Tuscan White Bean and Tomato Stew

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups diced onion

3 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary

1 tsp each dried thyme and sage

28 oz diced tomatoes (I use 1 can salted and one can unsalted)

3 cups cooked white beans

10 oz fresh baby spinach

12 oz cooked pasta (I used a blend of leftover bags, this time was orzo and elbows)

Directions:

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat, until onions begin to brown.

2. Add herbs and saute for 1 minute.

3. Add diced tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil. Add more water if you like your soup a little thinner. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

4. Add spinach and cook until spinach wilts.

5. Stir in pasta and serve.

Ratings:

4 thumbs up - both kids and both adults.

Rosemary and Cheese Muffins

I made these last night to go with a tomato based soup. Yummy and quick.

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2.25 cups flour (I did half and half white and whole wheat)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3 Tbsp pine nuts (optional)
1.75 c milk
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine all dry ingredients (cheese-rosemary/pine nuts) and mix. Make a well in center and pour in milk, olive oil and egg.
3. Mix just until moistened. Batter will be wet and somewhat thin.
4. Spoon into 14-16 greased muffin tins and top with more shredded cheese (if desired).
5. Bake 15-20 minutes, until center springs back when lightly touched.

Peanut Ginger Noodles

Sauce:
6 Tbsp peanut butter
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
2-3 Tbsp warm water (add as needed for consistency)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp ginger (or use fresh)
3 cloves garlic, chopped

Noodles:
1/2 lb thin spaghetti
3/4 cup matchstick carrots
1 cup steamed broccoli
1/2 cup thinly diced red peppers

1. Put all sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Cook spaghetti, adding carrots for last 2 minutes.
3. Toss spaghetti with sauce, broccoli and red peppers.

Rating:
3/4 thumbs up (2 adult thumbs, 1 kid thumb)

Bowtie Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I just made this (modified from Cooking Light) and everyone in my family loved it. Pretty quick too.

Ingredients
0.5-1 pound uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta) - I used 3/4 a box
1 Tbsp butter
1 8oz pkg baby portabello mushroom, sliced
1/2 8 oz pkg sliced button mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 c shredded parmesan or romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley


Preparation
1. Cook pasta and drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper; cook 12 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Add wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat. Add the cooked pasta, whipping cream, cheese, and parsley, tossing gently to coat

Roasted Vegetable Lasanga

I made this tonight. It took eleventy-seven hours, but it was quite good. I followed the recipe, except that I used whole grain lasagna.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=640301

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Good on it's own or as a sandwich filling in a pita or bread.

Ingredients:
1 c whole milk Greek yogurt
2 Tb lemon juice
1/2 t cumin
1 chopped red bell pepper
1/4 c chopped onion
1/4 c chopped cilantro
3 c cooked chickpeas

Directions
1. Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least an hour.
2. Enjoy!

Black Bean Tortilla Bake

Slightly modified this recipe. I assembled it in the morning before work and then baked it when I got home. Worked out great and everyone loved it.

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 c chopped onion

1/2 c chopped red or green bell pepper

1/2 c chopped green onion

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 8oz can tomato sauce

2 cups black beans, rinsed (if using canned)

1/4 c cilantro

1 cup shredded cheese

8-12 corn tortillas

Directions (make ahead):

1. Saute garlic, onions, peppers, cumin and chili powder over medium heat until tender.

2. Add tomato sauce and cook 5 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and stir in beans, cilantro and salt/pepper to taste.

4. Spray a 9in square or 1 qt baking dish with cooking spray

5. Layer tortillas, filling and cheese. Repeat twice.

6. Top with cheese.

7. Cover and refrigerate.

8. When ready to bake, remove from fridge for 30 minutes and bake, covered, for 20 minutes and uncovered for 10 minutes.

Black Bean Pizza

Ingredients:

1 pizza crust (I use this one, but do it in the bread machine)

1 can black beans (or 1-1.5 cups cooked black beans)

1 diced tomato

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

0.5 tsp cumin

0.5 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:

Cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream

Directions:

1. Make pizza crust

2. Cook black beans, tomato, cilantro, cumin and oregano to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.

3. Puree bean and tomato mixture

4. Spread bean mixture over pizza crust, top with cheese and bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is browning

5. Remove from oven and let cool a bit.

6. Top with shredded lettuce and tomatoes.

Tomato Basil Soup

Pretty quick and easy.

2 - 28oz cans Diced Tomatoes (I sometimes do a mix of 14.5 oz cans with and without salt)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

4 0z (1/2 block) lowfat cream cheese, softened

1/2 - 1 cup milk

1/2 c chopped fresh basil

1. Saute garlic in olive oil until fragrant.

2. Add tomatoes (undrained) and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or so.

4. Stir in cream cheese, basil and milk and stir until cream cheese is melted.

5. Using an immersion blender or regular blender, blend until smooth and creamy.

I often stir in cooked sea-shell pasta to make it a filling one dish meal.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Pizza

Not the healthiest, but oh-so-good!

Ingredients:

One pizza crust (I used the bread machine)

ALFREDO SAUCE

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

4 Tbsp flour

1.5 c milk

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

GARLIC BUTTER

2 Tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 spring rosemary, chopped

2 c cooked chopped chicken

2 c steamed broccoli

1/2 c mozzarella cheese (optional)

Preparation:

1. Make pizza crust

2. Make Alfredo Sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in salt, pepper and flour. Whisk in milk and cheese and cook until thick.

3. Make Garlic Butter: Melt butter in a saucepan. Saute garlic and rosemary until fragrant and browned.

4. Toss chicken and broccoli with half of Alfredo sauce.

5. Brush Garlic Butter over pizza crust. Top with alfredo sauce and then chicken/broccoli mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.

6. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is browned.

7. Let stand a few minutes before cutting.

Cheesy Beef and Rice Casserole

I modified this recipe. I like that it uses only 1/2 lb of beef, which keeps the cost down. I made it with Original Rotel and it made it way too spicy for my Minnesota-bland 3 year old. Next time I'll make it with mild Rotel and just add red pepper at the table.

We used the leftovers to make burritos.

Ingredients

1/2 pound beef - $1.00
1 cup chopped onion - $0.25

1 cup chopped red bell pepper - $0.50

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained -$1.00

1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained -$0.50

3 cups cooked brown rice - $0.75

1 cup sour cream -$0.50

1/2 cup sliced green onions $0.25

1/4 cup skim milk - $0.25

3/4 cup (3 ounces) reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese - $0.75

Preparation

1.Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Cook first 3 ingredients in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Add water and next 6 ingredients (water through chiles); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. Combine the rice, sour cream, sliced green onions, and milk in a bowl. Spoon rice mixture into a 2 qt baking dish. Top with beef mixture; sprinkle with cheese.
4. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I served with homemade bread ($1.00/loaf), sliced vegetables ($1.00) and strawberries ($1.00).
Total = 8.75

Beef and Barley Hotdish

We learned about Hotdish in Minnesota. I first thought they were referring to a warm plate. Not so much. Hotdish usually has a cream of something soup as a binder, so this isn't technically a true hotdish. And, if it was a truly Minnesotan meal, it would have been served with bars.

This recipe is modified from The Great Minnesota Hotdish by T. Millang. The Rotel was my addition - and made it much spicier than a typical MN-bland hotdish. It also made it too spicy for my kids, so I will probably tone it down when I make this again.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground beef ($1.00 - got a good deal on organic beef that was about to reach it's sell-by date)
1 c chopped onion ($0.30)
2 cloves garlic, chopped ($0.20)
1 c uncooked barley ($0.50)
1/2 c diced celery ($0.15)
14 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained ($0.90)
10 oz can Rotel, undrained ($0.50 - stocked up during a good deal recently)
2.5 c water (free)
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Brown beef and drain all but 1 Tb drippings. Place beef in a 2.5 or 3 qt baking dish.
3. Saute garlic, celery and onion in beef drippings until tender.
4. Add all ingredients to baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 1 - 1.5 hours or until barley is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
I served with cheese toast ($1.00)
Total: $4.55

Baked Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Vegetables

Also posted here....





This isn't a gourmet meal, but it makes a little meat go a long way and is kid friendly.

1/2 lb cooked and drained 90/10 ground beef - $1.50
1 16 oz box WW Rotini - $1.25
1 jar spaghetti sauce - $1.00
1 c diced carrot - $0.25
1/2 c diced onion - $0.25
1 diced red bell pepper - $0.50
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese - $0.75
1 small loaf french bread from Costco - $1.00

1. Saute carrot, onion and bell pepper in olive oil until soft and fragrant. Add ground beef and jar of spaghetti sauce, bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes or more.
2. Cook pasta.
3. Combine pasta and sauce in large casserole dish.
4. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
5. Top with cheese and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.
Total: $6.50 (and we got two nights worth of meals out of it)

Bread Machine Butter Rolls

I made these last night and they were so yummy. Husband and I ate 3 a piece.

Ingredients:
1/2 c warm milk
2 Tb butter
1/4 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 c bread flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp yeast

Preparation:
1. Add all ingredients and set machine for dough cycle.
2. Grease 8 in baking pan.
3. After cycle completes, remove dough and shape into balls. I shaped into 9 balls.
4. Let rise for at least 1 hour (I did 2.5 hours).
5. Bake at 350 until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Double Potato Vegetable Soup

I love the cinnamon in this - it goes so well with the sweet potatoes. This is better the 2nd day.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 slices bacon, chopped (could omit to make vegan)
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cubed peeled sweet potato
2 cups diced unpeeled red potato
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes, mostly drained
3 cups vegetable broth
4 cups chopped kale
1 (15.5-ounce) can navy beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bacon; sauté 3 minutes.
2. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add potatoes through thyme, stirring to combine; cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes; cook 2 minutes.
3. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
4. Add kale and simmer 25 minutes.
5. Add beans; simmer 5 minutes

Baked Potato Soup

Modified from Cooking Light. I usually bake and mash the potatoes early in the day, so that the soup prep comes together quickly in the evening.


Ingredients

2.5-3 lb baking potatoes
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green onions

For topping:
1/2 c shredded cheese
bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c sliced green onion


Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes (I leave about a quarter of the peel on for extra fiber); coarsely mash.
3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes).
4. Add mashed potatoes, cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil).
6. Top with sliced green onions, shredded cheese and crumbled bacon.

Penne with Rosemary Tomato Cream Sauce

Not too healthy, but oh so yummy!

Ingredients:
1 28oz can whole tomatoes
2 Tb olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 c heavy cream
1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tb butter
1 sprig rosemary, chopped finely

1 lb penne, cooked

Directions:
1. Slightly puree tomatoes and juice (I use my immersion blender)
2. Heat oil and saute garlic and rosemary for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and cook until thickened.
4. Add cream and cook over low heat until sauce is thick enough to coat pasta.
5. Add cooked pasta to sauce and stir in butter and cheese.

Quick Black-Bean Tortilla Soup

I threw this together last Sunday before church and let it stay warm in the crockpot until we got home.

Ingredients
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1 can broth (or water)
handful of chopped cilantro (to taste)

Directions:
1. Saute onion, garlic and bell pepper in oil until fragrant.
2. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil
3. Simmer 10-15 minutes

Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream.

Chicken with Orzo

Ingredients:

4 skinned, boned chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons butter
1.5 cup chopped green onions
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced ham
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine
2/3 cup whipping cream
3 cups hot cooked orzo (about 1 1/2 cups uncooked)

Preparation
1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan.
3. Add onions, carrot, ham, and garlic to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in broth and wine, scraping to loosen browned bits. Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done.
4. Remove chicken from pan with a slotted spoon; keep warm. Add whipping cream; cook, uncovered, over medium heat 8 minutes.

Black-Eyed Pea and Sausage Stew

Good way to make a little meat go a long way.

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked black-eyed peas
1/2 pkg of sausage (8 oz), chopped
2 cups chopped carrots
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 c uncooked wheat berries
2 cups water
4 cups broth
2 cups chopped fresh spinach

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients except spinach in crock-pot.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until wheat berries are tender.
3. Stir in spinach, cover and cook 15 minutes more.

Oven Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

Quick prep, easy and cheap!

Ingredients:
3 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup lentils (uncooked)
1/2 cup (uncooked) brown rice
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheese (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients except the cheese in a baking dish (I used a 2 qt casserole dish with a lid).
3. Cover with lid or foil and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes.
4. Remove the lid/foil, top with cheese, and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.

Egg and Chili Casserole

I just made this for our Sunday School breakfast and it turned out pretty good. You could add some sausage to make it a little heartier.

Ingredients
9 eggs
1 c sour cream
1c cooked brown rice
1 7oz can green chilies (or 2 4oz cans)
2c shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Salsa (for serving)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan.
2. Mix eggs and sour cream with whisk.
3. Stir in cheese, rice, chilies and salt and pepper.
4. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Serve with salsa.

Black Bean and Barley Chili

This is one of my all time favorite recipes. I've modified it from Cooking Light. It's great for large gatherings where there will be a mix of vegetarians and meat eaters since it's a vegetarian recipe that doesn't really taste like a vegetarian recipe.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
2/3 cup pearled barley
1/2 cup water
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can vegetable broth

Preparation
1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes.
2. Add chili powder and next 4 ingredients (chili powder through green chiles); cook 1 minute. 3. Stir in barley and next 4 ingredients (barley through broth); bring to a boil.
4. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes or until barley is tender.

Good served with chopped cilantro, avocado, sour cream and cheese.

Broccoli, Potato and Pepper Frittata

A good main dish egg recipe. I serve with toast and fruit.

Ingredients:
2 medium baking potatoes, sliced 1/8 in thick
1.5 c broccoli
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
4 large eggs
1 c low fat cottage cheese
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray pie pan with cooking spray
2. Arrange potato slices in a single layer in bottom of pie pan. Cut remaining slices in half and place around side of pie pan.
3. Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
4. Saute broccoli, onion and bell pepper 3-4 minutes (or until tender).
5. Beat together eggs and cottage cheese. Stir in vegetables and half of cheese. Pour mixture over baked potato slices and bake 20-25 minutes, or until egg is set. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for a couple of more minutes to melt cheese.

Country Potato Gratin

This is a good recipe to use up leftover holiday ham. A little bit of ham goes a long way. Notice that the dish bakes for awhile.

Ingredients
2 tsp butter
1 medium onion thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 c flour
1.5 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1.25 c diced ham
3 pounds baking potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Combine milk, salt, pepper, and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan. Bring to a simmer; cook until slightly thick (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently.
3. Add half of cheese and all ham, stirring until cheese melts.
4. Stir in potatoes.
5. Place the potato mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle potato mixture with remaining cheese.
6. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are tender. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Black-eyed Peas and Tomatoes

Perfect for New Years Day!

Ingredients
2 cups dried black-eyed peas (1 bag)
1 tablespoon oil
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
8 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (optional, but adds a lot of flavor)
4 cups broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (leave out if you have a spice sensitive kid....)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) bag prewashed greens (I used spinach)
Brown Rice

Preparation
1. Sort and wash peas; set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 3 minutes or until tender. Add sausage; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. Stir in broth; bring to a simmer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in peas, salt, peppers, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer 45 minutes or until peas begin to soften. Uncover and cook 15 minutes or until liquid begins to thicken.
4. Stir in vinegar, tomatoes, and mustard greens; simmer 10 minutes or until peas are tender, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves.
5. Serve over rice