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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

easy, cheap, healthy & good

i'm reeeeally a sucker for cookbooks.  the kinds with pretty covers, hip fonts, and fabulous photographs.  the truth is, i rarely try a recipe, and that's for a couple reasons:
1. Super complex recipes scare me... and i have a pretty broad definition of complex
2. Can't really afford to buy a million different ingredients... maybe someday! but not on this budget.

but, it is a fun challenge to find inexpensive meals that are easy to make.  more importantly, we want healthy, nutritious foods that taste great... 

tonight we got creative with a weight watcher's recipe for a roasted red pepper dip {and it's zero calories}


Ingredients:
2 large red peppers, roasted
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

In a food processor, puree the ingredients until smooth. 

tip for roasting the red peppers: preheat broiler. line baking sheet with foil.  broil 3 inches from heat, turning frequently, until charred on all sides, about 10 minutes.  let stand until cool. discard cores & seeds.  

the book suggests enjoying the dip with cut up veggies or baked potatoes.  so tonight we baked a couple in the microwave (about 15 min together).  next, we grilled up a couple frozen chicken breasts, then chopped them up into bite size pieces. the final product: two baked potatoes (2 for $1),  with spray butter, cheese, filled with chicken, & covered in the roasted red pepper dip. the meal was made better, as usual, with tony chachere's. veeeery good & we have dip left to snack on. would be even better with some chives and grilled corn thrown in. 
anyway, we liked it :)

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