Dinner is served! Chili Cornbread Pie

Wondering what Chili Cornbread Pie looks like? Wonder no more! The finished product is shown above.  This meal requires only 5 ingredients and less than 10 minutes of hands on time! Could it get any better? It can! You can keep most of the ingredients on hand to whip up this perfect-for-winter healthy meal on any busy night without having to think twice!

Ready to make your own Chili Cornbread Pie? Read the original recipe post here>>

What do you think of this meal idea? Share your thoughts with a comment below: 

What's for Dinner? Wednesday

Happy What’s for Dinner? Wednesday! This Wednesday I’m cooking up what for me is a blast from the past. It's a dinner I used to make in college, which somehow was 10 years ago!  I don’t know where the time has gone. This recipe is adapted from my one in my first healthy cookbooks, Cooking Light’s 5 Ingredient 15 Minute Cookbook.

I present to you the ingredients for this “so easy a college student could do it” recipe: 

Ingredients for Six People:

1 medium onion, chopped

1 -15-ounce can low-fat chili beef soup

1- 11-ounce can corn , drained

1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheese (your choice)

1- 6 oz package cornbread mix (just add water variety)

2/3 cup water

How to put it all together:

Step One: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Rock out to some classic 2000s tunes like "Miss Independent" or "Get Low" (you could time it so you get low when you load your oven....maybe?) while you wait for your oven to heat up.

Step Two:  Find a skillet and an 8-inch baking dish so you can be in the running for a record-breaking hands on cooking time of less than 10 mins! 

Step Three: Coat your skillet with cooking spray and warm it up on a medium-high setting.  Once it’s warm add your chopped onion and sauté it until it is tender.  If you think you’re going to cry while working with your onions, try wearing a pair of swim goggles.  It may or may not work, but it will definitely scare anyone who might otherwise be tempted to bother you while you're cooking (you're welcome)! Then add your canned goods (soup and corn) to the skillet and stir everything up well before removing it from the heat.

Step Four: Coat your 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and pour the contents of your skillet into the dish.  Top this pie filling with your cheese of choice.

Step Five:  Make your chili dish into a pie! Find a bowl you can use to combine the cornbread and water to make a smooth batter.  Then pour this batter over your soup and corn mixture.  Bake your chili-cornbread pie for 18 minutes or until the top is golden brown. 

Enjoy a slice of chili-cornbread pie and have “dessert” for dinner!

Have a thought about this recipe or want to share your favorite song from the 2000s or your college days? I'd love to hear what you're thinking! Comment below: 

What's for Dinner? Wednesday

Happy What’s for Dinner? Wednesday!  Since starting “What’s for Dinner? Wednesday,” we’ve made one chicken dish and one fish dish.  Tonight we’re cooking up something completely different:  Pasta with Spinach-Ricotta Pesto and Seared Filet Mignon*.  Usually pesto is made with basil.  This recipe uses spinach as the main green leaf in the pesto sauce.  Pureeing the spinach leaves allows you to enjoy a greater amount of the vegetable without all of the volume.  Your body will thank you for the extra vitamin C, folate, and beta-carotene.

*recipe originally from the July/Aug 2010 edition of Clean Eating

Here’s what you’ll need to make the recipe for you and one lucky guest:

4 oz of whole-wheat pasta (you can pick the variety)

1 clove garlic

½ c fresh parsley leaves

2 cups fresh spinach

1/4c part-skim ricotta cheese

1 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth

4 oz filet mignon (or other lean steak)

How to put it all together:

1.     Cook your pasta of choice according to the directions on the package. When it’s done, be sure to drain your pasta well. Set the pasta aside in a serving bowl. 

2.     In a food processor, combine your garlic, parsley, and spinach until you have created a paste.  Next, add the ricotta and vegetable broth and continue to process the mixture until you have a smooth puree.  This is your pesto! Toss your pasta with your pesto sauce.

3.     Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat.  When it’s hot, add your steak.  Sear the steak for about 2 mins per side (your actual cook time will depend on the thickness of the filet and the level of doneness you prefer).

4.     Allow the steak to stand on a cutting board for 3 mins so it can re-absorb its juices.   

5.   Slice your steak and arrange it on top of your pasta.

6.  Enjoy!

Are you planning on trying this dish? Let us know your thoughts on our menu choice and what you think by posting in the comments below: