Foodbuzz Tastemaker {Sabra}

Hey yall!

I'm back with another Foodbuzz Tastemaker post. This time for Sabra products. PJ and I went to the grocery today and searched for the Sabra products... they're near the fancy cheese section in our store, by the way. We had seen a guacamole or dip photo on the coupon and hoped to get either of those. I already knew Sabra was all about the hummus but we wanted to try their guac. But they didn't have any at the store.... only different hummus choices, such as roasted garlic, supremely spicy, spinach and artichoke, and roasted pine nut, which we ended up getting. It was a tough call between that and the roasted garlic, but I liked the idea of the crunch from the pine nuts. 

Look, it's gluten free!

I've never really been a hummus kind of person. It always had an odd flavor to me. And when I tasted this kind on my finger by itself, I was instantly brought back to that taste and why I hadn't ever really liked it before. So I scooped a little bit into a ramekin (expecting not to eat much) and served it with a few Ritz crackers. However, with the crackers it was much better. Yes, I still tasted that odd flavor... it seems like a cumin taste to me but according to their website, hummus doesn't have cumin in it so it must be something else... possibly the chickpeas or the tahini, I'm not sure since I have never had chickpeas or tahini outside of hummus. But it wasn't overwhelming partnered with the crackers. I think PJ also used some Doritos for dipping. Though he doesn't eat it much either, I think he likes it more than I do, so he thought it was good.

While I probably won't be buying these hummus packages all the time, I'll admit it was better than I expected and I did indeed like it after all. Their website says they now offer a new flavor...  buffalo style hummus. I would love to try that at some point! I hope our grocery store starts carrying it soon. And I'd definitely want to try that guacamole or some of their dips next time too.
  

*Disclosure: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a coupon for a free Sabra product. All opinions and thoughts are my own and I was not compensated in any way for my opinions. 

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Easy Chicken Pot Pie: Foodbuzz Tastemaker {Green Giant}

Today I'm partnering with Foodbuzz Tastemaker to bring you another review, this time for Green Giant vegetables. I received a coupon for a free bag of Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers and needed to make a recipe using some Green Giant frozen vegetables. So fun! I've always been a fan of Green Giant's frozen vegetables anyways. Their Niblets Corn & Butter Sauce is our go-to corn product. LOVE it. I've also enjoyed their Garden Vegetable Medley, Roasted Potatoes & Garlic Herb Sauce, and their Roasted Potatoes, Broccoli & Cheese Sauce. And I love to take their single-serve Niblets Corn, and Corn & Peas to lunch. They're adorable, and very practical for someone like me who doesn't need a big portion for lunch. So you can I imagine that I was excited to be able to try their Fresh Steamers products, since I had seen them for awhile and wondered about them.

I wanted to make a pot pie recipe using their frozen veggies, and so we bought the Valley Blend variety which had broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower... perfect for a pot pie. 

We modified this recipe to make it more of our own, using a whole can of cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken soup. We also didn't use skim milk, just regular. We upped the veggie amount and used the whole 11 oz bag of frozen veggies rather than only one cup. I also knew that 1/2 cup chicken definitely wouldn't be enough for us, plus we had half of a rotisserie chicken in the fridge leftover from yesterday's Taco Chicken Alfredo so I wanted to use it up since we had it! So we used 1 and 1/2 cups of chicken. 

Though we increased some things, we didn't increase the Bisquick mixture measurements. Doh! Next time we would increase that so there would be more of a crust on top of the pot pie. It only made enough to form a very thin layer (in the baking dish I used). That was just silly of me to think we didn't need to increase that amount, too. We also baked it for about 25-28 minutes instead of 20 minutes, and the top layer was still pretty mushy. When I touched it, it felt hardened but when served, it just wasn't the right consistency of how a pot pie crust should be. Next time we'd definitely try to use a smaller baking dish so that the Bisquick mix wouldn't have to spread so wide across the top layer... maybe even individual baking dishes that I can serve the pot pies from. The recipe below is exactly what I did...  feel free to add more Bisquick mix/milk/egg white for the top crust layer if you want, and/or to cook it longer if needed.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

adapted from Green Giant

• 1 can (10 and 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/3 cup milk
• 11 oz bag of Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers - Valley Blend (broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower)
• 1 and 1/2 cup cooked chicken, chopped
• 1/2 cup Bisquick mix
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg white

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In an ungreased 1 quart casserole dish, stir together the soup and 1/3 cup milk; stir in vegetables and chicken. Microwave uncovered on high for 3 minutes; stir. Microwave for 1-2 more minutes and stir again.

In a small bowl, stir together the Bisquick mix, 1/4 cup milk, and egg white until blended. Pour evenly over chicken mixture.

Bake uncovered for 25-28 minutes or until crust is golden brown.


Printable Recipe

 























Even with some of the problems with the crust, it still tasted delicious, much better than either of us expected. Of course it's nice to use fresh vegetables when possible, but let's face it, it's not always plausible. I love Green Giant's frozen products because they provide a convenient alternative to fresh veggies, and taste great too. I've had only good experiences using Green Giant's frozen vegetables, and I'm sure I will continue to love their products in the future as well.

And we'll definitely be making this recipe again and again, modifying it using many different veggies. Can't wait to try this with some onions, mushrooms, peas, corn, and more!

*Disclosure: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a coupon for a free package of Green Giant vegetables. All opinions and thoughts are my own and I was not compensated in any way for my opinions. 

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Taco Chicken Alfredo: Foodbuzz Tastemaker {Heinz Classico}

Today I'm happy to be joining with Foodbuzz Tastemaker to bring you a review of the product: Heinz Classico Light Creamy Alfredo Pasta Sauce. This is my first time participating in the program and I'm very excited to have the opportunity to review their product!

You all know I love my sauces. Particularly alfredo sauce. That's why I had to opt in to receive a sample jar of this light alfredo sauce. Truthfully, I didn't know what to expect. I have always been turned off by "light" products in the past. Light ranch dressing and light mayo just never tasted the same as the real thing. So I wondered if this would. 

With 50% less fat and 45% fewer calories than leading brands of alfredo sauce, it still packs the richness and creaminess that is expected from an alfredo sauce. This alfredo sauce is a great alternative to other calorie-packed alfredo sauces, with only 60 calories per serving. You can't beat 60 calories! While it doesn't taste as good as the real, fatty stuff in my opinion, it does come close, especially in a recipe that spruces it up a bit, like the one I made.

I searched around for some tasty recipes that called for jarred alfredo sauce, and came across this one and knew it was the one. While it sounded delicious, the whole time I was wondering what made it "Mexican" chicken alfredo. I figured it was just the taco seasoning. It wasn't until I was actually making it that I realized down in the directions it mentions to add in salsa along with the cheese, milk, and taco seasoning. That would have made it a lot more Mexican. We didn't have any salsa in the house, so it was left out and we had to improvise with what we had. It was fine because I was expecting to make it that way all along.

Therefore, since we didn't have salsa, I've decided to change the name of this recipe to reflect what it really was for us instead. So instead of Mexican Chicken Alfredo, I bring you....

Taco Chicken Alfredo.

We both liked it, didn't love it. Next time I would probably use a different pasta than penne though. I think I'm just not a big fan of penne pasta. I did eyeball the taco seasoning too, and I would guess it was probably more like 2 or 3 tsp than 1 tsp. We also bought a whole pre-seasoned rotissierie chicken and used half of it for this recipe and will use the other half for tomorrow's dinner. I'm not sure how much it was exactly so I'll just leave the original measurement of 1 lb chicken.

 

Taco Chicken Alfredo

adapted from Keeley McGuire

• 8 oz pasta of choice (1/2 of a 16 oz box)
• 1 lb cooked chicken, cubed
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 a medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 jar of Heinz Classico Light Creamy Alfredo Pasta Sauce
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese + more for topping
• 1/8 cup milk
• 2 or 3 tsp homemade taco mix

Cook pasta according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the onion in butter, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook until tender. Add in cooked chicken and alfredo sauce; bring to a boil. Stir in the parmesan cheese, milk and taco mix. 

Drain the pasta and then toss with the chicken mixture. Pour in a greased square baking dish. Cover and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese when serving.

Printable Recipe

Try it with the salsa if you can. Next time I may try it with canned or fresh tomatoes, or jalapenos for more spice.


Disclosure: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a free sample jar of Classico Light Creamy Alfredo Pasta Sauce. All opinions and thoughts are my own and I was not compensated in any way for my opinions.

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad