle noodles, uncooked

 Directions:
1. Place a large, heavy-bottom pan or braising pot over medium-high heat; add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and once the oil is hot, crumble the spicy Italian sausage into the pan in small chunks (you want to keep the sausage fairly chunky), allowing it to brown in the oil for a few moments on each side; once the crumbled sausage is browned, remove it from the pan/pot with a slotted spoon and place into a small bowl to hold for a moment

2. next, add the sliced onion into the pan with the sausage drippings, and allow it to caramelize and become golden for roughly 5 minutes or so, stirring to keep it from burning (add a touch more olive oil, if necessary); once the onion starts to become golden, add the salt, Italian seasoning and cracked black pepper, and stir to combine, then add in the sliced bell peppers, and allow those to saute with the onion for about 2 minutes until slightly tender and golden; next, add in the garlic, and once it becomes aromatic, add in the white wine and allow it to reduce for a few moments, until almost completely reduced

3. next, add in the diced tomatoes with their juice, and return the browned spicy Italian sausage back into the pan, and gently fold the mixture to combine; allow it to gently simmer for about 3-4 minutes to blend the flavors, then turn the heat off; to finish the sauce, drizzle in about 2-3 good tablespoons of the olive oil to create a silky, rich flavor, and add in the chopped parsley and the julienned basil; stir, and keep warm while you prepare the noodles.

4. Prepare the pappardelle noodles according to instructions on package; then, drain the noodles very well, and add them directly into the sauce, using tongs to gently toss and combine the pappardelle noodles with the sauce and all of the ingredients in it; check the seasoning to see if you need to add any additional salt or pepper.

Pizza Stuffed Pretzel Rolls

First weekend of the NFL season and I had some fun in the kitchen! Nothing better than some great snacks while you watch football all day long. This was the first recipe I played with, and although a long, messy process they were worth it. According to the recipe on Pinterest these freeze well, but I couldn't tell you because I had none left to freeze. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 batch Pizza dough
1/2 cup marinara sauce
2 oz peperoni, chopped
1/2 cup cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, whatever you want)
1/4 cup baking soda
2 tbs sugar
3 tbs melted butter
course salt

Directions:
1.  Pre-heat the oven to 350. Roll out the dough as big and thin as you can. I then cut it into long strips vertically and then horizontally...creating approximately 16-22 squares.

2. On each square place a dollop of marinara, some chopped pepperoni and then cheese. Have a small bowl of water next to you and dip your finger in and wet the edges of the square. Pull up all corners and then pinch at the top to seal the pretzel. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

3. Bring a pot of water with the sugar to a boil. Make sure you use a deep pot because adding baking soda makes it bubble. Once the water is boiling at the baking soda to the water.

4. Then add 4-6 rolls to the water at a time and let them simmer for about 30 seconds. Remove and place back on the lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and salt. Repeat this process until done.

5. Place in the oven for 15-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let stand for about 5-10 minutes and then devour!

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

I came across the beautiful dish on Pinterest and OMG, it came out amazing!  A healthy spin on enchiladas coming in at about 385 calories per serving and so very tasty. I again made it inside out (taquito form) for my toddlers and they inhaled it! This is going on our staple weekly menu. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 poblano chile, cut into matchsticks
2 red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium onion, halved and slivered
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 T heat-safe oil like grapeseed or coconut (I used Wegman's basting oil)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups homemade or store bought salsa/pico de gallo
2 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 2 big handfuls)
9-10 corn tortillas, halved (try making homemade tortillas!)
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a cheddar-Monterey Jack blend)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a large shallow roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet.

2. Place poblanos, red bell peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato, onion, and corn kernels in a large bowl. Drizzle oil and sprinkle the cumin and minced garlic over top. Add a generous pinch or two of salt and black pepper, then use your hands to mix everything together. After everything is coated well, spread the vegetables evenly in the pan. Roast for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown in spots. Stir or shake the pan every 10 minutes for even roasting. Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

3. Prepare an 8x8x2 or 9x9x2-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, stir the cilantro into the salsa. Spread 1/4 cup of salsa into the bottom of the baking pan. Add a layer of tortilla pieces, to completely cover the salsa. Top with 1/3 of the vegetables, a handful of spinach, and 1/3 of the cheese. Make a second layer of tortilla, salsa, vegetables, spinach, and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

4. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

5. Let it sit for 5 minutes and cut into squares.