Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna (Crockpot)

I found this recipe on Parents.com a while back and never actually got around to making it until last week.  I followed the directions really closely, not really making any changes, so you can just follow the original.  It was really good.  You really couldn't tell that it was vegetarian.  I guess that you could add chicken or beef and it would work will in this recipe, but it really doesn't need them.  Sorry for the bad picture.  The one on parents.com is so much better!

The Best Chili...

My husband and I both agree this is the best chili I have ever made (my hubby says it's the best he's ever had).  It was so easy and delicious!  It makes plenty and I seriously ate it for lunch every day afterward until it was all gone.  I got it from Moms Who Think.  They have a great list of easy and delicious recipes, of which I have tried quite a few.  Here's the link to the recipe.  I made some minor changes and I will make note of them below.

BLUE RIBBON CHILI

 

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef (I actually just used 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey)

1/2 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce (I used one small can tomato sauce and 2 cups chopped tomatoes pureed together in blender; healthier and delicious!)
1 (8 ounce) jar salsa
4 Tablespoons chili seasoning mix (I used this recipe)
1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans (I used all light kidney beans and once used 1 of light kidney beans and one of black beans.  Both times it turned out great!)
1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans

Directions:

1.  In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the ground beef and the onion and sauté for 10 minutes, or until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain grease, if desired.
2. Add the ground black pepper, garlic salt, tomato sauce, salsa, chili seasoning mix and kidney beans.
3. Mix well, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour. 

Taco Pizza, yum!

I got this idea a while ago and have been wanting to try it.  We love homemade pizza and like to try lots of different toppings.  It turned out really well!  Really simple too!  Little B liked helping sprinkle the toppings and gobbled it up!

Taco Pizza

Ingredients:

1 pizza crust (my recipe)
1 lb.ground meat (I like turkey best)
Taco Seasoning (either from a packet or I use this recipe)
2 cups shredded cheese of choice
2 Plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 avacado
sour cream
chopped olives

Directions:
Prepare pizza crust.  While it's rising, cook meat and add in taco seasoning.  When dough is done rising, roll out and place on greased pizza pan.  Spread meat over crust and top with cheese.  Bake in preheated 450* oven for 12 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese in melted.  Spread remaining ingredients over pizza, slice, and ENJOY! 

I'm Back...with Cheesy Eggplant Bake

It's been a while! This summer has been crazy. Baby J was born in June and with him, came family visiting. When that was all over, we moved. Then, I went on vacation. I am finally getting into a routine at home and cooking for my family again. I have been taking it easy and going with simple and quick recipes, because who knows how my kids will be acting when it is time to make dinner. I have quite a few recipes saved up, which I will be putting in here and there. I am going to take this slow for a while, but I am going to try to make at least one new thing each week.

Tonight I tried a recipe that I was actually a little skeptical about. I found it on a new cooking blog I found called Cheap Healthy Good. Here's the link to the recipe. I will reprint it below. The name does not do this recipe justice! I had never cooked with eggplant and I'm not sure I had ever even eaten it before. I had no idea how this recipe would taste, but the reviews were raving, so I decided to try it. It is mostly just a vegetables, but it makes the perfect main dish. I just served it with a side of French bread and it worked perfect. I followed the directions really closely and the only thing I did differently was not add the mushrooms (one of the few things that I just cannot stand). Try this! It is SO GOOD!

Cheesy Eggplant Bake


Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 egg + 2 egg whites
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
6 ounces part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
1) Slice eggplant crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds. Arrange rounds in a colander in your sink and sprinkle salt all over them. Walk away for half an hour. When finished, "rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels."

2) While eggplant is sitting, combine bread crumbs, garlic salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or on a plate. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk eggs. When eggplant is done, douse each slice in the egg mixture. Then dip in the bread crumb mixture to coat. Shake off any excess and/or drippy-ness.

3) In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook a few rounds until browned, about 2 minutes per side. When finished, arrange in 13x9-inch baking dish. Repeat for second batch.

4) Preheat oven to 350°F.

5) Heat last 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add green pepper, onion, and mushrooms. Cook until onion is softening and pepper is crisp/tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top eggplant with mixture. Add tomatoes on top of that, spreading evenly.

6) Cover with tin foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven and take off tin foil. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake another 25 or 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and a little brown. Serve to applause.

ENJOY!

Asian Spinach Salad

Mmm...this was delicious. The flavors all together with the chicken and pasta made the perfect summer pasta salad. I was thinking this would be an easy something to bring to a potluck, but it also made the perfect main dish for dinner. Little B ate it pretty well and the Hubby and I gobbled it down. I found the recipe on This Week for Dinner, a new favorite cooking blog. Here's the link. Thanks for sharing Jane! I just made some minor modifications because of what I had, but nothing big. The recipe is below, with the things I did, or you can just follow the original. It's so good so you really should try this!

ASIAN SPINACH SALAD

For salad, toss together:

1 small bag of spinach
8 oz. bowtie pasta (cook, strain, cool)
2-4 Tbsp. Sesame seeds
1/2 C. Sunflower seeds
1 can sliced water chestnuts
3 chicken breasts – season heavily with lemon pepper, grill and cut into bite size pieces (I get really big chicken breasts from my grocery store, so I just cut up one of those, about 3/4 lb) (I also cooked it on the stove with a little cooking spray and lemon pepper, worked great!)
1 C. bean sprouts (I accidentally bought alfalfa sprouts, but I think they worked great)
(As to Jane's suggestion, I added about 3 green onions fresh from my garden and I think that really added to the goodness!)

Dressing:
(There was a bit of dressing left over in the bottom of the bowl once we were done, so next time I might try halving it to see if that will work)

1/2 C. Canola oil
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp Seasoned Rice vinegar (unseasoned works too)
1/2 tsp sesame SEED oil
1 tsp grated fresh garlic
Mix all dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Store in refrigerator. It was good room temperature and chilled as leftovers the next day.
ENJOY!

Lime Fajitas

These were so good and refreshing! I loved the lime. My whole family ate them right up. I found this recipe on my friend's blog Erica's Pantry. Here's the link to the recipe.
I followed her recipe pretty closely, having to use the frying pan with a little cooking spray to cook the chicken and veggies. Try these! You won't be disappointed!

Cheeseburger-Zucchini Pie

I grew up eating cheeseburger pie made from the recipe on the back of the Bisquick box. It has been years since I had it and when I found this recipe, it looked so delicious to me. I like any recipe that has been made a little bit healthier by adding vegetables. I think my Little B even had seconds (amazing for him). I found the recipe on parents.com. I made some slight changes, so you can either use the recipe below, or just use the one at the link above.

CHEESEBURGER-ZUCCHINI PIE

Ingredients:

3/4 pound lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 medium zucchini (about 6 ounces), shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend (again, I just used what I had on hand, colby jack)
1/2 cup heart-healthy reduced-fat biscuit mix (I found one the Jiffy makes, and it's a little less expensive than Bisquick)
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Crumble in ground meat. Stir in onion and zucchini and cook for 6 minutes, or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Spread beef mixture into the prepared 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the biscuit mix, milk and eggs until smooth. Pour mixture over beef mixture.
Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.

Homemade Taco Shells

I can't believe I never thought of this before. Such a great idea and so much tastier than the store-bought shells. They also didn't break as easily. I found the idea here on Eating Well's website, or you can follow my modified recipe below.


HOMEMADE TACO SHELLS

Ingredients:

12 6-inch corn tortillas
Canola oil cooking spray
3/4 teaspoon chili powder, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Wrap 4 tortillas in a barely damp cloth or paper towel and microwave on High until steamed, about 30 seconds. Coat both sides with cooking spray; sprinkle a little chili powder and salt on one side.

Drape each tortilla over a panel on a baked-taco rack and bake until crispy and brown, 7 to 10 minutes. (They had a tip in case you didn't have a taco rack, like me, and here it is: You prepare the tortillas the same way, and then drape them over two bars on your oven rack. You might want to remove the rack and spray it with cooking spray first, which made it easier to remove them. Also, 7-10 minutes was a little long for my oven, just keep a close eye on them.)

Remove the shells from the rack and repeat the steaming a cooking with the remaining 8 tortillas.

No-Bake Macaroni and Cheese

Who doesn't love Mac and Cheese? The stuff from the box is easy, but I prefer homemade. I found this recipe on Eating Well's website, here's the link. My husband isn't a big fan of broccoli, so I put in cauliflower instead. It tasted pretty good. If I try it again I might try to find something to spice it up a little, but it was a good basic recipe.

(sorry about the low quality picture!)

Light Spaghetti Pie

This was pretty good. Maybe my family won't agree, but I don't think it was good enough to add to my list of regulars. There were some good elements to it and I'm not sure what it was that bugged me, but my family said it was good, so maybe you should give it a try and tell me what you think, or what changes you would make. I got it off of parents.com and here's the link.

Lemony Chicken and Orzo

I have been wanting to try this recipe for a long time! I actually had it scheduled for a while ago, but then half way through cooking ran into a road-block that I don't care to share. I was really good though. If you really like the taste of lemon, this is perfect. If you don't like it really strong, just add less. I used the full amount, but I think it would be good either way, depending on my mood. I got this one, again, off parents.com and here's the link. I didn't really make any changes, just cut the chicken down to about half of what it said. Try it and let me know what you think.

Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Pasta

I found this recipe on EatingWell.com. You can use their recipe, or my slightly modified recipe below. Healthy, sweet and delicious. You could serve this up as a vegetarian dish or add a little grilled chicken in with it or on the side. My side of steamed asparagus, fresh from the garden, was the perfect thing to top off the meal.

SWEET POTATO AND RED PEPPER PASTA

Ingredients:

8 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta (I used thin spaghetti)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups shredded, peeled sweet potato, (about 1 medium)
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup diced plum tomatoes (I just cut up 2 Romas)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar, or lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (or Parmesan)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes or according to package directions. Meanwhile, place 1 tablespoon oil and garlic in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is sizzling and fragrant, 2 to 5 minutes. Add sweet potato, bell pepper, tomatoes and water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bell pepper is tender-crisp (I like mine softer), 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and keep warm. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the vegetable mixture, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, parsley, tarragon, vinegar (or lemon juice), salt and cheese; toss to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, 2 tablespoons at a time, to achieve the desired consistency.

Tater Tot Casserole

This dish hit the spot. It is definitely a comfort food. After a really long day, this was really easy and tasty. I changed the traditional Tater Tot Casserole a bit, but the result was a success. Both Hubby and Little B ate it without complaints. There's not meat in this recipe, but could be easily added or could be used to replace the chili. Try it, let me know what you think.

TATER TOT CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen tater tots
16 oz. frozen vegetable of choice (I used corn this time)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded cheese

Meatless Chili -
1 can light red kidney beans, rinsed and coarsely mashed
1 can tomato paste + 1 can water
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon curry
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:
In medium bowl, mix together chili ingredients. Pour in bottom of greased 9x13 baking dish. Spread so it covers the bottom evenly. Spread cream of chicken soup evenly over chili. Sprinkle vegetables evenly over that and then place tater tots on top in a single layer. Bake in preheated 325 degree F oven for 45 minutes, or until cooked through. In last 10 minutes of baking, sprinkle cheese evenly over the top.

ENJOY!

Salmon Patties

I was excited about this recipe because it looked easy and I'd never tried making anything like it before. Plus, I love fish. They were really good, but getting the salmon separated from bones and skin in the can was terrible. I was afraid I'd miss some bones and I think I threw out just as much as I used. Next time, I'll probably use frozen salmon instead. After I got that done, they were done pretty quickly. Little B ate every bite of his, which is an amazing thing. It seems like ever since I started this blog, he has been eating better at dinner. I got this recipe off of this blog. They have some easy dinner ideas that toddlers will eat. Here's the recipe...

Salmon Patties

Ingredients:

1 can salmon (or about the equivalent of frozen or fresh)
2 eggs
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. bread or saltine cracker crumbs
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Drain salmon and remove any bones. Mix all ingredients together
in a medium-sized bowl. Form salmon mixture into patties and fry
in a hot skillet with a little vegetable oil. Brown on both
sides, about 5-6 minutes each side.

ENJOY!

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

We love pizza around here. I hate forking out the money to buy pizza, and so we usually just make it. I have to say that my pizza crust recipe is the best I have ever had. I originally got it from my friend Kim when we were in college and would get together and make pizza and watch chick flicks with our other friends. Ever since then, I haven't used anything else. I have made Chicken Alfredo pizza before, but never completely from scratch, and I have to say, it was one of the best chicken alfredo pizzas I have ever had. I had leftover cooked chicken and bacon from previous meals this week, so the preparation was really easy. Here is my recipe.

CHICKEN ALFREDO PIZZA


Ingredients:

Dough -
1 cup warm water
1/4 + 1/2 Tablespoon sugar, separated
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 Tablespoon salt
about 2 1/2 cups flour

Sauce -
2 Tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
dash ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Toppings -
1 cup chicken, cut in cubes, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and cooked.
1/2 cup bacon, cooked and chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
about 1 cup of your favorite cheese, grated
(plus whatever else you'd like to top it with)

Directions:
1. Prepare the dough - In medium bowl, mix warm water, 1/4 Tbsp. sugar, and yeast. Proof for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 Tbsp. sugar, oil, salt, and flour. Stir and knead until well blended, adding more flour if too sticky. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for at least 30 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce - Once the dough is about done rising, start to prepare the sauce. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in salt pepper and flour. Immediately add milk and whisk until mostly smooth. Add Parmesan cheese and stir until sufficiently melted.

3. Assemble the pizza - Roll out pizza dough to the appropriate size for your pizza pan. Place on greased pizza pan. Spread sauce evenly over dough, leaving about 1/4 inch around the edges. Sprinkle about 1/2 of cheese lightly over sauce. Sprinkle all the other toppings, ending with the remainder of the cheese. Note - if you like more cheese, add more. Bake in preheated oven at 450 degrees F for about 12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling, and/or the crust is a light brown.


My Little B loved it and picked all the toppings off before eating the crust.
ENJOY!

Classic Baked Penne Casserole

I found this recipe on Living a Better Life, which is a money-saving blog. They have a section for frugal recipes and it looks like they have some great low-budget recipes there. I'll have to explore it a little more! This recipe was submitted by Michelle and it was delicious. It was so easy and it turned out so well! It's a mixture between a lasagna and spaghetti and my family loved it. I made a few changes to my liking and I hope you enjoy! I will definitely be making it again!

CLASSIC BAKED PENNE CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

8 ounces of Penne pasta, cooked and drained (I used Farfelle (bowtie) pasta instead)

1/2 pound ground beef, cooked and drained (add some spices while cooking if desired) ( I added some curry and garlic. Oh so good!)

1 26-ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce (or about 3 cups of your homemade sauce)

2 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded (you can also add a little parmesan cheese if you have it on hand) (I live near a cheese factory and our favorite cheese in the colby jack, so I used that instead)

Parsley, dried or fresh and chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

* In a large bowl, mix together cooked pasta, beef, sauce and 1 c. of the shredded cheese.

* Place pasta mixture into baking dish and cover with lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

* Take dish out of the oven and remove cover, top with remaining 1 c. of shredded cheese and sprinkle with parsley. Bake for another 8-10 minutes.

Makes 4-6 servings. This recipe can be double easily and cooked in a 10x13 baking pan.

ENJOY!