In addition to tacos and queso, Ella loves refried beans, so I decided to try making my own instead of doing one of my typical black bean sides...it was her birthday after all :-). I loved how the beans turned out! They were easy and healthy and had a great flavor to them. In the midst of hosting the party I forgot to get a good picture of them, so just trust me that they tasted much better than they look here! (I found the idea on All Recipes and adapted slightly)
Ingredients:
* 1 onion, peeled and halved
* 3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
* 1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 5 teaspoons salt
* 1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
* 9 cups water
Directions
1. Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high. (I cooked mine on low overnight and then waited until closer to serving time to drain and mash them)
2. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.
Re"Fried" Beans
Grilled Tomatillo Chicken
This recipe also comes from Taste of Home. I have really liked all the recipes I've made recently with tomatillos so I was ready to try this one out! It was really good. Easy to make since you grill the chicken. I did puree the sauce and was glad I did...I thought it made the texture more appetizing, more like a salsa. It was a very summer-y dinner and hit all around!!!
Ingredients:
* 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
* 4 slices provolone cheese
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 6 tomatillos, husks removed, chopped
* 1/4 cup lime juice
* 6 pickled jalapeno slices, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* Hot cooked rice
* Sour cream, optional
Directions:
* Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 4-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Top with cheese; cook 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted.
* In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the tomatillos, lime juice and jalapenos; cook 3 minutes longer. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper. (I pureed the sauce a little because I didn't think the chunks of tomatillos looked very appetizing) Serve tomatillo mixture and chicken and with rice; dollop with sour cream if desired. Yield: 4 servings.
Curried Chicken Sheperd's Pie
This recipe was in the June/July issue of Taste of Home and was really great! I love sheperd's pie and also love chicken and curry so this recipe had me curious. It ended up being super tasty and a nice easy meal to make too!
Ingredients:
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 2 celery ribs, chopped
* 3 tablespoons butter, divided
* 1 cup frozen peas and carrots (I used 2 carrots diced instead)
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon curry powder
* 1-1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 1/2 cup 2% milk
* 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
* 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 2 cups mashed potatoes (with added milk and butter)
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Directions:
* In a large skillet, saute onion and celery in 1 tablespoon butter until tender. Add frozen vegetables and remaining butter(I added diced fresh carrot in with onions and celery instead); cook 2 minutes longer.
* Stir in flour and curry powder until blended; gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Add the chicken, parsley, salt and pepper.
* Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Top with potatoes; sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 4 servings.
Sirloin and Summer Vegetable Kebabs with Chimichurri
This recipe came from the latest Martha Stewart magazine. I've been craving my favorite beef kabobs from a local restaurant, but haven't had the chance to go get any, so I decided to make my own to hold me over :-). I loved the flavor of the meet and the chimichurri was really good. I put a little less oregano than called for and would put even less the next time around (I felt like it overpowered the other flavors a little). Kebabs just always look so pretty and are a fun way to eat your veggies. I made a wild rice blend to go with it and loved it...I'm really loving wild rice lately!
Ingredients:
1 lb. beef sirloin tips, cut into 1 1/2 in pieces
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
1 med zucchini
1 small yellow summer squash
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
For Chimichurri...
Whisk together:
1/2 c fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 c fresh oregano, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 t fresh lemon juice
3/4 t coarse salt
Directions:
Marinate beef in vinegar, soy sauce and ground pepper for 30 minutes (also soak 4 wooden skewers in water during this time).
Slice veggies into 1 inch pieces.
Heat grill to med-high.
Thread beef onto skewers alternating with vegetables.
Grill for 7-8 min per side.
Drizzle/Dip with Chimichurri.
Mexican Lasagna
I found this recipe on Annie's Eats, but it originally comes from Pioneer Woman. I think this may be the best version of Mexican Lasagna I have tried so far. It makes TONS too, so next time I will prepare it in 2 8x8 dishes and freeze one for later. I also think it would be great with shredded chicken instead of the ground beef (although the whole reason I picked this recipe was to use some ground beef). It had a little spice to it, but not too much and was packed full of great flavors. Even the kiddos loved it...especially Preston who kept wanting more and more!
Ingredients:
2 cups unprepared rice
3-4 cups chicken broth
2-4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1-1 ½ onions, chopped
4-7 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
taco seasoning (or chili powder, paprika and cumin)
1-1 ½ lb. ground sirloin
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa verde
8-12 small flour tortillas (I used 12 corn tortillas)
12-16 oz. shredded Mexican cheese
4-8 oz. enchilada sauce
1 can corn, drained
sour cream and cilantro, for garnish
Directions:
Cook the rice according to package directions with chicken broth in place of water. Salt to taste. In a large skillet, melt a ½ tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until onion is tender. Add in chili powder (approx. 1 ½ tablespoons), paprika and cumin (approx. ¾ tablespoon of each), or taco seasoning to taste. Stir to combine. Add the can of beans and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add cooked rice. Stir to mix well.
In the now empty skillet, brown the ground sirloin. Mix with chili powder (approx. 1 ½ tablespoons), paprika and cumin (approx. ¾ tablespoon of each) and salt to taste, as well as 2 oz. of water to create the taco beef.
To assemble the lasagna, pour half of the jar of salsa verde in an even layer over the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer evenly with flour tortillas to cover. Spread approximately half of the rice mixture evenly over the tortillas. Sprinkle with a layer of shredded Mexican cheese. Add another layer of flour tortillas. Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Spread taco beef evenly over the enchilada sauce. Layer one can of corn over the beef. Top with the remaining rice mixture in an even layer. Spread the remaining salsa verde evenly over the rice, and sprinkle with a layer of shredded cheese to finish.
Bake at 375° for 25-35 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and begins to brown a bit. Allow to sit 10 minutes before serving. Top individual servings with sour cream and fresh cilantro, for garnish.
Szechuan Chicken
I LOVED this chicken from Favorites!!! I know when I'm excited to eat the leftovers the next day for lunch, that I really loved a meal...and I couldn't wait for these ones! I served it with Jasmine rice and our trusty zucchini method. Awesome meal!!!
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken
1/4 cup cornstarch
1-2 Tbsp oil (I used 1 T Canola, 1 T Sesame oil))
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
3-5 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1-2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar (I only had red wine vinegar on hand and used that)
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 cup water
3 diced green onions
dash of cayenne pepper
Directions:
Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes and lightly coat with corn starch (I do this by putting the chicken in a ziploc bag with the cornstarch and mixing it all around until it's covered). Heat oil in a frying pan and add minced garlic. Add chicken and fry until all sides are white. Add soy sauce, vinegar and sprinkle with sugar. Add the water--more or less depending on how strong of a flavor you want and how runny you want the sauce. Add diced green onions and cayenne pepper. You can make it as spicy as you want. Serve with rice.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispie Treats
So, last week I stopped by Picky Palate to look for dinner ideas and saw these instead. Who needs dinner, anyway?! These little guys are definitely rich, but oh so tasty too. I L-O-V-E them!
Ingredients:
6 Cups rice krispie cereal
1 large bag mini marshmallows
1/4 Cup butter
2 Cups creamy peanut butter
50 mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, quartered
1 1/2 Cups melted chocolate to drizzle
Directions:
1. Place cereal into a large mixing bowl, set aside. Place marshmallows and butter into a large bowl and microwave until puffed up, about 3 minutes. Remove and pour into cereal, mix to combine then pour into a greased 9×13 inch baking dish and press to make even. Melt peanut butter until nice and runny, about 45 seconds. Pour in quartered peanut butter cups, stir gently then pour over treats. Drizzle melted chocolate over top and refrigerate to harden. When set, cut into squares and serve!
Chocolate Cobbler
I love all cobblers, and of course I love chocolate, so when I saw this I had to try it. The best thing about this dessert is that you probably have all the ingredients on hand in your kitchen right now! So just make it, like me :-). We all LOOOOOVED it! (recipe from Tasty Kitchen)
Ingredients:
•1 cup All-purpose Flour
•2 teaspoons Baking Powder
•¼ teaspoons Salt
•7 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder, Divided
•1-¼ cup Sugar, Divided
•½ cups Milk
•⅓ cups Melted Butter
•1-½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
•½ cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
•1-½ cup Hot Tap Water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
First stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons of the cocoa, and 3/4 cup of the white sugar. Reserve the remaining cocoa and sugar.
Stir in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch baking dish. I prefer my small oval Corning Ware glass dish.
In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining white sugar (it should be 1/2 cup), the brown sugar, and remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter.
Pour the hot tap water over all. DO NOT STIR!
Bake for about 40 minutes or until the center is set.
Let stand for a few minutes if you can hold yourself back. Serve with homemade ice cream (I used store bought :-) using the gooey sauce to spoon over all.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
I found this recipe on Jamie's Cookbook and thought it looked delicious. It was! I loved it and will definitely make it again. I served it with a mushroom wild rice mix that was absolutely the perfect match!
Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices ham
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg (beaten)
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
Directions:
Pound chicken breast to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle each piece on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on each breast. Roll up each breast using toothpicks to secure if necessary. Dredge each in flour, shake off excess, then in egg and finally in bread crumbs. Place seam side down in baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Place 1 tablespoon butter on each piece of chicken.
Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes until juices run clear. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine broth and whipping cream; season to taste (salt, pepper, garlic, oregano). Simmer on low stirring until thickened; Pour over chicken.
Pioneer Woman's Pot Roast
This yummy roast comes from the Pioneer Woman, but was fresh on my mind after seeing it recently on Peachtree Cooking. I LOVED it. I thought it had a nice fresh flavor due to the fresh herbs and the red wine. I served ours up with mashed red potatoes and thought it was perfection. Who doesn't love a good roast?!
Ingredients:
* 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
* 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 2 whole Onions
* 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
* Salt To Taste
* Pepper To Taste
* 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)(I used red cooking wine)
* 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
* 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
* 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste
Directions:
First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).
Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.
Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.
When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours. (I put mine in the crock pot on low for 7 hours)
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
I needed to make some chocolate chip cookies for a lesson I was teaching at church on Sunday and wanted to try a new recipe so I did a search for the best chocolate chip cookies, of course. After looking at a few different recipes I decided to try these ones from Savory Sweet Life. They were a hit with everyone who tried them and super easy to make!
Makes approx. 45-48 cookies using a sm-med 2tbl. cookie scoop
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (12 oz) all-purpose flour *If at all possible, please weigh the flour
1 tsp. smallish-medium coarse sea salt *please do not use table salt, the sea salt gives the cookies a nice flavor and hints of texture. If you only have table salt, use 1/2 tsp. *When using sea salt, you will get small crunchy flecks of salt when you bite into the cookie. If you do not like this taste, go with 1/2 teaspoon of table salt.
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips *I realized grocery stores sell bags of chocolate chips in 12 oz bags but this recipe really needs every last chip. Otherwise you’ll get cookies with only a few chips in each one and this recipe requires lots of chocolate to bulk the cookie up. You’ll need about 1 1/2 bags.
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until it is nice and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes on medium-high speed on a K-5). Add both eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour until cookie batter is fully incorporated. Finally add chocolate chips until well distributed. The cookie batter should be somewhat thick. Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough or use a medium cookie scoop and plop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are nice and golden brown. Remove from heat and allow the cookies to stay on the cookie sheet for an additional 2 minutes. Pick up the parchment paper with the cookies still on top and transfer to a cool non-porous surface. Allow the cookies to cool on the paper for at least 3 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
*Troubleshooting*
-If you’re cookies are coming out flat and not like the pictures there are probably 3 reasons for this.
#1) Baking powder and Baking soda is old. If your baking powder and soda is older than 1 year and has not been in a sealed (preferably air tight) container, it has lost some of it rising qualities.
#2) Creaming. It is not enough to just cream the butter and sugars until it has come together. This recipe requires you to beat it with a mixer for 3 minutes until the texture of the butter and sugar turns to light and fluffy-just like the picture.
#3) Flour. Flour should be weighed. This can make or break the recipe because just scooping flour into a measuring cup will never yield ideal or consistent results.
Flourless Peanut-Chocolate Cookies
This Martha Stuart recipe was passed on to me by Amber (of Zanie Zoo). You would never know that there is no flour in these babies! They are almost as easy as my other gluten-free PB cookies, but so much better! Definitely try them :-)!
Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I doubled it and used 1 c creamy and 1 c crunchy)
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg (lightly beaten)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds.
In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 large egg (lightly beaten), 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until well combined. Stir in 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts.
With moistened hands, roll dough, about 1 heaping tablespoon at a time, into balls. Place 2 inches apart on two baking sheets.
Bake until cookies are golden and puffed, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through.
Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
Farmer's Market Potato Salad
This isn't really like a potato salad in the classic sense...no mayo involved :-). I LOVED it and have eaten the leftovers for lunch the past couple days. I thought the mix of veggies was really, really good...especially paired with the tang of the dressing. I preferred the salad warm, but it was good cold too! (recipe from Cooking Light) (and a warning that you do have to get your kitchen warm making it - using the oven to roast the potatoes and corn)
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
2 pounds fingerling potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used red potatoes)
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
3/4 cup vertically sliced red onion
3/4 cup diced zucchini
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Ingredients:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Place corn and potatoes on a jelly-roll pan. Drizzle vegetables with 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Place mixture in a large bowl. Combine tarragon and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle potato mixture with dressing; toss gently to coat.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and zucchini to pan; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini mixture and tomatoes to potato mixture; toss gently to combine.
Southwestern Cobb Salad
This yummy salad from Cooking Light was WONDERFUL!!! It included so many things that I love...avocados, black beans, cheese, a good dressing, a southwestern twist. I had more for lunch today and it was even better than I remembered it from the night before :-). (and I totally copied how they set up the picture in the magazine...it looks much prettier that way)
Ingredients
Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I used red since that was what I had on hand)
1 teaspoon honey
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salad:
3 slices center-cut bacon
Cooking spray
8 ounces skinless, boneless turkey breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used chicken breast)
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 cups torn romaine lettuce
1/2 cup refrigerated fresh pico de gallo
1/2 cup diced avocado
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled queso fresco
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
Directions:
1. To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk; set aside.
2. To prepare salad, cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Increase heat to medium-high. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle turkey with salt. Add turkey to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until done.
3. Arrange 2 cups lettuce on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 2 teaspoons bacon, 5 tablespoons turkey, 2 tablespoons pico de gallo, 2 tablespoons avocado, 2 tablespoons queso fresco, 1 tablespoon onions, and about 1/3 cup beans. Drizzle vinaigrette evenly over salads.
Dill Potato Salad
We just got home from a week at the beach with my family. Each night someone else was in charge of dinner and on our night we served up those delicious bacon-wrapped hot dogs , that I loved, with this new potato salad that I found on my old college roomie Kim's blog. According to her post, she needed to make potato salad for a reception (which was funny because she doesn't even like potato salad) and she went with this Ina Garten recipe because after 181 reviews it still had 5 stars. I happen to LOVE potato salad so I was excited to try this one. It was simple to make and sooo good. I have never used fresh dill before and I loved the summery flavor it gave the salad!
Ingredients:
3 pounds small white potatoes
Kosher salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red onion
Directions:
Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, dill, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in quarters or in half, depending on their size. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, pour enough dressing over them to moisten. Add the celery and red onion, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.
