Cheesy Reuben Dip

Soon it will be St. Patrick’s Day. I never really got into the whole drink green beer and party in the street scene. It just was not my thing. Don’t get me wrong, I may have had a couple of shots of whiskey while wearing some ridiculous green hat or over-sized green sun glasses; but it was always in the safety of an apartment with my friends…nothing more ridiculous than that.

Now don’t get excited, I don’t have a green beer recipe for you. I know many of you would really appreciate that, but drinking beer is still not my scene. Moreover, having a shot of whiskey is not something I do now anyway. I never quite acquired the taste of alcohol - any of it - so I simply don't drink. I can see you all rolling your eyes! 

I digress.

However, just because I don’t throw down with you beer-loving foodies, I can whip up a mean St. Patrick’s Day treat without much thought. Almost two weeks ago two of my Reuben recipes were featured in the Huffington Post. Check out these Reuben Eggrolls & Reuben Quesadillas. Well, along with my two recipes there were several others featured in the Huffington Post, so I decided to make one that looked absolutely divine. Can you disagree with this recipe?!

 

Nutritional Information
Servings: approximately 15
Serving Size: about 1/3 cup
Calories:  119.5
Fat: 9.6 g
Carbohydrates: 1.3 g
Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 8.8 g
Points+: 3

Ingredients:

Recipe Adapted from A Farmgirl's Dabbles 

• 1 lb. shredded corned beef
• 8 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
• 14 ounces sauerkraut, drained very well
• ¾ cup low fat plain yogurt
• ¼ cup Fat Free Thousand Island Dressing

 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
• In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together
• Spoon into an oven-proof serving dish
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it is bubbling and nicely browned on top
• Serve with your favorite crackers or bread {I used thinly sliced rye bread. I quartered each slice and toasted it for several minutes.}  

Enjoy!!

This was an incredible dip. I love all of the ingredients that go into making a Reuben and this was no exception! I lightened this recipe up a bit by substituting plain low-fat yogurt for the mayo. I'm not a mayo girl myself, so it worked perfectly! Make it, seriously!

 

Reuben Eggrolls

Can one still be considered a food blogger when she did not eat or blog for an entire week? For my sake, I hope the answer is yes.

I AM BACK! Watch out world.

Are you wondering where I have been? Well, it is simple – I was very sick. It all started a week ago Saturday and by Sunday evening I couldn’t swallow. Because I thought it was strep throat and {foolishly} thought I could beat it on my own, I defied Nick’s request to go to the doctor on Monday.

That was a BIG mistake.

I knew something was terribly wrong when popsicles did not feel good going down my throat; nothing was cooling the shards-of-glass-feeling I was having. Plus, I could barely swallow. So eating a Popsicle took 4 times longer to eat one than it normally takes.

I was a hot mess.

Finally, I conceded and went to the doctor’s office on Tuesday morning. I was diagnosed, issued a prescription {that I am still taking} and within 24 hours I feel a million times better, but was still sick as a dog. It wasn’t until Friday that I felt normal enough to function as a human being.

Do you know what that means? On Saturday I planned a smorgasbord of a dinner. I made a bunch of fun appetizers; Nick and I had a great date-night in over some great conversation, business and The Big Bang Theory. It was heavenly.

I am going to share one of those appetizers with you today, which just happens to be my new favorite. Take a look at these Reuben Eggrolls.

Nutritional Information:
Servings: 10
Serving Size: 1
Calories: 194.5
Fat: 6.1 g
Carbohydrates: 21.3 g
Fat: 1.6 g
Protein: 11.5 g
Points+: 5

Ingredients:

Recipe Adapted from Simply Gourmet Photograpy 

• 5.5 ounces deli sliced Corned Beef, small dice
• 5 ounces deli sliced Swiss Cheese, small cube
• ½ cup Sauerkraut
• 2 tablespoons Fat Free Thousand Island Dressing
• 10 eggroll wrappers
• Bowl of Water
• Oil

Directions: 

• Poor about ¼ to ½ inch of oil in large skillet
• Heat oil over medium heat
• While the oil is heating, mix together the first four ingredients in a medium dish
• Now the fun part, spread out an egg roll wrapper and add about 2 or 3 large tablespoons of the mixture inside.
• Fold over one corner, then fold in the two sides and roll {tightly} towards the last corner
• Use water to seal the ends of the eggroll. This prevents the filling from spilling out & making the oil splatter everywhere!
• Now gently add about 3 eggrolls into the hot oil. 
• Fry until each side is golden brown. It took about 3 or 4 minutes per side {and kind of depends on how crispy you want them}
• Let cool {if you can} and serve!

Nick and I LOVED these eggrolls so much. They are absolutely delicious, perfectly crunchy on the outside and it packs a powerful punch of cheesy Reuben goodness on the inside. This appetizer is the flawless marriage of Irish and Asian cuisine.  Do you think I am joking? Nope! I made another WHOLE batch last night for dinner, too. That is how much we loved them!!

I hope you give them a try!

Until Next Time,

Happy Frying 

Fully Loaded Reuben Quesadilla's!

Happy Friday Foodies! I’m waiting on some impending thunderstorms. I hope they hurry up. One of my favorite parts about spring and summer are thunderstorms! It’s the best thing if it is not going to snow, in my own opinion.

This weekend is a big weekend for Nick and I. Tomorrow Nick is running his 10k and I am terrified for him. He’s definitely worked hard, but I am still concerned. He’s especially been looking forward to his 10k for another reason: going to a Chinese Buffet. That was one of the agreements we had. I am not looking forward to that, in fact, I will likely just have a soda. I really have to crave Chinese food, but even then I like ordering it in. Chinese Buffets are generally mediocre at best. But he’s looking forward to it, so I will definitely go with it.

And on Sunday we are meeting our realtor for the first time. Thank goodness for USAA fixing us up with somebody good. It’s nice not to have to worry about finding reputable people. This guy definitely seems on his game. However, I am slightly nervous. This is a big step for Nick and I. I am looking forward to the next chapter in our lives, but it’s a huge investment and very intimidating. We will see.

Anyway, let’s get to some yummy food. My friend Lauren over at Lauren Kelly, Certified Nutritionist asked if I would be a guest blogger on her website today. I totally agreed because I think Lauren is absolutely phenomenal. If you have not already done so, go check out her website and facebook page!

The only guideline I had was a St. Patrick’s Day recipe. I sort of forgot to create St. Patrick’s Day recipes in advance. Well, that’s not exactly true. I had some really good ideas but was unsure if they would be made. When I heard from Lauren I thought it was a divine sign to go ahead and make some delicious recipes this week.

It really worked to Nick’s benefit because he has been asking me for weeks if I was going to make Corned Beef and other yummy dishes that he really enjoys! I’ve actually had a lot of fun with these recipes this week and will likely continue because I have other ideas. So beware! Today I have a delicious recipe. I mean DELICIOUS! How about you whip up some Fully Loaded Reuben Quesadillas for a St. Patrick’s Day party?? Paired with some Irish Ale you’ll make everybody around you happy!

Nutritional Information:
Servings: 2
Serving Size: 2 quesadilla triangles
Calories: 276.8
Fat: 13.5 g
Carbohydrates: 24 g
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 15.3 g
Points+: 7

Ingredients:
Recipe Adapted from Closet Cooking

• 1.5 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
• 2.5 ounces Corned Beef
• ¼ cup Sauerkraut, drained & sautéed
• 2 {soft taco} Tortillas
• ½ tablespoons Fat Free Thousand Island Dressing

Directions:

• Coat a medium skillet with cooking spray over medium heat
• Place one tortilla in the pan and allow to heat until it is slightly browned on the bottom. Remove to a plate
• Take the second tortilla and place in the pan.
• Sprinkle some cheese on the tortilla, followed by the corned beef, sautéed sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing. Top with remaining cheese.
• Add the previously warmed tortilla to the top
• Cook until the bottom tortilla is golden brown and cheese is melted
• Remove to a plate and enjoy!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  

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