Egg Stuffed Avocados

I love, absolutely love avocado. A few years ago, the only thing I would have eaten avocado in is guacamole, or inside of a burrito or taco if a restaurant served it that way. Now I sometimes just eat it with sea salt and cilantro for a snack. An even better way to eat it? With an egg baked in the middle! It then combines two favorites; avocados AND breakfast!

Ingredients:

2 avocado
4 eggs
1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Cilantro (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and place a wire rack inside of a pan (I used a cookie sheet). Cut each avocado in half and remove the pits. Scoop out about 1 tablespoon from the inside of each hole where the pit was, and either save for guacamole or another recipe, or enjoy a quick snack while making these... Crack open one egg into a small bowl and carefully pour the egg into an avocado hole. If some of the white spills out, that's okay, that is why the sheet is underneath! Repeat for the remaining eggs, and season with salt and pepper. Top each egg with about 1-2 teaspoons of shredded cheese. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the egg yolk is the consistency you want, and especially until the whites are no longer runny. Let cool slightly before serving, and topping with cilantro!

Pineapple Salsa

Another sweet salsa recipe that heightens the flavor of  a perfectly ripe pineapple! Combine with strawberries, kiwi and fresh cilantro and you've got a hit salsa!

Ingredients:

4-6 kiwi, peeled and diced

7-10 strawberries, cored and diced

1/2 fresh pineapple, small diced

3 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine the above ingredients together in a large bowl and let sit room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving, so the flavors have time to set together. I like to serve this salsa with homemade cinnamon tortilla chips!

Balsamic Sirloin with Cilantro-Lime Rice

The sweet balsamic steak pairs well with the sour lime and cilantro rice and sweet sauteed red onions. This recipe makes two very filling portions that combines many fresh flavors into one amazing dish!

Rice Ingredients:

3/4 c. basmati rice
1 c. water
1-2 tsp. cilantro, chopped
zest of 1/2 lime
1/2 lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup water on high heat until a rapid boil forms. Add the basmati rice and a pinch of salt, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. To the rice, add the chopped cilantro, lime juice and zest, and season with salt and pepper.

Onion Ingredients:

1 small red onion, sliced
1 tsp. evoo
salt and pepper

In a small pan, heat the oil to medium heat. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3-5 minutes until the red onion is soft but still holds it's shape.

Steak Ingredients:

12 oz. sirloin steak
2 Tbs. balsamic
1 tsp. evoo
salt and pepper

In a shallow dish, combine the balsamic and extra virgin olive oil. Season the steak on both sides and place the steak in the balsamic on each side for 10 minutes. Heat a large pan over medium high heat and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil. Add the steak when the pan gets hot and cook on each side for 4-7 minutes. Set to rest for five minutes before slicing.

To assemble the dish, heap a large portion of rice onto two serving dishes. Divide the onions in half and place in the middle on top of the rice. Cut the steak into thin slices, and fan out on top of the onions. Finish the dish with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge!

Avocado Cilantro Dip

 

Ingredients:

1 avocado, mashed
1/2 c. Bolthouse Farms Cilantro Avocado yogurt dressing (pictured below)
1 tsp. hot sauce (or more if you want more of a kick)
Cilantro (I used for a garnish)

 Mix the above ingredients together until the avocado is a smooth consistency. That's it......that's how easy this amazing dip is. Garnish with fresh cilantro if you want to make it look "pretty".

 

Easy Crock-Pot Enchilada Chicken

 Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 c. Enchilada sauce (I used one from William Sonoma)
1 1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1 pkg. chicken thighs, boneless, skinless

Place the chicken in the bottom of your crock-pot, and pour the sauce on top (do not add the green pepper yet). Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove the chicken and shred with two forks, place back into the crock pot, add the green pepper and stir everything together. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

I served the chicken on top of a mixture of brown rice, cubed Colby-Jack cheese, and a TON of cilantro. It was a perfect combination that took care of the dairy and a grain. We also added a side of chopped broccoli.

This recipe is also good with noodles, and a small amount of white cheddar cheese grated on top.

Southwest Shrimp Tacos- 4 Ingredients

Ingredients:

12 frozen cooked shrimp, thawed and patted dry
Fresh Cilantro
4 corn or white tortillas
1 bag Dole Southwest salad kit (picture below, you only use about 1/4-1/3 of the bag)

Prepare the salad kit as directed and set aside. In a grill pan, or a flat skillet, cook (better yet re-heat) the shrimp on high heat until you get a nice "crust" and color on one side of the shrimp. Flip them over and repeat for the other side. Assemble the tacos by placing the tortillas on your plate, adding about 1/4-1/3 c. of the salad mix, topping with cilantro, and adding 3-4 shrimp on each taco. The combination is amazing! This has to be one of the easiest shrimp taco recipes ever!

(Each taco is roughly 2 WW points, if you use a small white corn tortilla.)

Cilantro Macadamia Pesto

Ingredients:

2 c. packed cilantro leaves (large stems removed)
1/2 c. macadamia nuts
3 green onions, rough chopped
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil (give or take)

Combine all of the above ingredients in a food processor. When you are adding the oil, just keep the food processor on low and when it looks the right consistency, stop adding the oil. It may be more or less than a quarter of a cup depending on what consistency you like.

Taco Meatball Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1/2 the recipe of Taco Turkey Burger Meatballs
4 fat free tortilla shells
1/4 c. mild salsa
1 c. Kraft Mexican style shredded cheese, reduced fat

Heat a skillet to medium heat. Chop the meatballs into pieces and mix in a bowl with the salsa and shredded cheese. I like to mix the ingredients in a bowl first, to make sure that everything is well spread out and combined. Place half of the filling on the tortilla and add the top tortilla. Cook for about 3 minutes and flip over to heat the other side. When that side is golden brown, repeat for the other quesadilla.

I served this with a sauce made of 1 Tbs. low fat sour cream, 3 Tbs. mild salsa, and fresh cilantro.

(Makes 2 quesadillas. 9 WW points per quesadilla. The "sauce" is 0 points!)

Taco Turkey Burger Meatballs

Ingredients:

1/2 recipe of Taco Turkey Burgers

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll the meat into 1 inch balls and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 19-21 minutes until golden brown and let cool.

*If you wanted to make a double batch, just use the full recipe for the meat in the Taco Turkey Burgers recipe.

From this recipe, that was already leftover meat from the turkey burger recipe, made two other recipes using the leftover meatballs!

(1/2 of the Taco Turkey Burger recipe makes 10-12 1 to 1 1/2 inch meatballs, each 1 WW point.

If you make the whole meat up for the recipe, they are still each only 1 WW point.)

Taco Meatball Quesadillas 

Turkey Taco Meatball Quiche

Taco Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb. Jennie-O ground turkey, lean
3/4 pkg. taco seasoning
1/4 c. mild chunky salsa
1 c. shredded Kraft reduced fat cheddar cheese
2 Tbs. Picante sauce
1/4 c. cilantro

Mix all of the above ingredients together. Form into 4 patties (in my case, I made two patties out of half of the meat, and used the rest for two different recipes!). Heat a grill pan to medium heat and spray with non stick cooking spray. Add two burger patties to the pan and let cook for about 5 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

I served these on toasted white bread, with romaine lettuce and a drizzle of low fat Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. You don't technically need cheese, because there is cheese in the burger.

(Makes 4 burgers, 6 WW points per burger, which doesn't include the bun or dressing)

Pineapple Cilantro Quinoa

Ingredients:

4.2 oz. container of Organic, ready to eat Quinoa (picture below)
1 tsp. taco seasoning
1 c. chopped pineapple
1 1/2 - 2 Tbs. pineapple juice
1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Mix all of the above ingredients in a small bowl. This dish is meant to be served at room temperature or cold.

(Makes 2 servings, 2 WW points per serving. If you eat the full recipe, no biggie, it's only 4 WW points!)

Pineapple Turkey "Tacos"

This recipe packs a ton of flavor, and is only 4 ingredients! 

Ingredients:

4 (6 inch) tortilla shells (I used fat free)
2 c. shredded Jennie-O rotisserie turkey (found in the deli section)
1 c. pineapple chunks, cut in half
Cilantro (or you could use lettuce, but cilantro has more flavor)

Heat the turkey in a small frying pan on medium heat, with 1/4 c. of pineapple juice from the pineapple chunks can. When heated through, place about 1/2 c. meat on top of the tortilla shell, topped with pineapple and cilantro. This recipe is so moist and flavorful, that I think it is the only taco recipe so far that I have never put cheese on (and for those that know me well, know that I love my cheese...).

Red Pepper and Corn Couscous with Cilantro

Ingredients:

1 c. frozen corn
1 medium sized chopped red pepper
1 1/2 c. reduced-sodium chicken stock
1 c. couscous
Fresh chopped Cilantro

In a small saucepan, bring the corn, red pepper and chicken stock to a boil. Add the couscous, stir and remove from heat. Cover and let stand for five minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork before serving. Gently stir in fresh cilantro, and use for garnish.

(Makes 8 servings, 2-3 WW points each, depending on the type of couscous you use.)

Almond Cilantro Dip

Ingredients:

1 c. blanched slivered almonds
1/4 c. cucumber, chopped
2 Tbs. light miracle whip
1/4 c. fat free sour cream
2 gloves garlic
2 Tbs. red onion, chopped
1 c. cilantro
zest of 1 lime, and 2 Tbs. lime juice
1 tsp. salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until everything is broken down and well combined. (Makes 20 Tablespoon sized servings, 1 WW point per serving.)