Zannie's Black-Eyed Pea Dip (from pioneerwoman.com)
Ingredients
- 1 can (14-ounce) Can Black-eyed Peas
- 1/4 whole Onion, Chopped Fine
- 1/4 cup Sour Cream
- 8 slices Jarred Jalapenos
- 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 3 Tablespoons Salsa
- Hot Sauce, to taste
- Salt And Black Pepper To Taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain black-eyed peas and partially mash, leaving some whole.
- Add all other ingredients, stirring to combine.
- Spread into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.
- Serve with tortilla chips!
Next, I made Jalapeno Popper Pizza. This was AWESOME. Only improvement I could make: more bacon! I used this pizza crust recipe, and I started with one cup of white all-purpose flour and used white whole-wheat flour for the remaining flour. I usually make pizza crust with the dough hook on my Kitchen-Aid. So easy!
Jalapeno Popper Pizza (from damndelicious.net)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 jalapeños, sliced
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 1/4 cup semolina or yellow cornmeal
- 1 ball pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups grated jalapeño monterey jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking sheet or pizza pan with olive oil.
- Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a small bowl, combine the jalapeños and shallot with 1-2 teaspoons olive oil.
- Working on a surface that has been sprinkled with semolina or cornmeal, roll out the pizza dough into a 10-inch-diameter round. Transfer to prepared baking sheet or pizza pan.
- Spread the cream cheese evenly over the top, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with jalapeño monterey jack, jalapeños, shallots and bacon.
- Place into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is crisp and brown on the bottom and the cheese is melted on top.
- Cut the pizza into wedges and serve immediately.
One of my biggest goals for 2014 is a goal I have had for several years: eat less and less processed foods. I have made some pretty significant strides, but I still have a long way to go. One of my favorite resources is 100 Days of Real Food. And she has a cookbook coming out this year! One of the best ways to avoid processed foods is to make most of your own food (no-brainer, huh?) But I try to go a little bit further than that...like by making my own cream soup instead of buying cream-of-whatever from a can. I use this recipe for my homemade cream soup. However, the recipe calls for chicken bouillon cubes, which is something I would try to avoid when cutting out processed foods. So, I omit them and use chicken stock instead of water to reconstitute the soup. I've never made my own chicken stock, but I've got my eye on this recipe from one of my food idols, Deb from smittenkitchen.
Some of my biggest processed food weaknesses that I'm trying (but currently failing) to give up: Philly Cheesesteak Hamburger Helper, white pasta, frozen pizza, gummy fruit snacks, and breakfast cereal. I got hungry just reading that list...
Also, I went to the gym with Phillip on Thursday. Here's a picture that accurately describes my experience:
Cheers!
