Tag: crock pot

Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip

What can I say? I’m a huuuge fan of buffalo flavored anything.

Okay, not anything… but almost!

I think I eat buffalo something for lunch or dinner every week. …Yeah, that sounds about right.

This skinny buffalo chicken dip is nothing short of amazing. It’s super easy and tastes great. Plus, you can cook it up using the crock pot, oven, or even the stove! No one will ever guess that it’s lightened up and only about 100 calories per serving.

I found that I didn’t have any complaints in serving this with veggies for dipping and I have some picky palates around me!

I heated mine up in my ‘little dipper’ crock pot, but a regular sized crock pot would work just as well. You’ll just want to start keeping more of an eye on it between 2-4 hours of being in there, stirring on occasion to keep it from burning at all.

I had some serious thoughts of swapping the fat free sour cream for some fat free plain greek yogurt… but something about putting greek yogurt in the crock pot makes me a little nervous. I didn’t want it to start separating and getting weird on me.

This is definitely a perfect game day or party friendly dip that is sure to please the masses.

I used my homemade Dry Ranch Seasoning (which is super easy to make and great to have on hand,) but any ‘ranch seasoning’ will work just as well. Just be sure to adjust the nutritional values accordingly!

Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 8 • Size: 1/2 Cup of Dip• Calories: 118.9 • Fat: 3.6 g • Carb: 5.8 g • Fiber: 0 g • Protein: 16.1 g • Sugar: 2.8 g • Sodium: 344.3 mg

Ingredients:
4 Oz. Fat Free Cream Cheese, Softened
1 C. Fat Free Sour Cream
1/2 C. Hot Sauce (I used Frank’s.)
1/2 C. Reduced Fat Bleu Cheese Crumbles
1/2 Tbsp. Dry Ranch Seasoning
2 C. Chicken Breast, Cooked & Shredded

Directions:

Toss everything together in a large bowl.

Crock Pot:
Place the mixture into the crock pot and cook on low for 2-4 hours.

I used my ‘little dipper’ crock pot.

Serve once hot and melted!

Oven:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly speak a small baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and transfer the mixture into it. Bake for about 30 minutes or until hot and melty.

Remove from the oven and serve right away!

Stove Top:
Put the mixture in a large pot and heat over medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Remove from the heat once hot and melty. Serve immediately.

I served mine with fresh veggies, pretzel crisps, and a few ‘sea salt’ waffle chips. Yum!

Skinny ‘Game Day’ Meatballs

Some of my favorite appetizer style meatballs when I was younger were always the pre-made ones that you toss in the crock pot to simmer with cranberry and chili sauce.

However… canned cranberry sauce has quite a bit of calories to it and pre-made meatballs are not filled with the most health conscious ingredients.

So, this is my take on that game day classic!

I had quite an internal battle going on inside me of I wanted the ‘skinny’ alternative to canned cranberry sauce would be. I had seen where some people used grape jelly… hm, perhaps.

A low sugar grape jelly? Perhaps.

Apple Butter? Perfect!

Apple Butter has just a few more calories in it than the low sugar grape jelly, but… I can actually read the ingredients on the label and know exactly what they are. Which means there’s no junk in there! I’ll sacrifice a few calories to eat cleaner any day.

I think the only thing I’ll do differently is to sub some of the breadcrumbs for shredded carrots or spinach. I also want to try this recipe out using ground turkey instead of the beef!

Skinny ‘Game Day’ Meatballs
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 30 • Size: 1 Meatball • Calories: 107.2 • Fat: 3.6 g • Carb: 11.5 g • Fiber: 0.3 g • Protein: 6.6 g • Sugar: 7.5 g • Sodium: 243.5 mg

Ingredients:
Meatballs:
2 Lb. Extra Lean Ground Beef
1/2 C. Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs
1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese, Grated
1/4 C. White Onion, Minced
2-3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
2 Egg Whites
2 Tsp. Parsley
2 Tsp. Basil
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Sauce:
1 1/2 C. Apple Butter (I used Mussleman’s.)
12 Oz. Jar Chili Sauce

Directions:

Combine the ingredients for the meatballs together in a large bowl until well incorporated.

In another bowl, mix together the ingredients for the sauce and pour half into the bottom of your crock pot.

Using a 1-2 tbsp. measuring spoon, scoop the meatball mixture evenly and roll with your hands to form into rounded meatballs. Place them into the crock pot.

Yes, you’re putting the raw meatballs into the sauce!

I went with a 2 tbsp. size because I like big meatballs (and I cannot lie.) If you go with 1 tbsp. you will have about 60 smaller meatballs.

Pour the remaining sauce mixture over the top and carefully toss around or use your hands to coat the meatballs evenly.

Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.

If you can, try to stir the contents a bit about halfway through cooking to help re-coat and move the meatballs around.

I know it looks really full of meat and not much sauce… but trust me, a few hours in and it’ll all start to work itself out. The meat shrinks and the liquid doubles.

Once done, remove the lid on the crock pot and give a careful stir.

Serve warm with pretzel sticks.

…Or even serve over a mixed melody of rice and sautéed vegetables. Enjoy!

Top Ten Recipes – 2013 Edition

It’s the end of an eventful year here at 101 Cooking For Two. The main non-food highlights are continued growth with now over 6 million page views but the biggie is the move to WordPress. This have been monopolizing most of my blogging time for months ( and for several more months).

So here we go. Somewhat influenced by popularity but really just my choices for the top ten of the year. I eliminated several repeat recipes from previous years which would have made the cut ( The Best Grilled Pork Tenderloin – Memphis Style and Ultra Simple Crock Pot White Chicken Chili ). I have looked at this for a week and keep changing but here is the final list in reverse order

#10

Old Fashion Scalloped Potatoes
A great old fashion taste in a classic recipe.

#9

Grilled Blackened Tilapia
This started at #4 originally and fell but there is no way it was falling off the top ten. A great spicy grilled fish that is also good for you. So easy and fast.

#8

Crock Pot Baked Ziti
I’m not sure how this is here but I really REALLY liked it. Crock pot easy really good Italian.

#7

Healthier Low Fat Carrot Cake
The only thing not great about most carrot cake is the fat. So this is a great carrot cake.

#6

Oven Pulled Pork from Pork Butt
I know I should grill my pork butt but this is so good and easy. No playing with grill temperatures and great taste and moisture.

#5

Old Fashion Cheesy Potato Casserole
An old family favorite for years. Just wonderful and goes with anything for company or everyday.

#4

How to Grill a T-bone or Porterhouse Steak – A Tutorial
Let’s get our steaks done right. A never fail method that we just did again tonight.

#3

Parmesan Garlic Baked Potatoes
I called this “your new favorite side dish” and it will be.

#2

Easy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
A great home-made cheese cake that will impress anyone that tastes it. OK this should be number one but see the explanation below.

#1

Uncooked Macaroni Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
I will call this the “Peoples Choice” I would have made it top ten but this recipe exploded out of the gate and has kept going. You get creamy Mac and Cheese with none of the unknown nasty chemicals.

That’s it for now.

Have a great 2014.

DrDan

Updated
January 2 2014

Chef Gordon Ramsay Recipes