Hot Sauce

If you have a cayenne pepper plant, you may find yourself wondering after a while what you could possibly do with all of them! Other than drying for later use, why not make some hot sauce instead of going out and buying it? It is super easy! Just know that your house will smell very spicy for a few hours....

Ingredients:

18 cayenne peppers
1 1/2 c. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 or 5 cloves of garlic, paper removed

If you have kitchen gloves, I highly suggest you put them on before cutting the peppers. Trim off the stem. Put all of the ingredients into a medium size pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 25 minutes on low.

Once cooled slightly, pour everything into a blender until you reach a smooth consistency. Pour the sauce back into the pot and simmer for another 15 minutes. At this point if you notice the liquid content is down, add increments of 1/4 cup water at a time until it reaches you preferred consistency.

If you like your hot sauce as smooth as possible, like myself, I strained mine through some cheese cloth just to get the extra cayenne seeds out of the mix. Pour into a sealed jar or bottle. This can last for months in the refrigerator. It will slightly separate while sitting in the fridge, but just give it a few shakes before using it, like you would any store bought bottle.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Remoulade Sauce

Ingredients:

2 large green tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 c. Panko
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on top. Spray the rack with non stick cooking spray. Mix the oil and Panko in a bowl. Add in the cornmeal, Parmesan, and seasonings and stir everything together well. Dip the tomato slices in the whisked eggs, dripping the excess back off.

Press the breading mixture on each side of the tomato and place on the rack. Repeat until all of the slices were breaded. Bake for 20 minutes, turn over and bake an additional 20 minutes until golden brown on the outside.

Remoulade Sauce:

1/4 c. Miracle Whip, light
1/4 c. mustard
1 Tbs. paprika
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
2 tsp. horseradish, creamy
1 tsp. dill pickle juice
1 tsp. Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine the ingredients above in a small bowl. Drizzle on top of the warm fried green tomatoes, or serve in a bowl on the side. As with many things, I added an over easy egg on top!

Scramble with Ramen Pancakes

Are you ready for the WEIRDEST (well, pretty weird) combinations of ingredients put together ever?! This breakfast of randomness is so weird sounding but so delicious! If you don't have ramen noodles, you can substitute with spaghetti or fettuccine or angel hair, any kind of long skinny noodle.

Ingredients:

1 bundle of ramen, boiled for 4 minutes and drained
1 green onion, chopped
3 slices turkey bacon, cooked and chopped
3 multi colored mini sweet peppers
3/4 c. liquid egg whites, scrambled

Parmesan Sauce:

1 Tbs. Parmesan
1 Tbs. Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 1/2 c. shredded Pepper-Jack cheese
2 Tbs. margarine
1/4 c. sour cream, light
Salt and Pepper
1 green onion, chopped

In a small saucepan, melt the margarine. Add the shredded cheese and sour cream and stir continuously until the cheese is melted. Add in the Parmesan, hot sauce, green onion, salt and pepper. When everything is well combined remove from the heat and add in the cooked ramen.

Heat a medium sized skillet to medium high heat and spray with non stick cooking spray. Pour the ramen Parmesan combination into the pan. DO NOT STIR! Wait 3 or 4 minutes until the bottom of the pasta is golden brown. Flip the entire noodle "pancake" (use spatula's if you need to) and continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until that side is also golden brown. Transfer to a flat work surface and let cool slightly before cutting into four equal sections.

To assemble, place two ramen pancake triangles on your serving plates. Top each with the scrambled egg whites. Sprinkle with the crumbled bacon, green onion, and multi colored bell pepper. It will look weird, I won't lie about that part. But it is worth the oddness of it all! If you like an extra kick, add more hot sauce on top! The Parmesan sauce that is in with the noodles does have a pretty big kick though so add more with caution.

Buffalo Chicken Panini

We have now used this chicken taco meat for I believe 5 or 6 different recipes. It can be used in so many things and is the key ingredient in this panini that is to die for!

1 1/2 c. Shredded Chicken Taco Meat
3 Tbs. Kraft Mayonnaise, Light
2 Tbs. Frank's Red Hot Sauce
2 Tbs. green onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 c. shredded aged white cheddar cheese
1/2 Loaf Ciabatta, Sliced in half width wise (about a 6 inch sub size)

Heat a grill pan to medium heat. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and hot sauce together. Open the ciabatta bread and spread half of the hot sauce mixture on the top of each slice. Top the bottom slice with the shredded cheese, spreading out evenly. Top the cheese with the shredded chicken, and sprinkle with the sliced green onion. Place the other slice of bread on top and move the sandwich to the grill pan. Use a weight or heavy pans stacked on top of each other to press the sandwich down while cooking. In about 2 minutes, flip the sandwich over to get toasted on the other side. Continue to cook for about 2-3 more minutes. Let the sandwich cool slightly and then cut into two equal parts. This small buffalo chicken panini goes great as a side sandwich with soup, or a small lunch! (Just prepare not to share it with anyone else if you take a bite first!)

Blackened Honey Shrimp with Bacon White Cheddar Grits

Mardi Gras is tomorrow so tonight for dinner, I put together an impromptu shrimp and grits recipe, and it turned out delicious! All of these ingredients were things that I already had in my house! It has a nice kick but not overly spicy to the point of setting your mouth on fire. A great twist on a classic New Orleans dish!

Ingredients:

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. blackened seasoning

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, honey and blackened seasoning. Mix the shrimp in with the liquid and let marinate for about 20 minutes. Place in a single layer in a baking dish and pour the extra liquid on top. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

 

Grits Ingredients:

3 c. water

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. grits

2 Tbs. butter

3 tsp. blackened seasoning

1/4 c. bacon bits

1 1/2 c. sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

1 tsp. freeze dried chives

Pour the water and salt into a small saucepan and set on high heat. When the water is boiling, add the grits and stir. Turn the heat down to a simmer and continue stirring occasionally for five minutes. Cover the saucepan and let sit for a few more minutes. Stir in the butter, seasoning, bacon bits and sharp cheddar and continue to stir until the butter is melted. Pour the grits into four serving dishes and top with shrimp. Spoon the sauce from the shrimp on top of each serving. Sprinkle each dish with chives before serving. 

Kicker Chili with Loaded Sour Cream

Looking for a great game day chili that has a bit of a kick to it? This recipe has that nice level of spice that many people look for in a chili, and is topped with a fresh herb loaded sour cream. Instead of adding saltine crackers or oyster crackers that soak up all of the broth (and by all means, if you can't eat chili without crackers go for it!), it is topped with some crunchy crispy onions.

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, skins removed and finely diced
1 large red bell pepper, finely diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce (from a can), finely chopped
3 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. coriander
2 lbs. ground beef chuck
2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
2 (14 oz.) cans kidney beans (with liquid)
1 bay leaf

In a Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil on medium heat and add the onion, bell pepper and jalapenos. Cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, chipotle chile, chili powder, cumin, coriander and 2 Tbs. water. Continue to cook, stirring frequently for about 1 more minute.

Add the ground chuck and stir to break up the meat, cooking until the meat is no longer pink (about 3 minutes). Add the canned tomatoes, beans, bay leaf, 1 tsp. salt and 1 cup of water. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 40 - 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

Sour Cream:

1 1/2 c. sour cream, light
1 1/2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbs. chives (I use freeze dried), chopped
1 green onions, use greens only, and finely chop
1/4 tsp. salt and pepper

Mix the sour cream ingredients in a small bowl until combined. Ladle your chili into your servings bowls and top with a heaping mound of sour cream. Add canned fried onions on top for a great crunch!

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

Yum Yum YUM! This salad is spicy, tangy, cheesy and down right amazing! The hot sauce gives the salad a kick, and the cucumber and ranch help to cool it back down again. It is easily going to become a go-to potluck dish in the future!

Ingredients:

1 large can of canned chicken, drained and flaked
4 oz. extra sharp shredded cheddar cheese (or reduced fat mild)
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
4 mini bell peppers (red, orange or yellow), seeded and chopped
3-4 Tbs. Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1/4 c. reduced fat Ranch dressing
2 c. cooked noodles (I like to use spiral)

Mix all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl. Start with a smaller amount of hot sauce and keep adding until you reach the right heat that you are looking for. You can always leave the option of letting people add more on top if they want it more spicy.

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

I am trying to get better with the whole adding personal aspects of my life or little snippets of why I created the recipe to the page but so far I have failed miserably. I will try my best from now on :-).

I love buffalo style everything, minus the fact that 90% of restaurants add bleu cheese, to which I can't stand! So this recipe is a lean version (I always use ground turkey when making burgers at home), of a buffalo style burger, only using a Queso Fresco to get the same crumbling effect, but less of a foot-like cheesy smell.....Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. Jennie-O lean ground turkey, 90% fat free
1/2 c. shredded Pepper-Jack cheese
1/4 c. Panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbs. fresh chopped chives
3 Tbs. Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Chile n' Lime
Sliced Tomato
Romaine Lettuce
1/2 c. Queso Fresco cheese (or Bleu if you are into that sort of cheese....)
* Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Chile n' Lime or Original
4 Foldit, 5 grain Flax, Flatout Bread

In a medium size bowl, combine the ground turkey, pepper-jack cheese, Panko, chives and chile n' lime Frank's hot sauce together (I prefer using my hands). Heat a grill pan to medium heat and spray with non stick cooking spray. Form the ground turkey mixture into four equal size patties, making sure that the center is slightly more thin than the outside so that the turkey will cook more evenly. Place the patties on the prepared grill pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, placing a lid on top while they are cooking. Make sure to check the center of one of the patties if you are unsure if the center is cooked (you do not want to consume raw turkey!). Place a turkey patty on each of the four Flatout 5 grain "hamburger" buns. Top with romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, around 1-2 Tbs. of crumbed Queso Fresco, and many dashes more of hot sauce!

(Makes 4 burgers, 9 WW points per burger)

Baked Spicy Honey Shrimp

I'm not a huge fan of shrimp when it is cold, and used to hate shrimp altogether, but now I absolutely love it when warm or grilled. This is an amazing and light recipe for a sweet and spicy baked shrimp. The random ingredients that help make up the sauce will blow your mind when you taste them together. This is one of my new favorite shrimp recipes!

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked shrimp, froze, thawed, peeled and deveined with tails off
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/8 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. Blackened seasoning (I used Paula Dean)
Chives (garnish)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a medium size bowl, combine the lemon juice, oil, honey, soy sauce and blackened seasoning together with a whisk. Pour in the shrimp (make sure no excess water is left) and coat. Pour the shrimp and sauce into a quiche pan (or baking dish) and lay out in a flat layer. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

I served these on top of white Minute Rice, with about 2 Tbs. of soy sauce and 10 sprays of spray butter added into the rice after it cooks. Pour the extra sauce that bakes with the shrimp on top and it is an amazing combination.

(Makes 4 servings, 5 WW points per serving)

BBQ Chicken Strip pizza with Arugula

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat pizza crust
1/2 c. BBQ Sauce (Mad Dog & Merrill)
2 chicken strips, chopped (I had some left over from KFC)
1/2 c. fresh baby arugula
Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 1/2 c. shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the pizza crust out on a flat surface or a cookie sheet with no edges. Spread the BBQ sauce on top of the crust, leaving about 1/2 an inch around the edges. Sprinkle the cheese evenly on top of the crust. Scatter the pieces of chicken strips and the baby arugula. Add a few dashes of the hot sauce. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the oven, directly on the racks (make sure you check in frequently, it does not take long at all to cook!).

Buffalo Cauliflower

 

 Ingredients:

2 c. cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. Frank's hot sauce
1/4 tsp. dried onion

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking pan (I used jelly-roll) with foil, and spray with non stick cooking spray. Set aside. Mix the flour, water, hot sauce and dried onion together in a small bowl. Dip each piece of cauliflower into the batter, shake the excess batter off and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

 Remove them from the oven (they will look pale like the picture above). In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of Frank's hot sauce and 2 teaspoons of spray butter (I always have Parkay) together. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cauliflower with the Frank's sauce. Put back in the oven and bake for 5 more minutes.

(4 servings, 2 WW points,

1/2 of the recipe, 4 WW points,

and if you are so addicted you eat the whole thing, 7 WW points!)

Hot and Cheesy Over Easy

Ingredients:

2 eggs
Frank's Red hot sauce, Original
2 Tbs. Sargento shredded cheese, reduced fat
Salt
Pepper

Heat a flat skillet to medium heat. Spray with non stick cooking spray. Sprinkle the top of the eggs with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Add a few dashes of hot sauce and evenly sprinkle the cheese. Flip the eggs over after cooking for about a minute. Cook for at least 1 minute, until the whites are fully cooked and no longer runny. Flip the eggs back over, and transfer to your plate. The cheese should be nice and crunchy. Serve with your favorite toast!

(Makes 1 serving, 5 WW points. With 2 slices of Taystee white bread with spray butter, 8 WW points)

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbs. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. minced onion
1/2 tsp. ground coriander

Mix all of the ingredients together. If you want the seasoning a little more on the spicy side, add some crushed red pepper flakes. One batch of this recipe makes the equivalent of the amount bought in a store package.

"Wake me up!" Egg Sandwich

Ingredients:
2 eggs, fried and yolks broken and cooked through
4 pieces your choice of bread (I used Oat)
2 Tbs. Miracle Whip, light
2 tsp. mustard, yellow
Frank's red hot sauce
Fresh dill

Cook the bread in the toaster and let cool. Drizzle the sauce (or spread) on the four pieces of toast. Top two pieces with a fried egg (made with non stick cooking spray, not butter). Add a few dashes of Frank's. Sprinkle with larger pieces of fresh dill to get that "bite" and punch of dill flavor. And add the top piece of toast. Great way to kick start the morning!

(Makes 2 sandwiches, 5 WW points each)