Life's a journey... I love Journey: January 2012

Baked Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries

These are very easy! And probably one of my favorite appetizers to make and eat.

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 25 - 35 min
Servings: handful of fries for 4

You will need:
1 storage ziplock bag (or 2, depending on how many you are making)
1 large baking sheet

Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt (your descretion)
rosemary (your descretion)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash sweet potatoes in warm water (warm or hot water will soften the potatoes so they are easier to cut). *Cut sweet potatoes into desired size fries, the smaller the fries, the more crunchy they will be when you bake. Place fries in zip lock bag.

Pour olive oil, rosemary and sea salt into zip lock bag. *Leave air in bag. Seal and mix ingredients. **

Place fries on *greased baking sheet, space evenly so the fries bake. Put fries into oven.
Bake @ 350 for 25 mins (+/- depending on how crunchy you like them).

Enjoy!

additional directions:
*Using butcher knife & cutting board, cut sweet potato in half, long ways. Cut halves again in half, long ways. Begin to cut fries from the forths.
*May have to actually blow some air into the bag.
*Grease sheet using either Pam or olive oil, spread with paper towel.
*Keep an eye on them when you get to 20 min, take them out just shy of how done you want them, they continue to bake after you take them out of the oven.

**If you are preping them for a future meal you can put the whole bag in the fridge and save the baking for later.

Chicken Bites

Very easy! reduced fat & appetizer version of Savory Crescent Chicken Squares. I'd also suggest doubling the recipe if you are cooking these for 8 or more people... they go fast!

Minutes to Prepare: 15
Minutes to Cook: 20
Number of Servings: about 20 (depending on how big you make the bites)

Ingredients
1 - (3-oz.) pkg. fat free cream cheese, softened
1 - tablespoon Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread, softened
2 - cups shredded cooked skinless chicken breast (if you're in a hurry, canned shredded chicken breast)
1 - tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1/8 - teaspoon salt
1/8 - teaspoon pepper
2 - tablespoon fat free milk
1 - (8-oz.) can Pillsbury Reduced Fat Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1 - tablespoon Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread, melted (optional)
3/4 - cup dried seasoned bread crumbs or seasoned croutons, crushed (optional)

optional additions:
-they can stand on their own with just the above simple recipe, but its a very flexible appetizer, you can pretty much add whatever you want.
1 - tablespoon diced green chile peppers
1 - tablespoon rosemary, cut it up into small pieces
1 - tablespoon chopped onion

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and 1 tablespoon softened margarine, beat until smooth. Make sure the chicken is completely drained, this is very important, the bites will be runny if the chicken is to wet. Add chicken (drained), chives, salt, pepper, milk, and green chives; mix well.

Arrange 1 can of dough on baking sheet or stone into 1 long rectangle. Firmly press perforations to seal, the mix will spill out if there are tears. Spoon chicken mixture in a line in the center of the rectangle. The amount you spoon in will determine how big the bites are, I usually do just a spoonful. There are 2 ways you can do the next step, depending on your preference:

1. Spread the mixture out, leave about 1/2 an inch from the edge (or more if your spoonfuls were small). Roll dough and chicken mixture, to create one long roll of chicken & dough.
OR
2. Leave the spooned out line in the center, grab the ends of the dough, overlap and seal the dough. (If you do this version, use smaller spoonfuls! It will really help with overflow when cutting and placing on the baking sheet.)

Pinch edges to seal. Starting at one end, cut roll into bites. Again, your choice on size, I usually do about 1 1/2" - 2". Place on un-greased cookie sheet. Brush tops of sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted margarine; sprinkles with bread crumbs or crushed croutons. This last step is optional, I discovered one year when making these, that the bites are just as good without the additional bread and butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 25 minutes (depending on size) or until light golden brown.

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe (for full Chicken Squares): 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 390.4
Total Fat: 14.2 g
Cholesterol: 65.9 mg
Sodium: 737.3 mg
Total Carbs: 33.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.1 g
Protein: 33.4 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Low Fat Savory Crescent Chicken Squares calories by ingredient