Affiliate Disclosure

“By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe challenge sponsored by Cabot Creamery and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I received free samples of the Cabot cheese mentioned in this post, but was not additionally compensated for my time.”

Ahhhhh cheese. The food I could eat every day....at every meal.....or perhaps it could be my meal??? Do you identify? I mean....I feel like it could be said with a pretty high degree of certainty that 99.9% of everyone really likes cheese. And for good reason! The creamy, stringy, melty and general cheesiness of cheese brings forth smiles and sighs of bliss from people who are lucky enough to eat some. Textures of cheese range from soft and silky to hard and crumbly - flavors range from sharp and tangy to smooth and sweet - cheese has something to offer every palate!

Thanks to sponsorship from the lovely folks at Cabot Creamery, members of the Recipe Redux have been challenged to create healthier snack foods featuring - you guessed it - cheese. And could there seriously be a better time to devote a week to snack foods made with cheese? We are in the midst of awards season, friends! And the Super Bowl/Big Game is less than a week away! That means there are parties to plan and gatherings to be had as we cheer on our football team and fawn over red carpet fashion.

I'm so happy that Cabot has initiated this partnership with healthy recipe developers to showcase a food as delicious and decadent as cheese to be part of creative, colorful, and healthy finger foods and appetizers. To kick off our week of party-ready snacks, I'm sharing a recipe inspired by one of my favorite dinners - Turkey Tamale Tartlets. My inspiration came from the Chicken Tamale Casserole recipe from Cooking Light, which happens to be one of our favorites in my "weeknight dinner" recipe arsenal.

These little bites are filled with the flavors of authentic Mexican tamales and are perfect bite-sized treats to serve as part of an appetizer party menu. The base of these tartlets resembles the texture of the creamy masa shell of a tamale, and they are topped with my favorite Hatch Green Chile and Roasted Garlic enchilada sauce, lean ground turkey meat, and the classic Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese. The recipe makes quite a bit of tartlets, so it's perfect for feeding a crowd!

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Turkey Tamale Tartlets Turkey Tamale Tartlets are filled with the flavors of authentic Mexican tamales and a healthy option for party foods and appetizers. Features cheese from Cabot Creamery! Tried this recipe? Mention @sweetcayenne5 or tag #sweetcayenne Print Pin Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes Servings: 48 tartlets; 16 servings Ingredients 1 7.5 oz box Hodgson Mills Whole Grain Cornbread Mix ( or a similar size of another mix)

1 egg lightly beaten

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 tablespoons reduced sodium taco seasoning

1 4 ounce can diced green chiles, drained thoroughly

1 14.5 ounce can cream style corn

1 pound lean ground turkey meat

2 tablespoons reduced sodium taco seasoning

1 cup Hatch Green Chile and Roasted Garlic Enchilada Sauce or other green enchilada sauce

8 ounces Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese grated

Optional: fresh cilantro for garnish

Special equipment: mini muffin tin and cooking spray Instructions Preheat oven to 400. Grease mini muffin tins and set aside.

Combine the cornbread mix, egg, milk, 1 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning, green chiles, and creamed corn in a medium bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Drop a heaping tablespoon full of this batter into each well of your muffin tin. Bake for 10 minutes; the mixture will be just set.

While your corn bases bake, brown the turkey meat. Once it is cooked through, season with the 2 remaining tablespoons of taco seasoning. Set aside.

Once the corn bases for the tartlets are done cooking, remove from oven and poke a few holes in each with the end of a wooden skewer. Top each with 1 teaspoon of the enchilada sauce, followed by 1 tablespoon of turkey meat, and about 1 tablespoon of grated cheese.

Bake the tartlets for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Let cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes and use a small offset spatula for easy removal onto a serving platter. Garnish with freshly torn cilantro leaves and serve hot! Notes Nutrition information per serving: Calories 177, Total Fat 6.7g, Saturated Fat 2.1g, Trans Fat 0.0g, Cholesterol 37mg, Sodium 586mg, Potassium 11mg, Total Carbohydrates 17.4g, Dietary Fiber 0.8g, Sugars 3.1g, Protein 10.9g Serving: 1 Tartlet | Calories: 177 kcal | Carbohydrates: 17.4 g | Protein: 10.9 g | Fat: 10 g | Cholesterol: 37 mg | Sodium: 586 mg | Potassium: 11 mg | Fiber: 0.8 g | Sugar: 3.1 g

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