Kale and Black Bean Tacos

  

Not sure if anyone reads this blog anymore? Anyone....?? Check, Test?? 

Here's a good recipe we like at our house.

(We usually double.)

1 T olive oil

1 small red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 head of kale, chopped fairly fine

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 lb. beef (optional, we've made it both ways-with or without the beef)

1/2-1 cup cooked quinoa (again optional, I always toss quinoa into things)

1 cup frozen corn

cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper-to your taste

corn tortillas

avacado, salsa, cheese, nonfat plain yogurt or sour cream or any of your favorite taco toppings

In a large skillet, cook beef if using. Add garlic and onion and saute' for a few minutes until tender. Add seasonings and chopped kale and cook for a few minutes until it turns tender and bright green. Add beans, quinoa, and corn and warm through. Serve on corn tortillas with your preferred toppings! Yummy!

Chicken Barbecue Sandwiches

 This was just another crockpot chicken meal we had a few weeks back. I'm always on the look for new crockpot chicken recipes. Does anyone have any they'd like to share with me?:) Mick said this was more like Memphis Barbecue. It wasn't as sweet as a typical barbecue, but it was good, though. It called for a homemade cole slaw to go on it, which sounds good, but we skipped that part. We ate it on some homemade hamburger buns. Yum.

Ingredients: (I'm pretty sure I doubled the sauce.)

About 4 chicken breasts

    1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp chili powder
hot sauce to your liking

Slaw:
4 cups cabbage, thinly sliced or
chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbs yellow mustard
1 1/2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix up the sauce ingredients and pour over chicken breasts. Cook in the crockpot 4-6 hrs on high or 6-8 hrs on low. Eat it on your favorite hamburger buns with or without the slaw.

Parsnip Fries

 I love making fries with different types of vegetables-parsnips are my new favorite. We've used sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, and even rutabegas. All my kids have loved these, and they're really simple.



Here's a picture of a couple parsnips. You'll need about 5 or 6good-sizied ones for a full batch of fries. Peel and cut them. Toss them in a bowl with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. You can use any type of seasonings you want-I used fresh thyme on these ones. Spread on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 for about 30 minutes, turning halfway through.

Here's a small batch finished. They're good plain. We've also dipped them in a homemade yogurt dip and ketchup:)

Fluffy Pumpkin Pie

Our family's Thanksgiving tradition.

(This makes enough for two pies.)

2 Graham Cracker Pie Crusts

1 15 oz. Can pumpkin

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 egg

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ginger

Heat oven to 425. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Turn into pie crusts. Bake 15 minutes; remove pie. Reduce ov en to 350. Sprinkle topping evenly over pie. Bake 40-45 more minutes. Cool; refrigerate leftovers. Serve with whipped cream.

Topping (I usually double, I like a lot of topping.)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 T flour
2 T cold butter

Combine first 3 ingredients and cut in the butter until crumbly.

Monkey Bars

I found this recipe on a blog a few years ago, but I can't remember which one. This is kind of like banana bread but baked in a cake pan. Annabelle calls them brownies, except they're much better for you than brownies! All the kids love them, it makes a big pan so I just store the rest in the fridge. They're good warm or cold.

1 2/3 cups mashed banans (about 5, when my bananas are over ripe I stick them in the freezer and pull them out when I need them)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup oil (I always use applesauce)
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (I made them with oat flour this last time which was much better. You can grind up your oats in a blender for oat flour if you don't have a grinder.)
1 cup mini chocolate chips
2 tablespoons ground flax

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan. Whisk all ingredients except flour and chocolate chips. Gradually add in flour just until blended, and then mix in half the chocolate chips. Pour into the pan and then sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips on top. Bake 15-20 min or until done.

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour (or use 1 cup oat flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 T applesauce or vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk

Mix together the oats, flours, baking soda, salt and sugar. In another bowl mix together the egg, applesauce or oil, and buttermilk. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. I double the recipe and make it all-then for leftovers on another day put them in the toaster to warm and crisp them back up.

Energy Pancakes

This is hands down my favorite pancake recipe. Um, does anybody ever read this blog?? Am I wasting my time posting recipes?? Does anybody else have any great family recipes they want to share with me?!

1 egg

2 1/2 cups milk

2 T honey

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 T baking powder

2 T oil (I use the old applesauce trick in place of the oil)

1/4 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 cups raisins

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds (I didn't have any, so I used flax seeds instead)

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup bran

1 apple, cored and shredded

In large bowl, combine egg, milk and honey. Sift flour with baking powder and add to egg mixture with oil and vanilla. Mix in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate overnight (I made these in the morning, so I just added a bit more wheat flour to make it thicker.) Also, pancake and waffle batter should be lumpy-don't overmix it. I omitted the apple and chopped up the sunflower seeds a bit, my kids have serious 'chunky' issues. I also didn't have any wheat germ so I just used more bran instead. Yum-O.

Honey-Mustard Salmon

4 salmon fillets
2 T dijon mustard
1 T honey
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat broiler. Mix together mustard, honey, pepper and salt-place salmon down on broiler pan (use tin foil for easy clean up) and brush with honey-mustard mixture. Broil 5-7 in. from heat for 7-10 min. or until the fish flakes with a fork. This is so easy and so tasty!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

These are our new favorite:

1/2 cup mashed bananas (1 large)

1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter (creamy works too)

1/2 cup agave nectar or honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup raisins or any other dried fruit

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, stir together bananas, peanut butter, agave, and vanilla. In a small bowl combine oats, flour, milk powder, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir the oat mixture into the banana mixture until combined. Stir in raisins.

Using 1/4 cup, measure and drop cookie dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Dip a spatula in water and flatten cookies and make them round. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned. Yum.

Herb Rolls

2 packages active dry yeast
2 3/4 cups warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey or molasses
1 T salt
2 tsp dill weed
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp basil
1 tsp onion powder
1 egg, beaten
4 cups whole wheat flour
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add the oil, honey, salt, seasonings, egg, whole wheat flour and remaining water. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. (I use instant yeast-so I add that to a cup of flour, then mix the other ingredients then add the yeast mixture to it, mix, then add the flours.

Knead until smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 min. Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover and let rise about 1 hr. Punch it down, divide into 6 portions and shape into rolls, makes around 24 depending on how big you make them. Cover and let rise until doubled-20 to 25 min. Bake at 375 for 12-15 min, mine took about 15-20 min until the tops are golden brown.

Pizza Frittata

Mmmm...I love frittatas. Here's a new one I found.

6 oz. cream cheese (I used 6 oz. nonfat plain yogurt)
6 eggs or egg whites
1/4 tsp or so of basil and oregano
Pepper to taste
You can really use any veggies you want, here's what I used:
1 to 1 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 to 2 green peppers (I used sweet peppers)
1 to 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 to 2 tomatoes, chopped

Saute' all the veggies until soft. In a bowl, mix the eggs, yogurt and seasonings. Add veggies-I used a 8 X 11 pan, coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 min. Top with pizza sauce (we actually had leftover spaghetti sauce-so that's what is on this one.)

Here it is when I pulled it out of the oven.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

This has to be my favorite fall/winter meal. I thought I was so smart coming up with this-but apparently people do it all the time. Switch out the spaghetti noodles for some baked spaghetti squash-a meal full of vegetables!! Here's my favorite spaghetti sauce:

1 large onion, chopped
1-2 green pepper, chopped
2-4 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 15 oz cans tomatoes, undrained
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1-2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
Seasonings to taste: Parsley, basil, oregano, marjoram, pepper, salt, brown sugar

I usually cook my vegetables in the juice from the canned tomatoes. You can always saute' them in a T or two of oil. Add tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Add desired amount of water to reach the thickness that you want. Add the herbs (unless you're using fresh)-bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes or so. I like a sweet spaghetti sauce so I skip the salt and add a few T of brown sugar after it's simmered. You can always add some meat if you want, too.

Lentil Rice Patties

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

1/4 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed

1 1/2 cups water

2 T finely chopped cashews, almonds, or peanuts (I use almonds)

2 T bread crumbs (I used oats instead)

2 T stir-fry sauce (I use liquid aminos, can find it at any grocery store)

4 medium green onions, or 1/4 c chopped onion

1 egg or egg white

In a saucepan heat rice, lentils and 1 1/2 c water to boiling. Reduce heat to low-cover; simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender and water is absorbed. Cool slightly. Mash with a fork. Stir in remaining ingredients. Shape into 4 patties-about 1/2 inch thick. Cook patties in skillet until each side is golden brown-this takes a little while.

Salsa Lime Chicken

Minus the hour baking time, this is a really easy, quick, and cheap meal. I got this off the back of a bag of chicken we bought at Costco a few years ago.

4 Chicken Breasts

1 Cup Salsa

1/4 C Dijon Mustard

2 T lime juice

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking dish with foil. Mix the salsa, mustard, and lime juice. Pour on top of the chicken. Bake, covered for 40 minutes. Uncover, bake 10-15 minutes or until done. We just eat this plain, but you could always eat it over rice. Sometimes I use black bean and corn salsa and add in a can of black beans and extra corn.

Chickpea Burgers

I promise these are super tasty, all 3 of my kids eat these up everytime I make them. Boston and Dakota even put the onions and relish on theirs, too.


1-15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 carrot, peeled and finely grated
1 small onion, finely grated
3-4 T sunflower seeds
2 T tahini (you can buy this at any grocery store in the health food aisle)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 handful chopped fresh coriander (I just use a few tsp dried)
1 T vegetable boullion cube or powder

Preheat oven to 420. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend for 5-10 seconds, until the mixture is fairly course. Push mixture down with a spatula and blend for another 10 seconds. I just have a blender so I have to repeat this process quite a few times before it's all blended. Wet your hands and shape mixture into small balls. Flatten with a fork and bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly colored. Let sit for 5 minutes before you eat them. They are a little crumbly, but really good. We eat ours with homemade zucchini relish, saute'd onions and avacado.

Carrot and Almond Soup

2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
6 carrots (or you can use one sweet potato and 4 carrots), peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 T preferred boullion cube or powder
3 T chopped fresh coriander (I used 3 tsp dried)
3 T chopped fresh parsley, stalked reserved
3/4 cup ground almonds

Put onions, garlic, carrots and celery in a large saucepan with about 5 cups water, bring to a boil-add boullion and the stalks of the coriander and parsley. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until veggies are tender. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Strain, saving the vegetable stock. Take out the herb stalks and blend in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return to pan and add the stock until it reaches desired consistency. Add the ground almonds (ground them in a blender or food processor) and top with the coriander and parsley.

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

I forgot to take a picture when I made this for us-I'll post it next time we make it-it is really tasty!
Filling:
3 cups chopped cooked broccoli
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 eggs, beaten
Sauce:
9 oz. chopped cooked chicken
28-32 oz. jar four-cheese lasagna (homemade is way better, I'll post my alfredo sauce after this one)
Cheese:
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
lasagna noodles-uncooked

Start with 1/3 cup sauce on bottom, then repeat twice: four noodles, filling, sauce, cheese. Bake covered at 375 degrees for 45 minutes; uncover and bake 10 minutes more.

My Fav. Alfredo-I think I doubled it for the whole lasagne recipe
2 cups milk
1 T flour
1/4 tsp salt
Pepper
2 T butter (or olive oil, just to saute')
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
2 oz cream cheese
2/3 c grated parmesan

Stir milk, flour, salt, pepper with wire whick until smooth. In a saucepan, melt butter (I usually use oil). With whick, add in milk mixture. Cook and stir 6 to 8 minutes or until it thickens and boils. Stir in cream cheese until melted. Stir in parmesan cheese until melted. Sprinkle with parsley.

Oatmeal Spice Cookies

These are really soft and chewy cookies.

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

2 cups rolled oats

Beat butter in mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, regular sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon and cloves. Mix until combined, add eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour and then the oats. Bake at 375 for 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Mmm, tasty.

You could also add 1 cup raisins after adding the oats if you want.

Tasty Biscuits

We've tried a lot of biscuit recipes-this one's the

tastiest.

2 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

3 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening (or butter, I use shortening because I have a lot of it in food storage. Here's my secret tip: there's a shortening made from meat fats and vegetable oils. Also included in that is BHA, and other man-made chemicals I can't pronounce. This goes against everything I believe-but they make the best biscuits!)

1 egg

2/3 cup milk (I use our food storage a lot on this one, too

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening until coarse crumbs. Beat egg with milk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Turn onto a well-floured surface; knead 20 times. Roll to 3/4-inch thickness; cut.

Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet at 450 for 6-8 minutes or until done.

Makes 1 dozen.

Cinnamon-Cereal Pancakes

Here are a few pancake/waffle recipes that we like. Our favorite is still the Cinnamon Apple Pancakesbut these are pretty good, too.

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 c Raisin Bran cereal (I just used bran flakes, add extra raisins if you want, too)
2 T packed brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cup buttermilk (I'm pretty sure I used regular milk one time when I made these)
2 T canola oil

Combine flour, cereal, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl combine eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until combined but still lumpy.

Here's some other toppings that we like instead of using syrup:
Yogurt, plain or fruit flavored
Fruit
Applesauce w/ cinnamon
Agave Nectar
Cinnamon Apple Syrup
Use one or combine any of them together.

Also, here's a food storage tip if you need to use up some non-fat dried milk. Substitute it for milk in the recipes. We also use it for chocolate milk for the kids.