Apple Strudel Cheesecake Bars

I've been meaning to make these bars since the beginning of December, but with the holidays I just didn't get the chance, but now I am kicking myself for not making them sooner.  They are SO good.  So much for any kind of healthy eating resolutions.

These little buggers were part of my downfall in my quest to limit my dairy consumption.  But what a way to fail!

I'm not usually a big fan of apple deserts, but I have been converted.  They combine the only parts of apple pie I like (the crust and the gooey part of the filling) and mix in one of my favorite ingredients (cream cheese - well I like all kinds of cheese.  I wonder what these would taste like with cheddar cheese on top?  A la MIB 3 style... sorry got lost in a cheesy dream there) to create a sinfully delicious dessert.

I sneak little bites in the morning when making my lunch for work.  I can't help myself.  I'm sure you won't be able to either.

Recipe curtesy of bettycrocker.com

Apple Strudel Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

1 pouch of Betty Crocker's Oatmeal Cookie Mix
1/2 cup of firm Butter
16 oz of Cream Cheese
1/2 cup if Sugar
2 Tbsp of Flour
1 tsp of Vanilla
1 Egg
1 can (21 oz) Apple Pie Filling
1/2 tsp of Ground Cinnamon
1/4 cup of chopped Walnuts (Optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degree.

Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray.

Mix together the oatmeal cookie mix and cut up butter until mixture is crumbly.  Save 1 1/2 cups of the crumbs for topping.  Press the remaining crumbs into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes.

While that bakes, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and egg on medium speed until smooth.

In a separate bowl mix together the apple pie filling and cinnamon.

Remove crumb mixture from oven and spread the cream cheese mixture on top.  Spoon apple filling over top of cream cheese and sprinkle with reserved crumbs.  Top with walnuts.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for 30 minutes.  Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

Store covered in the refrigerator.

Soyaki Stir-Fry

The holiday pampering my mother did for me has lowered my desire to cook for myself.  Returning briefly to childhood was much nicer than expected.  Don't get me wrong though, I love my life in LA, now if only I could live the movie star lifestyle with private chefs and maids and all that jazz it'd be perfect.  Well... actually... probably not, but it's nice to dream.

Anyway,  when I'm not eating Hot Pockets on my way out the door to the million and one things I've been doing this past week or so, I have been looking for quick fixes to my hunger problem.

This little dish is a healthy version of a college kid's meal.  It's great when you want something tasty and quick that's not terrible for you.  Sorry, pizza, you meet the first two requirements, but you are not a vegetable no matter how much the government tries to tell me you are.

I came up with this dish in the days beginning my LA struggle, and therefore needed to not let vegetables go bad, but also needed to find a way to make them stretch across multiple meal times because a trip to the grocery store only happened once every three weeks.  It still doesn't happen too often, but my fridge looks much healthier than it did back then.

The Trader Joe's Island Soyaki is a little bottle of heaven if you like americanized chinese food that's a little different than the same old soy sauce.  It's great as a sauce like this dish, but even better as a simple marinade for fish or chicken for another quick meal option.

Soyaki Stir-Fry

Servings: 2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

2 packages of Ramen Noodles (you can also substitute brown rice)
1-2 Chicken Breasts, cubed
1 Yellow Squash, chopped
1 Zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup of Mushrooms
3-4 Tbsp of Trader Joe's Island Soyaki

Directions:

Remove seasoning packet from ramen noodles.  Boil a pot of water and cook noodles until al dente.  (If using rice cook all the way through)

In the mean time, cook the chicken thoroughly.  In a separate pan, cook the vegetables until tender.  Turn off heat and add chicken and Soyaki to vegetables.  Mix well.

Stir in noodles and sauté on low for a minute or two.  You may want to add a bit more soyaki, just remember it is full of sodium, so use as little as possible to get the taste you want.

Black Bean and Italian Sausage Chili

I love chili.  Not like.  LOVE.  If I could be a judge in a chili tasting contest, I'd drop everything in a heartbeat.  My only problem is I don't like bell peppers, and no matter how much my mother will tell me you can't taste the bell peppers in something, I will detect it.  I can't even eat a slice of plain pizza that was in the same box as a slice with peppers.  Therefore, I find other veggies to throw in and get my heat from spices.  Just a heads up in case anyone wants to throw a chili cook off for me.  Hint hint nudge nudge.

When I first moved to LA I was super concerned about the money I was spending on food.  Like peanut butter and jelly for lunch everyday and only half a glass of orange juice instead of a full one at breakfast kind of concerned.  But I still wanted to cook myself tasty and healthy dinners.  I found that I could keep carrots and celery for long periods of time without them rotting, so those were my go to veggies for everything (as you might be able to gather from some of my recipes that spawned from this time frame in my life).  I would splurge on other kinds of meat every once in a while when my mom made me feel guilty for not getting enough protein, but I was still sick of chicken.  That's when this recipe came to fruition.  I knew I had a can of black beans sitting in my cabinet waiting for a day that I wasn't eating half of my free hoagie at work while I saved the other half for lunch the next day at my other job.  I can be pretty cheap when I want to be.  I also knew that I had divided up my italian sausage splurge in my fridge and needed a way to use it up before it went bad and I decided never to buy that delicious creation ever again because I would die a little every time I had to throw out wasted food.  Yes I am that dramatic.

Therefore internet ideas were sought out and thus the inspiration was found to save my shrinking stomach from it's misery.  It's a combination of all different kinds of chili I've had over the years with whatever I used to have in my kitchen when I first moved out here and was getting my life together.  It's an ever evolving process.

The method I used for this was a way to cook it quickly because I didn't have a crock pot until recently, but if you are so inclined, this can also be simmered on low in a crock pot all day so it's ready for you when you come home at night.  It would probably taste even better that way.

Black Bean and Italian Sausage Chili

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of Italian Sausage
1 15 oz can of Diced Tomatoes, with juice
1 15 oz can of seasoned Black Beans
1/2 cup of Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup of Chicken Broth
1/2 of a large Carrot
3 stalks of Celery
1/2 of a medium Onion
2 cloves of Garlic
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp of Cumin
1 tsp of Oregano
1 tsp of Basil
1 tsp of Cayenne Powder
1/2 tsp of Thyme
1 Tbsp of Chili Powder (if you don't want it too spicy, only put in half)
1 Bay Leaf

Directions:

In a large pot pour in your tomatoes, black beans, chicken broth and tomato sauce.  Cover and let cook on high while you chop your vegetables.

Chop up the carrots, celery and onion.  Sauté with olive oil and minced garlic until tender, about 4 minutes.  Add vegetable to beans along with spices and bay leaf.

Cook sausage until no longer pink, about five minutes, and add to pot.

Cover and cook for at least twenty minutes more.

Serve over rice.

Seven Vegetable Salad

Right before moving to LA I went to May Fair in Allentown, PA where I watched a man demonstrate kitchen supplies.  Truthfully, I only attended because it promised free food.  He was pretty good at his job, though, because if I had had the money I probably would have bought something.

This was the salad that he made while demonstrating a grater.  He also spent the time explaining to us that by eating this salad 3-5 times a week, you can reduce your chance of internal cancers by 85%.  Now he may have just really been trying to sell us his appliances, but I'd rather err on the side of caution.  I mean eating more vegetables isn't really a bad thing, so I'll stick with that selling point.

If your New Year's resolution is to be healthier, this is a big step in the right direction without too much effort.  Just add your favorite dressing and maybe some tuna for protein and you are gold.

Seven Vegetable Salad


Ingredients:

1 large Carrot
3 stalks of Celery
1/2 a medium Onion
2 Yellow Squashes
1 Zucchini
1/4 head of Red Cabbage
1/4 cup of Butternut Squash

Directions:

Shred carrots and cabbage.  Chop the rest of the vegetables into tiny bits.  Mix together and serve.  Store for up to a week.  Top with dressing and enjoy!

Black Eyed Pea Chili

New Year's is filled with traditions, from the kiss at midnight, to the ball drop, to resolutions, to eating things for good luck.  If you take a step back, all of this might look silly, but it's what makes us human and brings us all together.  I love every holiday because I love to celebrate with friends, family and food.  It's the little things in life that put a smile on your face.  The holidays may never be perfect, but they are always perfectly unique.

Growing up we did the basic things for the holidays, like fireworks for the Fourth of July, costumes for Halloween and presents for Christmas, but I always wanted to really get into the holidays, so as I got older I was in charge of making sure I got the experiences I wanted.  Now as an adult I am thinking up ways to achieve my dreams of the perfectly magical holiday every time one comes around.

This year, it's indulging in the traditions of my surroundings.  Since I'm spending New Year's in Texas, we decided to eat black eyed peas for the supposed good luck they bring.  Hey, it couldn't hurt right?  The only other food traditions I knew of before this was ham for dinner and eating 12 grapes at midnight, one on each of the chimes of the clock (thanks high school Spanish class).  And since chili is a southern favorite and really just an all around delicious food, we went with Black Eyed Pea Chili for lunch the first day in 2013.

Black Eyed Pea Chili

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 Large Onion, diced
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 pound Lean Ground Turkey
1 Jalapeno Pepper, diced
1 Tbsp of Chili Powder
1 Tbsp of Cumin
1 15 oz can of Black Eyed Peas, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz can of Tomatoes w/ Green Chilies with juice
1/4 cup of Low Sodium Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sour Cream for topping
Cilantro for topping

Directions:

Heat canola oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  


Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.  

Add turkey and cook until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.  

Stir in jalapeno, chili powder, and cumin.  Cook 1 minute more.

Add black eyed peas, tomatoes and chicken broth.  

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with sour cream and cilantro.