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.