Friday, July 30, 2010

Black Bean Enchiladas

Here is the round 2 recipe for the black bean burgers... This are a yummy, healthy option that my kids ate up quickly!! Again, not a big fan of corn tortillas, so I substitute flour tortillas. Not as healthy I am sure, but super delish!

Black Bean Enchiladas
(recipe found at foodnetwork.com)
Serves: 8 enchiladas

1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
8 corn tortillas
1 cup leftover black bean burger mixture
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Pour half of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Warm tortillas by wrapping in a damp paper towel and heating in microwave for 45 seconds or until soft and pliable.

Place 2 tablespoons of black bean burger mixture onto the bottom third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down into the baking dish. Repeat with remaining black bean burger mixture and tortillas. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the filled tortillas. Top with the cheddar cheese and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Black Bean Burgers

I didn't know that I would love black beans so much until I tried this recipe. I am always up for trying new things and Josh was gone for work for the week, so I busted out this recipe for a night. A girlfriend came over for supper with the kids and I and we both fell in love hard!! They are so delicious... and the leftovers are used to make a "second go round" recipe!! Try them - you never know how much you will like them! :)

Black Bean Burgers
(recipe found at foodnetwork.com)
Serves - 4 burgers

1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs
slt and fresh ground black pepper
4 hamburger rolls

Heat grill or grill pan over medium low heat. In a food processor, pulse onion and garlic until finely chopped. Add 1 can black beans, cilantro, parsley, egg and red pepper flakes and pulse to combine. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl, add the remaining can of black beans and the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and mix until well combined.

Reserve 1/3 (or 1 cup) of the black bean mixture for Round 2 recipe. Divide remaining mixture into 4 portions and form into patties. Place on hot grill over medium low heat and cook about 6 minutes a side or until heated through. Toast hamburger buns on a grill. Place a burger on the bottom of each bun. Top with lettuce, tomato and ketchup or favorite burger toppings! Cover the burgers with the top of the bun and serve!

Sorry, no pictures of this one, we gobbled them up way too fast!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Strawberry Shortcake

This is a treat that I have to make at least once, every time that I have strawberries on hand! :) My family, especially Josh, loves this yummy goodness and it is super easy to make...

Strawberry Shortcake
(recipe found on regular bisquick box)

2 1/3 cups Bisquick baking mix
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp sugar
4 cups strawberries
1/2 cup sugar

Add sugar to cut up strawberries and refrigerate for a few hours to allow flavors to blend.

Heat oven to 425°F. Stir baking mix, melted butter, milk, and 3 Tbsp of sugar in a mixing bowl until soft dough forms. Drop by 6 spoonfuls on to a greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Top with strawberries, sugar and cream or milk, whatever you have on hand...

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Cornmeal Crusted Flounder Fillets

In an effort to get away from our normal chicken or beef meals, I decided to try a fish recipe that I had... The taste of it was wonderful, but I am pretty sure that I am not so hot at cooking up fish! I think that I will leave it to Josh, the texture of mine always turns out way too mushy... So, if anyone has any good tricks at cooking fish - shoot me a note, cause I am all about trying something new! :)

Cornmeal Crusted Flounder Fillets
(recipe found at weightwatchers.com)
Serves: 4
Points: 5

1/2 cup finely groundyellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
4 teaspoon vegetable oil, preferable peanut or canola
1 1/4 pounds flounder fillets, 1/2" thick, cut into 4 pieces
4 lemon wedges

Combine the cornmeal, cumin, seasoned salt, and cayenne on a large plate. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot, at least 1 minute.

Dredge two of the fillets on both sides in the cornmeal mixture, gently shaking off the excess. Carefully place them into the pan and cook, shaking the pan occasionally to prevent sticking, until the crust is crisp 2-3 minutes; carefully flip and cook until the fish is cooked through, 1-2 minutes more (reduce the heat if the fish browns too quickly). Transfer to a warmed plate and repeat with the remaining fillets. Serve at once, with lemon wedges on the side.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Chicken Taco Salad

Here's another recipe that I tried for the first time the other night. It was pretty tasty and I loved the tortilla chips that come with it. I love taco salads and order them a lot at restaurants and this was definitely a lower calorie way of getting the "shell" taste without the deep fried shell! :)

Chicken Taco Salad
(recipe found at weightwatchers.com)
Serves: 4
Points: 7

8 medium corn tortillas, cut into 4 wedges each (I'm not a big fan of corn tortillas, so I usually end up using flour tortillas - this probably affects the points though! :)
cooking spray - to coat pan and tortillas
1/2 tesaspoon table salt
4 cup romaine lettuce, shredded
1 pound cooked, skinless chicken breasts, shredded
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or Adobo seasoning
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Preheat oven to 400. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange tortillas on baking sheet; spray tortillas with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes.

Arrange tortillas in bottom and up sides of 4 salad bowls. Place 1/4 of lettuce, chicken, tomatoes and cheese in each bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, salsa, cumin and pepper sauce. Drizzle about 3 tablespoons dressing over each salad.

I usually try to make things as simple as possible when I am getting supper ready - so I skipped the indiviual bowl part of this recipe and just combined it all in one big bowl and then added the dressing. Turned out just as good and was easier to serve for the kids especially!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

These might have to be, by far, my favorite enchilada recipe... I am all for the cheese - but ifyou like enchilada sauce, this is probably not the dish for you!

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
(recipe found on weightwatchers.com)
Servings: 6
Points: 6

1 spray cooking spray
8 ounces Velveeta Light
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup fat free evaporated milk
1/4 cup scallions, green part only, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
6 medium whole wheat tortillas
1/4 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
6 medium olives, green, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup salsa

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a microwave safe bowl, combine cheese product and sour cream; cover and microwave on high power until cheese melts, about 1 1/2-2 minutes. Remove half of melted cheese to a small bowl and stir in evaporated milk; set aside. Add scallions, red pepper flakes and chicken to remaining cheese mixture; stir to coat.

Spoon about 2/3 cup of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; fold in sides of tortilla to cover filling and place tortillas in a single layer in prepared dish; spoon remaining cheese sauce over top and then sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and olives.

Bake until cheese topping is bubbly, about 20-25 minutes. Serve with salsa.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust

Here is another recipe that I just had to try and it did not disappoint! I love sweets, but hate having them hanging around my house for me to eat and eat and eat... So, this was another treat that I took along for the 4th of July and it was a hit!


Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust
(recipe found at www.cookincanuck.com)

Crust:
3 whole graham crackers, broken into 1 inch pieces
12 gingersnapp cookies, broken into 1 inch pieces
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling:
2 (8 ouces each) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 1/4 inch peieces
1 1 inch pieces of fresh ginger, peeled

Preheat oven to 325. Prepare an 8" square baking pan by lining the pan with aluminum foil, leaving 3-4 inches of foil draping overthe sides of the pan. For the crust: Place graham crackers and gingersnaps into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the crackers form fine crumbs, about 30 seconds. To the crumbs, add butter, brown sugar, flour and salt. Pulse until the ingredients are fully combined. Using the bottom of a measuring cup or your fingers, press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is beginning to brown, 12-15 minutes. Let the crust cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes.

For the filling: in a large bowl, beat cream cheese until it is very smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape the beaters and sides of bowl frequently. Gradually beat in sugar until the mixture is combined, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure that each is fully incorporated. Beat in sour cream and vanilla extract until fully combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape the cream cheese mixture into the baking pan, over top of the cooled crust. Spread evenly. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Simmer, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Add rhubarb and ginger to the water and sugar syrup. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is very soft and falling apart, 7-10 minutes. Remove and discard the piece of ginger. Cool for about 10 minutes. Using a teaspoon, spoon 1/2 cup of the rhubarb mixture gently onto random places over the surface of the cheesecake. Using a small knife, gently swirl the rhubarb mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Bake until the edges are set but the middle still jiggles slightly when the pan is shaken slightly, 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the bars to cool for 2 hours. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and up to 24 hours. Using the overhanging foil, lift the bars from the pan. Gently remove the foil and cut into 16 bars. Top the bars with the remaining rhubarb sauce immediately before serving.

I really enjoyed this dessert!! I did end up making few changes... I love, love, love a good crust and this one sounded delish - so I doubled the recipe for the crust! I was right, it was yummy and I got a lot of comments on the crust in particular! Also, as you can tell from the picture, it is missing the rhubarb sauce on the top... That is because my sous chef (my hubby) got a little impatient with the dish washing part and ended up throwing out my extra sauce... Oh well, it was good without it and he was TRYING to be helpful! :) Also, I used rhubarb that had been frozen already and it still tasted wonderful - so it is a great recipe to bust out that rhubarb that is hanging around your freezer! Enjoy!!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Penne with Peppers and Sausage

This is a meal that is super hearty and makes a lot! The serving size says 6, but I feel like that would be really, really big portions!!

Penne with Peppers and Sausage
(recipe found at weighterwatchers.com)
Points Value: 6

1 spray cooking spray
2 medium green peppers, cut into thin strips (or chunks if you have little ones like me!)
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 pound raw turkey sausage, spicy Italian flavor
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
14 1/2 ounce canned diced tomatoes
3 cups cooked whole wheat pasta, penne, kept hot - I use half regular penne and half whole wheat (to keep the hubby happier! :)
6 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium high heat. Add green pepper, garlic, onion and mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, until almost tender, about 7-8 minutes. Remove turkey from casings; add to skillet and brown sausage until no longer pink, stirring occasionally, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 6 minutes. Add oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes; stir in tomatoes. Simmer until heated through and to allow flavors to blend, about 5 minutes. Spoon penne into deep serving bowl; spoon sausage mixture over top and then sprinkle with cheese.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

S'mores Brownies

Found this tasty little treat out in blog-land and I knew that I had to try it! I made it for the 4th of July and it was a hit... The pieces end up being ginormous, but so yummy!

S'mores Brownies
(recipe found at anniebakes.net)

1 (21 oz) package Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup chocolate chips
graham crackers, broken into halves

Preheat oven to 350. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Prepare and bake brownie mix following the recipe on the package. Immediately upon removal from the oven, sprinkle marshmallows and chocolate chips over warm brownie mix. Return to hot oven for about 2 minutes to melt. Arrange graham crackers on top of hot marshmallows and press lightly. Cool completely and cut into servings around the graham crackers.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

With the amount of bananas that we go through in my house in a week, it is amazing that we ever have any left over to make banana bread - but sometimes it does happen. I have a standard banana bread recipe that I use, but I wanted to try something a bit different this time... Glad that I did!! I have already made it again since I tried it for the first time a week ago....

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
(recipe found at iheartnaptime.blogspot.com)

1 stick butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed bananas
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 chopped pecans (optional)

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Mix flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt in separate bowl. Slowly add to sugar mixture. Fold in bananas, nuts and chocolate chips. Pour into 2 loaf pans or 2 muffin pans or 1 of each. Bake at 325 for 1 hour in a loaf pan or 25 minutes in a muffin pan.

Friday, July 9, 2010

BBQ Chicken with Grilled Sweet Potatoes

So, I decided with all this summer eating, I needed to lighten back up on the summer cooking... So, I busted out my Weight Watchers recipe binder and tried my hand at this fun recipe! It was pretty tasty, but I think that Josh is definitely a much better griller then I am! :)

BBQ Chicken with Grilled Sweet Potatoes
(weightwatchers.com)
Serves 4
Points Value of 5

2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon of each: ground cumin, ground cinnamon, garlic powder and dry mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large sweet potatoes
cooking spray
salt to taste

Mix ingredients paprika through sugar. A few hours before you plan to grill, rub chicken breasts with seasoning mixture. Cover and refrigerate until 15 minutes before you grill.
Peel sweet potatoes and slice into 1/3 inch discs. Place in a pot with enough cold, salted water to cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 3-4 minutes, then drain and cool.
When it's time to grill, preheat grill, then spray potatoes with cooking spray or olive oil spray and salt them. Salt chicken breasts. Place potatoes and chicken on grill and cook until done. The seasoning mixture makes the chicken very reddish in color, so be careful not to cook the chicken too long.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Ranch Medley Casserole

Thought that I would try something different then beef or chicken for once! This turned out deliciously!! Josh's first comment was "mmmm.... ham!"

Ranch Medley Casserole
(found in Casseroles and Slow Cookers)
Serves 6

1 (1 pound bag) frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower
2 cups diced cooked ham
2 cups refrigerated diced potatoes with onions
1 container (10 oz) refrigerated Alfredo pasta sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing
24 round buttery crackers, crushed (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, mix frozen vegatables, ham, potatoes, Alfredo sauce and ranch dressing. Spread evenly in ungreased 13x9 inch glass baking dish. In small bowl, mix crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle over top of casserole. Bake 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

Another easy weeknight meal!



Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
(Pillsbury Cookbook - Easy Recipes with Crescents, Biscuits and More!)
Serves 4

1 tablespoon oil
1 1/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups sliced fresh carrots
2 cups frozen southern-style hashbrown potatoes
1 (12 or 15 ouce) jar roasted chicken gravy
1 cup frozen sweet peas
1 (12 ounce) can Pillsbury golden layers buttermilk or flaky biscuits
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Heat oil in 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add chicken; sprinkle with salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme and the pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until chicken is browned, stirring frequently. Add carrots and potatoes to chicken, cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add gravy to chicken and vegetables; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally and adding peas during last 5 minutes of cooking time.

During last 15 minutes of cooking, heat oven to 400. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each into quarters and place in large bowl. Add garlic powder and remining teaspoon thyme; toss biscuits to coat. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes or until biscuit pieces are golden brown. Scatter over top of cooked chicken mixture before serving.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Corn Bread Taco Bake

I love me some cornbread!! I don't know what it is about cornbread - the taste for sure, the texture? I am not sure, I just know that any recipe that I can find that includes cornbread - I am bound to try! Here's another quick and easy one!



Corn Bread Taco Bake

1 pound ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 can chili
2 cups cheese, divided (any kind)
1 can (11 oz) mexican style corn, drained
2 packages (8.5 oz each) corn muffin mix
chopped tomatoes
sliced olives
sour cream

Preheat oven to 375. In large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until beef is no longer pink; drain. Add taco seasoning mix and prepare according to package instructions. Stir in chili and 1 cup of cheese. In a large bowl, prepare corn muffin mix according to package instructions. Stir in corn and remaining 1 cup of cheese. Spoon ground beef mixture evenly onto bottom of 9x13 pan. Top with cornbread mixture spreading evenly to edges of pan. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares. Top with tomatoes, olives and sour cream.

As you can tell, I am not big on adding all the extras to the top... It might be a little tastier, but we go with the basics here!