Big Blue Buffalo Jala' Poppers

So I have to admit, I've never been a fan of Jalapeno Popper because of the cream cheese, but when I came across this Hungry Girl recipe and saw her way of making them, I decided to give them another try.

Big Blue Buffalo Jala' Poppers
PER SERVING (1/4th of recipe, 3 poppers): 106 calories, 3.5g fat, 639mg sodium, 14g carbs, 4.5g fiber, 4.5g sugars, 6.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3*

Double your cheesiness, double your spiciness, double your fun, and double your YUM!

Ingredients:
4 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese
2 tbsp. Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce, divided
3 tbsp. crumbled blue cheese
6 fresh whole jalapeño peppers
1/2 cup Fiber One Original bran cereal
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Dash cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine cheese wedges with 1 tbsp. hot sauce and mix well. Add blue cheese, stir, and set aside.

Halve the peppers lengthwise, and remove seeds, stems, etc. Wash halves and dry them very well. Evenly spoon and spread cheese mixture into the pepper halves and set aside.

Place cereal and spices in a blender or food processor. Grind to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer crumbs to a plate and set aside.

Pour egg substitute into a shallow bowl. Add remaining 1 tbsp. hot sauce and mix well. One at a time, gently cover pepper halves with egg mixture, shake to remove excess, and then coat entirely with crumb mixture. Repeat with remaining pepper halves, evenly placing them on the baking sheet.

Bake in the oven until coating is crispy and pepper halves have softened, 25 - 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Chimichurri Sauce

To go along with its collection of taco recipes, Southern Living shared some sauce recipes that you can use with many other recipes as well.

Chimichurri

Prep: 10 min., Cook: 45 sec., Stand: 5 min. This sauce is nothing like Maria's fiery version. We toned down the heat, but we loved her method of soaking the pepper flakes. The bright green will eventually darken if you make it ahead, but it's just as good. Serve with any taco or on grilled meats.

Yield: Makes 3/4 cup (serving size: 1 tbsp.)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon dried crushed red pepper
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 large bunches fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped (about 3 cups)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Microwave 1/4 cup water at HIGH 45 seconds. Add crushed red pepper, and let stand 5 minutes. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, discarding liquid.

2. Process vinegar, next 5 ingredients, and 2 Tbsp. water in a food processor 5 to 10 seconds or until cilantro is finely chopped. Stir in crushed red pepper. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

44

Fat:

4.8g (sat 0.7g,mono 1g,poly 3g)

Protein:

0.2g

Carbohydrate:

0.6g

Fiber:

0.4g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

0.3mg

Sodium:

51mg

Calcium:

8mg

Maria Corbalan, Taco Xpress, Austin, Texas, Southern Living, JUNE 2009

Five Alarm Vegetarian Chili

Chili is one of the best ways to make a one stop filling meal full of healthy proteins, fats, and carbs. I found this chili recipe on Dr. Oz in his collection of "Love Them or Hate Them Recipes"

5 Alarm Vegetarian Chili

If you are unaffected by this spicy chili, you are a non-taster.

Ingredients

Makes 16 cups

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 cup diced onions

1 Poblano pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

2 cups diced mushrooms

1 small sweet potato peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 chili peppers finely diced

2 small dried red chilies, broken into small pieces

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

4 (15 oz) cans low sodium beans (use a variety or just one kind)

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn kernels

2 tbsp dried oregano

2 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp chili powder

2 bay leaves (remove before serving dish)

Vegetable broth or Veggie juice if needed

Lime wedges (optional)

Shredded jack cheese (optional)

Low-fat sour cream (optional)

Directions

In a large heavy bottom pot (Dutch oven is perfect) saute the onions, poblano pepper, red pepper, mushrooms and sweet potatoes until soft, about 7 minutes.

Stir in the chili peppers, red chilies and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes, beans and corn, oregano, basil, chili powder and the bay leaves. Add some broth or veggie juice if needed and cook on low for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves. Top each serving with a bit of shredded cheese, sour cream and a wedge of lime.

Serving over brown rice or cous cous may help you manage the spice and add some healthy wholegrain carbs into the meal.

Tilapia with a real kick

Eating the same old chicken for dinner gets really boring really quickly. Mixing in fish as the main protein of a meal might be just what you need to get out of a food rut. If you're a fan of fish and spice, you will probably like this recipe. I found it on Dr. Oz's site and it looked too good to pass up.

Nathan’s Spicy Tilapia Recipe

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

One or Two Frozen Tilapia Filets
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Ground Cayenne Pepper
Ground Black Pepper
Hot Sauce
Sliced Almonds
Apple Juice
Spinach
Lemon Slice

Directions
Thaw the filets in warm water and strain. Wash spinach and drain (or spin it out.) Warm a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and fish. Lightly dust the fish with garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Add a few dashes of the hot sauce to both fish and pan.

When the fish is cooked on one side (half way through the filet), flip it, add sliced almonds, and dust very lightly with powdered/ground spices again. Add enough apple juice to the pan (not fish) to get it simmering and reduce.

When fish is cooked though (flakey with fork), add it to a bed of fresh spinach and pour sauce over fish.