Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Dip

(Picture from Taste of Home)

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (6 ounces) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• Graham cracker sticks

Directions

• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Serve with graham cracker sticks. Yield: 2 cups.

Bowtie Chicken Caesar Salad

(Picture taken from The Girl Who Ate Everything)

2 bunches green leaf lettuce, chopped (I used half green leaf-half baby spinach)
1 bag croutons
1 bag Almond Accents
2 Chicken Breasts, boiled with an onion and salt and pepper ( I used Rotisserie Chicken-shredded)
2 cups bowtie pasta, cooked
4 - 6 oz. shredded parmesan cheese
Brianna’s Asiago Caesar Dressing (I HIGHLY recommend this dressing, it's SO GOOD!! Definitely better than your usual Kraft Caesar dressing.)

Toss all the above ingredients with Caesar dressing right before serving.

**This salad was GREAT!! And super easy to prepare! Obviously the above recipe makes a ton, so I just used less of each ingredient to accommodate our family. YUMMY!

Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything

"Chipotle's" Cilantro Lime Rice AND a Dinner Idea

(Picture taken from Gina's Skinny Recipes)

• 1 cup extra long grain rice
  
• 1/2 lime, juice of
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• 3 tsp vegetable oil

In a small heavy pot, add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt. Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 15 minutes. Shut off flame and keep covered an additional 5 minute.

In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining oil and toss until completely mixed.

Recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes

**This rice was FANTASTIC!!!!! Definitely a keeper!!! In my opinion, it was BETTER than Chipotle's!!!!** And if your in a hurry, you could skip all the "rice cooking" steps and use Minute Rice to speed things up! I"m going to try that next time!

DINNER IDEA:

Taco Salads using Aztec Taco Shell bowls OR you could use flour tortilla's and make Burritos

• Aztec Taco Shells or Flour Tortillas
  
• Mixture of chopped Baby Spinach and Green Leaf Lettuce
• Cilantro Lime Rice (see above recipe)
  
• Seasoned Ground Beef or Chicken (using any brand Taco Seasoning Pack)
• Seasoned Black Beans (drain, rinse under cold water, place in microwave safe bowl to heat up. I put a couple tablespoons of chicken broth I had in the bowl before microwaving them to keep them from drying out. I also added a few dashes of garlic powder and ground cumin)....SO good!!
• Corn
• Homemade Pico de Gallo...combine chopped tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro. Season with salt/pepper, a little garlic powder and a few dashes of lime juice.
• Sour Cream
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or you could use a Mexican blend)
  

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

3/4 C Sharp White Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I had to buy in a block and shred myself)
4 oz Creme Cheese (softened)
1/4 C Sour Creme
1/4 C Mayo
1/4 C Roasted Red Peppers (diced)
2 Tsp tabasco
Salt to Taste
3 Green Onions (chopped)
2 Pieces of Bacon (cooked crispy and diced)

Blend all above ingredients in food processor until smooth. Chill before serving!

This dip is GREAT!!! I served it with a small grain crackers and it was a huge hit! Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Chip Sour Creme Muffins

Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup sour cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Instructions
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Line one cupcake pan with liners, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4.  In another large bowl, combine the egg, sour cream, melted butter, and vanilla extract, mixing well.
5.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.
6. Gently add in the chocolate chips until thoroughly combined.
7. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared cupcake liners (I use a large ice cream scoop for this) so that the liners are about 3/4-full.
8.  Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean, about 14-18 minutes.

Recipe from The Curvy Carrot

Quinoa and Black Beans

Pronounced (Keen-wah)

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained ( only used 1 because I forgot to buy 2)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Quinoa is one of my new FAVORITE things!!! YUM! I have been researching "eating clean" and have discovered how fantastic this stuff is for you! So I thought I would give it a try...SO glad I did! It was FANTASTIC!!! There are so many different recipes out there for using "quinoa" I can't wait to try more! Just google this little gem and do some research on just how great this little grain is for you!! This can be served as a side dish OR as the main dish with a salad. It is extremely high in protein and could replace your meat in your meal. The dish can also be served warm OR cold!!! I'm in LOVE!!!! :)

Recipe from : Allrecipes.com