Tex Mex Black Bean Dip

This is the bean dip I made at book club yesterday.

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
• 3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup mild picante sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
DIRECTIONS
1. Place black beans in a medium size mixing bowl, partially mash beans -- beans should remain a little chunky.
2. In a medium size frying pan, heat oil over a medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes.
3. Mix beans, corn, tomato, picante sauce, cumin, and chili powder into the frying pan; cook for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat, mix in cheese, cilantro and lime juice; stir until cheese is melted.

Corn on the Cob with Parmesan Cheese

I had bought some corn on the cob from the farmers market and wanted to do something a little different.

This recipe is from Giada De Laurentis, and it's delicious and so easy.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 ears yellow corn, husked, halved crosswise

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until tender and fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and cool. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and stir the rest into the garlic mixture, along with the parsley and salt.

Cook the corn in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the corn to a platter. Brush the cheese mixture over the hot corn and serve. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese on top of the corn.

Flour's Famous Banana Bread

Mmmm. I double this to make two loafs.

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F. Grease loaf pan with shortening.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Halloween Treats

Just thought I'd share a fun website I found that has 15 healthy halloween snack recipes. I think I'll use a few of them for book club tomorrow.

Halloween Snacks

Deviled Eggs

Made these last night for Enrichment. I think they went over well. The cream cheese appears to be the secret.


12 hard-cooked eggs
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 pouch Bacon Bits
salt and pepper to taste

CUT eggs lengthwise in half. Remove yolks; place in medium bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well.

SPOON into resealable plastic bag. Cut small corner from bottom of bag; pipe filling into egg whites.

Tips:

To get a perfectly hard cooked egg, place eggs in large sauce pan, cover with water by 1 inch and bring to boil. Cover, turn off burner and let sit for 30 minutes without opening lid. Drain, add cold water and peel.

Zuppa Toscana

EXACTLY like the real thing. Exactly.

Ingredients
1 pound spicy Italian sausage
1/2 bacon bits pouch
4 cups water
2, 14.5 ounce cans chicken broth
2 large russet potatoes - scrubbed clean, cubed, skin on
1 tsp jarred crushed garlic
1 big handful chopped frozen onions
1 block frozen chopped spinach
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper - to taste - may not need any

Directions
1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you cook it. Add bacon bits and heat through 5 minutes. If you gets bits stuck to the bottom add about 1 tablespoon water or broth to the skillet to pull up bits from the bottom. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, place water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender.
4. Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add frozen spinach and cream to pot; season with salt and pepper if needed; heat through.

Apricot Chicken

1 C Apricot Jam, Jelly, or Preserves (apricot-pineapple is fine)

1/2 Cup Ketchup

1/4 Cup Italian Salad Dressing or 1 packet Italian Salad dressing envelope

Mix together, spread on chicken, bake 350 for 1 hr. uncovered and enjoy!

Oven Stew

This isn't really a recipe for the health conscious, but it's a good one to prepare early in the day and just let it cook away in the oven. Excellent for those cold, chilly days where you need something to warm you up.

2 lbs. hamburger

2 onions, chopped

2 sticks of celery, chopped

Carrots, peeled and chopped (I use about 3 or 4)

Potatoes, peeled and chopped (I used about 4-5 of these)

2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup

1 can Cheddar Cheese soup

2 cups milk

Brown the hamburger in an oven safe pot or dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper. Add everything else and stir well until the mixture is creamy.

Put in a 350 degree oven. Let bubble for 2-3 hours. Good for camping or cook while away for the afternoon.

With the potatoes and carrots, sometimes, I just guess how many to use depending on how big they are and how many people will be eating.

Ground Turkey Casserole

I could not have imagined how delicious this would turn out. I made it for the missionaries I think we all had seconds.

Ground Turkey Casserole

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion (I use frozen)
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (12 ounce) package uncooked egg noodles
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

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Easy Cheesy Enchiladas

One of the only recipes I've ever truly created alone.

2 15 oz cans GREEN enchilada sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 Costco-sized cans chicken, drained
1 pkg flour tortillas
1 cube cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded cheese of your choice

Preheat over to 375 degrees.

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Tomato Cream Soup

Cream of Tomato Soup

Recipe courtesy Georgia Downard


Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 medium onion, chopped, or 3/4 cup frozen chopped onions
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, including juices
* 2 cups reduced-sodium canned chicken broth
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seassoning
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 cup light cream or milk
* Salt and pepper

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Weekly Meal Plan

My meal plan last week ended up being awesome, so I wanted to share.  I made:

Stuffed Green Bell Peppers (Mel's recipe w/ a few tweaks)
Amy's Crock Pot Roast and Corn Bread
Mackenzie's Enchiladas (sort of)
Chicken Cordon Bleu (Mackenzie's recipe)
Corn Chowder
Steak Tacos and Nacho Libre Corn
Greek Chicken Souvlaki Pitas

Click on "read more" for the recipes!

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Taco Meat Mixture

This is a good thing to make if you need to use up some salsa before it goes bad.
It turned out a lot better then I thought and Mark fell in love. :)



• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 package taco seasoning
• Batter
• Mazola PureTM Cooking Spray
• 1/2 cup masa corn flour OR corn meal
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 envelopes Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk (very warm 120-130°F)
• 3 tablespoons corn oil
• 1 egg
•

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Pumpkin Soup

Rachel Ray's Pumpkin Soup with Chili Cran-Apple Relish

I love fall because of the weather, the colors, the harvest, and the soup. This is a really easy recipe (follow the link above) that we have been making for years.

I only use one cup of cream. In the relish I use mostly paprika, and a some chili powder.

Zucchini Pancakes

Zucchini is only $.79/lb at Westside Market right now, so i bought a bunch and have been making zucchini stuff. Tonight I made these zucchini pancakes and everyone loved them (including my two- and five-year old). I made them with a little less oil, a lot less butter, and an additional zucchini, then served them with sour cream and applesauce.

Zucchini Pancakes Recipe, from Recipezaar

35 min | 15 min prep

SERVES 4 , 16 pancakes

• 2 cups finely shredded fresh zucchini (2 - 8-inch zucchini required)
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup melted butter or melted margarine (for rub)

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Honey Bun Cake

I made this cake as a surprise for my husband's birthday and he has officially proclaimed it his new favorite cake. It was an upsetting defeat for Carrot Cake, the previous title-holder, but the verdict was undisputed as the decadent, buttery layers of this cake and the ribbon of cinnamon and pecans are equally charming and irresistible. Likewise, this cake is most definitely NOT good for you, but deep down you know that acknowledging that would spoil the fun.
The recipe came off of the back of a Betty Crocker cake mix box, but I've tweaked it slightly.

1	box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® Butter Pecan cake mix
1 cup butter	or margarine, room temperature
4	eggs
1	container (8 oz) sour cream (1 cup)
1	cup packed brown sugar
1/3	cup chopped pecans
2	teaspoons ground cinnamon
1	cup powdered sugar
1	tablespoon milk
1	teaspoon vanilla

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Green Tomato Relish

It is officially Autumn here in good 'ol Provo, Utah which means that it's time to crank up the thermostat, break out the sweaters, and harvest all of the leftover green tomatoes left on my vine outside the kitchen. If you are like me and have a tomato vine full of semi-ripened tomatoes that you hate to see lost to the autumn frosts, OR if you'd just like an alternative to the preservative-laden and overly sugared condiments sold in the grocery store, this recipe is a life saver.
I took the recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Farm Girl. You can click on that link to get the recipe, or you can keep on reading here. I changed mine slightly because I wanted a product that more closely resembled sweet pickle relish, since my 7 year old won't eat tuna fish sandwiches without it. If you want a more savory, salsa-like relish, stick with Farm Girl's original recipe. What I ended up with is a slightly spicy, flavorful, tangy relish with a mild texture. It was extremely easy and fun to make (the aforementioned 7 year old and I spent the afternoon chopping and mixing- one of our favorite family activities). I'm looking forward to cooking with it.


Farmgirl Susan's No Sugar Green Tomato Relish
Makes about 3 pints
Recipe may be doubled; increase cooking time by 10-15 minutes

2 lb. green tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 lb. white or yellow onions, chopped
3/4 lb. sweet red peppers, cored and chopped
1/2 lb. tart cooking apples, such as 'Granny Smith', cored and chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup 5% acidic organic raw apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt
4 jalapeno peppers, roasted, cored, seeded if desired, and finely chopped (optional)
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
2 Tablespoons honey

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Acorn Squash Slices Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Acorn Squash Slices Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

My mother-in-law sent me the Taste of Home Busy Family cook book. I've tried a few recipes, this was one. A hit. Husband, who doesn't even like squash loved it. Next time I'll bake it for a little longer. Other than that I loved how easy it was to throw together, and it was just the right amount of sweet.

In the spirit of full disclosure, Reuben (age three) just squished the squash with his spoon, eating only the pecans.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's Autumn which to me means it's time for all things pumpkin. Iceberg has pumpkin shakes, Starbucks has pumpkin frappuccinos; my sister-in-law makes fabulous pumpkin rolls, and there is nothing better than a great pumpkin pie! I celebrated the commencement of this season of pumpkin by making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I found this recipe at allrecipes.com and my mother-in-law said they were some of the best that she's had! I doubled the recipe and it made close to 4 dozen. If you use an ice cream scoop to put the dough on your cookie sheet, you'll end up with uniformly sized cookies with beautiful rounded tops. My family really enjoyed these. What should my next pumpkin treat be? There are so many options, I just can't decide. At leat I have until Christmas to get it out of my system.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  
  
• Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Homemade Creamy Tomato Parmigiano Soup

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 Tbs butter
1 small can crushed tomatoes in thick puree
1 small can chicken broth
Italian seasonings to taste (basil, oregano, etc)
1/3 to 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1 1/2 Tbs low fat cream cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Saute garlic and butter in medium saucepan for about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, add seasonings, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until it reaches desired thickness.  Remove from heat and add sour cream and cheeses slowly while stirring constantly to prevent sour cream from curdling.  Put back on heat and stir until cheeses are melted and soup is thick.  Makes approximately 2 to 2.5 servings so definitely double it if you're feeding more than just you and the hubby.

For those of you who've eaten at Zupas in Provo UT, this soup is really similar to their delicious tomato basil soup (especially if you add some crushed red pepper to spice it up a bit and add enough parmesan to give it that wonderful texture).  They serve theirs with orzo pasta which is really yummy!!

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Spinach Quiche

6 eggs

6 oz cream

1 pkg frozen spinach, defrosted and wrung out

2 cups grated cheese, any variety you prefer

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1/2 cup frozen chopped onions

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

1 prepared pie crust (either frozen or refrigerated)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat eggs and cream together until frothy. Add remaining ingredients except pie crust and mix. Pour into prepared crust and cover with tin foil. Bake for 25 minutes and then uncover and bake until quiche is set, another 20 - 25 minutes. Check regularly to make sure quiche is not burning. Remove from oven and let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Grandma's Corn Bread

There are few people who have asked for my corn bread recipe, so here it is. This is definately one thing that gets eaten very fast at our place and is great for a lunch snack.

1/2 cup margarine
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Bake at 325 for 30-45 minutes

Instead of buttermilk I just use our dry milk mixed with water and it still turns out just as good. It's these type of recipes where dry milk comes in handy, so your not having to waste the store bought.

Coconut Chex Mix

This recipe makes two large Ziploc bags full. To make less just use 3 cups combined Chex & 3 cups golden grahams, and half of everything else.

3 c. rice chex
3 c. corn chex
6 c. golden grahams
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. coconut
1 1/2 c. butter (3 cubes)
1 c. sugar
1 c. Caro syrup
1 t. vanilla

*Combine cereals, nuts, & coconut in a large bowl and toss. Boil butter, sugar, Caro syrup, & vanilla for two minutes in a jumbo pot. Pour cereal mixture into pan after boiled & toss to coat. Pour onto wax paper to cool & break apart once set. Tastes best refrigerated!