"Fake Out" Garlic Aioli

3/4 cup fat free or low fat mayonnaise

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This is really good with most seafood.

Mini Garlic Tuna Sliders

This time of year everyone likes to roll out the grill and cook up the all American hamburger. For someone who is watching their waist-line, those tasty little cows can put a big dent in their diet. I got the idea for the tuna burger from the back of the flavored tuna packets. Unfortunately, even the package adds in some unnecessary ingredients that add extra fat. I went a head and tweaked this recipe to make it more figure friendly!

Ingredients
2 pouches Herb and Garlic Tuna
1/2 cup bread crumbs or crushed bran cereal (For those really healthy eaters out there!)
1/4 cup diced roasted red pepper
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup non-fat sour cream
1 egg
1 Tbs of Ranch Dressing mix
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and form into patties. This can make about 10 mini sliders or four regular burgers. Spray skillet or grill pan with non-stick spray. Heat skillet to medium heat. Cook patties 3-5 minutes on each side. Here are some options you can do with this burger"
1) Carmalize onions to pile on top with fresh lettuce and sliced tomato
2) Eat bunless. If you really just need a small taste of bread, do what I did. Take a normal hamburger bun and cut into eighths. Toss in a small amount of oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder and toast in the oven.
3) Serve with my "fake out" Aioli. Aioli is just a fancy word for garlic mayo. Its a little advanced so I came up with a way to make an easier version. See below.

"Fake Out" Garlic Aioli

3/4 cup fat free or low fat mayonnaise

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This is really good with most seafood.

***Nutritional Facts are a rough estimate

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe   4 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 179.6   Total Fat 5.5 g       Saturated Fat 1.3 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g       Monounsaturated Fat 0.7 g   Cholesterol 83.4 mg   Sodium 448.6 mg   Potassium 100.3 mg   Total Carbohydrate 16.0 g       Dietary Fiber 1.7 g       Sugars 3.9 g   Protein 17.9 g   Vitamin A 8.8 %   Vitamin B-12 3.2 %   Vitamin B-6 2.0 %   Vitamin C 10.5 %   Vitamin D 3.0 %   Vitamin E 0.4 %   Calcium 6.7 %   Copper 1.7 %   Folate 5.4 %   Iron 7.4 %   Magnesium 1.5 %   Manganese 6.2 %   Niacin 4.5 %   Pantothenic Acid     0.7 %   Phosphorus     8.0 %   Riboflavin 6.2 %   Selenium 4.9 %   Thiamin 8.7 %   Zinc 2.5 % *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The River

I call this "The River" because I made this at the river for one of my friends bachelorette parties. It was a big hit and literally brought one of the girls back to life!!!!




Ingredients
‎1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
4 oz sour cream
1 can rotel
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can black beans rinsed
2 tbs carne gusado seasoning
1 tbs ground red pepper
Salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste
1 pkg corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar

*****This is the type of carne guisada seasoning I use. You can usually find it in either the spice aisle or the Latin food aisle.

Cook onions and jalapenos in oil for 5 minutes. Add meat. Add seasonings and cook until meat is brown. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together soup, rotel, sour cream and beans. Spray 13x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the pan. Just enough to coat the bottom. Cover with tortillas; about 5. Spoon half of meat mixture over tortillas. Then put a third of soup mixture on top. Sprint with half a cup cheese. Layer again with tortillas, meat, soup and cheese. End with tortillas, soup and rest of cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Late Night Splurge

So recently, one of my girlfriends asked, " Well Jourdan, so you like to cook. What is a good dessert I can have that won't make me feel like crap later." Well my best tip doesn't require cooking AT ALL!!!!! Here is my TIP:


I love to buy bags of frozen fruit at the grocery store.... favorites are blueberries and pineapples! Grab a hand full of your favorite, put it in a bowl and let it sit for a few minutes to take the initial "freeze" off. Drizzle a small amount of honey on top and ENJOY!!! This little treat is SWEET, COLD and WON'T kill your waist line!!!!

Set It And Forget It Beef Stroganoff

This dish is SOOOOO easy and SOOOO delicious. My family grew up with beef stroganoff as a weekly meal. After being at work all day, coming home and cooking can be a daunting task for some. With this recipe, dinner is practically done when you get home.

Ingredients
1-2 1b. Stew Meat
1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can French Onion Soup
2 cups water
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2 cups uncooked rice
8 oz sour cream
Salt, pepper, garlic powder (SGP)


Add stew meat to slow cooker. Season with SGP. Add soups and water and stir to combine. Add in mushrooms. Set cooker on high and cook for 4 hours or on low for 8. Thirty minutes before serving, add rice and sour cream.

Caribbean Nights

On the menu
Jerk Chicken
Roasted Corn on the Cob with Spicy Sauce
Rum Punch Cooler

Jerk Chicken- for this recipe I used a whole chicken cut up and about another pound of chicken wings.


Marinade

1/2 cup malt vinegar (or white vinegar)

2 Tbsp dark rum

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 habaneros, with seeds, chopped or 6 jalapenos

1 onion, chopped

4 green onion tops, chopped

1 Tbsp dried thyme or 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

4 teaspoons ground allspice

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 teaspoons ground nutmeg

4 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons molasses

Add all ingredients to a food processor and combine until well blended. Rub chicken with marinade making sure to get under skin. Place in freezer bag or covered dish and marinate over night.

* I used my oven to smoke the chicken. It is actually very easy. Here is how I did it.

1. Soak your favorite flavor of wood chips in cold water for about 30 minutes- I used hickory.

2. Place chips on the bottom of a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet that has a deep ridge.

3. Place a roasting rack on top of the chips. I used four pieces of foit squished up as raisers for the rack in each corner.

4. Cover the enire dish, including bottom, in foil. Seal tightly.

5. Heat oven to 300 degrees and smoke for 3-5 hours until juices in chicken run clear.

Roasted Corn on the Cob with Spicy Sauce

6 ears of corn, shucked and cleaned

1/2 cup mayonase

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 Tbs chili powder

2 Tbs. ground red pepper

limes

Roast corn on grill or grill pan. While corn is roasting mix together the rest of the ingredients not including lime juice. While corn is still hot, spread corn with mayo mixture and squeeze limes over corn. Serve with more wedges of lime.

Rum Punch Cooler

1 part  Dark Rum- I like Appleton

1 part Fruit Juice

1 part Orange Juice

Splash of lime juice for each cocktail

Margarita Pie

This is a pie that really screams SUMMER. It tastes just like a great margarita minus the alcohol.


Ingredients
2/3 c Margarita Mix
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1 graham cracker pie shell


Pre-heat ovent to 400 degrees. Whisk all ingredients together and pour into shell. Bake 7-10 minutes.