Chicken Taco Pie

Chicken Taco Pie
4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

1 T vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 chicken breasts, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 t cumin

1/2 t paprika

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1/4 cup taco sauce

1 flour tortilla

1 can refried beans

4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1 c Doritos Nacho Cheesier chips, smashed (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook onion and green pepper over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add chicken and garlic; stir occasionally until chicken is cooked through.  Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika.  Add tomatoes, corn, and taco sauce.  Simmer over low heat until liquid is mostly gone.

Meanwhile, place the tortilla on the bottom of a pie tin.  Spread refried beans over tortilla and up the side of the pan.

When chicken mixture has lost most of its liquid pour it into the pie tin.  Sprinkle cheese over chicken mixture. 

Cook pie for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.  Sprinkle chips over pie and cook for 5 more minutes.

Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Note: This can be made ahead and frozen (without any chips).  Bake just until the cheese is melted and let cool before covering tightly with plastic wrap.  Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours before reheating.  Bake at 350 degrees until cooked through, about 45 minutes.

Pasta Sauce

Making your own pasta sauce isn't as hard as you might think.  It does take more time that opening a jar, but it's worth it.

Pasta Sauce
4 Servings

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 white onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

15 roma tomatoes, halved

15 basil leaves, chopped

12 oregano leaves, chopped

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

2 cans V8 Spicy Hot

Instructions:

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pot.  Cook mushrooms and onion until tender.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Add tomatoes and 2 c water; cover and stir occasionally.  After 15 minutes use a potato masher to press down on the tomatoes.

Add remaining ingredients.  Cook down until mixture becomes thick.

Serve over pasta.

Potato Chips

Potato Chips

Ingredients:

russet potatoes

peanut oil

salt or other seasoning

Instructions:

Preheat oil in fryer to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, slice potatoes very thin (I use a 1/8" ruffle cut on a mandolin).  It is essential to have them cut evenly.  Place sliced potatoes in water until ready to use to prevent them from turning brown.

Before you fry the potatoes, drain the water and place potatoes on a towel.  Remove excess water by rolling the towel.

Place a few potatoes in the fryer (be sure to not overcrowd).  I found that they cook best when fully submerged.  My fryer has a basket that has an up and down position.  When I placed the basket in the up position it was just low enough to keep the potatoes submerged.  If you don't have this option, you will have to flip as you cook.

Cook potatoes until they are slightly tanned.  They should be rigid, not soft and mushy.  If your potatoes are not cut evenly you will see that one side is rigid while the other side is soggy.

When the chips are fully cooked move them to a cooling rack topped with paper towels.  Allow them to cool slightly before adding salt or other seasoning.

Tips:

My favorite chips are sour cream and cheddar and I wanted to try to make something similar.  If I were at the store I would have bought a cheddar popcorn flavoring or something but I wasn't at the store...I had to improvise.  I took the cheese packet out of a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and sprinkled the chips with that.  It wasn't the same, but it was actually better than I expected.  

What flavors do you like on your chips?

Maple Berry Oatmeal Cups (2 P+)

Here's another baked oatmeal recipe.  I wanted to make something a little different than the last batch and make it a little lighter.  I omitted the butter and made a couple other changes.  I also decided to make a smaller batch because I only have one 12 cup muffin tin so I only have to bake one batch.  I hope you like it!

Maple Berry Oatmeal Cups
12 Servings, 45 minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

1 c steel cut oats

9 strawberries, quartered

36 blueberries

¼ c walnuts, chopped

1 c milk

1 egg

¼ c brown sugar

2 t cinnamon

2 t maple syrup

½ t baking soda

¼ t salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°.  Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

Divide the oats between the 12 muffin liners (approximately 1 ½ T each).

Divide the berries between the muffin tins (3 blueberries and ¾ strawberry each).  Top with walnuts.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.  Divide and pour into the muffin cups (muffin cups should end up ¾ full).

Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, until liquid has set.

Cool for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Notes:

Put into an airtight container and store in the fridge for a few days.  You can eat them cold or warm them for 45

Fruit Snacks (1 P+)

Fruit Snacks
8 Servings, 60 minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

1 lb strawberries, sliced
1 banana, sliced
1 t cinnamon
3-5 packets Knox gelatin

Instructions:
Cook strawberries and banana in a saucepan for approximately 15 minutes until strawberries have softened.  Blend fruit and cinnamon in a blender until smooth.

Refrigerate 1/2 cup of the fruit mixture for 15 minutes.  Stir gelatin into chilled fruit and dissolve, approximately 5 minutes.  Add remaining warm fruit mixture.

Fill silicone ice cube trays with mixture and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until fruit has set.  Remove and store in an air-tight container for up to one week.

Notes:
Silicone ice cube trays should be available in the kitchen section of most stores.  The shapes shown are from trays that I got from Ikea for $1 each.

The amount of gelatin used is going to determine how firm your fruit snacks are.  Use 3 for a relatively soft snack and 5 for chewier snacks.

Other fruit can be used to make these.  Please share your favorite combinations!

Chicken Wild Rice Casserole (10 P+)

Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
8 Servings, 75 Minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

7 ½ c chicken broth, divided

2 c wild rice mix

3 T butter

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3 T flour

½ c milk

1 can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 can green beans, drained

1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

2 c cooked chicken, shredded

salt

pepper

¼ can French’s fried onions

Instructions:

In a saucepan, bring 6 cups of chicken broth to a boil; add rice and return to boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for approximately 40 minutes, until rice is cooked.

Meanwhile, place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add butter, onion, and celery.  Sauté until onion is translucent.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.  Sprinkle flour over vegetables.  Stir and cook until flour browns slightly.  Slowly whisk in 1 ½ cups of chicken broth and ½ cup milk.

Stir in mushrooms, green beans, water chestnuts, chicken, salt, and pepper.  Top with fried onions.

Bake for 25 minutes or until fried onions are golden and casserole is bubbling.

Notes:

Change it up by switching up some vegetables each time you make it.

Breakfast Burritos (6 P+)

My husband loves to take these with him in the morning because he can throw them in the microwave before he goes to work.  This recipe makes 10 at a time but you could easily make a double or triple batch.

Frozen Breakfast Burritos
10 Servings, 30 Minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

8 eggs

4 egg whites

¼ c milk

salt

pepper

10 flour tortillas

1 lb ground sausage, browned and drained

12 oz hash browns, prepared

1 c cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Beat eggs, egg whites, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. 

Spray skillet with cooking spray.  Cook eggs over medium heat until cooked through.

Put tortillas in microwave for 15-30 seconds to slightly warm them (this prevents them from cracking when folding).

To build burritos spread tortillas out flat on counter top.  Start with eggs and then add sausage, hash browns, and cheese.

Roll burritos up and wrap each one in plastic wrap.

Freeze up to 1 month.

TO REHEAT:  Remove plastic wrap and wrap burrito with paper towel.  Microwave one burrito at 50% for 60 seconds then 100% for 60 seconds.

Notes:

This is another easy recipe to modify.  You can substitute bacon, ham, or even a soy product for the sausage.  You could also use all egg whites, Mexican cheese, or whole wheat tortillas.


Add sauteed mushrooms, onions, peppers, or other vegetables for something different.

Sushi Salad (4 P+)

I didn't grow up eating seafood and have never been a fan.  I'd take a cheeseburger over a lobster any day of the week.  Seriously...if it wasn't breaded and deep-fried I wouldn't eat anything that came out of the ocean.  I love sunfish, walleye, and almost anything else that we used to catch as kids but that's about as far as it goes.

A few years ago I went to a Japanese restaurant with two friends (at their request).  I ordered some kind of chicken and tasted sushi just to get my friends to stop bothering me about it.  It was AMAZING!!  Sushi is now one of my favorite meals.

I have made sushi for the family and it is good but it can be a lot of work.  This recipe makes it a lot easier.

Sushi Salad

6 servings, 60 minutes

PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

1 cup brown short-grain rice      

2 T rice vinegar      

2 T sugar      

1 T salt      

2 T pickled ginger, finely chopped      

3 green onions, chopped      

1 cucumber, chopped      

1 cup edamame, shelled      

2 t wasabi powder

1 T hot water

2 T soy sauce

1 avocado, sliced

Sushi of choice (crab, tuna, eel, etc)

2 sheets nori, cut into strips

1 T sesame seeds

Instructions:

Prepare rice as instructed on package. 

In a small pan dissolve salt and sugar in rice vinegar over medium heat.  Pour vinegar mixture over rice and mix thoroughly.  Refrigerate until cool.

In a large bowl combine ginger, green onions, cucumber, and edamame. 

In a small bowl combine wasabi powder, water, and soy sauce.  Mix well and pour over rice mixture.  Mix to ensure everything is thoroughly coated. 

Lightly fold in avocado, sushi, and nori. 

Top with sesame seeds.

Notes:

If making this ahead of time, do not put in the avocado, sushi, or nori until serving.

If making this for a crowd don't add the sushi into the salad.  Place bowls of sushi out and let people add the types/amounts that they want.


Leave the sushi out and this could be a great side dish or vegetarian meal.

Tater Tot Hotdish (11 P+)

Hotdish?!?  What's a hotdish???

If you are asking yourself that question, you probably aren't from the Midwest.  That's what we call a casserole.  It doesn't include anything special; it's just a bunch of stuff in a pan that's been baked for a while.

This is a great recipe that I made up from what little I know about tater tot hotdish.  It's one of those things where every family makes it their own way.  I actually never had it before I started experimenting but I had a roommate that made it and it looked delicious.

The best thing about this dish is it is EASY!!!  Basically all you do is brown some beef, then open a few cans and throw them in a dutch oven.  45 minutes later you have a meal complete with meat, vegetables, potatoes, and a sauce.  Voila!

Tater Tot Hotdish
6 Servings, 60 minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

½ onion, chopped

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can green beans

1 can whole kernel corn

Salt

Pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

12 oz frozen tater tots

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a Dutch oven, brown ground beef and season with salt and pepper.  Add onion and cook until tender.  Remove from heat.

Stir in soups, vegetables, salt, and pepper.

Top with cheddar cheese.

Arrange tater tots around the top in a single layer.

Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until tator tots are golden brown.

Notes:

This is a great make-ahead recipe.  It can be refrigerated overnight or frozen for a couple weeks.  Be sure to remove as much air as possible before freezing and allow adequate time for thawing before cooking. 

To make this recipe healthier substitute ground turkey for the beef, fresh vegetables for canned, and use fat free or reduced fat soup (9 P+).

Baked Oatmeal (3 P+)

Baked Oatmeal 

18 Servings, 60 Minutes

PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients       

2 c steel-cut oats         

1 t baking soda      

½ t salt      

1 cup strawberries, sliced      

1 banana, diced      

1 cup walnuts or almonds, chopped       

Wet Ingredients 

2 c milk

1 egg

4 T butter, melted

1 T vanilla

⅓ c brown sugar   
1 T cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°.  Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl.

Divide the dry mixture evenly into the muffin cups.  Top with an equal amount of the wet mixture.

Place in oven and bake 45 minutes or until liquid has set.

Notes:

The beauty of this recipe is that every cup can be made differently.  Modify this recipe by using different fruit or nuts or by adding chocolate chips or dried fruit. 

Add some sweetness by sprinkling brown sugar over the oatmeal after it has been cooked.


Wrap these in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.  From the refrigerator, we microwave them for 45 seconds.


Old-Fashioned or Rolled Oats can be substituted for the Steel-Cut Oats, they will just have a different texture.

Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna Rolls (8 P+)

Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna Rolls 

6 Servings, 60 Minutes

PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

6 lasagna noodles

1 T olive oil

8 oz baby portabella mushrooms, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

salt

1 t dried thyme

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 c ricotta cheese
1 c cottage cheese

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

pepper

2 c tomato sauce

1 c mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Prepare lasagna noodles as directed on package.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook mushrooms and onions in oil until tender.  Season with salt and thyme.

In a large bowl combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, and egg; season with salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Lay lasagna noodles out on countertop.  Spread spinach mixture over the noodles leaving one inch on each end bare.  Top with mushroom/onion mixture.

Fold over one end of a noodle to roll up, spinach side in.  Place in a 9” x 9” baking dish with the seam side down.  Repeat with remaining noodles.

Top noodles with tomato sauce then mozzarella cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray to prevent mozzarella from sticking. 

Bake for 35 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until cheese melts and browns slightly.

Let lasagna rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:

Make this dish a few hours or even the night before serving and keep it covered in the refrigerator.