Sunrise over the Mississippi

Southwestern Beef & Bean Burger Wraps

Kids and adults alike will love these quick, zippy burgers. The beans make the burgers a little fragile, so be careful when taking them off the broiler pan. Make it a meal: Serve a green salad and frozen mango slices for dessert                            

READER'S COMMENT

"Panfrying rather than broiling may help keep the burger from falling apart; otherwise, very flavorful, I'd definitely make these again! "

4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 12 ounces 93%-lean ground beef
• 1 cup refried beans
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapenos
• 1 avocado, peeled and pitted
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 whole-wheat tortillas, warmed (see Tip)
• 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
• 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

PREPARATION

1. Position oven rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray.
2. Gently combine ground beef, beans, cilantro and jalapenos in a medium bowl (do not overmix). Shape into four 5-by-2-inch oblong patties and place on the prepared pan.
3. Broil the patties until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 165°F, 12 to 14 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, mash together avocado, salsa and garlic powder in a small bowl.
5. Place tortillas on a clean work surface. Spread each with the guacamole, then sprinkle with lettuce and cheese. Top each with a burger and roll into a wrap. Serve immediately, with lime wedges.

TIPS & NOTES

• Tip: To warm tortillas: Wrap in foil; bake at 300°F until steaming, about 5 minutes. Or wrap in barely damp paper towels and microwave on High for 30 to 45 seconds.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 394 calories; 17 g fat (6 g sat, 7 g mono); 67 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrates; 28 g protein; 10 g fiber; 634 mg sodium; 810 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (50% daily value), Vitamin A (45% dv), Fiber & Zinc (40% dv), Folate & Potassium (23% dv), Magnesium (20% dv)

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1 fat

Cheesecake Cupcakes

Easy, tasty, vanilla cookie base with cheese filling and cherry pie topping.

24 paper muffin cups
1 package vanilla wafers
1 cup granulated sugar
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Cherry pie filling or blueberry or raspberry

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix sugar, cheese, eggs and lemon juice together until smooth.

Line cupcake pans with papers and place 2 vanilla wafer in bottom of each. Spoon cheese mixture over wafers to fill cup 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes. Cool. Spoon pie filling on each cupcake and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

For Passover, chocolate cream cheese brownies

If you are looking for a great Passover dessert recipe, this one’s kid-approved - and delicious. The 48 kindergarteners at Manhattan Day School, who just enjoyed a matzo-baking session as part of their pre-Passover traditions, fell in love with these Swirly Cream Cheese Brownies.

The school’s director of early childhood ed, Aviva Yablok, created the recipe and it’s a fabulous addition to the holiday meals. The brownies are made with dairy.

Passover Swirly Cream Cheese Brownies
Makes 2 dozen
¼ cup butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup matzah meal
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
2 tablespoons potato starch

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9x9-inch baking dish.

Using an electric hand mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl. Add the sugar and eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly blended. Fold in the matzah meal and potato starch until blended evenly.

Combine 2/3 of the batter with the melted chocolate and mix well. Pour chocolate batter into the pan, then the original batter on top. Swirl together with a skewer or knife, making sure to spread batter evenly in the pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/rosemary/2010/03/for-passover-chocolate-cream-c.html#ixzz0jZvM2LjB

Cranberry Orange Cheesecake

 This weeks recipe makes 16 servings of 193 calories each.

Cranberry Orange Cheesecake

1 1/3 cups gingersnap crumbs

3 Tablespoons Equal Spoonful

3 Tablespoons stick butter or margarine, melted

3 packages, (8 ounces each), reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup Equal Spoonful

2 eggs

2 egg whites

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel

Mix gingersnap crumbs, 3 Tablespoons Equal and melted butter in bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of crumb mixture. Pat remaining mixture evenly onto bottom of pan. Bake in preheated 325 F oven 8 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Beat cream cheese and 1 cup Equal in large bowl until fluffy; beat in egs, egg whites, cornstarch and salt. Beat in sour cream and vanilla until blended. Gently stir in cranberries and orange peel. Pour batter into crust in pan.

Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake in 325 F oven 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove cheesecake to wire rack. Gently run metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake. Let cheesecake cool completely. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving. To serve, remove sides of springform pan.