Week 4 Recipe Contest Winner: Red Lobster Copycat Cheddar Bay Biscuits

If you've ever been to Red Lobster, no doubt you've tried and probably loved their Cheddar Bay Biscuits. This week's recipe contest winner submitted by Ashley Wise is a copycat recipe, and it is every bit as good as Red Lobster's - and probably the easiest recipe I've tackled to date.

I've made these three times since they were submitted - they only take about two minutes to whip up, and are a perfect accompaniment to any soup or casserole dish.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Bisquick mix

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

2/3 cup of milk

2 tblsp butter

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine Bisquick, garlic powder and cheese in medium bowl. Stir in Milk until just combined. Drop lumps of dough onto cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile melt the butter in a bowl, stir in parsley and garlic salt. When the timer goes off after 10 minutes, brush the butter mixture onto the biscuits. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Week 3 Recipe Contest Winner : Quinoa Chili

For a few months, I've heard a lot about quinoa. One of the world's healthiest foods, quinoa has significant cardiovascular benefits, reduces the frequency of migraines, contains antioxidants and protects against diabetes and asthma. It is also considered a "super food" because it contains more protein than any other grain, and is a gluten-free whole grain food.
With those impressive stats, I had to try it - and was stoked to receive this recipe as a contest entry from April Biery.
We made this chili on Friday night and ate it all weekend...this recipe makes a giant batch! It was delicious and a definite departure from my regular "five alarm" chili. This recipe can also easily be made vegetarian by omitting the ground beef.
I made a few changes to the original recipe. I omitted oregano as my husband is slightly sensitive to it. I also subbed a yellow pepper for green, and added a large can of tomato juice to thin the soup a bit. Overall it was fantastic and a great way to use this amazing super food.

Side note: An unexpected benefit of making this recipe is that I'm now excited to cook with quinoa! It would make an excellent substitution for rice in almost any dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (48 ounce) can tomato juice
2 (19 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green (or yellow) bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease; set beef aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute more to release the flavor of the spices. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato juice, black beans, yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper and parsley. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Simmer until the bell peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.
Once the red and yellow peppers are tender, stir in the quinoa, beef, and corn kernels. Return to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes to reheat. Stir in the cilantro to serve.