It's my Blog-iversary! Steak Fajita Quesdillas

Happy blog-iversary to me! My one year anniversary of starting the ramblings of the Foodie Fashionista has completely snuck up on me. As Cookie Monster once said on Sesame Street, "If I knew you were coming I'd have baked a cake....baked a cake...baked a cake...." BUT...I don't really bake. But I do grill.

My new motto is "Grill once, eat as many times as possible." Tuesday night I grilled steak tips. Nothing fancy. Just marinated in Lawry's Steak and Chop marinade. But I always make enough to last one dinner and at least 2 salads worth. Wednesday's and Thursday's lunches were a salad with romaine, tomato, corn, red pepper, red onion, avocado and some sliced steak. Yum.

And by the time dinner came around on Thursday, it was time to get rid of the steak. I can't explain where the inspiration came for this. I think it was my constant craving for cheese lately. And the abundance of leftover steak and peppers in my fridge.

non-stick coooking spray
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 small onion, sliced thin
4 ounces cooked steak, sliced into small strips
1/4 teaspoon cumin
4 whole-wheat, low carb wraps (like Cedar's)
non-stick cooking spray
1 cup fat-free shredded cheddar cheese


Preheat a George Foreman grille or panini press.

Spray a large skillet with non stick cooking spray and heat over medium-heat. Add in peppers and onions and cover, allowing to soften for about 5 minutes. Add in steak and cumin, and toss well. Cook until steak is heated through. Remove from heat.

Spray one side of a wrap with cooking spray and place sprayed-side down on preheated grill. Arrange about 1/4 of the peppers, onions and steak on one half of the wrap and add 1/4 cup cheese. Fold over wrap to cover, and press. Cook until cheese is melted and wrap begins to get brown and crispy.

Serve with salsa, guacamole, and/or fat-free sour cream.

Yields 4 servings.

WW info:
Core - 1 point per serving (for wrap)
Flex - 3 points per serving

Holy Guacamole

In my opinion, guacamole doesn't really need a recipe. I just make it to suit my taste. You need avocado, lemon juice, salt cilantro, diced and seeded tomato, and diced red onion. I start with mashing the avocado and adding the lemon juice and salt to taste. Then add the tomato and red onion to reach your desired chunkiness. I could eat this every day.

WW info:
CORE - all included
FLEX - i'd guess about 2 points per 3 Tbsp.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

If you are a loyal reader of my blog, you'll know that I am no good at making cookies. So I give up. I'm throwing in the towel. But that doesn't mean I've given up on baking all together. I've made a successful brownie in the past, so why not try a cookie in a brownie form.

More commonly known as a blondie, these chocolate chips bars are the real deal. I'm not calling them blondies though. since traditionally blondies have nuts in them, and I am not a nut person. I might be nutty sometimes, but I like to keep the nuts out of my brownies and blondies.

1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp) butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8x8 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat brown sugar and butter over medium heat until butter melts and the mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, beat the egg and vanilla. Slowly pour in the butter and sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Mix in flour, baking powder and baking soda. Spread batter in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Yields 9 bars.

WW info:
Click here

Crushed Potatoes

I haven't been blogging much but I religiously keep up with my blog reading (thank you, Google Reader!). I bookmarked Crash-Hot Potatoes at the Technicolor Kitchen and was inspired to alter it slightly. Being in the mood for baked potatoes one particular night but only have small white potatoes, I combined Patricia's recipe and a stuffed baked potato.

Smiles and clean plates were plentiful that evening.

16 small potatoes (Yukon Gold are my preference, about 2" in diameter)
non-stick cooking spray
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1–1 1/2 cups shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons finely snipped chives

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add potatoes; boil for about 10-15 minutes, until soft yet firm.

Drain, and arrange on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Using the flat end of a meat mallet, squash each potato flat, until it is twice its original diameter. Drizzle the tops with olive oil, and scatter with salt and pepper. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 20 minutes until crisp and golden brown.

Remove baking sheet from the oven and add approximately 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese to the top of each potato and give each mound of cheese a quick squirt of cooking spray (to aid in the melting if using fat-free cheese). Return to oven for 3-4 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove from oven.

Mix 1 tablespoon of the chives into the sour cream in a small bowl and dollop about 1 tablespoon of sour cream on top of each potato. Garnish with remaining chives.

Yields 8 servings.

WW info:
Click here