Chipotle Bean Burritos

I found this recipe and thought I would keep in on hand for a crazy busy night. The flavor of the burritos was so good! I have never used Chipotle powder, but let me tell you... I am now a fan. Really a very yummy dinner in no time flat. It's made my top ten this year.


(You can;t really see the meat at all, sorry. I piled mine high with lettuce and avacado, you know.. being on a raw food diet and all)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder (use 1/4 if making it for kids)
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup water
1 (15 oz) can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can organic kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp refrigerated salsa
6 (10 inch) reduced-fat flour tortillas

for toppings:
shredded cheese
tomatoes
lettuce
sour cream
avacado
sliced green onions

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Sir in chile powder and salt; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/3 cup water and beans; bring to boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in salsa. Partially mash bean mixture with fork.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/3 cup bean mixture into center of each tortilla. Top each serving with desired toppings.

YUM!

Recipe from Cooking Light. Jan/Feb issue

Dark Chocolate and Mint cookies

There were a lot of people using these "limited edition" mint and dark chocolate chips, so I too decided to give them a try. I was going to make some fancy shmancy cookie but my Hubby asked for the regular chocolate chip recipe, so being the GREAT wife that I am, I did. and they were yummy. The Mint chips almost had a crispy texture, and the flavor wasn't overpowering like I first would have thought. So out the window went the diet (but it was worth it :) Don't mind the flatness of the cookies, we are at 7,000 ft. It's a little hard to get anything to looks as yummy this high.



Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter of stick margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
2 cups flour
1 cup quick oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (ya, not in this house :)
1 bag limited edition Dark Chocolate and mint chips

1. heat oven to 375

2. Beat sugars, butter, vanilla and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts (optional) and chocolate chips

3. Drop dough by rounded tbsp about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet/

4. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned (centers will be soft) Remove from cookie sheet onto wire rack.

EAT!

***You can use this same recipe for Chocolate Chip cookies, just use the regular chocolate chips***

Potato Casserole

I really can't "offically" be called a Mormon unless I had one of these kind of recipes tucked into my book, and of course, I do! If you have been reading this blog at all you will know that I dispise the "canned cream chicken and mushrooms" I use them for ONLY two occasions. 1. Enchaladas, and 2. Potato casserole. I love the taste of the green onions and sauce. It goes great with any recipe, but in this case, we had it with Steak and Salad, LOTS of salad :)

(I know... it looks like my meat may still be alive on my plate, but really it was just the camera. I like my steak like I like my men. Medium well :)

Ingredients:

7-8 medium potatoes
1/4 cup melted butter
shredded cheese (use as much as you like)
1 can cream of chicken soup
16 oz sour cream
green onions, chopped (again, use as much as you like)

Do not peel potatoes, just throw them in a boiling pot and boil until they are tender. Do not overcook, they will get mushy. Peel and chop or grate, whatever you prefer. In a large bowl mix hot potatoes with butter, stir in green onions and shredded cheese. Mix 1 can of soup with sour cream seperately then combine with potatoes. Put in 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Yum!

To die for Blueberry Muffins by Staci Lyman

My sister-in-law Staci is THE.BEST.BAKER I know! We used to live by them and every family gathering we would lick our lips in anticipation of what Staci was bringing to eat. She is nothing short than amazing in the kitchen, we miss them, a lot! So this recipe I knew would be delicious, and friends, it is. The muffins had a crunch candy topping and the fresh blueberries were tasty.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.
Makes 12 muffins

Recipe from my Sister-in-law Staci. Thanks Staci!

Moo Shu Pork

Did you know that I love Chinese food? I was ordering Moo Shu Pork before I can even remember. We used to live in a little town in the bay area called Pleasanton, CA. I remember ordering it at a yummy Chinese restaurant not to far from our home. So when I found this recipe I thought I would give it a try, I was so sure my husband would cringe and probably give it a 3 out of our 1-10 scale (1 means NEVER AGAIN, and 10 means make it tomorrow) He gave it a 9, YES a 9! I almost wanted to slather my portion in sour cream, but I was pretty sure that was not on my diet. It was easy, way easy and yummy!




Ingredients:

1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp minced fresh ginger (I used my microplane)
5 boneless pork loin chops (4 oz each), cut into thin strips
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (found in the Asian section of the grocery store)
3 cups coleslaw mix with carrots
8 flour tortillas, warmed

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, water, sour sauce and ginger until blended; set aside. In a large skillet, saute pork and garlic in oil for 3-5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Stir in cornstarch mixture and add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in hoisin sauce. Add coleslaw mix; stir to coat. Spoon about 1/;2 cup pork mixture into the center of each tortilla.

I garnished with Cilantro, green onion, bean sprouts and lettuce.

Recipe from Taste of home magazine

Apple Dumpling Bake

I was a little skeptical about this dessert, I mean... really? Mountain Dew? It turned out delicious. It was flaky and cinnamon-y (is that a word?) and it was perfect over vanilla ice cream.



Ingredients:

2 tubes (8 oz each) refridgerated crescent rolls
2 medium granny smith apples
1 1/2 cup sugar, divided use
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup mountain Dew soda
ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg
Vanilla ice cream

1. peel apples and cut into 8 wedges each apple. Place in bowl and mix with 1/2 cup sugar, shakes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Unroll rescent rolls and seperate the dough into 16 triangles. Wrap a crescent dough triangle around two apple slices. Place in greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

2. In a bowl, combine remaining sugar and melted butter; sprinkle over rolls. Slowly pour soda around the rolls (do not stir) Sprinkle cinnamon over the whole pan.

Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm over icecream.

Recipe from Chris Shields, Indiana (From the Taste of home magazine)

Schlotzky's Panini

I LOVE schlotzsky's (I don't even know how to spell it, but I love it) It's a sandwich shop and to be honest, I don't see too many of them around anymore. I used to work there when I was in college in Orem, UT. I didn't love the job, but I loved going home every day with a sandwich. So here is my best re-do of their masterpiece. I didn't know about using Sourdough rolls, so I used sourdough bread instead, and made it into a panini. I WILL be making this again. We had it with the broccoli and cheese soup. YUM!

Ingredients:

mozzarella cheese
pepperoni
salami
ham
olives
slices of sourdough

I put two pieces of bread on a broiling rack and placed meats and cheese and broiled for 2-3 minutes. I then put the sandwich together onto my grill to toast the outside, I also added olives. Once it was done I opened it up and added lettuce. David says I can't call it a Panini if it had lettuce in it, but I then told him, "I'll do what I want :)"

(We had to smoosh *that is a technical term, BTW* it down with something, so we grabbed the bag of flour out of the pantry and covered in in tin foil. worked great!)

Recipe from out of this little crazy brain of mine.

Broccoli and Cheese soup

Last night it was snowing and cold and a bowl of soup sounded delicious, lucky for me I had all the ingredients to make this recipe. It was creamy and delicious, with just the right amount of broccoli and cheese, needless to say it was YUM-O. try it.


Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 7-inch sourdough bread boules (round loaves )
4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
1 large carrot, diced
2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese , plus more for garnish
Directions
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the bread bowls: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the top of each loaf, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Remove the bread top, then hollow out the middle with a fork or your fingers, leaving a thick bread shell.
Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you'll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)
Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into the bread bowls and garnish with cheese.

Recipe from foodnetwork.com

Creamy enchiladas

I LOVE creamy 'ladas. I do. Love them. My husband doesn't so usually I give in and make them his way... but lucky for me I didn't have enchalada sauce so we had to do them the way I like **no I didn't plan that, it just worked out in my favor** So here are they yummiest 'ladas EVER! I also like these puppies rolled up in flour tortillas instead of the casserole style. You can also make this ahead and freeze it. Yum. Yum. Yum. In fact just talking about them makes me want to go have another serving :)

{This picture really does not do this justice, sorry. I am a cook, NOT a photographer :)}

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped
3 Tbsp butter
1 13oz can evaporated milk
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 4oz can chopped green chilies
3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
12 corn tortillas (sometimes I use flour)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Saute onion in butter. Add evaporated milk and chicken soup. Stir until smooth. Add chilies and chicken, stir all together.

Grease 9x13 pan. Line with 6 tortillas, pour half of chicken mixture over them and sprinkle with 1/2 of cheese. Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture and cheese.

Cover dish loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Makes LOTS!

Recipe from Stephanie Gubbler. Thanks babe!

Herbed Orzo

I didn't know how this pasta side dish would taste, being that I have NEVER had orzo, but I actually really liked it. It was light, almost refreshing with the lemon. This would be a perfect side dish with some grilled chicken in the summer.


Ingredients:

1 cup orzo
2 Tsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp fresh herbs like:
dill
parsley
chives
cilantro
Salt and pepper

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cool 1 cup orzo until al dente. Drain orzo and transfer to a medium bowl. Add 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as those listed above. add 2 Tsp fresh lemon juice. Toss to combine. Season with course salt and ground pepper. serves 4.

Recipe from Everyday Food by Martha Stewart

Kung Pao Chicken

I saw this sauce at the store and thought, "What the heck, I'll give it a try" Not expecting too much I threw the vegetables in a pan and it actually tasted like Panda's Kung Pao! It was yum-o. Give it a try.


Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper, diced
1 green zucchini, diced
1 yellow zucchini, diced
3 chicken breasts, chopped into bite size pieces
green onion
cashews
1 bottle of Kung Pao marinade
1 bag of frozen mix (peas, carrots and corn)

Saute' bell pepper, zucchinis together until soft. Remove and set aside. In same pan fry up chicken on high heat. Stirring constantly. Once browned and cooked through add vegetables back in, and also 1/2 of the frozen bag. Once combined add 3/4 jar of Kung Pao sauce. Heat on low for 5-8 minutes. Chop green onion and cashews as garnish. Serve over rice.

Pork empanadas with thyme

Ingredients:

1/2 medium Yukon gold potato peeled and diced small
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground pork
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, plus two small sprigs for topping
1 1/2 tsp chopped sage
2 tsp all purpose flour, plus more for working
2 Tbsp golden raisins (optional)
2 Tbsp toasted pine nuts (Optional)
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar (I just used regular)
course salt and ground pepper
Empanada dough (see below)
1 large egg

1. set a steamer basked in a pot with 2 inches boiling water. Add potato, cover, and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. In a large skillet, hear oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 5 to 7 minutes. Raise heat to high and add pork, thyme, and sage; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until pork is no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring until blended, about 30 seconds. Add raisins, if using and 2 Tbsp water, cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in potato, pine nuts (optional) and vinegar. Season filling with salt and pepper and let cool.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. On a floured surface, divide dough in half and roll each piece to an 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 6 inch cookie cutter or plate as a guide (I used the lid of my shortening can) cut out 8 circles. Place 1/4 cup filling on half of each circle, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Brush edge with water; fold top half over filling. Press edges to seal, then crimp firmly with a fork.

3. Transfer empanadas to two baking sheets lined with parchment. In a bowl, beat egg with 1 Tbsp water. Brish emanadas with egg wash and top with thyme sprigs. Bake until golden about 30-40 minutes, rotating sheets 1/2 way through.


Empanada Dough:

in a food processor, pulse 4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled). 2 Teaspoons baking powder, and 1 Tbsp coarse salt. Add 2 Tbsp each minced sage and thyme; pulse until combined. Add 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces; pulse until mixture is the texture of coarse meal, witha few pea-sized pieces butter remaining. Add 1 cup ice water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 Tbsp at a time, if needed) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just until dough comes together 4 or times.


Recipe from EVERYDAY food by Martha Stewart