In this healthy version of the classic appetizer, we are using frozen spinach and frozen artichokes.  Unless you harvest the spinach right out of your garden, frozen is a good way to go because spinach rapidly looses nutrients after it has been harvested.  Frozen spinach is harvested and frozen right away, locking in the nutrients.  Artichokes are best fresh, but very labor intensive, frozen is the next best thing.

Quick Tip: Assemble, but don’t bake.  Keep in the fridge for a day and bake according to the recipe or wrap with plastic and foil and freeze for a few months.  Bake from frozen in a 400° oven for about 1 hour covered, uncover and bake until bubbling.

Serves: about 6-10

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup light mayo
• 1,  8 oz package 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 3/4 + 1/3  cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 3/4 cup artichoke hearts, frozen and thawed, sliced in half
• 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, minced

Directions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375°.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine mayo, cream cheese, mascarpone, 3/4 cup parmesan, sour cream, garlic, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. Stir in the artichoke hearts, spinach and sun dried tomatoes.
4. Spread into a 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling.
5. Serve with whole wheat crackers.

Monster Meatloaf Recipe
This recipe makes 2 loafs, perfect for a large party or to freeze for a no fuss dinner. Each loaf serves 4-5 people.  

Quick tip: Use a food processor to mince onion, garlic and sun dried tomatoes.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow onion, grated
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups sun dried tomatoes, puréed
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 3/4 cups breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 1/2 pounds or 2, 12 oz packages ground pork sausage
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 1/2 cups jelly, marionberry or blackberry

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°
2. In a large bowl, mix onions, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, thyme, eggs, ricotta, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire and salt together until all ingredients are well incorporated. Place beef and sausage in the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and with your hands mix together until just incorporated.
3. Portion out into 2 equal size meatloaf’s. Place in two, 7 cup round baking dishes or two, loaf pans.
4. In a small bowl , whisk together ketchup and jelly. Pour half of the ketchup mixture over each meatloaf.
5. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour- 1 hour 15 min. or until internal temperature reaches 160°.

*To freeze: cover uncooked meatloaf tightly with aluminum foil, label with content and date. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To bake frozen meatloaf: bake covered in a 400° oven for 1 hour. Uncover and finish baking for another hour or until internal temperature reaches 160°.

Pork Tenderloin Wrapped in Fall Apples and Maple Bacon Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 strips maple bacon
• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• sprinkle of salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup  blue cheese crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon sage, dried or fresh
• 3, 1/4 in thick slices cut in half, granny smith or honey crisp apple, cut remaining apple into  quarters and reserve for roasting with vegetables
• 1 cup parsnips, peeled, diced into 1 inch thick squares
• 1 small yellow onion, cut in half and then quartered
• 1 1/2cups carrots, peeled cut into 1 1/2 inch sticks
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°.
2. Lay the bacon strips vertically on a cutting board and place the tenderloin horizontally on the bacon.
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the top of the pork.
4. Evenly pat blue cheese crumbles on to the pork. Sprinkle Sage over blue cheese.
5. In a single layer, layer apples covering the blue cheese and sage.  Beginning at one end of the tenderloin wrap bacon slices all the way around the pork.  Continue until the tenderloin is covered with bacon.
6. Set in a baking dish.
7. Surround pork with apples, parsnip, onion and carrots.
8. Pour apple juice and broth over pork.
9. Bake in the oven about 35-40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 155°.

Roasted Beet Salad Tossed with Blue Cheese and Balsamic
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 large beets or 6 small beets (3 1/2 cups)

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried

• 1 cup blue cheese, crumbled (use

• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 2 Tablespoons pine nuts

• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°
2. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet.
3. Wash beets and towel dry.
4. Place beets on the foil and rub beets with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme.
5. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 1 hour or until fork tender.
6. Remove from the oven, uncover and allow to cool.
7. Once cooled, with the back of a knife peel of skin and cut off tops and bottoms and discard.
8. Slice peeled beets into 1/4 inch thick slices, then cut slices into 1/4 inch strips and then cut in half. Place in a medium bowl.
9. Add crumbled blue cheese, vinegar and pine nuts to the beets. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss together and serve or refrigerate up to 2 days.

Goat Cheese and Bartlett Pear Crostini with Honey and Walnuts
Makes 12

Ingredients

• 12, 1/2inch slices of a baguette

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• 12,  1/2 inch slices of goat cheese

• 1 Bartlett pear, 12 , 1/4inch slices

• 2 Tablespoons honey

• 12 walnut halves

Directions

1. Turn your oven on to broil.
2. Place the baguette slices on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Toast under the broiler for 2-3 minutes (make sure to watch, they will burn easily).
4. Turn slices over and toast the other side for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
5. Top toasted slices with goat cheese, drizzle honey over the goat cheese, top with a pear slice and place a walnut on top of the pear, serve.

This Chicken Taco Soup Recipe is easy to make before work and keep it cooking in your slow cooker, so its ready for you when you get home.   I love serving this soup after a day of skiing, with some toasted garlic bread.

Click here to read more and get the recipe.