Salsa Bean Dip (0 Star)

This is a recipe I came up with myself, and maybe I am a little strange, I don't know. But I like it and it is another healthy way to make veggies more enticing. All it is, is refried beans mixed with salsa. I use my homemade refried beans from this post. If I were to make it with canned refried beans (which I'm not sure I ever would because they just don't taste nearly as good) I would season them with stuff like liquid smoke, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle powder, maybe some taco seasoning, etc. As far as amounts, I haven't measured, but I'm guessing it's somewhere between a one to one, or three to two ratio, the beans being the greater amount.

Queso Chicken Soup (3 Star)

This soup is one of Brandon's favorites. Most of the rest of us like it, too. It is creamy, cheesy, and chunky, full of vegetables, potatoes, chicken, and black beans.



Queso Chicken Soup
adapted from Picky Palate

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 cans of chunk chicken from Costco, undrained (or use 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast)
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1-2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
15 oz can black beans, drained
15 oz can diced tomatoes (I always puree mine to appease the picky eaters)
4 Cups diced baking potato
¼ Cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
half a jar of Ragu cheese sauce or two cups of shredded cheddar or Monterrey jack

Garnish
Frito's or tortilla chips
cilantro leaves

Heat oil in a 5 qt dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic and chicken. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add cumin, salt, pepper, and flour and stir for another minute. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, and potatoes. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are fork tender. Reduce heat to low and stir in cilantro leaves and Ragu cheese sauce or grated cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Garnish with chips and cilantro leaves, if desired.




Click here for original recipe.

Rosemary Hummus (0 Star)

One of my goals for this year is to eat more veggies, especially fresh ones. I normally am not too excited about eating them plain, though--a dip is essential for me. However, since many dips are so high calorie and not so great on the "healthy" scale, I've been interested in finding some dips that I love that are more healthy and lower calorie. This hummus was a good fit.

I'm not a big hummus fan and my previous attempts at making it have been bad enough that I threw them away. But I thought I would make another attempt and this one I liked.

This was a very easy recipe and one thing that I liked about it was the absence of sesame tahini--a common hummus ingredient. I didn't have any on hand and it can be pricey, so I was glad to not have to deal with it. I also didn't have fresh rosemary so I just used about a half teaspoon of dried rosemary.



Rosemary Hummus
adapted from Tasty Kitchen

•2-½ Tablespoons olive oil
•½ teaspoon dried rosemary
•30 ounces canned garbanzo beans, drained
•⅓ cups plain Greek (or regular) yogurt
•1 teaspoon lemon juice
•1 whole garlic clove, peeled
•1 teaspoon salt
•¼ teaspoons pepper

Place the oil in a small skillet over high heat. Once smoking, sprinkle the dried rosemary into the oil and flash-fry for maybe a couple of seconds. Remove from the heat, and immediately pour the hot oil and rosemary into a small heatproof cup or bowl. Allow to cool a bit before adding this to the other ingredients.

Place the garbanzo beans in the food processor with the yogurt, rosemary-infused oil (cooled), lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Puree to desired consistency.

Click here for the original recipe.

Southwest Chicken Chili (3 Star)

This is one of my favorite chicken chili recipes, from Picky Palate. It's spicy, savory, fresh, and healthful. I generally make it as written, with the addition of a cup of my favorite salsa.

Click here for the recipe.

Enchiladas (3 Star), Refried Beans, and Cilantro Lime Slaw

This dinner was to die for. Everything was so good, but especially in this combination. The boys only liked the enchiladas, so that is what the rating refers to. (Crazy punks! How could they not like the refried beans? They were awesome!) All the recipes are courtesy of Prudence Pennywise, original recipes found at the following links: enchiladas, refried beans, and slaw.

I did change up the enchiladas to make them lower fat and more nutritionally packed, so here is the recipe:

Beef and Veggie Enchiladas

For Enchiladas:
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
15 corn tortillas
1/2 cup shredded cheese, for top (I used a mozzarella, provolone, cheddar blend from Costco)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, or sliced green onions, for garnish

For Sauce:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoon flour
5-6 tablespoons chili powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon dried cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
2 cups/cans tomato sauce (if you can find it, try El Pato spicy tomato sauce in the yellow can)

For Filling:
1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef
1 (7 ounce) can diced green chilies
1/3 cup finely minced onion or scallions
1 cup finely chopped broccoli
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
juice of 1 lime

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add corn tortillas, one at a time, and lightly fry just until softened, adding more oil as needed. Stack tortillas atop one another on a paper towel

When finished, in same skillet heat oil for sauce. Whisk in flour; cook for one minute. Add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and paprika. Stir for one minute. Whisk in chicken broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While sauce simmers, put a large skillet on medium to medium-high heat. Fry the ground beef, onion, broccoli, and carrot together until the beef is cooked through. Add the green chilies, salt, cumin, and lime juice and stir until heated through and remove from heat to assemble enchiladas.

Preheat oven to 425 if you are baking the enchiladas now. Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking pan and an 8 inch square baking dish. Pour enough of the enchilada sauce into both pans to just cover the bottom. Dip the tortillas into the sauce in the skillet, on both sides. Add about 1/4 cup filling and roll up and arrange tortillas between the two pans. Pour remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle lightly with cheese. (Can be prepared up to this point. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for up to two days.) Place tortillas in 425 degree preheated oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until just bubbly and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro and let cool for five minutes before serving. (If baking refrigerated enchiladas, increase baking time to 20-25 minutes. Keep covered with foil for first ten minutes of baking, to prevent drying.)


I am also including the refried bean recipe because I want to remember what seasonings I used this time, and I also made a larger batch. These beans were so good and so easy.

So Easy "Un" Refried Beans in the Crock Pot

3 cups dried pinto beans-no need to presoak
12 cups water
1 onion, diced

Put beans, onion, and water in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low overnight, or about 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. (Every crock pot is different, so give yourself plenty of time.) When the beans are very soft, remove all of the liquid that you can with a small ladle or measuring cup. You don't need to strain the beans, just get out as much of the cooking water as possible. Mash the beans with a potato masher or immersion blender, getting them as creamy as you like, or leave them whole, if that floats your boat. Add seasonings and stir.

I (Becky) added:

4 tsp. chicken base
2-3 tsp. salt
2 dashes liquid smoke
3 dashes Tabasco
2 pinches chipotle powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Prudy's other add-in ideas:

start with 1/4 teaspoon salt (or use granulated chicken bouillon)
1/2-3/4 cup flavorful liquid: taco sauce, red or green salsa, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce (my favorite is El Pato spicy tomato sauce), or even a 14 ounce can of undrained Mexican style petite diced tomatoes
Optional Add ins: sauteed garlic-onions-jalapenos, bacon grease, chopped cooked bacon, roasted red peppers, diced green chilies, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped cilantro


Well, I guess I'm going to put the slaw recipe in here, too, since it is hidden inside her post and I did make one change by adding tomatoes.

Cilantro Lime Slaw

1 10 ounce package coleslaw mix or 1 small head of green cabbage, shredded
1 bunch cilantro
2-3 tomatoes, diced
juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine coleslaw mix, cilantro, tomato, lime juice, and olive oil in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Black Bean Burgers with Orange Basil Salsa and Baked Fries (3 Star)

I don't think my pictures make this look terribly appetizing but it was very good. Brandon and I especially enjoyed the salsa--the oranges are an unexpected, sweet contribution. Three of the boys really liked this (the burgers and the fries, not the salsa). I found the recipe for the burgers and salsa here. I've been making the fries for years--my own recipe, or everyone's recipe--I've seen variations many different places.





The options for these fries are endless but here is how I made them:

Baked Steak and Taco Fries

7-8 medium potatoes
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2-1 Tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning or Kirkland Signature Steak Seasoning which is about the same and less expensive (Or to taste--I'm just guessing here. I don't ever measure, I just sprinkle until it looks good.)
1/2-1 Tablespoon taco seasoning (Or to taste--same as above.)
sea salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash the potatoes and cut into matchsticks. Place in a large bowl along with the olive oil and steak seasoning and stir together until seasoning is evenly distributed. Pour half of fries onto half of a cookie sheet. Add the taco seasoning to the remaining potatoes and stir. Pour remaining fries onto the other half of the cookie sheet. Spread fries out so that they are in a single layer. Sprinkle sea salt on top, to taste. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until fries are beginning to brown. They may stick to the pan a little, but are easily removed with a metal spatula using strong, quick strokes.

White Bean and Sausage Chili (3 Star)

This chili was so incredibly good! I found the recipe here on Enlightened Cooking and copied it below with my changes. This was the perfect recipe in which to use my homemade chipotle salsa.

White Bean and Sausage Chili

1 1-pound package bulk sage sausage
1 15-ounce can white beans, drained
1 and 1/2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin or butternut squash puree
1 cup chunky-style chipotle salsa (I used my homemade chipotle salsa )
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup crumbled goat cheese (I didn't have goat cheese--and feel a little scared of it--so I didn't use cheese at all and this was still excellent.)

In a large saucepan cook sausage over medium heat until brown and no pink remains, stirring to break up meat; drain fat. Stir in drained beans, pumpkin or squash, salsa, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve topped with goat cheese. Makes 4 generous servings.

Cafe Rio Salads (3 Star)

I love Cafe Rio's pork salads. A lot of other people do, too, who work very hard to copy the exact recipe. I appreciate all the work they have gone to because I now benefit. Here is a post from one of these people that appears to be very popular amongst those wanting to replicate the salad. I used the Cilantro Lime Rice recipe and the Black Bean recipe from her site. And, if you are going for a version of the meat that is just like Cafe Rio's, I bet that this one is as good as it gets. However, due the the fact that I rarely drink caffeinated beverages and have instructed my children not to (due to the fact that they are unhealthy and addictive), I didn't think it would be a good idea to use it in our dinner. We rarely even drink pop at all. So I made up my own version of the meat that, while not authentically Cafe Rio, was still pretty good.



Sweet Pulled Pork

7 pound pork roast (mine was bone-in--it's just what I happened to have)
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 28 oz can mild enchilada sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 can diced green chilies
1-2 canned chipotle peppers plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce

In a little bowl, combine salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, and onion powder. Rub all over the pork. Place the pork into a crock pot along with any extra spice mix. In a blender blend enchilada sauce, brown sugar, molasses, green chilies, and chipotle chilies. Pour over the pork and cook on low for about 8 hours or until the pork falls apart when pulled with a fork. When pork is cooked, remove from crock pot and use two forks to pull apart, discarding any bones or fat. Stir in some of the juices to taste. I probably used about a cup. For better flavor, make the meat a day ahead and then reheat in the crock pot for a couple of hours.

Obviously, this is much less sweet than most versions (Cafe Rio pork is really sweet!), but we really enjoyed it.



I love to make homemade whole wheat flour tortillas. I use this recipe from Allrecipes. I've re-written it below with my changes.

Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

5 cups whole wheat bread flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2+ cups boiling water
all-purpose flour for rolling

In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour and salt. Add the butter, and using a hand mixer, mix on low speed until the mixture is the texture of oatmeal. Make a well in the center, and pour in the boiling water. Mix with hand mixer until all of the water is evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with a bit of additional flour, and knead until the dough does not stick to your fingers. The dough should be smooth.

Make balls the size of golf balls, about 2 ounces each. Place back in the mixing bowl and cover with plastic. Let rest for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.

Heat a griddle or large frying pan over high heat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a tortilla to your preferred thinness. Fry one at a time. Place on the griddle for 10 seconds, as soon as you see a bubble on the top, flip the tortilla over. Let it cook for about 30 seconds, then flip and cook the other side for another 30 seconds. Roll out the next tortilla while you wait for that one to cook.

I only cook the amount that I am going to use at a time. For the extras, I singe each side on high heat and store in the refrigerator. When I am ready to use them, I fry to doneness. The extras could be frozen, too, but we always eat them quickly enough that this is not necessary.

This is a lot of work, but worth it to me because they taste so good, are healthy, and all of my kids love them. If I didn't go this route, I would get Costco's uncooked tortillas. Too bad they don't make whole wheat!



Costco's organic heirloom lettuces were excellent in this salad.



I used Pioneer Woman's Pico de Gallo recipe.



As mentioned above, I used the Cilantro-Lime Rice from here,



and the Black Beans from the same place, although I don't remember Cafe Rio's beans being like this. I actually don't eat there that frequently, so maybe I just don't remember. They were good, though.



For the guacamole, I mashed several avocados and mixed in a small spoonful of mayonnaise per avocado, and a little garlic powder and onion powder to taste.



For the dressing, I used a recipe given to me by a friend who's friend or relation's friend or relation had hired a chef to figure out the recipe and this is what they came up with.

Tomatillo Salad Dressing

5 tomatillos, husked, washed, and quartered
1 pkg ranch buttermilk dressing mix
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup mayo
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
5 slices of bottled jalapeno
1 Tablespoon of bottled jalapeno juice
juice of 1/2 lime
1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.



To assemble the salad, place a tortilla on a plate. Top it with meat, rice, and beans. Then top with lots of lettuce, some pico de gallo, some guacamole, and cover with the dressing. You could also serve with sour cream and cheese.

Because there are so many elements to this salad (and because I'm freaky about doing it all homemade) it took a lot of work which could obviously be alleviated by buying things like the tortillas, pico de gallo, and guac. But whatever you choose to do, this is so incredibly good and I highly recommend trying it!



It's difficult to give this salad a "boy rating" because each boy liked different elements of the salad but none of them liked the entire thing all together. One boy only liked the tortillas. Two boys like the tortillas with the meat, and one boy liked the tortillas with the meat and the beans. I can't remember if anyone liked the rice, and none of them would touch the lettuce, dressing, pico de gallo, or guac. Picky buggers! I guess I'll go with 3 stars.

Also, just as a warning, the meat juice stains! It's the fault of the enchilada sauce.

Beautiful Black Bean Soup (3 Star)

I changed the name of this soup to "beautiful" because it had beautiful flavor (and because I like alliteration). I LOVED this soup! Although the appearance was not beautiful at first. In fact in Brandon's words it was "scary". I have never made black bean soup before and so we are not used to such a dark soup. (Really, this might be a great thing to serve at a Halloween party! It could be called "Tar".)

I got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen and she raves about the Toasted Cumin Seed Crema which I thought was good. However, I don't know if mine was as good as hers because, as usual, I forgot to get something at the store and it was the cumin seed. I had cumin powder, though, and I thought that maybe I could just toast the powder which is what I did. It appeared to work but flavor-wise I imagine the seeds would be superior.

This soup was so good, especially after it had been in the fridge for a couple of days. It was incredibly easy, too. The recipe says to put the beans in the crock pot and cook--no soaking. I have never cooked beans without soaking and even though I have seen other recipes instruct this, I have never believed it. But this time I decided to let go of my limiting beliefs and it worked! Within four hours of cooking on high in the crock pot, the beans were soft.

One part of the recipe says to do this: "Transfer two cups bean mixture to blender; puree until smooth. Return puree to remaining soup in slow cooker." Being averse to this kind of hassle, I used an immersion blender and blended until there was a creamy base but still plenty of whole beans.

Isn't it beautiful?





The boys were a bit wary of this soup (I think we all were!), but three of them ate small portions and were okay with it. I think next time I make this they may warm up to it a bit more.

My Current Favorite Chili (3 Star)

This is a hearty, thick, rich chili with some kick but not enough kick to make Brandon and I even close to uncomfortable. It was a tad too spicy for our little guy (even though I had already toned it down from the recipe), but he still ate it with lots of chips and water and exclamations of "Hot! Hot!" Three out of the four boys liked this. The recipe I used is here, from Allrecipes, called Boilermaker Tailgate Chili.

As usual, I made some alterations (for personal taste and also because of what we had on hand) and here they are:

Instead of the recommended meat I used:
1 pound of homemade sausage and
1 13 oz can of beef, undrained (the beef broth taking the place of the beer)

Omitted the beer.

Instead of the chili beans:
2 cans drained pinto beans
1 can drained black beans
1 can drained white beans

Instead of the canned tomatoes:
28 oz pureed frozen tomatoes (from our garden)

Decreased cayenne pepper to 1/4 tsp.

Increased sugar to 1-2 Tbsp and used brown sugar.

Added 1 Tbsp cocoa powder.

Added 1+ cup of homemade salsa that I happened to have in the fridge.

The first time I made this I cooked it in the crock pot on low for about six hours and it was great. The second time I cooked it on the stove because I didn't plan so well, and it turned out great, too, but it was better in the crock pot.