Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp

• -1 lb shrimp (about 50 shrimp), uncooked. shelled, and deveined.
• -10 skewer sticks (optional)
• -3 T plain greek yogurt
• -3 T chopped green onion, plus more for garnish
• -1½ T sweet Thai chili sauce 
• -½-3/4 T sriracha sauce

Combine yogurt, onion, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha in a bowl and stir well. Set aside. Grill shrimp a few minutes per side.  Brush each hot skewer liberally with the sauce, on both sides and then serve immediately

Stuffed Peppers

-1/2 lb Italian Sausage
-1/2 lb ground beef
-1 can Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
-1 med onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-6 bell peppers
-1 cup rice, raw
-2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese, divided
-olive oil
-salt & pepper

Get the rice cooking. Brown the sausage and ground beef and season to taste.

Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and use a spoon to remove seeds and veins as much as possible. Dice up the usable parts of the bell pepper tops and one medium onion.

In a clean pan, saute onions and peppers until onions are translucent and soft, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute for 4-5 more minutes.

Combine Rotel Diced Tomatoes, ground beef and sausage mixture, onion and pepper mixture, and rice in a a large bowl.

Stir to combine all ingredients.  Add 1½ cups of cheese to mixture and stir to combine.

Drizzle olive oil inside the bell peppers and season with salt and pepper. Stuff peppers with mixture and place in a greased 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup of cheese over the tops of the peppers and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. The cheese should be nice and bubbly!

Pesto Chicken

-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-salt and fresh ground black pepper for seasoning chicken
-8 ounces basil pesto (I use Classico jarred pesto) 
-1/2-1 cup grated low-fat mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken pieces, then cut each chicken breast lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces. (I cut the larger ones into 3 strips and the smaller ones into 2 strips.)

Spray a 9" x 12" baking dish with non-stick spray, then spread half the pesto over the bottom of the dish. Lay chicken strips over the pesto, then spread the rest of pesto over the chicken.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle chicken with grated mozzarella cheese. Put dish back into the oven without foil and broil for approx 5 minutes until cheese is melted and a little browned.

Slow Cook Pulled Pork

-2-3 pound boneless pork roast (shoulder roast, butt roast, or Boston Butt)

-1 tbsp Cajun seasoning

-1 tbsp liquid smoke

-4 cloves garlic

-18 ounce bottle of barbeque sauce

Put roast in slow cooker.  Cover with seasoning, garlic, liquid smoke, and then barbeque sauce.  Put on lid and cook on low for 8 hours.  

Sausage and Cheese Crockpot Tortellini

-1 lb. Italian Sausage (We use HOT for the spice, but sub in the meat you’d like best!)
-20 oz. Frozen Three-Cheese Tortellini (The Buitoni kind is in the specialty refrigerated case in the deli area of the grocery store. I pop them right in the freezer when I get home)
-32 oz. Low Sodium Chicken Broth
-2 Cans Diced Tomatoes – The kind that are seasoned with basil, garlic, and oregano. If you don’t have the seasoned ones, you’ll need to add in your own seasonings
-8 oz. Cream Cheese 
-Grated Parmesan Cheese for topping!

Take your cream cheese out of the fridge, and let it sit while you quickly brown your meat.

Add the sausage and tortellini to your Crock Pot. Pour the tomatoes, liquid and all, and broth over the top. Add your cream cheese to the Pot in chunks.

Give your Crock Pot a good stir to get everything evenly distributed, making sure the liquids are adequately covering the tortellini.

Cook on LOW for a total of 3 1/2 – 4 hours. Stir at 1 1/2 hours, and again at 3 hours, removing the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking. This will give the sauce some time to thicken up. You can leave the lid off longer if you need more thickening time, but stir every so often.

Avocado Hummus

-30 ounces Chick Peas/Garbanzo Beans (2 cans), rinsed and drained
-1 avocado
-1/2-1 cup cilantro
-1 tsp garlic
-1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 small limes)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-3 tsp salt


Blend in blender until smooth slowly adding the lime juice and olive oil as you go.


From the kitchen of Andreia Waggoner.a