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!

Salsa Verde

Many people think salsa's are too time consuming to make at home. Let me tell you, for a salsa verde like this all you have to do is rough chop everything and then throw it in a food processor! It is so easy and you can change the recipe to the way you want it!

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
2 lbs. tomatillos, husks removed and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and rough chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
1/2 c. cilantro
1 Tbs. lime juice

Add olive oil to a large saucepan and heat to medium-high heat. Add the jalapeno, tomatillos and onion to the skillet. Saute until the onions are caramelized, about 3-4 minutes.

Transfer the ingredients to a blender and add the garlic, cilantro and lime juice. Pulse until everything is well combined and your preferred salsa consistency. (You may have to pulse in two batches and then stir together.)

Taco Dip

This dip is very easy to make and you usually have all of the ingredients in your home already. If you don't have fresh tomato, feel free to use a mild or spicy salsa. This recipe is very versatile and substitutions can easily be made.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. container light sour cream
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 c. shredded lettuce
1 1/2 - 2 c. shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 c. black olives, sliced

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and taco seasoning together. Spread in a thin and even layer on the bottom of your serving plate. Top with the shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato and black olives. If you are a huge fan of refried beans, I have started the bottom layer out with that before also, and then continue on with the sour cream, cheese and veggie layers (pictured in the last picture of this post).

(The above picture is from a Lake Placid vs. Jaws themed party)

Restaurant Style Salsa

 

This is my favorite kind of salsa (other than some homemade fresh Pico). I like more of a smooth consistency rather than big chunks of tomato and onion that you typically get with salsa from a jar. Not only is it good with chips, but also goes great on tacos or topping off homemade nachos.

Ingredients:

14 oz. can Hunt's Diced Tomatoes
10 oz. can Rotel, original
3/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and rough chopped
1 1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 c. cilantro
1 lime, juiced

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor until all of the large chunks are out. Test for seasoning and spice level to either add more salt or a touch of honey if it is overly spicy for you.

Strawberry Mango Salsa

Best fruit salsa EVER! The cucumbers give it a nice crunch and the mix of the fruits combined with the cilantro and lime sends it over the edge!

 Ingredients:

1 cucumber, chopped into small cubes
1 mango, peeled, cored and chopped into small cubes
1 lime, juiced
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
12 large strawberries, stem removed and chopped

Combine all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl. Ta da! It's done! It is so simple and so fresh!

Pico De Gallo

Do you want to know how to make the best salsa ever? It only takes three ingredients. It is also (minus the amount of cilantro I use) just like the local "Mexican" chain restaurant Border Grill's salsa. It is not only very refreshing but can be used for much more than just dunking chips into. Top it on chicken, mix with a salad, stir into some avocado and make some guacamole, or just eat by the spoonful.....

Ingredients:

5 large tomatoes (I used ones that were on the vine)
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. yellow onion, diced VERY small

Mix the above ingredients together in a bowl. It's that simple. About 5-10 minutes of dicing and it's ready!

Salsa Spinach Pigs in a Blanket

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. salsa, fat free mild
1/2 c. fresh spinach
1 container reduced fat Crescent rolls
8 beef cocktail links (mini weinies)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Unroll the crescent roll into 8 individual triangles. Place 3 or 4 spinach leaves towards the wider end of the dough leaving a small space of dough around the edges. Spoon a small amount of salsa and place towards the bottom of the spinach; add a cocktail link. Bring both ends up over the hot dog towards the middle, and roll the crescent roll to the top. Smooth out any edges or exposed filling. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Had to share a picture of my dog "helping" me out in the kitchen.Always has to be the center of attention.

(This recipe makes 8 pigs in a blanket, 1 is equal to 3 WW points.)

Salsa Spinach Egg Cups

 

Ingredients:

9 eggs
1 1/2 c. spinach, fresh
3 Tbs. salsa, mild (give or take, I use ChiChi's)
1 slice Colby cheese, cut into 4 strips lengthwise, and then finely cubed
*Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a  muffin tin with non stick cooking spray. Lay 6-8 spinach leaves on the bottom, and crack and egg over top. Dab the tops randomly with the salsa, and sprinkle with a few mini cheese cubes. Bake in the oven for 17-19 minutes until the yolk is set and the whites are no longer runny. I added a few dashes of hot sauce!

( This recipe makes 9 servings, 2 WW points per egg, 4 WW points per two eggs.)

Black Bean Quesadilla with homemade Pico

Ingredients:

2 soft tortillas
1 c. black beans
1-2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese

Place one tortilla on a flat skillet heated to medium heat. Sprinkle an even layer of cheese on top. Spread out the black beans and top with the remaining cheese. When the cheese starts to melt, add the second tortilla on top and using a large spatula, flip. Keep cooking until the bottom tortilla is a deep golden brown and the cheese is all melted through.

For the Pico:

1/2 large red tomato, chopped
2 Tbs. white or yellow onion, chopped small
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro

Serve the quesadilla with fresh Pico and lite sour cream on the side. If you live in an area that has a Border Grill, this tastes very similar. Especially the Pico! Yum!

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

 

Ingredients:

1 pkg. chicken thighs, boneless skinless (about 5-6 in a pack)
1 1/2 c. mild salsa
1 small red onion, chopped

Place the onion on the bottom of a slow cooker. Top with the salsa. Place the chicken thighs in a single layer on top of the salsa. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, then turn down to low for an hour. Take the chicken out and shred. Place back in the sauce and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

This shredded salsa chicken is a great base for any number of dishes. One of my favorite Mexican type of foods is tacos. So in the picture below, I used white tortilla, shredded salsa chicken, Sargento Bruschetta Jack cheese, "corn off the cob", cilantro, cubed avocado, and Parmesan Ranch dressing.

Slow Cooker Chicken Verde

This is literally one of the most simple slow cooker dishes that I have ever made. It is only two ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (extra fat trimmed off)
1 1/2 c. Pace Garlic and Lime Verde

Pour half cup of the Verde in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the chicken on top. Pour the rest of the Verde on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Turn down to low and cook for another 1- 1/2 hours. Pull out and shred the chicken breasts with two forks. Return to the slow cooker and mix with the liquid.

This recipe is great when used in tacos. I added the shredded Verde chicken on top of a southern slaw mix, nestled inside corn tortillas. Yum!

(Makes 4 servings, 2 WW points per serving.)

          

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)