Sun-dried Tomato Blue Cheese Spread is rich, creamy and bursting with bold flavor! With only three ingredients, it’s a simple, no-cook appetizer that can be made in mere minutes to delight guests who drop by unexpectedly – or to just satisfy your everyday snacking needs!
This blue cheese and tomato spread is also a flavorful addition to any charcuterie tray, cheese board, and snack tray for low-carb summer entertaining.
Other serving suggestions for this creamy spread is to stir into warm pasta or veggies for an irresistible sauce. Additionally, a dollop of leftover creamy sun-dried tomato spread on a baked potato or over a plain grilled chicken breast creates “next level” yumminess.
The simplicity of this easy blue cheese spread with sundried tomatoes is legit – I mean, it’s REALLY EASY. Almost embarrassingly so, lol! Soften cream cheese and stir in blue cheese crumbles and sun-dried tomato pesto until mostly creamy (but I do like a few little lumps of the blue cheese to remain). Use a little spatula to transfer to a serving dish – the recipe yields enough to fill a 5 or 6-oz standard ramekin. If you want to get fancy, you can garnish with a sprig of fresh basil!
The first time I made this, I CHOPPED oil-packed sundried tomatoes by hand . . . but quickly realized that I could just purchase a sundried tomato pesto and save so much time and mess. Do what you prefer – just don’t use the dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes though – they don’t add as much flavor and incorporate as well into the spread.
As I hinted, this recipe is low carb by nature – use full-fat cream cheese (which I did) if you are looking for a Keto cheese spread with the lowest possible carb yields. Each serving of this easy keto appetizer (about ½ ounce) has 46 calories, 4.4g fat, 0.6g carbohydrate and 1.4g protein.
Soften cream cheese and blue cheese on counter for 15 minutes. Mix together cheese along with pesto in bowl until mostly smooth, but some lumps of the blue cheese is wanted. Keep chilled until serving.
Serve with crackers or bread. Also great melted into warm veggies, noodles or a spoonful dolloped on a baked potato or over a simple grilled chicken breast or steak.
Oooh la-la-la, lemon! Low-carb Lemon Coconut Bites are a quick, no-bake treat to make that taste just like little morsels of creamy cheesecake.
Sublimely sweet-tart, low-carb and suitable for keto and gluten-free diets, these two-bite dessert bites are easier to manage portion size than slicing a wedge from the whole lemon cheesecake. Only 108 calories, 9g fat, 2.2g net carb, 5g protein per lemon coconut ball.
https://bit.ly/GreatLakesWellnessI incorporated lemon-lime collagen powder from Great Lakes Gelatin as a way to add protein, keep the carb count low and “dough” firm enough for shaping into balls. Plus, I get a boost from al the health benefits of collagen. As an older athlete, I use it for joint support and workout recovery, but also appreciate all the extra benefits it brings to hair, skin, nails . . . and even sleep.
Keep Low-carb Lemon Coconut Bites are as easy as mixing up a few easy ingredients, rolling into balls, and storing in the fridge to snack on whenever the urge for something sweet comes on (they are sugar free)! Just a tiny bit of turmeric is the secret ingredient that gives a natural yellow color!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links (don’t forget to use my Great Lakes Gelatin Discount Code). I may make a small commission from generated sales, but price to you remains the same. Thank you!
A two-bite treat that is friendly for keto and gluten-free diets — creamy, citrusy and easy-peasy to make! Incorporates collagen powder for extra protein and wellness benefits.
Mix together cream cheese and sour cream until blended. Next stir in almond flour, coconut flour, collagen powder, and 2 tbsp. shredded coconut (sprinkle remainder of coconut on a plate. Now, place “dough” in fridge to firm up for 25 minutes. Remove and make approximate 1 tbsp. balls by rolling between clean hands. Then roll in coconut to stick on top, repeat with remaining dough. Makes 10. Store leftovers in air-tight container in fridge for up to 1 week.
Recipe Notes
*You can substitute plain unflavored collagen and add 10 -20 drops liquid stevia and ¼ tsp. lemon extract to the recipe instead.
Whether it’s football season, basketball season or summer break sitting out by the pool, we all want some tasty, easy-to-make snacks and beverages to tide us through the fun.
I decided to pay tribute to Texas Tech University, mainly due to a new Red Raider in the family this Fall (my youngest son) and also taking into account my husband and I are both graduates of this fine institution in Lubbock, just south of the Panhandle. Hit ‘em, Wreck ‘em, Texas Tech!!
Here’s the kid going to Texas Tech, shhh let’s not tell him Mom posted his photo here!
In just five minutes, I can whip together a non-alcoholic drink (Red Raiderade – a Michelada mocktail) and snack dip that the whole gang loves thanks to a few of my new favorite products. Keep reading for all the delicious deets!
First, let’s start with the drink Zero-AFB “Red Raiderade” – think of a Michelada mocktail or Ojo Rojo that is alcohol free and you get the idea, but lighter, fewer calories and no hangover. These types of tomato beer drinks are so popular in Texas and so refreshing with a spicy bite! Instead of a Mexican beer though, I just substitute unsweetened sparkling water with lime or lemon flavor in my non-alcoholic Michelada version. This sparkling water, along fresh juice of a lime, Clamato juice and a splash of Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce are all poured over ice in a tall pint glass – and I garnish the glass edges with Tajin!
Speaking of pint glasses, I’m feeling super school spirited with College Town Glassware from Well and Told. Get a pair of classic pint glasses printed with the map of your favorite college town – I picked Lubbock for Texas Tech University, but there are lots of choice from around the country.
Now, for snacks in a snap, you can’t go wrong with crackers and cream cheese spread – that easy-peasy classic preparation of opening a brick of cream cheese and pouring preserves over the top. However, instead of my typical Jalapeno jam, I found these fabulous “everything sauces” from Ricante – made in Costa Rica and now all over the U.S. (look for them in Whole Foods or on Amazon). There are four different choices in this line up of spicy tropical sauces (which are friendly for keto, gluten-free and Whole30 diets).
Use them for dipping, marinating, salad dressing and reducing/glazing with meats – I chose the Tropical Pineapple Habanero Infused Everything Sauce and just doused it right over the cream cheese and then dumped on extra diced pineapple and crumbled bacon. Pineapple Bacon Cream Cheese Dip will make you feel very tropical and no worries! It’s SO GOOD with veggies sticks or crackers.
And speaking of crackers, I don’t set out crappy crackers for my 5 minute party prep – lol! Only the best stuff for me, the family and lucky guests — I like to serve Top Seedz Crackers. Top Seeds Crackers are SO DELISH are were created by Rebecca, an avid traveler and sports competitor, who knows first-hand (as do I) that healthy eating influences with way we live and feel in our bodies. She insists on good, natural ingredients like roasted seeds that are naturally vitamin and mineral dense with other important nutrients to fuel an active lifestyle like fiber and protein. I just adore these roasted seed crackers, so crunchy, satisfying, and flavorful (several options)– they really tide me over!
So anyway, cheers to your favorite college, sports team, season of the year or WHATEVER – and drinking and snacking responsibly and with good health in mind! What are your favorite tips for quick entertaining and putting together 5 minute party prep?
Also I encourage you to stay up with the latest healthy eating inspo and entertaining ideas by visit these amazing companies on Instagram @WellToldDesign@RicanteHotSauce@TopSeedz
This post is sponsored by the aforementioned companies and also contains Amazon affiliate links.
So green and so good and so glee-fully easy to make and clean up, my recipe for 15-mintue Shrimp with Hatch Chile Green Sauce, makes a speedy southwestern-inspired meal made with one of my favorite ingredients, Hatch Green Chiles. Suitable for keto and low-carb diets with 3.6g net carb per serving.
If fact, I love these mild-to-hot green peppers that hail from Hatch New Mexico so much that I hold the title of Hatch Green Chile Champion in a local Austin cook off (and have been runner up a couple times too). You can find my Hatch green chile cookoff recipes in a past post, 101 Ways to Use Hatch Green Chiles.
I was looking to make a bright green sauce for an entrée, like BOOM . . . GREEN! So, I knew I needed a protein that could cook fast at a high heat so the vibrant green of the blended hatch peppers, cilantro and spinach didn’t start to turn to a darker green – that’s what happens when you cook green stuff too long. I knew shrimp would be the perfect “fast cook” protein to help me avoid blah, deep green sauce . . . and I even short-cut my Hatch green chile recipe even further by using frozen shrimp that had been shelled, deveined and pre-cooked.
If fresh Hatch green chiles are not in season, order from Hatch-Chile-Store.com
After blending my fresh Hatch chile green sauce ingredients (cilantro, spinach, green chiles, garlic, etc) for about 30 seconds, the only task that remained was to dump those thawed shrimp in a baking dish, cover with the sauce and sprinkle of queso fresco, and bake in the oven at 475F degrees for 10 to 12 minutes – just until the sauce bubbling and cheese starting to get slightly browned on top.
Garnish with green onions and avocado hunks to kick up green! If you put on a pot of noodles or rice at the start of this recipe, you’ll have a hearty base to pile on all this green magic! Who doesn’t love a 15 minute meal that is nutritious and tastes great?! Each serving has 236 calories, 12g fat, 3.6g net carb, and 25g protein making it work for those looking for low carb Hatch green chile recipes and Keto Hatch green chile recipes.
If you are looking for Hatch green chile and it’s not August (the short season for this much coveted pepper), you have a couple options. Head over to the Hatch Chile Store and order a bunch of roasted, skinned, seeded and chopped Hatch chiles to be delivered to your door flash-frozen. I get the 1 lb. zip-top bags that are frozen “thin” (like the thickness of a magazine) which makes it easy to pop open the freezer and just break off what you want (even without thawing first). Second, you can substitute canned green chiles, which in some cases can be a reasonably decent substitute (like for stews and such), but this super-fresh tasting shrimp hatch chile recipe turns out much better with fresh or flash-frozen Hatch chiles.
Green and so good for you, this speedy super is a slightly-spicy lip-smacker thanks to mild Hatch green chiles! Suitable for keto, low carb and gluten-free diets.
Course:
dinner, entree
Cuisine:
Southwestern
Keyword:
fish, black cod, sablefish, merken, spicy, tangerine, 20 minute, gluten free, green bean, hatch green chile, keto, peppers, shrimp
Servings: 4servings
Ingredients
1lb.frozen medium pre-cookedshelled shrimp (thawed)
¾cuproasted mild Hatch green chilethawed (I get mine from Hatch Green Chile store)
2cupspacked fresh spinach
1cupfresh cilantroupper tender stalks okay, but discard bottoms
2tbsp.avocado oil
¼cupseafood or chicken stock
½teaspoonsalt
6oz.queso fresco cheesecrumbled
3green onion stalkswhites and greens chopped
½avocadodiced
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 475F degrees.
Add Hatch chiles, spinach, cilantro, oil, salt and stock to blender; blend for approximately 20 to 30 seconds.
Pour out thawed, drained shrimp into 8”x8” baking dish or 9” round baking dish.
Pour sauce over top of shrimp to cover and sprinkle to with crumbled queso fresco cheese.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese starting to brown a bit on top and sauce bubbling.
Remove and garnish with chopped green onions and diced avocado.
Great served on rice or noodles of any kind (traditional, gluten-free, zoodles, etc)
Egg white chips, I’ve heard rumor of them . . . sometimes they are called cloud chips and popular with the keto and low carb diet fans.
I googled “how to make egg white chips” and found an assortment of savory takes on this low carb snack. The method on how to make egg white chips seemed time consuming, requiring them to be made in mini muffin tins and pulled out one by one (ugh, I’m thinking SO MUCH STICKING).
I also couldn’t find any type of egg white cloud crackers that were sweet . . . in a low carb sweet way. Everything was just salty, herby, cheesy — I have a sweet tooth and want a sweet egg white chip.
My solution to both the time consuming making process AND the lack of sweet egg white chips was to just come up with my own recipe and own way of making these keto snacks.
Just shake up egg white, PB powder, cinnamon and stevia in a jar, pour out on baking sheet!
A little protein powder, cinnamon and stevia blended into the egg whites was easy enough, especially just all dumped in a mason jar and given a vigorous shake to combine. After baked crispy this tasty flavor combo reminded me of some popular cereals — like Captain Crunch mixed with Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Cut the egg white chips into squares BEFORE they are done baking.
Common factor here is the CRUNCH. If you can pour the egg white mixture thinly enough in a big sheet pan, and par bake, cut into squares, flip and continue baking you can get the crunchiest little bites of YUM! This process of cutting them in the pan eliminated the tedious process of cooking all these cinnamon egg white chips in muffin pans.
A serving of these cinnamon peanut butter egg white chips have just 50 calories for TWELVE chips. Also, just 1g net carb and and welcomed little protein boost of 8g. If you don’t eat them all in one sitting, the leftovers can be stored in the fridge (air-tight container) and then re-crisped in the microwave for about 30 seconds, then let cool down some.
This creative "chip" is made from egg whites — almost no carbs or fat and a good source of protein. So addictive, you'll love them for entertaining or as a grab-and-go snack after a workout.
Course:
Appetizer, Snack, workout
Keyword:
eggs, keto, low carb, sugar-free
Servings: 4servings (12 chips each)
Calories: 50kcal
Ingredients
1cup8oz 100% Egg Whites
¼cuppeanut butter powder (like PB Fit)or almond powder, if preferred
20drops liquid Steviamore or less, depending on sweetness preference
1tsp.ground cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Generously coat 10” x 15” rimmed cookie pan with cooking spray, paying extra attention to corners/sides.
Add all ingredient to jar with lid and shake vigorously until combined. Pour out onto baking sheet, the entire surface should be thinly covered.
Bakes for 15 minutes total but in 3 stages: First bake for 5 min, then remove and make slices with knife (6 rows short side, 8 long side for 48 pieces). Second, return and bake 5 MORE min, Third, remove and carefully use flat spatula to pull up pieces and flip over and then return to bake 5 min MORE, or until golden and crispy.
Remove and let cool 5 minutes. Store in air-tight container. If needed, crisp back up in microwave for 30 seconds or so when eating leftovers.
Recipe Notes
Makes 48 chips. A serving of 12 chips has 50 cal, 0.8g fat, 1g net carb, and 8g protein
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