Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Honey-Lime Dip

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 lb peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1/4″ match-sticks

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t coriander

1 t kosher salt

1 t parsley

1/8 tsp black pepper

*you want 1lb sweet potatoes after they are peeled, sliced, etc. If you weigh them at the store make sure you have a little more than a pound to allow for the peeling, and tossing of small pieces.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a small bowl combine cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, parsley, and pepper. 

Place sweet potatoes in a pile directly on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Use hands to toss until all pieces are well coated.  Sprinkle seasoning mixture on top and toss again with hands to coat. 

Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer so that pieces are not touching each other.  Place pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Use a metal spatula to gently flip fries and then return pan to oven. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until fries are starting to lightly brown and crisp.  Remove pan from oven and cool 5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Honey-Lime Dip

6oz container plain, low-fat yogurt

1 T mayo (low cal is fine)

1/2 T honey

1 Tbs fresh lime juice

1/4 t cumin

1/8 t oregano

1 t parsley

1/2 t onion powder

1/2 t kosher salt

Mix all ingredients until combined.  Chill until ready to use.

Parmesan & Spinach Orzo

From: http://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/parmesan-spinach-orzo/ 

Serves 4

2 and 1/2 cups whole wheat orzo
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. flour
1 cup milk (I used skim!)
2/3 cups spinach, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded, plus extra for garnish

1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute or until onions are translucent. Add flour to form a roux and cook for an additional minute.

3. Add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the pot and whisk to work out any lumps from the roux. When lumps are worked out, add the remaining milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened, about 8 minutes.

4. Add chopped spinach to sauce and cook an additional 2 minutes or until spinach has cooked down. Remove sauce from heat.

5. Stir parmesan cheese into sauce. When cheese has melted, add cooked orzo to sauce and toss to coat. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

No can Green Bean Casserole

From here

We are big green bean casserole people so I was a little skeptical, but we LOVED it! Instead of crackers, we used fried onions.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 cup onion, diced

• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 (14.5 ounce) cans French style green beans, drained
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled buttery round crackers
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Add green beans, and stir to coat.
  3. Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a small bowl, toss together cracker crumbs and remaining butter, and sprinkle over the cheese.
  4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Copy Cat Cafe Rio Chicken Tortilla Soup

Recipe from http://eatcakefordinner.blogspot.com/2012/09/copycat-cafe-rio-tortilla-soup.html

Here is how you serve the soup exactly like Cafe Rio:

1.  Put chicken in your bowl

2.  Top with Pico

3.  Top with a scoop of Guacamole

5.  Add shredded cheese (I'm not sure what kind of cheese Cafe Rio uses, but this recipe called for Pepper Jack)

6.  Add the flavorful broth

7.  Garnish with crunchy corn strips, cilantro and lime wedges.  DO NOT skip the crunchy corn chips on top.  They soak into the broth and when they soften, they are almost like noodles.  Oh my gosh - so good.  If you don't want to deal with making your own tortilla strips, you could always try using store-bought, corn flavored, tortilla chips.  Just make sure to add some kind of crunchy corn flavored goodness.  Serve with a flour tortilla on the side for dipping.     

Copycat Cafe Rio Tortilla Soup

slightly adapted from: Favorite Family Recipes

(Printable Recipes) or (Printable with Picture)

1 c. onion, finely chopped

1/2 c. carrots, finely chopped

1 tsp. cumin

dash of cayenne

1 tsp. chili powder

5 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 Tbl. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

juice of 1/2 lime

pepper, to taste

Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

cilantro, for garnish

lime wedges, for garnish

shredded chicken, recipe below

pico de gallo, recipe below

guacamole, recipe below

tortilla strips, recipe below

warmed flour tortillas, for serving

Make sure you already have your chicken cooking.  In a small skillet, saute onion and carrots in 1 Tablespoon oil until slightly tender.  Stir in cumin, cayenne and chili powder and saute an additional minute or two.  Transfer seasoned vegetables to a small-medium crockpot (or medium-sized saucepan).  Add chicken broth, cilantro, lime juice and pepper. Cook on low (or simmer on stove) for at least 2-3 hours.  

To serve: In individual bowls, layer chicken, pico, a scoop of guacamole and shredded cheese.  Ladle about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of broth directly over layers.  Garnish with crunchy tortilla strips, cilantro and lime wedges.  Serve with warmed flour tortillas for dipping.  Serves: 4-5   

Copycat Cafe Rio Shredded Chicken

slightly adapted from: Cooking Classy

1 1/2 Lbs. chicken breasts

1/4 c. + 1/8 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 c. Italian salad dressing

1/2 Tbl. chili powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. cumin

Place chicken breasts in crockpot.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low until chicken is done, about 4-6 hours.  Shred chicken in whatever sauce is remaining.  (You could always cook this in the oven if you need it to be done sooner).      

Pico de gallo (or use your favorite recipe)

tomatoes, diced

onion, finely chopped

cilantro, finely chopped

I chopped up a few tomatoes, added slightly less onion and some cilantro.  I figured the measurements didn't matter that much, since you will be adding it to the soup and it will mix with all the other ingredients. 

Guacamole (or use your favorite recipe)

1 ripe avocado

a few Tbl. of the pico de gallo

salt and pepper

Mash up avocado and stir in a few Tablespoons of the pico de gallo.  Season with a little salt and pepper.

Crunchy Tortilla Strips

**If you don't want to deal with frying tortilla strips, you could try using store-bought corn tortilla chips and crush those up in the soup.  I like the crunchy strips, because they soften and end up tasting like noodles, but using store-bought chips would save a lot of time and effort.  

1 pkg. soft corn tortillas, 

    cut into small strips using a pizza cutter

vegetable or canola oil

Add enough oil to a medium-sized saucepan to go about 2-3 inches up the side of the pan.  Heat over medium-high heat.  Carefully add some of the tortilla strips to the hot oil and fry until crisp, this will only take a few minutes per batch.  Using tongs, carefully remove to a paper-towel lined plate and season with salt.  Repeat with remaining strips.  Make sure you fry the strips in a few different batches, so they will cook right.