Taco Chili

This is a quick and easy crock pot or stock pot recipe. Everything is canned so if you need to clean out the pantry, this is good for that. I included the prices after each item, too. 

Ingredients

2 lbs Ground Beef ($14)

2 cans Rotel (I used the Jalapeno and Chili cans) ($2.40)

1 can Cannellini Beans ($.69)

1 can Organic Kidney Beans ($.99)

1 can Organic Corn ($.99)

1 can Hunt's Natural Stewed Tomatoes ($.79)

1 can Hunt's Natural Tomato Paste ($1.39)

1 can Tomato Sauce ($.69)

1 packet of Taco Seasoning ($.69)

1 packet of Ranch Seasoning (Not the dressing mix) ($1.79)

Total cost of recipe: $24.42

Directions

1) Brown the ground beef and drain the liquid.

2) In a stock pot, mix beef with all the other ingredients and bring to a simmer for at least one hour or more. 

Extras

• I've added black olives for extra flavor before.

• Garnish with sour cream, onion, and cheese

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Horseradish Mashed Parsnip and Potatoes

Ingredients(adapted from Bon Apetit)

5 pounds bone in beef short ribs

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 medium onions, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

3 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 bottle dry red wine

2 Tbsp parsley

2 Tbsp thyme

1 Tbsp oregano

a healthy pinch of rosemary

2 bay leaves

1 head of garlic halve crosswise

4 cups beef stock

Brown the ribs in the oil over med-high heat in dutch oven(or pan if you want to do this in the crockpot).  Remove ribs from pot and add the onions, carrots, and celery, cook till onions brown slightly then add the tomato paste and flour stiring continuosly till combined.  Add wine and ribs back to pot and simmer till wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes.  Add in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil again.  Put a lid on and transfer to the oven(350) for 2-2.5 hours, till the meat is falling off the bone. The garlc is really one full head and I just sliced it in a cross but not all the way through, removing any paper that may by loose.  There will be grease on top so you will want to remove that before spooning the meat and yummy sauce on plates.

Horseradish Mashed Parsnip Potatoes

1 Lb of parsnips, peeled and sliced

1 Lb potatoes, peeled and sliced

2-3 Tbsp horseradish 

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup milk

Steam potatoes and parsnips until tender, parsnips take a bit longer so you will want those on the bottom of the steamer.

Hit them with the immersion blender to mash and be sure to salt and pepper them.  I am not a big fan of mashed potatoes but with the parsnip and horseradish, oh and the rib yumminess they are very good.

I also served this with roasted green beans and mushrooms but you cant really see them in the leftovers picture(I forgot to take a picture before I served this...and it might have been a bit blurry:)

Creamy Broccoli Turmeric Soup

Ingredients

1 Tbsp cocnut oil

1/2 c diced onion

1 stalk celery, diced

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp tumeric

1 large head broccoli, cut into florets

1 bay leaf

5 cups broth

1/4 tsp fresh ginger grated

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 avocado

Melt coconut oil in a large pot. Add diced onions and celery and sprinkle with salt.  Cook until soft, about 4 minutes.

Add garlic and tumeric and continue to stir.  Add broccoli, bay leaf, stock, ginger, cayenne, and pepper.  Cover and cook until broccoli is tender.

After soup is done cooking add the pitted and peeled avocado and either use immersion blender or put in a regular blender.  oops, dont forget the bay leaf has to come out before you blend.

This is really really good but I think it may turn brown if there are leftovers. I also had a kind of small head of broccoli so I sliced up the stem and added it in the frist step with the onion and celery.

Moroccan Carrots

Moroccan Carrots

4 c carrots, steamed

2 tsp EVOO

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds

1-1/2 tbsp cilantro chopped

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 ground cumin 

Orange Chicken with Sriracha

Instead of serving this dish over rice, we used steamed broccoli and it was perfect. Clean and crunchy. We reduced the sugar from 1/2 cup to a few tablespoons. I'd like to try cooking it in coconut oil or possibly broiling it to reduce the fat more. I'm not sure if the coating on the chicken would taste the same. I'll edit this recipe when I cook it the next time. 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• For the Marinade:
• 1 cup regular chicken broth
• ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• zest of one orange
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• ⅓ cup Asian seasoned rice vinegar
• ¼ cup regular (not light) soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2-3 TB Sriracha, depending on desired heat level
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 TB cornstarch, dissolved with 2 TB water
• For the Chicken:
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 cup cornstarch, in a pie pan
• 2 large eggs, beaten, in a pie pan
• 1 cup peanut oil for frying
• Optional: We used sesame seeds, cilantro and green onions for garnish

Directions

1. Make the marinade: Combine all marinade ingredients together in a bowl, and whisk to incorporate well. Combine chicken with ½ cup of the marinade, making sure that all pieces are thoroughly covered with the marinade. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes or longer.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring remaining marinade to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Sauce will thicken as it gets to a boil. Once sauce is thickened, turn heat off. Keep sauce warm while you fry the chicken.
3. Drain chicken and discard used marinade.
4. Dip chicken pieces a few at a time into the pan of beaten eggs. Let excess eggs drip off, and dredge chicken pieces in the pan of cornstarch. Press to coat well. Repeat until all pieces are coated.
5. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high to high heat, until oil is very hot. Add chicken pieces, taking care not to overcrowd, and fry until cooked through, about 1-2 min. Place fried chicken on paper towels, and work in batches until all chicken is fried.
6. Toss chicken with warm sauce and serve immediately. Serve over rice and garnish as desired.

Copycat Trader Joe's Lentil wrap

Hmm, this does not look appetizing but I promise it is.  I think I actually like it a bit better than the Trader Joe's one just because I upped the spices a tad.

 

Ingredients:

6 lavash or any other wrap

feta cheese

either shredded cabbage or broccoli slaw

3/4 cup lentils(I used pre cooked ones)

3/4 cup cooked quinoa

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley(I was out so used fresh cilantro)

Red Pepper Paste

6 canned roasted red bell peppers

1/2 tsp cayenne

2 cloves garlic

salt and pepper

Directions

Brown onion over med heat in olive oil, add spices and the cooked lentils and cooked quinoa.  Set aside to cool.

In food processor or blender mix all ingredients for the red pepper paste.  Put on stove and bring to a boil then turn back down to low and let cook till it thickens a bit.  I left mine on for about 45 min just because I had a bit of liquid in with the roasted red peppers. 

To assemble, spread a nice layer of red pepper paste on the wrap, some feta, the lentil mixture and the slaw.  I really like to toast these up just by putting them on a fry pan for a few minutes or if I have it out sometimes I put them in the waffle maker:) But thats why I put the feta next to the wrap, so it gets a little melty.

TJ's serves this with a tahini dipping sauce, as much as I love tahini, I don't feel theres a need and always end up throwing it away.  But if you guys love the sauce, this is the site where I started messing with this recipe. www.thekitchn.com/recipes-from-the-kitchn-167629 and she has the tahini recipe.  She also used bulgur but I like using the quinoa just to up the protein and well cuz I really like quinoa.  

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Serves: 3-4

First and foremost, here is a link to the original recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen. I did not want to use a can of "Cream of Whatever" soup. I chose to make my own because homemade is always better. I also left out the butter to reduce fat and used corn flake crumbs rather than Ritz crackers, only because I didn't have any. You can find my version below. I reduced the original amounts in half. The original recipe is for 4 people but I found that even by cutting it in half, I still ad enough for 3-4 meals.

Ingredients

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (2 chicken breasts)
4 oz Light Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon of Poppy Seed
1/4 teaspoon of Celery Salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2-3/4 cup Corn Flake Crumbs, divided
5 oz Cream of Chicken soup****

****I made a Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
1 Tablespoon Flour
3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 cup milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions for "Cream of Chicken Soup"
1) Melt butter in pan. Whisk in flour until bubbly
2) Remove from heat, whisk in broth and milk.
3) Return to heat and bring to a low boil.
4) Add salt and pepper to taste


Assembling the casserole:

1) Preheat oven to 350° and lightly coat a baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
2) In a large bowl, mix chicken, cream of chicken mixture, sour cream, poppy seed, celery sale, 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese and 1/3-1/2 cup Corn Flake Crumbs.
3) Spoon mixture into dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese, corn flake crumbs and paprika.
4) Bake for 35-40 minutes.