Posts Tagged ‘white cheddar’
Cheesy Double Bean Quesadillas with Avocado Ranch
March 19, 2013 | 
Author It just occurred to me that I’ve been craving avocado and Mexican-inspired dishes a lot lately. Most recently I have made Chicken-Quinoa Burgers with an Avocado-Yogurt Sauce, Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla Pie, Guiltless Avocado Alfredo Pasta with Spicy Chicken, and now of course these quesadillas. There’s another avocado in my kitchen waiting for be turned into something else magical, but I might cave and just make guacamole out of it because it’s yummy.
In addition to an abundance of avocados, I’ve seen more sunrises than usual since daylight savings. I am one of those people that is up when the sun it up, so the fact that my alarm now goes off before the sunrises is most upsetting to me and it is therefore difficult to get myself moving and out of bed. But at least I get to appreciate a pretty sight in the sky.
One year ago: Irish Car Bomb Mini Cheesecake Bites
CHEESY DOUBLE BEAN QUESADILLAS WITH AVOCADO RANCH
Serves 2
Ingredients:
QUESADILLAS
1 cup black beans
1 cup cannellini beans
2 oz. sharp white cheddar cheese, freshly grated
2 oz. pepperjack cheese, freshly grated
4 whole wheat tortillas
Butter or olive oil for toasting
AVOCADO RANCH
1 ripe medium avocado
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 0% Chobani)
2 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley
2 Tbsp freshly chopped dill
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Directions:
- In a large bowl, mash together black and cannellini beans with a fork, spoon or potato masher.
- Heat an electric griddle or skillet over medium heat. Add a bit of butter or olive oil.
- Place 2 tortillas down, covering each with a bit of both cheeses, then evenly distribute the mashed bean mixture over top. Place the tortilla on the griddle or skillet, then cover with bean mixture with the remaining cheese and the other tortilla. Cook until the bottom is crispy and golden brown, then gently flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until crispy and golden.
- To make the avocado ranch, combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy, scraping down the sides occasionally when needed. Taste and season additionally if desired. Store avocado ranch in a seal-tight container for 1-2 days.
Source: Adapted slightly from How Sweet It Is.
Posted in Appetizers & Snacks, Entree, Vegetarian | 
Tags: avocado, black beans, cannellini beans, Greek yogurt, Mexican, pepperjack, white cheddar | 
7 Comments »
White Cheddar and Arugula Pesto Mac & Cheese
Remember how I mentioned I wanted to make something else with the leftover arugula pesto on Monday? Well here it is! It’s another pasta dish, but this has white cheddar int it – one of my favorite cheeses. While preparing and practicing my presentation for my committee meeting today, I was in serious need of some comfort food. White cheddar macaroni and cheese was already super comforting by itself, but the addition of the pesto added great flavor. I even served this mac and cheese with some chicken sausage. It’s an adult version of hot dog mac and cheese.
My meeting is at 10am central today. Here’s to hoping I will be super relieved and happy when I talk to you tomorrow!
One year ago: Bean and Cheese Taquitos
WHITE CHEDDAR AND ARUGULA PESTO MAC & CHEESE
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
13.25 oz. box uncooked whole wheat pasta
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 oz. freshly grated white cheddar cheese, divided
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup arugula pesto
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions, minus a few minutes of the cooking time since it will be going in the oven.
- While pasta is cooking, heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once sizzling, add flour and whisk until smooth to create a roux. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden and has a nutty aroma. Add milk and cream, bring to a boil while constantly whisking. Reduce heat to low and add all but 1/4 cup of the cheese, then cook for a few minutes while stirring until cheese is melted and mixture thickens. Add nutmeg, then taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Add pasta to a baking dish and pour cheese sauce over top. Stir to distribute sauce, then stir in pesto. Top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn on the broiler for 5 minutes or until top is golden and bubbly.
Source: Adapted slightly from How Sweet It Is.
Posted in Entree, Pasta | Tags: arugula, heavy cream, milk, pesto, white cheddar, whole wheat | 6 Comments »
Chicken, Broccoli and White Cheddar Pita Pizzas
This is another recipe recreated from my undergraduate years at Ohio State. I pretty much rotated through these pita pizzas, stir frys, the Asian BBQ Chicken, and pasta with meat sauce when I lived off campus the last two years. Oh the days before my need to try a new recipe every single stinking day. Nowadays I rarely repeat recipes in my kitchen. Mostly because there are too many others I want to try and cooking for one slows me down. Which was one bonus to staying with my parents in Knoxville in August, because I had the ability to cook entrees more often and therefore actually did remake past recipes. What a treat to have some of them again!
When making the pitas for this recipe, I was also reminded how much better it is homemade than store bought. The store stuff is stale and dry in comparison, and I find it difficult to even entertain the idea of purchasing them ever again. Especially since it’s so fun to watch them puff up in the oven.
One year ago: Falafel Pizza
CHICKEN, BROCCOLI AND WHITE CHEDDAR PITA PIZZAS
Serves 3
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head broccoli, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper
4 oz. white cheddar, shredded
3 whole wheat pitas, lightly toasted
Directions:
- Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broccoli and saute until bright green and still crisp. Transfer from pan to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Wipe out the pan and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until no longer pink, and slightly golden on the outside.
- Top pitas with chicken and broccoli, followed by shredded white cheddar cheese. Let sit a minute, allowing the cheese to melt. Or place under a broiler for a minute. Serve immediately.
Source: The Spiffy Cookie original.
Spaghetti Squash with White Cheddar Cheese Sauce
I am so excited to have been assigned to A Healthy Jalapeno for Secret Recipe Club this month! She had my blog for SRC once and that’s how I discovered her blog and have loved it ever since, so I definitely had a hard time picking out just one thing to make for today.
Since I have never had spaghetti squash before, I decided I should try out her recipe. It involves a white cheddar cheese sauce inspired by Annie’s White Cheddar Mac ‘n Cheese, which meant it had to be good!
Upon my first bite, I was first surprised by the little bit of crunch that the squash still had despite being fully cooked – but I liked it! And the white cheddar sauce was so good I would love to pour it all over every pasta dish I make in the future. Thanks Laura for great first experience with spaghetti squash!
SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE
Serves 4
Ingredients:
SQUASH
1 large spaghetti squash
1 tomato, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp whole-wheat flour (regular all-purpose works too)
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup plain almond milk
Dash white pepper (black pepper is fine if you don’t have white)
1 cup shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese, plus more for topping
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half (lengthwise) with a heavy duty kitchen knife. Once open, use a spoon to scrape away the seeds and stringy bits, until the inside is clean. Bake rind side up about 30 to 40 minutes in about 2 tablespoons water.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in sauce pan over low heat. Using a whisk blend in flour, salt and dash white pepper. Add milk all at once, cooking quickly, stirring constantly until mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove sauce immediately upon bubbling and add cheese. Mix, cover, and set aside.
- Check to see if the squash is cooked by sticking a knife into it. The knife should slide in easily. Flip the squash over with a spatula so that the cut side is facing up. Using a dinner fork, scrape the flesh of the squash, moving gently around the shell fluffing up the strands of squash. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Fold in the tomato, red onion, salt, pepper and cheese sauce until mixed. Serve immediately with freshly grated Asiago cheese.
Source: Adapted slightly from A Healthy Jalapeno.
Posted in Entree, Vegetarian | Tags: almond milk, asiago, red onion, spaghetti squash, tomatoes, white cheddar, whole wheat | 19 Comments »
Homemade Imo’s Pizza
Are you prepared to meet the thinnest crust ever?! If you are not a thin crust person, this pizza is not for you. Go on and just close the browser right now, I won’t be offended but I will scoff at you because I think this pizza could convert you. So on second thought please stay!
By a show of hands, how many of you have ever had Imo’s pizza? Okay, how many more of you have at least heard of Imo’s pizza? Anyone who did not raise their hand will not understand the craze that this pizza creates, but should still dive in and create this pizza at home. Especially if you don’t have the time to drive to St. Louis. Because today I give to you, homemade Imo’s Pizza.
So what makes this pizza so special, other than it’s geographical exclusivity? Well for starters it has a supremely thin crust, that is crispy yet a little floppy all at the same time. This crust is covered by a moderately thin layer of freshly made pizza sauce, then topped off by Imo’s very own brand of shredded cheese known as Provel – a mixture of white cheddar, Swiss and provolone, with a hint of hickory smoke flavor.
One benefit to living 4.5 hours from St. Louis, is that the grocery stores here happen to carry this fantastical cheese blend. But luckily for everyone else it is easy to fix up a homemade version of it. Granted it won’t be processed all together, but the flavors are all there and that’s what counts. So no matter where you are in the world, you too can experience Imo’s pizza!
For me, the cheese is the selling point. It gets so bubbly and the white cheddar brings such great flavor to otherwise traditional pizza toppings. And it just so happens to be one of my favorite kinds of cheese, and am amazed that I have not topped off any of my pizzas with it before (prepare yourself for more of it to come). Of course, don’t forget to slice it up into Imo-style small square slices, and prepare to fight over your favorite pieces. Are you a middle-crust or an edge-crust person?
One year ago: Avocado Fries
HOMEMADE IMO’S PIZZA
Makes 2-12″ pizzas
Ingredients:
CHEESE
2 cups Imo’s Provel cheese
OR
1 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded
1 tsp liquid hickory liquid smoke
SAUCE
16 oz. whole tomatoes (diced into fine pieces)
6 oz. tomato paste
1-1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp crushed dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried thyme
CRUST
2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp dark corn syrup
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp water
TOPPINGS
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
Favorite pizza toppings
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with pizza stone* located on the bottom third of the oven.
- For the sauce: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
- For the cheese: If you can’t find Provel in your local market, it can be easily created. Toss cheeses in a large bowl with the liquid smoke until cheeses and smoke flavoring are completely incorporated.
- For the crust: In a large bowl, sift together the flour salt and baking powder. Add the olive oil, dark corn syrup and water and mix until thoroughly combined. The dough will be stiff. Divide the dough in half, shape into two round balls and roll out thin into two 12″ crusts. Move the crusts to a pizza peel lightly sprinkled with cornmeal.
- Top both crusts with half of the pizza sauce (save the rest for another time), and then divide the cheese between the two. Add your favorite toppings, and sprinkle the seasonings on top.
- Transfer one pizza onto the preheated pizza stone* and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the underside of the crust is golden brown, and the cheese is golden. You want the crust to be crispy but not too overdone or else it will start to become chewy. Repeat with the second pizza. Allow to settle before slicing into squares, as traditionally done at Imo’s Pizza.
*If you do not own a pizza stone, cook pizza on a thin baking sheet placed on the bottom rack of the oven.
Source: Adapted slightly from Food.com
Blue-Cheese Scalloped Potatoes
For my birthday this past year, my boyfriend took me out to dinner to a place called Interim where we had the most amazing blue-cheese potatoes. I of course then had to figure out how to recreate them at home. After searching the internet for recipes that sounded similar for a guide, I succeeded a month later when I cooked Brent dinner for his birthday. I did not attempt to make this a healthy side-dish option. Apart from using reduced fat sour cream, there is nothing healthy about this dish.
While preparing the menu for dinner, I recalled this dish and thought it would go quite well with the honey-glazed ham I had been meaning to cook. Sure enough I slopped up any leftover sauce from the potatoes with the ham on my plate, and even got an extra slice to fully clean my plate off. I also served this meal with roasted asparagus (preheat oven to 400 degrees, toss asparagus in olive oil, salt and pepper, roast approximately 30 minutes).
Ingredients:
4 lbs russet potatoes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
3/4 cup crumbled Danish blue cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup shredded extra sharp white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup reduced far sour cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish.
- Peel and slice potatoes into 1/8-inch slices. Toss in large bowl with salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary.
- In a small bowl, toss together the cheeses.
- Layer half of the potatoes in the prepared dish, top with onion, then sprinkle with half the cheese mixture. Dot with butter and top with remaining potatoes.
- In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, heavy whipping cream, salt and nutmeg; pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture.
- Bake potatoes for 45 minutes covered, then 30 minutes uncovered or until browned and tender.
Source: Adapted from Epicurious and Recipezaar (which is now Food.com)
Posted in Side Dish | Tags: blue cheese, heavy cream, onions, potatoes, white cheddar | 6 Comments »
