Tag Archives: cheese

Broccoli and Cheese Mini Egg Omelets

I love eating eggs for breakfast (and for dinner!) but I’d rather get an extra 20 minutes of sleep in the morning before work than get up to make myself an omelet or scrambled eggs. I often make eggs for myself on weekend mornings and add veggies and different spices. I’ve never attempted to bake eggs in a muffin tin but I think it’s great if you have company over because you aren’t stuck standing over the stove while trying to have a conversation. Not to mention it’s great portion control! I found these Broccoli and Cheese Mini Egg Omelets on a food website dedicated to healthy eating and since I bought a HUGE bag of broccoli at the produce market this weekend, I figured this was a perfect recipe to try out.

Eggs and egg whites are mixed with cheese and poured into muffin tins over steamed broccoli. This recipe uses two kinds of cheeses, cheddar and pecorino romano, but any cheese here would do (I only used cheddar). This is also such a versatile recipe because you could add in sausage or ham, replace broccoli with tomatoes or spinach, and also toss in herbs like basil or parsley. I threw in some cayenne pepper because I love a little spice with my eggs. Baking eggs might take a little longer than a quick scramble but by making them this way, you can sit back and enjoy your coffee while the oven does the work for you.

The ingredients:

Steam the broccoli, either on the stove or in the microwave. Chop the broccoli and place in a muffin tin sprayed with non-stick spray.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, grated cheese, salt and pepper.

Pour the egg mixture into the muffin tin over the broccoli. Top with cheddar cheese.

Bake in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes.

Additions:

Cayenne pepper

Omissions:

Vegetable Oil
Pecorino Romano

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Skinnytaste.com

Layered Bean Dip

Dips are usually a necessity for game day and in the middle of winter, what’s better than a baked, warm dip? This Layered Bean Dip will appeal to vegetarians and meat eaters alike. It has layers of refried beans, black beans, sour cream, salsa, and Mexican cheese and baked until bubbly. This recipe calls for reduced-fat cream cheese, sour cream and cheddar cheese but obviously you can use whatever full-fat ingredients you want (I mean, at a party, who cares?!).

If you are heading to a friend’s house, this is an easy dip to assemble at home and bake later. Serve this with corn chips, tortilla chips, baked chips or pita chips (I made my own pita chips out of leftover whole wheat pitas cut into small wedges and baked for 10 minutes at 375°F). Kids will surely love this too!

The ingredients:

Mix the refried beans and drained black beans in a bowl.

Spread bean mixture at the bottom of an 8×8 or 8x6x2 baking dish.

Top bean mixture with sour cream.

Layer on a cup of your favorite salsa.

Sprinkle Mexican cheese over the salsa and cover in foil.

Bake in a 375°F oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with your favorite chips.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Bites

The Super Bowl is this coming weekend and even though my team isn’t playing, I’ll still be watching and wanting to munch on snacky-snacks. So, I’m dedicating this week to munchies, appetizers, and snacks that you can enjoy on Super Bowl Sunday!

Most people love buffalo chicken so these Buffalo Chicken Cheese Bites are a perfect bite to serve guests or to take to a friend’s house for the big game. I made these spicy, cheesy, crunchy apps with chopped precooked chicken but rotisserie chicken or chicken breasts will work as well. The chicken is mixed with buffalo sauce, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and scallions and rolled in layers of flour, egg, and bread crumbs. These bites were baked to help save some calories but they could easily be cooked in a skillet with some oil for a crunchier coating. I loved the light, slightly crispy coating and the creamy, oozy filling of these bites. Serve these with your favorite blue cheese or ranch dressing. I guarantee they’ll be a hit!

The ingredients (I forgot the scallions):

Chop up the chicken into small pieces and place in a bowl with the buffalo sauce, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and scallions. Mix well.

Place 1/2 cup of the flour onto a plate, 1/3 cup of the bread crumbs on another plate, and the eggs into a shallow dish. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, scoop chicken mixture into the palm of your hand and roll into balls. (If the mixture doesn’t stick together, try adding some more cream cheese – I used an extra ounce of cream cheese). Roll each ball into the flour first, then the egg, then the bread crumbs and place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Add more flour and bread crumbs to the plates as needed.