Tag Archives: queso

Green Chile Cottage Cheese Queso – High Protein

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Good news for cheese lovers! You can have your queso and eat it too! High Protein Green Chile Queso is easy, delicious AND nutritious and will become your new favorite not dip for snacking and meals. Heck, you’ll want to pour it on everything!

Most queso (as we know it in the Southern US) is based on processed American cheese, ewwww – kinda a mystery substance. But my recipe high protein queso shared below features cottage cheese as the hero ingredient.

Cottage cheese in queso might sound strange – but it is cheese, right?! It’s blended smooth for a creamy texture and is incorporated with a bit of grated Pepper Jack for a slightly spicy and richer cheese vibe. You stay away artificial ingredients, preservatives and who knows what – plus, there’s lots of protein and not much fat.

Shredded Pepper Jack melts into blended cottage cheese for the perfect medley! Or, try white cheddar!

And, cottage cheese queso is easy to make, with just four ingredients, an approximate 24-oz microwave-safe dish (or a little larger), and a microwave. So, 1) tastes great, 2) lots of protein, 3) less fat and no fake stuff – WIN-WIN-WIN!

Roast and chop your own green chile peppers, or for convenience, use pre-prepped like frozen, jar or canned.

This would be a great appetizer or snack for football game season – bowl games are coming up! Make it at score big compliments!

Lower in fat, but still ooey-gooey, this high protein green chili queso features blended cottage cheese as the hero. Simple to make in the microwave, only 4 ingredients – delicious and nutritious! 100 calories per serving with 11g protein. A healthy appetizer or topping for your Mexican-inspired meal.

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Lower in fat, but still ooey-gooey, this high protein green chili queso features blended cottage cheese as the hero. Simple to make in the microwave, only 4 ingredients – delicious and nutritious! 100 calories per serving with 11g protein. A healthy appetizer or topping for your Mexican-inspired meal.
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Cottage Cheese Queso with Green Chiles

Lower in fat, but stillooey-gooey, this high protein green chili queso features blended cottage cheeseas the hero. Simple to make in the microwave, only 4 ingredients – delicious andnutritious! 100 calories per serving with 11g protein.  A healthy appetizer or topping for your Mexican-inspiredmeal.

Ingredients
  • 2 cups 2% milkfat cottage cheese not drained
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 4 oz chopped green chiles from can or fresh roasted
  • 4 oz fresh grated Pepper Jack cheese
  • Optional: Pico de Gallo for garnish
Instructions
  1. Add cottage cheese to blender and process until smooth, a minute or so.
  2. By hand, stir in the garlic powder and chopped green chilies. If using chiles from a can, pour off and discard and ½ the juices so dip doesn’t become too watery.
  3. Add mixture to a microwave-bowl.
  4. Heat in microwave for about 2 minutes. Remove and stir in the pepper jack cheese, ½ at a time.
  5. Return to microwave and heat an additional 1-2 minutes until heated through and bubbling. Stir again to make sure the pepper jack cheese is incorporated.
  6. If desired, garnish with Pico de Gallo.
  7. Serve warm with chips or baguette slices to dip in. Or, use a drizzle on fajitas, burrito bowls, nachos, etch.
  8. Store leftovers, covered, in fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, microwave on half-power for 2-3 minutes until able to stir it up. Then, heat again on high for 1-2 minutes until hot and bubbling.
Recipe Notes

Best Healthy Beef Recipes for Game Day

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The main dishes and snacks served at your big football party are equally as (if not more) important than the action served up on the gridiron. Beef up any game day grub plan with my highlight reel of hearty yet healthy recipes that are so meaty and so marvelous, I just had to share them again! Better make a double-batch of all these Best Healthy Beef Recipes for Game Day, they are a sure bet to be gone by half-time.

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Light Truffle Mushroom Burger Queso

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When it comes to appetizers, are you looking for a starting player for your football parties and other fall-season entertaining? It’s the winning call to move my Light Truffle Mushroom Burger Queso to the top of any line up. This creative hamburger-inspired dip is insanely flavorful, fun to serve, and quite likely to cause a celebration dance in the chip-and-dip zone.  Light Truffle Mushroom Burger Queso

Oh, and did I mention that in the scheme of indulgent, creamy, cheesy dips, this queso is not the diet disaster that you might assume it to be? I’ve lightened it by using lower-fat milk and cheeses along with lean ground beef! Read on to get all the deets and this winning recipe. Continue reading →

Lower-Fat Blue Cheese & Fire-Roasted Tomato Queso – Good Game Day Grub!

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Lower-Fat Blue Cheese Queso makes a great football game day snack served with baked chips, pretzels or veggies.Football parties, tailgating and fall season gathers require dip to draw people together. Just think of all the great gossip, high-fiving and friendly smack talk that has gone down in, what I like to call, the “Chip and Dip Zone.”

But, maybe you hesitate to enter the ZONE for fear of the cheesy dip – is it made of mystery processed “cheese,” loaded with fat upon fat, or just boringly bland?  I’ll admit, these thoughts cross my mind, especially flashbacks of tepid fake orange stadium cheese on stale round tortilla chips.  That’s why I came up with my Lower-Fat Blue Cheese & Fire-Roasted Tomato Queso – it’s bold and it’s better for you made with REAL ingredients.

Lower-Fat Blue Cheese & Fire Roasted Tomate Queso makes a great football game day snack served with baked chips, pretzels or veggies.

I think you’ll definitely widen your mind (and mouth) in appreciation for my Blue Cheese & Fire-roasted Tomato Queso. This unique cheese dip marrieds the audacious attitude blue-cheese with the smoky laid-back goodness of tomatoes roasted over flames. I’ve used my fav brand of blue cheese (Simply Artisan Reserve Blue Cheese Crumbles) and canned fire-roasted tomatoes which.  Of course, canned tomatoes are convenient and taste great in recipes, but did you know that they contain more lycopene (a free-radical destroying antioxidant) than those fresh off the vine? It’s true!

litehouse-blue-cheese-queso-snack-tray-beer-day

While this cheese dip recipe requires a whisk, it’s quite easy prepare, coming together in just 15 minutes or less– and you can keep it warmed for a party but pouring into a small slow cooker. It was first whipped up to celebrated International Beer Day with Litehouse Foods.  Using low-fat dairy products help keep this snack sensible in moderation and, if you are on a gluten-free diet, it is easy to swap out flour used in the roux with a gluten-free flour blend (I use Living Now Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour, it’s inexpensive and provides the right texture for my recipe)

Serve Lower-Fat Blue Cheese & Fire-Roasted Tomato Queso with veggie sticks, artisan chips, or chunks of crusty bread. I’ve even reheated the leftovers and poured over cooked zoodles and topped with shrimp for an impromptu “pasta” dinner.

If you are hosting a huge football party, you might want to consider adding my Healthy Snack Stadium to your spread of snacks, appetizers and game-day grub.

Healthy Snack Stadium - TheFitFork.com

[Tweet Not yer stadium cheese dip! Lower-Fat Blue Cheese & Fire-Roasted Tomato Queso #fitfluential #livinglitehouse”]

What football team(s) are you rooting for this season? Are you typically an at-home or stadium spectator? Please share in comments, xoxo Jennifer

Lower-Fat Blue Cheese Queso makes a great football game day snack served with baked chips, pretzels or veggies.
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Blue Cheese & Fire-roasted Tomato Queso
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Up your game day grub with this lightened up queso featuring the bold flavors of blue cheese and flame-kissed tomatoes. It's even a winner at dinner served over zoodles or pasta!
Course: Appetizer, Pasta
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups reduced-fat 1% milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour can sub gluten-free all purpose blend
  • 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
  • 1 tablespoon Itlalian herb blend
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, both white bulbs and green tops
  • 15 ounce can petite cut tomatoes, drained
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 6 ounces shredded low fat mozzarella
Instructions
  1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, warm milk (without boiling), stirring occasionally.
  2. At the same time, heat butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add flour to melted butter and whisk continuously, cooking until it is bubbling and has turned lightly golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
  3. Stream in heated milk, whisking continuously, and continue to cook over medium heat until mixture bubbles and thickens slightly. Add cheeses and whisk well until melted smooth and incorporated. Add Italian Herb Blend, dried red pepper flakes, green onions and drained tomatoes, stirring until combined.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into serving bowl and garnish as desired.