January 12, 2012: Low Cal Potato Cheese Soup Recipe

Although cheese isn’t the most diet-friendly food, it is packed with protein and you can’t deny yourself (myself) all the time. This recipe is very filling; a little cheese goes a long way.

Low Cal Potato Cheese Soup

1 t. butter

¼ cup chopped white onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, chopped

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

1 small Roma tomato, peeled and diced

1 roasted green chile, peeled and diced

3 red potatoes, cut into 1 ½” chunks

1 cup water

1 t. chicken bouillon

2 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

½ t. garlic salt

½ t. black pepper

1 cup 1% milk

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add white onion, garlic, white parts of green onions, and celery. Sauté for five minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in tomato, green chile, and potatoes. Add water and chicken bouillon; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low, gently boiling potatoes for about 15 minutes or until soft.

Add cubes of cheese, salt, pepper and milk. Reduce heat to low and stir together just until cheese melts. To serve, top bowls of soup with green onions.

Serves 2 – 4 (two as a main dish, four as a side dish or appetizer) with calories of approximately 265 in a one-cup serving.

Tip: For a thicker soup, let it cool, then reheat slowly over low heat.

November 19, 2011: Chili Mac Recipe

Here’s an old standby that was the perfect recipe for some leftovers I had hanging around in my fridge. While the dish is reminiscent of the goopy casserole I remember being served from the school cafeteria, this recipe tastes a whole lot better!

Tip: If you don’t have leftovers available, just go ahead and double the amounts listed in the recipe; use a full can of corn and chili. I used homemade chili and corn that I had canned myself over the summer.

Chili Mac

½ lb. macaroni noodles

4 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

½ t. dry mustard

2/3 cup nonfat or low fat Greek yogurt or sour cream

¾ cup shredded Cheddar or Colby Jack cheese, divided.

1/3 cup cooked corn

1 cup chili with beans

Dash Tabasco sauce

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and return to cooking pot. Add cheese and stir until melted. To the pot, add mustard, yogurt or sour cream, ¼ cup shredded cheese, corn, chili and Tabasco. Pour into greased casserole cheese. Top with remaining cheese and cover with foil.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, until bubbly hot. Remove foil and bake an additional five minutes, until cheese is completely melted.

Serves 4

October 24, 2011: Quick Chile Con Queso Recipe

I don’t know if you’ve figured it out yet but I hate to waste food. Recently I took several bags of assorted chips to a church function and ended up with a little bit leftover in each. I’m not a plain chip gal so I made this easy chile con queso to use as a dip with the tortilla chips.

What did I do with the rest of the chips? I used the potato chips as the topping on a tuna casserole and the corn chips as the basis for Frito Chili Pie using a jar of my homemade chili and some shredded cheese. Voila! No wasted food!

Chile Con Queso

4 ounces Velveeta, cubed

1 small roasted green chile, chopped

1 fresh jalapeno, minced (don't discard the seeds unless you want a milder dip)

1 T. minced onion (dried or fresh)

1 t. minced garlic (jarred is fine)

½ t. cilantro (dried or fresh)

2 cherry tomatoes, chopped (optional)

2 T. milk

Combine all ingredients in a microwaveable bowl. Heat for 1 – 2 minutes, until cheese is thoroughly melted. Mix well before serving.

September 25, 2011: Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

I haven’t made stuffed bell peppers in ages but recently a friend of ours brought over some bell peppers picked fresh from his garden. They were just too tempting – and the best way to use up several at once was to make this recipe. Rather than resort to my mother’s recipes, I decided to give stuffed peppers a more modern twist by turning them into a Southwestern style entrée. Hope you like it!

Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 cup rice

1 cup coarsely chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. dried cilantro (or 2 t. fresh cilantro, chopped)

1 t. minced garlic

½ t. garlic salt

Salt and pepper to taste

4 jalapeno cheddar sausages

4 large or 6 small bell peppers

2 ounces Velveeta cheese

4 – 6 T. prepared salsa

2 T. ketchup

1/3 cup water

Cook rice according to package directions.

Meanwhile, set a large of pot of water to boiling. Add the peppers and the tomatoes (about 2 medium). Remove the tomatoes after a minute with a slotted spoon. Immediately run under cold water and then remove the peels. Remove the seeds with your thumb and chop tomatoes into large chunks. After 5 minutes, remove the bell peppers and allow to cool. When cool, slice off the tops and remove the seeds and white membranes inside. If necessary, slice a small bit off the bottom of the peppers so they stand upright. Place the cleaned peppers in a greased baking dish.

When the rice is done, add the chopped tomatoes, green onion, Worcestershire, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper. If desired, you can also chop up any extra bits of bell pepper from the sliced off sections and add these, too. Thinly slice the sausages and add them to the rice mixture.

Fill the peppers with rice mixture and top with a slice of Velveeta cheese. Top each with a tablespoon of salsa, allowing it to drip over the sides. Mix the ketchup and water and add to bottom of baking dish.

Bake peppers uncovered in 375 degree oven for about half an hour, until the peppers are softened and the cheese is melted.

Serves 4.

Note: If you like more heat, add a couple tablespoons of chopped hot green chile or jalapenos to the rice mixture.

September 10, 2011: Easy Ramen Alfredo Recipe

Today we laid our dear, sweet, thoughtful, kind Christian sister, Ruthalie Heffner, to rest. She is now at peace in Heaven with the Lord. I miss this dear lady a lot! Although she was 96 years old, she was sharp as a tack and had a memory much better than my own. I'm just thankful she didn't have to suffer; after waiting for all of her family to arrive, she went home with Jesus the night of September 4th. RIP Ruthalie.

I ended up making my husband’s favorite Kansas City sirloin steak marinade recipe again just to make him happy (since he thinks I experiment in the kitchen far too often) and found myself with another stray package of plain ramen noodles. I did a bit of sleuthing online and was absolutely astonished to find literally hundreds of recipes that use ramen noodles. I never thought about it before, but they can really be used just like any other type of pasta.

Kansas City sirloin steaks, mushrooms in garlic and shallot vinaigrette and cheesy ramen noodles.

Since I had half a jar of leftover prepared Alfredo sauce in my fridge, I just boiled the noodles for about 5 minutes, drained them, and added the sauce. You could also add Velveeta for a quick and easy mac and cheese recipe or toss them with spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese.

So there you have it – one of the quickest, easiest side dishes I’ve ever shared with you!

August 30, 2011: Cheesy Peas and Mushrooms

As the days get a bit shorter and the morning temps a bit lower, I naturally gravitate toward more comfort foods. This recipe is for a side dish that is an ideal pairing with a simple protein since it’s so rich (I served it with a white meat turkey loaf and potatoes). It may be a good way to get your kids to eat their peas!

Cheesy Peas and Mushrooms

1 t. olive oil

1 t. butter

4 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 shallot, minced

1 cup frozen peas

1/3 cup cubed Velveeta cheese

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and shallot. Saute for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add the frozen peas and cover with a lid; cook for about 5 minutes more, until peas are heated through. Reduce heat to low and add cubes of Velveeta; sprinkle with black pepper. Cook a couple minutes more, just until cheese is melted. Stir and serve.

Serves 3