Hot Spinach Dip

I found this recipe via Pinterest. It came from THIS website. This recipe is for a healthier spinach dip and is so so good and super easy! Enjoy!!

• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 5 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano (I used grated Parmesan & Ramano blend and it turned out yummy!)
• 1/4 cup scallion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 cup (4 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• fresh pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Place in an oven-proof dish and bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. Serve right away.

Can be made one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator before baking. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado, & Cumin-Lime Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
• 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado, chopped into chunks
• handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
• small handful cilantro, diced
• 1 limes, juiced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• salt, to taste

Directions

1. Warm the olive/coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and lovely. Add water, stir once, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt. Whisk it aggressively. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
3. When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and toss to warm them through.
4. Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Chex Lemon Buddies

Okay...so I bought a box of Rice Chex Cereal and as I was throwing the box away this recipe on the back caught my attention. I love lemon flavoring so I HAD to make it! DELICIOUS! My kids liked it too. With school coming up, what a GREAT and somewhat healthy after school snack. And in the words of Betsy herself.....this is "easy, easy, easy!"

9	cups Rice Chex® cereal
1 1/4	cups white vanilla baking chips
1/4	cup butter or margarine
4	teaspoons grated lemon peel
2	tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2	cups powdered sugar

1.	Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2.	In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chips, butter, lemon peel and juice uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3.	Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; gently shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool. Store in airtight container. Variation Give it a try! Vary this mix by stirring in chopped dried tropical fruits, coconut or macadamia nuts after coating the cereal mixture with powdered sugar. Also I thought it would taste even better with a little pure lemon extract. 1 Serving: Calories 160 (Calories from Fat 45); Total Fat 5g (Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fat 0g);Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 135mg; Total Carbohydrate 26g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 18g); Protein 1g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 6%; Iron 20% Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 MyPyramid Servings: 1 tsp Fats & Oils *% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Asian Slaw with Ginger-Peanut Dressing

Ingredients

For the Dressing
¼ cup honey
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Sriracha sauce (Thai hot sauce…optional)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced

For the Slaw
4 cups prepared shredded coleslaw
2 cups prepared shredded carrots (or grated in food processor)
1 red pepper, thinly sliced into bite size pieces
1 cup pre-cooked, shelled edamame (available fresh or frozen)
2 medium scallions, finely chopped
½ cup chopped salted peanuts (you can also leave them whole)
½ cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro

(I also added a cut up cucumber and shredded chicken to the salad)

Directions

1. Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in medium bowl. Stir until peanut butter is dissolved. Set aside.

2. Combine all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss well. Let sit at least 10 minutes so vegetables have a chance to soak up the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (I usually add a bit more salt but go by your own taste). Serve cold.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Crock Pot Chicken

*This has quickly become one of my favorite dishes. Very flavorful and super easy! And not to mention pretty healthy.

Ingredients:
1 bottle Kraft Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
3 or 4 tomatoes on the vine (cut up)
1 tub feta cheese
4 to 6 chicken breasts (frozen)

Directions: Place all ingredients in crockpot on high for 4 hours. I've found if you do it for 8 hours the chicken tends to dry out. Serve over rice.

Mango Black Bean Salad

This recipe is from Maria Menounos (she's on "Access Hollywood"). It was featured on "The Nate Berkus Show" the other day and it looked so good that I wanted to try it. So I googled it and got the recipe. It's delicious and very healthy! Makes a yummy snack!!

Ingredients:

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced

1/2 cup Italian dressing, any kind you like (use fat-free or low-cal)

Two 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chopped red onions

1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 small red pepper, seeded and chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/4 cup of the mango with the Italian dressing until smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the remaining mango with the beans, red onion, and peppers. To the bean mixture, add the mango puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and chill until ready to serve.

Note:

This makes a good side dish or a good snack. We added fresh chopped avocados to it and ate it with chips. It was so good!! But if you do add the avocados don't add them until ready to eat or else they'll brown. We also thought it would taste yummy with cilantro and corn in it. The possibilities are endless!!

Venetian Apricot Chicken

Yesterday, before our little brother Scottie left on a Mormon mission we all went to the Olive Garden. The sisters all ordered the same thing! It is by far one of the best tasting dishes they have to offer. Here is the recipe!

Venetian Apricot Chicken

Ingredients
Apricot Sauce:
1/2 cup chicken stock (broth)
1/2 cup apricot preserves
Salt and pepper to taste

Tomato Mixture:
1/2 lb roma tomatoes, cut into 1” pieces
6 basil leaves, cut into 1/2” pieces
1 tsp garlic pepper
Salt to taste

Garlic Herb Seasoning:
3 tsp garlic pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 bunch asparagus (remove bottom inch of stems)
1/2 lb broccoli florets
1Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Chopped parsley to garnish

Procedures

1. COMBINE Garlic Herb Seasoning ingredients in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
   
2. BLEND chicken stock and apricot preserves in a sauce pan. Add salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
   
3. COMBINE tomatoes, basil, garlic pepper and salt in a separate mixing bowl and set aside.
   
4. BLANCH asparagus and broccoli for 1 minute in a pot of salted boiling water. Transfer immediately to ice bath to stop cooking.
   
5. COAT sauté pan with 1Tbsp olive oil. While keeping ingredients separated in pan, heat cooled asparagus, broccoli and tomato mixture and until hot. Do not overcook.
   
6. GRILL chicken until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
   
7. PLACE grilled chicken on a platter next to hot broccoli and asparagus. Sprinkle Garlic Herb Seasoning on broccoli. Pour tomato mixture on top of vegetables.
   
8. TOP chicken breasts with apricot sauce and garnish with chopped parsley.

Baked Asparagus

2 lb asparagus (2 bunches)

1/2cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

S&P

Parmesan cheese

Cut a few inches off asparagus stem. Place in a 9x13 baking dish. Mix vinegar and oil and pour over asparagus. Sprinkle with S&P and Parmesan cheese. Bake 450 degrees for 15-20 min. Place asparagus on a serving platter and garnish with more Parmesan cheese.

Black Bean Salsa

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
2-3 avocados, peeled, pitted, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced

In a separate bowl/cup, place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper. Mix well and set aside.

In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes and green onions. Mix lime dressing again and pour over salad. Stir salad to coat beans and vegetables with dressing.

Serve cold. Can be served with chips or on a tortilla.

Here we go...

I hope mom doesn't kill me for naming this blog Betsy's Recipes. Pretty much anything with "Johnson" in it was taken. But I like it! Let me know what you think.

Also I think it would be good if we label what we post (i.e. cookies, main dish, salad, etc.). I think will be easier to refer back to when looking for a specific recipe. I already made some up, but feel free to add as we go. Sound good?

Here is to the beginning. I'll go first.