Buffalo Cauliflower with Ranch Dip

INGREDIENTS:

Dip:

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

1/3 cup sour cream

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried chives

1/4 teaspoon dill

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

pinch each of salt and pepper

Hot Sauce:

1/2 cup hot sauce (like Cholula)

4 tablespoons butter

scant 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Cauliflower:

olive oil, for greasing the pan

1 medium head cauliflower (7 - 8 cups)

salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

Make the dip:
1. In a medium bowl whisk all the dip ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate.
Make the hot sauce:
2. Add the hot sauce and butter to a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Stir to melt the butter and cook 2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan, garlic powder and black pepper.
Make the cauliflower:
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a large non-stick baking sheet generously with olive oil.
5. Cut the head of cauliflower into florets - not too small - they will shrink as they cook.
6. Place the cauliflower in a large bowl and pour the hot sauce over it. Mix it well until the cauliflower are well coated.
7. Spread them out on the baking sheet, drizzle any sauce left in the bowl over them. Sprinkle them lightly with salt.
8. Bake 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and toss the cauliflower, scraping up any sauce that is laying on the bottom of the pan. Spread them out again.
9. Bake 15 more minutes. Take them out of the oven and toss again. Check them with a fork or taste one to see how tender they are.
10. If they're not done put them back in the oven until they are - it shouldn't take longer than another 10 minutes.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature with the ranch yogurt dip.
12. Source: countryliving.com

Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• salt + pepper
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• ⅓ cup water
• 1 to 1 ½ cups shredded colby or Mexican blend cheese
• 12 6 inch corn or flour tortillas
• optional: cilantro, salsa, sour cream, or other toppings as desired

Instructions

1. Mix chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste, cream cheese, and water in a medium mixing bowl. Pour half of the mixture into your crockpot, place chicken in crockpot and pour remaining mixture over the chicken.
2. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
3. Minutes before serving, remove chicken from crock pot, shred with two forks, and return to slow cooker. Give it a stir. Cook about 15 minutes longer.
4. Preheat oven to 400. Here is a great trick to keep your corn tortilla from falling apart. Place 1 corn tortilla on a skillet, put about ⅛ cup cheese on the corn tortilla. Warm the tortilla until the cheese melts, remove tortilla from pan. Melting the cheese on the corn tortilla will keep it from falling apart in the next step.
5. Place about ¼ cup of the chicken mixture onto the middle of each corn tortilla that has the melted cheese on it or a flour tortilla.
6. Top with 1-2 tablespoons shredded cheese. Roll tightly and place in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. If using corn tortilla brushing some olive oil over them will help with browning and crisping.
7. Bake 10 minutes, until tortillas are slightly browned and shredded cheese is melted. Serve with desired toppings and sauces.
8. Source: countryliving.com

Chocolate Caramel Nut Popcorn

Ingredients

• 8 cups popped popcorn
• 1 cup Fisher pecans
• 1 cup Fisher walnuts, chopped roughly
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips, melted
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt, optional

Caramel Sauce

• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 4 tablespoons butter
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Line a cookie sheet with foil
2. Pop the popcorn and remove any kernels
3. In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, salt and cream
4. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes or until thickened
5. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla
6. Let cool about 10 minutes
7. Note: you may have caramel left over, store in fridge, it goes great on ice cream
8. Transfer to plastic squeeze bottle, optional
9. Pour popcorn onto cookie sheet
10. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave about 1 minute or until smooth (see note for tip)
11. Transfer chocolate to plastic squeeze bottle, optional
12. Drizzle popcorn with chocolate
13. Immediately add nuts
14. Drizzle with caramel
15. Sprinkle on Sea Salt, optional
16. Heat oven to 300 degrees and Bake for 15 minutes
17. Cool completely and break into pieces
18. Source: countryliving.com

Baked Triple Cheese and Salsa Tortilla Chip Dip

INGREDIENTS:

10 to 15 corn tortilla chips (round or triangle)
one 10.75-ounce can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soupone 1.25-ounce packet fajita seasoning mix (McCormick, Mrs. Dash, etc.)
one 8-ounce bag shredded cheese, divided (Mexican blend, Pepper Jack blend, etc.)
8 ounces brick-style cream cheese, very well softened to room temp
8 ounces salsa

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9-inch pie dish (or similar-sized oven-safe baking dish) with cooking spray.
2. Place tortilla chips in dish so they cover the majority of the bottom, slightly overlapping. This prevents soup from seeping through.
3. Add the soup and lightly spread it evenly over the chips with a spatula or knife.
4. Evenly sprinkle the fajita mix over the top.
5. Evenly sprinkle not quite half the cheese over the top (I used about 40% of the bag); set aside remainder.
6. Add the cream cheese in about 1/4 cup blobs and with a spatula or knife, do your best to carefully distribute it evenly over the pan without disturbing the other layers. Some small bald patches are okay because it bakes together. Tip - the softer your cream cheese is, the easier this step is.
7. Evenly pour the salsa over the top, spreading it lightly with a spatula or knife if necessary.
8. Evenly sprinkle reserved cheese over the top.
9. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until top is golden browned, bubbly, and dip is done to your liking. Allow dip to cool momentarily before serving.
10. Serving Suggestions - tortilla chips, bread, crackers, bagel chips, pita chips, mini toast crackers, carrot/celery/zucchni/jicama/cucumber sticks, bell pepper wedges, or eat by the spoonful. Dip is best warm and fresh, but extra will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Gently re-heat in micro before serving leftover portion. We ate the leftover portion in squares like lasagna.
11. Source: countryliving.com

Baked Tangy Honey Mustard Wings

Ingredients

Chicken Wings:

• 2½ - 3 lbs. of chicken wings (drumettes and wings)
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon of chipotle chili powder
• ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of canola oil
• optional garnish: green onions, sesame seeds

Honey Mustard Sauce:

• ½ cup of honey
• ½ cup of dijon mustard (I use stone ground mustard because I like the texture of it)
• ½ teaspoon of ground mustard
• 2 tablespoons of butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Pat chicken wings dry and place in a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl mix paprika, garlic powder, chipotle chili powder, and ground cinnamon.
4. Sprinkle seasoning mixture over chicken wings and then add canola oil, toss to coat all the wings.
5. Add a wire rack to a baking sheet and evenly spread chicken wings out on wire rack.
6. Bake wings for 20 minutes.
7. Remove pan from oven, flip the chicken wings and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.
8. In the meantime, heat a small pot to medium high heat. Add in mustard, honey, ground mustard, and butter. Stir until butter is melted and sauce is warm.
9. Add cooked chicken wings to a large bowl with the honey mustard sauce, toss the chicken wings around with the sauce until all the wings are covered.
10. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
11. Source: countryliving.com

Peach Pie Smoothie Bowl

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups frozen peaches
• 1/2 cup milk of choice
• 3/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 scoop unflavored or vanilla protein powder (optional)
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1 tablespoon honey, use more if you like it sweeter
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of nutmeg
• Fresh peach slices, granola, and toasted sliced almond for toppings

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a blender add all of the ingredients except the toppings and blend until smooth.
2. Pour the smoothie into a bowl and top with fresh peach slices, granola, and toasted almond slices.
3. Source: countryliving.com

Poached Egg Avocado Toast

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs
• 2 slices whole grain bread
• ⅓ avocado (usually I cut it in half but don't use all of it. okay fine maybe I do.)
• 2 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper for topping
• fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, or basil) for topping
• quartered heirloom tomatoes for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring a pot of water to boil (use enough water to cover the eggs when they lay in the bottom). Drop the metal rims (outer rim only) of two mason jar lids into the pot so they are laying flat on the bottom. When the water is boiling, turn off the heat and carefully crack the eggs directly into each rim. Cover the pot and poach for 5 minutes (4 for super soft, 4:30 for soft, 5 or more for semi-soft yolks).
2. While the eggs are cooking, toast the bread and smash the avocado on each piece of toast. When the eggs are done, use a spatula to lift the eggs out of the water. Gently pull the rim off of the eggs (I do this right on the spatula, over the water) and place the poached eggs on top of the toast. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs; serve with the fresh quartered heirloom tomatoes.
3. Source: countryliving.com

No-Bake Fruit Oatmeal Tart

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter*
• 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt, optional
• 1/2 cup rice krispie cereal
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, not cooked
• Vanilla or different flavored Greek yogurt
• Fresh fruit, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl, combine the almond butter and honey. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir until smooth. Add in the vanilla extract and salt.
2. In another bowl, stir together the rice krispie cereal, oat flour (oats that have been blended or put in a food processor until they resemble flour -- measure AFTER blending and not before), and old-fashioned oats.
3. Pour the almond butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. If it's too wet, add in some more oat flour and too dry, add a bit more almond butter.
4. Form balls and then press the balls into a miniature muffin tin. Press your finger into the middle to form a tart. Carefully remove the tart from the mold.
5. Fill up with vanilla flavored Greek yogurt or your preferred flavor.
6. Top with fresh fruit and enjoy immediately.
7. Source: countryliving.com

Kale Pesto with Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Ingredients

for the breakfast bowls:
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/2 an avocado
• 1/4 cup homemade pesto
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 
  
for the pesto:
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup fresh kale leaves
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 large garlic clove
• 3 - 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Salt + pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Start by adding the eggs to a small saucepan with 1 inch of water in the bottom. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot and reduce to simmer for 5 - 6 minutes.
2. While the eggs are cooking, add all the pesto ingredients to a food processor. Process until almost smooth (no large chunks wanted here!).
3. When eggs are done cooking, rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Let stand in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes.
4. Prepare your breakfast bowls: add 1 cup quinoa, half of the avocado thinly sliced and half the pesto.
5. When eggs have cooled, peel them and slice in half. Add to the bowl and sprinkle with half the hemp and chia seeds.
6. Enjoy as is, season with a touch more salt and pepper, or mix it all together (that's what I did and yum!).
7. Source: countryliving.com

Toasted Coconut Porridge

INGREDIENTS

• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk (regular or light is fine)
• ½ cup quinoa
• a pinch of salt
• 1½ cups rolled oats
• 1 cup juice or water - Bai5 Antioxidant Infusions Congo Pear is perfection in this
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• cinnamon to taste
• apple slices, peanut butter, or honey for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring the coconut milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the quinoa and salt and cook for 15 minutes or so, until the quinoa is cooked. Add the Bai5, oats, cinnamon, and salt - cook for just a few more minutes to soften the oats.
2. In a small nonstick skillet over medium high heat, add the coconut flakes and shake in the pan until lightly toasted. You can also do this in the oven, but I find it's a bit faster on the stovetop.
3. Serve up the porridge topped with toasted coconut and anything your heart desires.
4. Source: countryliving.com

Kale, Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Frittata

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 eggs
• 1/4 milk (I use 2% because that's what my kids drink)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large handful bagged chopped kale, chopped a bit more finely
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 1 teaspoon of oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preaheat your broiler (use low if you have the option).
2. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to  an oven-proof 10 1/2 inch nonstick skillet, over medium heat. Add chopped red pepper and kale and saute for 5 minutes until vegetables are soft. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add egg and milk mixture to skillet. Let set for a minute. Using a spatula carefully begin to separate egg mixture from side of the pan, tilting pan while doing this so that egg mixture fills the space. Do this all around pan so that frittata cooks up evenly. Continue to do this until most of egg mixture is spread and only a small layer is left on top.
4. Spread crumbled goat cheese evenly to top of frittata. Place in oven under broiler and let cook for about 3-4 minutes, watching carefully. Let top of frittata cook completely and brown slightly.
5. Carefully (using a mitt!) take skillet out from oven. Let cool down for a couple of minutes. Slide frittata out onto a plate or cutting board and slice into quarters. Serve warm.
6. Source: countryliving.com