Chick Pea Chicken Nuggets

I got this recipe from a friend. My kids love these things, and they are even better the 2nd day.

Wet ingredients
3 C cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained (can also use canned chickpeas. 2 cans, rinsed then cooked in water on the stove until tender, about 30 mins)
4 T toasted sesame oil
Juice of 1 small lemon, or ½ of a medium or large lemon
1/2 of an onion, diced

Dry ingredients
1 C brown rice flour
2 tsp xanthan gum (you can use either chia or flax seed and water but I have heard they fall apart unless eaten really quickly. I made plenty for leftovers so I used Xantham gum)
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp rubbed sage
½-1 tsp smoked paprika, to taste
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mash the chickpeas in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil and lemon juice. Mash again a couple of times to mix in the liquids. Chickpeas should be pretty mashed, some smooth, some still partly whole.

In a small bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together.

Add the dry ingredients into wet and stir until fully mixed. It may be crumbly at this point. Add some water until you get to a thick, almost bread dough consistency. It should be wet enough to mix well without crumbling but not soupy. I added the onions in at this stage (they were not in the original recipe but I think many things are better with onion!).

Form into little balls or patties and brown on each side in a cast iron skillet with a little coconut oil. Salt a little more once cooked.

Mexican Black Bean Quinoa Salad

These are some of my favorite ingredients. I saw this online and wanted to save it so I could repeat it. It looks so super yummy!

the original can be found here:
http://rebekahgough.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe
shes got some great recipes!

Mexican black bean quinoa salad

1 cup of quinoa soaked for 15 min or so in water, drain well.

1 ½ cups of water added to the soaked and drained quinoa and a tsp or so of salt bring to a full boil, cover and turn to low and let sit for 15 min. Turn off heat and let sit another five min and then fluff with a fork. (can be made ahead and stored in the fridge)

When ready for salad –

Mince 1 jalapeno, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 small red onion (or half onion if big). Saute in olive oil, for a few minutes. Add two bell peppers that have been sliced thin. Saute a few minutes longer until softened. Add 1 tsp. cumin and 1 tsp coriander, stir and remove from heat.

Add quinoa to a large bowl followed by a can of drained black beans and a can of drained corn. Toss in the sauteed veggies and mix together.

Add 1 diced tomato

For the dressing use the juice of 1 lime (2 Tablespoons), ¼ cup of olive oil (less is fine), tsp or so of salt and a dash of cayenne pepper. Mix well and dress the salad and then top with cilantro if desired!

Sloppy Joes

1/4 c bell pepper
3/4 c celery
1/2 c onion
1 lb burger
1 c tomato sauce
1 tbs worcheshire sauce
1 tbs vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar

Chop veggies in chopper until almost mushy.  Add to browning hamburger.  Add everything else  and let simmer until everything is combined. Serve on buns.

Chicken Enchiladas

I can cream of chicken soup
I cup sour cream
1/2 onion chopped (usually I omit this)
4 oz. can of diced green chillis
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8-10 tortillas
3-4 boiled chicken breasts

boil the chicken until fully cooked, and let it cool. then grated or chop the chicken.
Mix the first 4 ingredients together. Grab a tortilla, layer the sauce, chicken and cheese in the tortilla and wrap and place in the pan. ( you can use leftover sauce on top and add more cheese if you would like, but you don't have too.) bake @ 350 for 30- 35 minutes or until boiling in the middle and the onions are cooked. you can also make an extra pan and cover with foil and freeze before cooking for an easy meal on a busy day in the future.

homemade mac and cheese (good for your belly, not for your hips)

A lady in our recipe group made this and it was surpisingly good.

1 lb. macaroni
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups velveeta, cubed
salt and pepper to taste

boil macaroni. Mix in 1/2 of all the cheese and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. pour into baking pan (easier cleanup if you spray the pan with nonstick first.) Top with the remaining cheese. Cover and cook 2o minutes, remove the foil and brown to your liking.

Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches

These are my favorite sandwich. Hands down. I could eat one every day.
2 slices of whole wheat bread
peanut butter (we used coconut peanut butter and regular)
banana
butter
cinnamon

slice the banana thin, spread the peanut butter on the bread and assemble sandwich. Cover the outside of the sandwich with butter. Cook on cast iron griddle til golden and crispy. Sprinkle with cinnamon while hot.

Stuffed Quesadillas

Homemade tortillas
kidney beans, about 2 cups
spinach, chopped
corn
2 potatoes, diced
garlic
cooked quinoa, about 1 cup
shredded cheese

Warm some oil in a pan and toss in the garlic to brown. Then add beans, spinach, corn potatoes, quinoa and any other veggies or beans you would like. Cook long enough to wilt the spinach and soften the potatoes. Load all of that into a homemade tortilla with some cheese and cook on cast iron pan til the cheese melts. Serve with avacado, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, etc.

Teryaki sauce

This is soooo easy to make and very flavorful. We are big fans of Chinese Food, so this sauce will be a definite repeat.

This meal came together really fast. I whipped up some meatballs, steamed some broccoli, cooked some delicious Jasmine rice and made the sauce in about 35 minutes. It was a yummy dinner.

Teryaki Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used liquid aminos)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp ground ginger (I am not a huge ginger fan so I just did a few shakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbs honey
Mix above ingredients in a sauce pan and start to warm up. In a small bowl mix 2 Tbs cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Add to the sauce pan and stir constantly until thickened. If you cook it too long and get it too thick, you can thin it with a few Tbs. water.

Black Bean Burgers

A friend of mine recently saw this recipe in a magazine and shared it with me. I was so glad she did. What a fun way to switch up dinner. They were easy and came together quickly. Since the "patty" had raw eggs in it, I couldnt test the taste until they were finished. Next time I will add more spices, this dinner is definitely a repeat!

Black Bean Burgers


2 Tbs oil
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 15 oz can of black beans (I used my own precooked beans, 2 cups plus a few Tbs. of water)
1 large egg, beaten
1 Tbs. cumin
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
salt and pepper
*next time I will add hamburger seasoning or taco seasoning also

Preheat oven to 375

Warm oil in skillet and add celery and onion stir a few minutes and then add garlic. Pour beans into a bowl and mash to a thick paste (I did this in my food processor) Add celery mixture to beans and stir in egg, cumin and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties and bake on a baking sheet until firm and set, about 10 min. on each side.

While they are baking cut up all the garnishes.

Remove from the oven and serve on whole wheat buns and top like a regular hamburger. We used the works, lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo, etc.

home made mac and cheese

I loathe Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. The ingredient list scares me and I dont even think it tastes very good. But apparently the American Public disagrees with me because according to a company spokesperson, "Kraft now sells more than one million boxes of the dinners every day"! Really? A million boxes A DAY? And how dare they call it dinner.

My little kids dont even recognize the famous blue box. We have eaten a few boxes of Annies Organic Mac and cheese in our time, but not enough for my kids to be huge fans. We only eat it about 2 times a year.

I am really trying to stick to a tight grocery budget this month, so I am forced to get inventive. Looking thru the cupboards, I realized I had some stuff that I could use to whip up some mac and cheese. It was really easy and pretty fast. Most importantly, it tasted like food.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces macaroni, cooked and drained (we used whole wheat shells)
  
• 2 cups fresh grated sharp Cheddar cheese (not the preshred stuff)
  
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (not the powdered stuff!)
  
• 3 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used wheat flour)
  
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pinch paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. In a saucepan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in enough flour to make a roux. Add milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses, and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and the sauce is a little thick.
   
2. Combine sauce and macaroni. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper.
   

I was just googling around for a picture and found this recipe:
http://www.evilshenanigans.com/2009/03/stove-top-macaroni-and-cheese/
I am going to try it next.

Biscuits and Gravy

First off let me say: if you have ever made Bisquick biscuits, these are a million and one times better than those. Do yourself a favor, skip using the yellow box and try these biscuits. They are crispy on the outside and soft and light inside.

Biscuits and gravy is my favorite breakfast meal. And my kids like to help make it, so its win - win.
Our boys helped me set the table for dinner (we eat breakfast for dinner quite often). When I realized I had a plate with Lightning McQueen on it at my place, I opted to just take a picture of the food while it was still on the stove. I am not sure a CARS plate lends itself to a good picture.
(biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs)
Drop Biscuits

2 cups flour (You could use any combination of wheat and white. I use all wheat and they are still fluffy. If they turn out a little dense, they get smothered with gravy anyway, so it doesnt really matter.)
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
3 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup shortening ( I use Spectrum, its non hydrogenated)

Preheat oven 425. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add shortening and use fork or pastry cutter to combine until it looks like coarse meal. Add milk, stirring until blended. Scoop dough out by spoonful and drop on cooking pan. Bake 12 minutes

Gravy

Brown a little sausage and set aside. In the same cooking pan combine 1 1/3 cups magic mix and about 2 cups water or milk. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Add the sausage back in and serve over hot biscuits.

Bean Dip

This is a pretty basic bean dip. Just layer what you like in the pan and scoop it up with chips. I served it cold. If you wanted to warm it up, just pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Dont bake the tomatoes though, put them on last if you heat it up.

Bean Dip

Pinto beans - I cooked my own pinto beans and once they were tender, I smashed them up and added some homemade taco seasoning and Tabasco sauce to them. You could use canned re fried beans too.
sour cream
salsa
smashed up avocado
cheese
tomatoes
olives
I had some cooked quinoa in the fridge, so I put a layer of that in there too! No one detected my sneaky addition

Layer everything in a pan and serve with corn chips

Southwestern Tostada Salad

When I tell people that we rarely eat meat, the response is typically the same: "what do you eat then? Salad?"

I get emails asking me to share meatless recipes. So, I am going to start putting a few more on here.

While this is a salad, it is not all we eat. We still have Chinese food, pizza, tacos, spaghetti etc. I usually cut out some or all of the meat called for in a recipe and replace it with beans or grains. I will talk more about that in a later post, though.

For now, here is a really filing and yummy salad, thanks for the recipe Shari. I did cook up ONE chicken breast for this meal. I split it between 4 large salads and had enough left over for 2 more salads. Even my kids devoured this meal. They love all the fresh veggies (especially the sprouts) but the big leafy greens are often hard for them to handle. They cant stick them with their forks and they are too big to put in their mouths sometimes. I dont mind much, as long as they eat the other veggies in their bowls.

Southwestern Tostada Salad

Dressing:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 T honey
1 1/2 t. cumin
1/4 t salt
dash of pepper
combine all ingredients and set aside for about an hour.

Salad:
you can mix and match any of this to your liking. If you like tomatoes, use a lot. If you dont care for onions, omit them. If you want to go totally meatless, omit the chicken.
1 T olive oil
1 - 2 chicken breast, cut into chunks
1/2 t. garlic salt
frozen sweet corn
tomatoes
green onions, thinly sliced
avocados, peeled and chopped
lettuce, or any green blend
red pepper
Monterrey Jack Cheese
3 cups crushed tortilla chips
black beans (1 15 oz can or 2 cups if you cook them yourself)
olives

Heat oil in a skillet and saute chicken until no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with garlic salt. Stir in corn and put in refrigerator for about an hour. Cut up other veggies while chicken is cooling.
Toss all ingredients together and top with dressing. You can also top this with sour cream or salsa.

Absolute Best Potato Casserole

I got the idea for this recipe here. I altered it a ton, so it really isnt very similar. Here is my version.

(becca, this is for the potatoes we ate on Sunday. you asked for the recipe, here it is!)

Preheat oven to 375

6 - 8 potatoes, cubed and rinsed well. pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and cover with sauce.

Sauce, prepare on stove top then pour over potatoes

1/3 cup butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
dash of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 - 2 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup Swiss cheese

melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in milk, and stir constantly until thickened. Mix in Cheddar cheese and Swiss cheese, and continue to stir until smooth. When its smooth and creamy, pour over cubed potatoes.

Bake 375 for about 45 min.

As you can see on the original recipe, you can add ham or bacon and other veggies if you want. Seems like a pretty versatile recipe. Since we still have tons of potatoes, we will be eating this again!

Pan Fried Ravioli

This one is great when you are in a hurry to get dinner on the table.

1 package organic ravioli (okay, okay, you can use normal ravioli, too)
2 eggs
Splash of milk
1-2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
1 Jar organic spaghetti sauce (again, you can use whatever your family likes.)
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parlsley, chopped (If you don't have fresh on hand, dried works too.)
Handful grated parmesan cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a bowl, add eggs and beat. Add milk. In a second bowl, combine breadcrumbs, parsley and cheese. Dip ravioli in egg mixture, then bread mixture until coated. Drizzle a tablespoon or two of oil in a skillet. Over med-hi heat, cook each ravioli a few minutes until lightly toasted. Serve with your favorite sauce.

General Tsao's Chicken

3/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbs. Cornstarch
2 Tbs. Sugar
2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
1 Tbs. Vinegar
1/2 Tsp. Ginger (I hate ginger so I have never included it. It's still yummy without it.)
2 Tsp. Oil
2 Green Onion, Chopped
2-3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
1 lb. Chicken Breast, chopped into about 2 inch pieces

In a bowl, whisk together broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and ginger. Set aside.

Heat oil in wok or large skillet. Add scallions, garlic and pepper flakes and cook about 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until brown, about 5 minutes.

Add sauce and simmer until the sauce thickens and chicken in cooked through.

Serve over rice.

Pizza Roll

I use this recipe for regular pizza crust too, I usually double it, roll about 2/3 of it onto a cookie sheet and roll the remaining 1/3 onto a round pizza pan, thin crust (for Jared).

Dissolve:
1 TBS yeast
1 C warm water
1 tsp. sugar
Add:
2 TBS oil (I use olive)
1 tsp salt (I omit or use sea salt)
2 C flour
1/2 ground flaxseed

Mix together and knead until smooth. Cover and let rest for 20 min. (Pizza roll instructions: Roll out to approximately 12"x12". Spread a small amount of pizza sauce over dough and then add any desired toppings sparsely. Top with cheese, roll up like a cinnamon roll.) Bake on greased pan at 425 for 20-25 minutes. Slice in 1 1/2 inch slices and serve with pizza sauce.

Sloppy Lentils

I know -it is meatless and those that are married to Hymas boys might have a hard time convincing them that it can still be good without meat. When I told Mark what we were having I was sure he was serious about stopping at IN n Out on the way home from work. But believe it or not - Mark really enjoyed it!

2 cups water (the original recipe uses 3 cups, so notice the change for crockpot preparation!)
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
salt to taste (optional)
1 cup chopped onion
15 oz can diced tomatoes (drained), tomato sauce or 2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste, optional (as needed to thicken – especially if using tomato sauce)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons rapadura, molasses, or honey
1 Tbsp white vinegar
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split
cheddar cheese, grated (to top your lentils when serving)

Combine all your ingredients in the crockpot (besides the buns and cheese!). Turn on low and cook for approximately 5 hours, until lentils are tender and the mixture has thickened and absorbed most of the liquids. Serve on open faced hamburger buns and top with melted cheese, as desired.

Bean Quesadillas

I subbed for the dinner club this month and this is one of the dinners we got. I have eaten it for 3 days in a row. It is yummy! And now that avocado dont cost $25 each, it tastes even better with a mashed avacado on top. I should have gotten a better picture, but I was too excited to eat!


1 cup sliced onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
15 oz can black beans, drained (or bust out the beans from your food storage, that is what I will do when I repeat this recipe!)
15 oz can pinto beans, drained (same thing, think food storage!)
1 cup chopped tomato
cilantro to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, garlic, and cumin in a skillet with 2 Tbs. oil until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans to skillet and mix. Add tomatoes and cilantro and stir.

warm one tortilla on stove top. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and put a heap of the bean mixture on top. Let warm thru a bit and toast the tortilla. Top with another tortilla and flip, crisping up the other side as well. Cut in wedges and serve with salsa, sour cream, or avocado.

If you double the recipe the filling freezes well and thaws out quick.

Fajita Pitas

ok So I have been trying to lose some weight since having the baby and I have been doing the curves diet, and I tried this recipe for dinner and it was really good and healthy.

Ingredients
tomato
cucumbers
peppers
lettuce
fajita seasoning
boneless skinless chicken
whole wheat pitas

I first boiled the chicken in just water. When it was all cooked I cut it into smaller pieces, then put it in the fry pan and added the fajita seasoning, and about 1/2 cup of water. cook until all of the water is gone. THen you just load up your pita bread with chicken and all the deifferent veggies. It was absolutely wonderful.
Sorry this recipe isn't an exact, just just throw it all together. I don't think you can mess it up. so good luck.