Corn Chowder Makeover!

I am not one for depriving myself, I have learned if you do you will just end up eating too much when you actually let yourself indulge.  My mom happened to buy me a new cookbook the other day.  America's Test Kitchen Comfort Meals Makeover.  They teach you how to recreate all of your favorites with half the calories and fat, they even throw in some restaurant favorites as well!  I have only tried two so far, and both have been excellent.  I did make a few changes to them but mainly cut some ingredients out, so the calorie and fat count most likely stayed the same or went down even more.  

I LOVE corn chowder, but when you think chowder you automatically think fattening.  Well this recipe helps you cut the fat from  27g to 12g and calories from 310 to 180 while still tasting delish!  The key, more broth and 1% milk and less cream.  

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 slice of bacon, chopped fine

1/2 sweet onion
2 minced Garlic Cloves

1 tsp. dried Thyme
 3 tbsp Flour

3 cups low sodium, low fat chicken broth

1/2 cup 1% milk

2 cans of baby white corn

1lb baby red potatoes

1 Bay leave

1/2 cup half and half

1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

Salt

Pepper

First heat the EVOO in a large soup pan until shimmering.  Add bacon and cook until crisp.  Stir in the onion and cook until softened.  Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.

Slowly whisk in the broth and milk, scraping up any brown bits.  Stir in the potatoes and bay leaf.  Bring to simmer, partially covered, and cook until potatoes are tender.

Lastly, stir in the 1/2 and 1/2, butter and corn.  Simmer gently until corn is tender yet still slightly crunchy (about 5 minutes). Remove the bay leaf, stir in parsely and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve and Enjoy!

Mini Pizza to Order!

Of course my husband and I could agree on a pizza if we had to but we have completely different tastes when it come to a good pizza.  To him, the more meat the better and to me, the less of everything the better.  I came across individual pizza crusts at the store the other day which are just perfect for us. To have with my "New Year, New You" post  I picked up a couple packages, whole wheat for me and regular for him. You can put almost anything on a pizza so it is completely up to your taste.  Here is what I used on ours tonight:

Whole Wheat Crust

Organic Pizza Sauce

Black Olives

Low Fat Mozzarella 

Basil

Regular Crust

Bacon (cooked and chopped)

Pizza Blend Shredded Cheese

Jalapeno Block Cheese

Green Onions

I used the same sauce on both pizza crusts.  I then added cubed mozzarella, black olives and basil to the whole wheat crust.  Mozzarella is a cheese that is high in protein which is why I chose it since I am not easting meat this month.  Now on to Scott's, he wanted me to try two different versions (both of which he loved).  On half we did just the shredded jalapeno cheese with chopped green onion.  On the other side we did a layer of bacon topped with the pizza cheese blend and then topped with more bacon and green onion.  Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on top of both to your liking and pop them in the toaster oven or regular oven.  They will only take about 8 minutes to cook so they are easy to throw together even for a quick lunch! 

The small crust is a perfect serving size which will help you not overeat. Enjoy!

BLT Pasta Salad

The ""BLT" Bacon Lettuce and tomato turned into a tasty pasta salad side dish!"

Now as you know from the Bacon wrapped corn on the cob post, my husband loves his bacon!  So here I took the classic BLT and turned it into the perfect meal.  Here we both get our favorite things, pasta and bacon!  You will need the ingredients below to get started:

Ingredients:

1 Box Mini Bow Tie Pasta (cooked) 2 Ripe Heirloom Tomato's (chopped) 2 Cups Iceberg Lettuce (chopped) 5 Strips Apple-wood Smoked Bacon (cooked and chopped) 1 Can Medium Black Olives (Sliced) 1 Cup Ken's Light Ranch Dressing 1/2 Cup Ken's Ranch Dressing 1/2 Cup Sunflower Seed Oil 2 TBSP Lemon Juice 1 TBSP Dried Basil 1 TBSP Black Pepper 1 TBSP Salt 5 TBSP Bacon Bits Once you have the above items prepped and ready to go you can follow my easy to follow instructions below:

Combine Ranch dressing, Sunflower Seed Oil and Lemon juice in large bowl. Add Basil, Black Pepper and Salt. Next, Stir in prepared pasta and mix well to coat pasta. Gently Stir in Tomatoes, Lettuce and olives. Lastly stir in the chopped bacon and bacon bits. Refrigerate for 1 hour and ENJOY!

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Corn on the Cob

Okay everyone, here it is, the one everyone has asked for with the exact recipe on how to make it.....

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Corn on the Cob

6 Corn - Husked and cleaned
1 package hickory smoked bacon
Cajun Seasoning
***I make my own version by mixing together the below,
*2tsp salt
*2 tsp garlic powder
*2 tsp paprika
*1 tsp black pepper
*1 tsp chili powder
*1 tsp onion powder
*2 tsp dried oregano
*1 tsp Italian Seasoning
*1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
6 sheets foil

Rub Seasoning onto the cleaned corn
Wrap each piece with 2-3 pieces of bacon
Wrap in foil tightly and twist ends to tighten (can use 2 sheets if needed)
I have a charcoal grill so we cooked for 20minutes turning every 5 minutes then closed the vent so the heat wouldn't be as hot and let cook for an additional 25minutes.
Check one piece to make sure the bacon is fully cooked and enjoy (I know my husband sure did)!