Healthy Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

This recipe that I found on Six Sister's Stuff is especially great when your garden is out of control with spinach. Everyone loves these but I don't think they make great leftovers so gobble them up fresh.

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz. can of corn
6 oz. fresh baby spinach
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup of fat free cottage cheese
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped - optional
2 teaspoon cumin
2 cups shredded 3 cheese blend (or your favorite cheese)
1 can of enchilada sauce
8 whole wheat or flour tortillas

In a large bowl, combine beans, 1 cup cheese, spinach, corn, green onions, cottage cheese,  2 tsp. cumin, and cilantro. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray a 9×13 inch baking dish, and pour a small amount of the enchilada sauce to coat the bottom.Generously fill tortillas with the bean mixture. Roll up tightly with ends tucked in, and place seam side down in dish.Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas, coating evenly. Sprinkle with the other 1 cup of cheese on top. Bake about 20 minutes, and garnish with cilantro and/or green onions (optional).

Cheddar -Topped Shepherd's Pie

This recipe comes from Martha Stewart. When I make mashed potatoes for a meal I plan for extra so that I can make this recipe.

2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, quartered if large, and thinly sliced
6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.

Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth; season cheddar-potato topping with salt and pepper.

Pour beef filling into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; spread to edges with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes (if topping and filling were chilled, increase to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cook's Note: Both filling and topping can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated separately.

Slow Cooker Kalua Pork

This is the recipe on La Fuji Mama that I used for our luau. It was so simple and I didn't hear any complaints :) I didn't have Hawaiian sea salt so I substituted with regular sea salt that I had in the house. Makes 12-14 servings

5-6 pound pork butt roast
1 1/2 tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt (coarse sea salt)
1 1/2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring

Pierce the pork roast all over with the tip of a sharp knife. Place the roast in a large slow cooker and rub the salt all over the meat. Drizzle the liquid smoke over the meat.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on Low Heat for 16 to 20 hours, turning the roast over once half-way through the cooking time. Depending on how hot your low setting is on your slow cooker, you may or may not need the full 20 hours. When the meat easily shreds with a fork it is ready.

Remove the meat from the slow cooker and shred with two forks, adding drippings from the slow cooker as needed to moisten the meat.

*Note: Don’t be tempted to add any additional liquid–you don’t need it. The fat in the roast will provide more than enough liquid. For this size of roast, you will need a 6-qt. slow cooker. If you have a smaller slow cooker, use a smaller roast and reduce the amount of the other ingredients accordingly.

Quinoa Bake

 I found this recipe on Pinterest. I made it for the first time in New Zealand and had a hard time finding canned chilies. So the one can that I could find were hot! So if you don't like spicy foods watch the chilies and chili powder.

1 cup quinoa, uncooked

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup onion, diced (about 1 medium)

1//2 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup zucchini, cubed (about 2 small)

1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 4 ounce can diced green chiles

1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup frozen corn

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 lime, juiced

Salt

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

 

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse throughly with cool water for at least two minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for about one minute. The quinoa should begin to dry out and pop a bit. Add the chicken stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini and cook 3 more minutes.

 

Fluff the quinoa with a fork and place it in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, beans, green chiles, tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano, chili powder, lime juice, and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, top with cheese, and bake 10 minutes more or until melted and just beginning to brown.

Crock Pot Cashew Chicken

I miss my Chinese restaurant here in town and I am not a fan of buffets so I avoid my only other option.  When I picked up cashews on sale I thought of using some for cashew chicken but I needed a recipe.  I found three but I didn't have all the ingredients from each so I worked out my own recipe which turned out great.

3 chicken breasts, cubed
soy sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
green onions, sliced - optional
cashews

Cut up chicken breasts then sprinkle with soy sauce and let marinade while preparing sauce.

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, pepper and cornstarch in a bowl and set aside.

In frying pan brown chicken breast cubes for about 2 minutes per side.  Place chicken in crock pot and pour sauce over chicken.  Add chopped green onions if desired.  Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours.  Serve over rice and sprinkle with cashews.

Crockpot Ham and Beans

We had leftover ham from Christmas and Steve asked for ham and beans so I went searching for an easy recipe.  Just so you know he loved it!

1 lb dried great northern beans (mixed if desired) or 1 lb other dried beans ( mixed if desired)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 large sweet onions, chopped coarsely
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 lb smoked ham or 1 lb ham hocks
6 cups water or 6 cups broth

Sort beans and place in a saucepan with 2-inches of water to cover.  Bring them to a boil, boil for 3 minutes, then cover and remove from heat.  Allow to sit for one hour after boiling (don't lift the lid).  Rinse and drain the beans before placing them in the crock pot.

Put the rinsed beans, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, parsley, cloves, ham (chopped into large chunks) or ham hocks into the crock pot along with 6 cups water or broth.  Cover crock, and cook on low for about 8 hours, or until beans are tender and creamy.  Skim any excess fat, if necessary, before serving.

Sweet Pork

I love Costa Vida Sweet Pork Burritos or Salad! I had made a pork loin the other day without anything on it because I wanted to try this apricot BBQ sauce which no one liked but I had to give it a whorl. Anyway I had left over pork and kept thinking about Costa Vida and that sweet pork salad. I knew where I could get a copycat recipe of Cafe Rio versions of sweet pork but when I looked at the ingredients I didn't have any Coke and I found out that there isn't any reason I need it.

1 can diced green chilies
1 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso brand, mild spiciness but any will work)
3/4 c. brown sugar
Cooked, shredded pork

Place chilies and enchilada sauce in blender and give it a spin. Stir brown sugar, shredded pork and enchilada sauce together. Place in crock pot for two hours. Enjoy!

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

My Tortilla and Black Bean Pie isn't as pretty as Martha's but I am sure that it tasted just as good, my springform pan was larger then the tortillas I had in the house.  Basically this is a large bean and cheese burrito not rolled up.  

4 flour tortillas (10 inches)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno chile, minced (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups water
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (2 1/2 cups)

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan. Use the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add beans and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions, and remove from heat. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans and 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on top layer. Bake until cheese melts, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove side of pan; sprinkle pie with scallions. To serve, slice into wedges.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

I found this recipe by Chef John on Pinterest and I love it because it is so simple.  I cut my chicken into smaller pieces and pounded them out so that the meat was about the same thickness.  I used basil from a bottle because I didn't have fresh.  For leftovers the croutons were not crunchy but I would think you could zap in microwave and put under the broiler for a minute and they would crisp back up but I didn't mind that they were soft.

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

hot red pepper flakes, to taste

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups marinara sauce

1/4 cup chopped basil

8 oz mozzarella, shredded

4 oz Parmesan, grated

1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

Heat oven to 350.  Spread olive oil in the bottom of 9x13 casserole dish.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes.  Add chicken.  Spread marinara sauce over chicken.  Sprinkle with basil.  Use 1/2 of the mozzarella and Parmesan to cover marinara sauce.  Place croutons on top of cheese.  Place the remainder of the cheese on top of the croutons.  Cook for 35 - 60 minutes depending on the size of chicken breasts or until chicken is 155 degrees.

Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

Hate to say it again but these were inspired by a recipe I found on Pinterest.  I modified the recipe and mine is even easier then the original.  These would be an easy after school snack but they worked well for dinner served with a salad.

3 - 4 tortillas, any flavor, it's your choice
Pizza sauce, I had 9 oz. and they were pretty saucy
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni, she used mini but I only had pepperonis that were so large I had to cut them into 1/8s

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12 count muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Start by laying each tortilla out individually on a flat surface, and use an empty can, cup, or cookie cutter to cut 3-4 medium circles out of each tortilla. Press firmly enough, using a rocking motion, until it cuts through the tortilla.

Press each wrap circle into muffin tin using your fingers. Note: it doesn’t have to cover the entire side of the tin, it should just fit snuggly!

Pour pizza sauce into a bowl, stir in the Parmesan cheese. Drop about 1-2 tbs of sauce in each tortilla, this really varies according to how much sauce you like! Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over each mini pizza. Place pepperoni on top of each pizza.

Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Wait for pizzas to cool, and remove from muffin tin using a fork or knife. Pizza’s should pop out with ease!

Pork Fried Rice

My neighbor gave me this recipe.

Boil
2 C. Rice
4 C. Water.
Best when rice is cool.

In the frying pan
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
8 eggs- scramble
Remove eggs

Put
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp onion
Heat onions and cook until starting to become translucent.
Add
2 C. Ham
Rice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. sugar
Stir
Add eggs
1 C. Peas

Heat

*Can add frozen shrimp on top while rice is warming.

Pork Barbacoa

I got this recipe from Maceys weekly ad. Our family loves this recipe.

4 lbs. Boneless Pork Roast
5 8oz. Tomato Sauce
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
4 c. Dr. Pepper
3 tsp. Garlic Powder
4 tsp. Cumin

• Mix 3 tsp. garlic powder, 4 tsp. cumin, 3 tsp. molasses, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 5 cans tomato sauce and 4 c. Dr. Pepper.
• Pour mixture over pork roast and cook in crock pot on low for 6-7 hours.
• Shred meat, return to crock pot and cook 1 hour in the sauce on low.
• Keep warm until ready serve. serve in tortillas
• Garnish with shredded cheese, lettuce and sour cream. Serves 6
  

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

This recipe makes A LOT of food! I didn't see that it makes for 6-8 people until after...but it's DELISH! so I didn't mind the left overs :)



Serves 6-8

*Plan Ahead: the recipe calls for cooked chicken so use leftovers or plan enough time to cook the chicken beforehand.

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4-ounce can diced green chilies
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 (10-oz) cans green chili enchilada sauce (I used mild)
2/3 cup red enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1 can large black olives, cut in half
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
16-20 oz. penne pasta (Depending on how “saucy” you want the pasta)

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, until pepper is barely tender. Add the cooked chicken, green chilies, spices, enchilada sauces and olives. Let the sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese and heat through, until the cheese is melted (but don’t boil!). Pour the sauce over the hot pasta. Garnish with extra sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, green onions or crushed tortilla chips.
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Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

The chicken coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs. Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

I got this recipe from http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

Marinade -

6 tablespoons honey

5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)

1 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded

8-10 flour tortillas (I used whole wheat tortillas)

1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded

16 ounces green enchilada sauce

1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Whisk the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken in a Zip-loc bag.

2. Let it marinate for at least a 1/2 hour, but preferably a half day or so.

3. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan.

4. Fill the tortillas with chicken, saving marinade, and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas.

5. Put tortillas in 9x13 pan as you go.

6. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade (if there is any).

7. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas.

8. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

This recipe was found at dinner on a dime.
This is also a great recipe to make as a freezer meal- put into 2 8x8" pans. Bake 1 pan for dinner now, put the other pan into the freezer. Pull it out and bake it when you need it!

Lasagna Soup

Bobby’s Lighter Tastes Like Lasagna Soup

404 less calories
28 g less fat

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 ounces broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 4 noodles)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
8 Whole-wheat breadsticks or grissini (optional)

Instructions:
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick saucepot or Dutch oven. Add the sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, 8 – 10 minutes.

Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Add the noodles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly and the noodles are tender, 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in mozzarella, basil, and the Parmesan. Serve with the breadsticks, if using. (whole-wheat lasagna noodles take a little longer to cook.)

Nutritional Information:
Per Serving (1 cup) 225 Cal (27% from Fat, 42% from Protein, 31% from Carb); 23 g Protein; 7 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 2 g Mono Fat; 17 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; 4 g Sugar; 108 mg Calcium; 3 mg Iron; 826 mg Sodium; 53 mg Cholesterol

Original Recipe by Paula Deen: Tastes Like Lasagna Soup
Take It Lighter recipe courtesy of Bobby and Jamie Deen, and the Paula Deen Test Kitchen

Servings: 8 cups
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy

Rustic Pot Pie

I love pie!  They aren't always easy but this one is.  The fun part about this is that you can make them personal size and customize the filling for each member of your family if needed.  The instant potatoes keep the filling from being runny.  You could also make a bunch of these and freeze them before you bake them for a fast and simple dinner.

Make or buy a pie crust.

1 jar gravy
Chicken, beef or pork
Vegetables - I usually use frozen mixed vegetables but I had a leftover baked potato and carrots
Instant Potatoes

Preheat oven to 450.  Pour jar of gravy in a pan and add enough instant potatoes to thicken but no too much that you end up with mashed potatoes.  Stir in meat and vegetables.  Heat.

While the gravy mixture is heating roll out you pie crust and place on cookie sheet.  Place the gravy mixture in the middle of the pie crust leaving 1 - 2 inches of space around the edge.  Fold the edges up, pleating if necessary.  Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until the crust is brown.

Chicken Wonton Cups

When Mom and I were visiting Jamie, Beau and Christopher in Oklahoma the wives had a potluck because they all felt like they were in a rut with what they fixed. This was my favorite that wasn't a dessert of course.

24 Wonton skins
12 oz Chicken, cut into bite size pieces
Fajita dry packet
Onion, diced
Red bell pepper, diced
Ranch dressing
Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray and place one wonton skin in each tin. Bake until slightly crisp, about 3 minutes. While wonton skins are baking, cook chicken with fajita packet.

Fill each cup with 4 - 5 pieces of chicken, onion, red bell pepper, 1 tablespoon ranch and cheese. Cook until cheese is melted, about 4 - 5 minutes.

Cheeseburger Bake

Unsure where I picked this recipe up but I used to make it quite often when the kids were little. If you don't like your biscuits soft on the bottom cook them on a cookie sheet and serve along side the meat mixture.

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup chopped onion
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheese

Combine ground beef and flour. Brown with onion in skillet. Stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper; heat. Turn into 8 or 9 inch square baking dish. Top with cheese and baking powder biscuits. Bake at 425 for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Sloppy Joe Biscuit Pizza

Found this recipe on Cooking During Stolen Moments. It is very simple and tasty. A single recipe fits nicely on my half cookie sheet. When I doubled the recipe and cooked it on my large cookie sheet I learned that I needed to allow for more cooking time because the middle was still a little doughy. Omitted the 1/2 teaspoon cumin, didn't have it and I don't know that it needed it.

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cut into pieces
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup milk - I found this to be a little dry and add just a bit more
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef with onions in a large skillet. Drain. Stir in ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and seasonings. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until flavors are combined. Remove from heat. Refrigerate until using.

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and slat. Cut in butter or margarine until crumbly. Add 1/2 cup milk and combine. Add remaining milk if needed. Knead dough for 1 minute, until it holds together. Press onto the bottom of a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8 minutes, just to prebake. Refrigerate until using or assemble as below and then refrigerate, baking just before eating.

+about 15 minutes baking time. Spread the sloppy joe mixture over the biscuit crust and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, until crust is golden brown around the edges and the cheese is fully melted.