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Easy Black Bean Dip

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Easy Black Bean Dip

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner. I love any excuse to get a bunch of my buddies together and chow down on some delicious Mexican food. This year the holiday falls on a Tuesday so I am planning my festivities for the weekend before.

I decided to go ahead and get my menu together so that I am not rushing around trying to gather my supplies. My friends aren’t picky. As long as the margarita machine is running and there are lots of chips and dips…everyone will be smiling.

I’ll definitely whip up some homemade guacamole, fresh salsa, pico de gallo and a big batch of this Easy Black Bean dip. There’s no need for canned dips when you can have a delicious dip ready in about 5 minutes.

This bean dip is so fresh and the taste is just fantastic. I also use it as a base in the most delicious beef and bean burritos…but that’s a recipe for another day!

Seriously, to make this one all you do is dump all the ingredients in your food processor and let it whirl. I have played around with a ton of different variations but this is the version that I like the best. The combination give you just the right dipping consistency and the taste is phenomenal.

It’s perfect with chips, veggies and more. Plus, it’s a better for you option. Black beans are packed with protein and if you opt for smart dippers, you can even make this one work with most diets too!

Whip this up for your next get together or just as a tasty addition to taco Tuesday. Enjoy!

Easy Black Bean Dip
 
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Serves: 6 - 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 small onion, cut into quarters
  • 1 small fresh jalapeño, seeded with stem and membranes removed
  • 1 heaping tablespoon pickled jalapeños
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 roma tomatoes, cut into quarters
  • ¼ cup cilantro leaves
  • juice of one lime (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • pinch of chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
  1. Put everything into a food processor and blend until smooth.
  2. You may need to use a spatula to encourage everything to move towards the blades at first but once it gets going it should be fine.
  3. Serve with chips or your favorite veggies.

Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms

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Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms

My husband teases me that it’s not a meal unless I serve something stuffed.

I honestly don’t know why I have a fascination with stuffed food! I guess there is just something fun about that added component to what might otherwise be a boring dish.

I mean c’mon…baked chicken is good but, Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll Ups are delicious. I love roasted zucchini but Feta Stuffed Zucchini Boats are even better. Of course broccoli is a favorite but it’s even better when it’s used for Broccoli & Swiss Stuffed Chicken. Meatballs are quite tasty but Blue Cheese Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatballs will have your taste buds dancing!

So that brings us to dinner last night. I had a pack of mushrooms sitting in my fridge. I have been seeing all kinds of yummy appetizers and football foods on TV and online because of the Super Bowl. So while I had originally planned to use them as part of a casserole, I decided that they’d work so much better as Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms.

I typically serve these as an appetizer but I thought they’d also make a fantastic side dish that my guys would gobble up. I simply halved my usual recipe and served them with dinner. In just minutes, the majority of the plate was wiped out! As I was cleaning up the meal, my husband told me not to bother putting the extras in the fridge. He said he’d polish the rest off a little later for his evening snack. Sure enough…he cleaned the plate.

The version I am sharing today uses bacon because…well, that’s what I had in my fridge. I have also made these with sausage and they are just as delicious. You can choose which you prefer.

Remember while these make a fantastic party food, I think they are fantastic for a change of pace at the dinner table too!

Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms
 
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Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 16 oz whole mushrooms
  • 6 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 6 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled (or about ⅓ cup crumbled cooked sausage)
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
  2. Brush or wipe the mushrooms to clean off any dirt.
  3. Cut off a thin slice of each stem and discard.
  4. Twist and remove the remaining stems and finely chop.
  5. Add ¼ cup of the chopped stems to a medium bowl, discard the extra.
  6. Add the cheeses, bacon, onion and garlic to the chopped stems and mix until combined.
  7. Use a spoon to fill the mushroom caps with about a teaspoon of filling (more or less as needed - the filling should mound on top of the mushroom).
  8. Bake at 400º F for 15 - 18 minutes until the mushrooms are softened and the cheese is hot.

 

Buffalo Chicken Bites

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buffalo-chicken-bites-2Looking for a delicious game day appetizer that your guests will love? Try my Buffalo Chicken Bites at your upcoming football party. These little treats use combine the delicious buffalo chicken dip that we all love in a handy little edible cup – no chips or crackers needed.

My favorite type of party snack are ones that you can grab and go. These are the perfect little bite size treat and while it may look difficult, you can put these together in no time flat. The phyllo bakes up super quick then it’s just a matter of filling the cups. A little garnish and you are ready to serve a big crowd of hungry guests.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Buffalo Chicken Bites
 
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Serves: 12 - 18
Ingredients
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup hot sauce + extra for garnish - Frank's is my favorite!
  • ½ cup blue cheese dressing
  • 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
  • 18 sheets phyllo dough
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles
  • butter or olive oil
Instructions
Prepare dip
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine chicken, ½ cup hot sauce, blue cheese dressing and softened cream cheese.
  3. Place mixture in small casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes until heated through.
Prepare phyllo cups
  1. While the dip is baking, prepare the phyllo cups.
  2. On a clean work surface, get one sheet of phyllo dough then spray with olive oil (or lightly brush with butter)
  3. Stack another phyllo sheet on top then spray with oil then repeat with a third layer
  4. Using a sharp knife (or pizza cutter) cut the long side of the stacked phyllo sheets down the middle creating two long rectangles. Slice each long rectangle in half lengthwise.
  5. Cut the short length in half then cut each half twice creating 24 squares.
  6. Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray then press one stack of phyllo squares into the muffin cup.
  7. Take a second stack of phyllo squares and turn the points opposite of the original square then press into the same cup to cover the whole muffin cup.
  8. Continue this process until you have 72 mini muffin cups filled (three 24 cup pans)
  9. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes or until lightly browned.
  10. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Assembly
  1. Fill each baked phyllo cup with a teaspoon of the warm dip.
  2. Sprinkle with a few drops of hot sauce, a few blue cheese crumbles and a slice of celery.
  3. Serve warm.
Notes
Dip recipe adapted from Frank's Red Hot

Baked Loaded Potato Puffs

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baked-loaded-potato-puffs-1The big football game is coming up and we always like to have snacks available for all the game watchers. Typically game snacks are those big heavy calorie laden foods. Don’t get me wrong, I love a big pile of hot wings as much as the next gal. My waist…not so much. I decided to try my hand at modifying a family favorite treat – potato puffs.

Typically these little puffs are deep fried. I wanted to see how they would turn out if I baked them. I have to say my Baked Loaded Potato Puffs are an excellent way to get that great flavor without all the fat and calories you have in the fried version. Plus, the taste is great. You still get that crispy outside and soft smooth inside with all the great loaded potato flavor! All of my guys loved my test batch and requested more. At my house, an empty plate is the seal of approval.

I used my Good Cook Stainless Steel Scoop to make quick work of creating the potato balls and then just baked them on the Sweet Creations Cookie Sheet. It took no time to have about 40 potato puffs whipped up. If you wanted you could even prepare your potato balls ahead of time then toss them in the oven before your guest arrive.

If you are looking for a snack that is full of flavor but still waist friendly, give this recipe a try. Put these out as part of your game day snacks and you might find that they disappear before some of the other treats!

Baked Loaded Potato Puffs
 
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup cheese
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3 strips bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¾ cup seasoned Panko breadcrumbs
  • Cooking Spray
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Boil the potatoes until softened
  3. Drain and mash with the butter and milk. - I use a potato ricer for a super smooth consistency!
  4. Mix in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, green onion, cheese, bacon and eggs.
  5. Use a small scoop to create 1" balls of the potato mixture.
  6. Roll the potato balls in the Panko breadcrumbs and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  7. Repeat until the potato mixture is used.
  8. Spray the breadcrumb coated potato balls with cooking spray and cook in a 375 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned.
  9. Serve warm with ranch dressing or sour cream.

Right now you can get a 20% off discount for any goodcook.com purchase with the promo code BigGame48. Grab everything you need for all your game day snacks!

Products for this recipe sponsored by Good Cook

Blue Cheese Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

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blue-cheese-stuffed-buffalo-chicken-meatballs-1

I have a great love for buffalo wings. I don’t make them often at home because they take a fair amount of effort and aren’t exactly figure friendly. I am always looking for ways to get that great buffalo chicken flavor without having to go to a wing place.

I shared a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Hasselback Potatoes on my other site a while back. I had a buddy who saw the recipe and noted my love for buffalo sauce. She emailed me suggesting that I try one of her favorite ways to do buffalo chicken – Blue Cheese Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatballs.

I was immediately interested. Her instructions were literally…”make your favorite meatball recipe, stuff the meatballs with blue cheese, cook them and then toss in Frank’s.” So that is exactly what I did.

Let me tell you these babies were fantastic. My husband and I both immediately decided that they would be on our menu rotation quite often. The best part, they were super easy to make. I served them with some veggies and a salad and we had a great dinner that was actually quite healthy.

Give them a try and let me know what you think. These would also be great served as little appetizers – just double your batch and throw them in your slow cooker!

Blue Cheese Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 egg white
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon parsley
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon dill weed
  • ½ cup blue cheese
  • 1 cup hot sauce (I love Frank's RedHot)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  3. In a medium bowl, add the chicken, Panko, egg white and all the spices and mix until combined.
  4. To stuff the meatball - I like to use a small 1" dough scoop in order to create uniform meatballs. A 1" scoop will yield approximately 24 meatballs.
  5. Grab a scoop of the mixture and using your finger, create a well for the cheese.
  6. Add about ¼ teaspoon of blue cheese to the opening and then use your fingers to close the meatball around the cheese.
  7. Roll gently to form and then place on a baking rack that's been sprayed with non-stick spray.
  8. Place the rack on a shallow baking sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for 12 - 15 minutes.
  9. While the meatballs are cooking, heat the hot sauce and butter in a medium saucepan and stir to combine.
  10. When the meatballs are done toss in the hot sauce and serve warm.