Shepherd's Pie

This is a favorite of my boyfriend and roommate.
Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 package ground meat browned
2 pealed carrots
2 stalks celery
1 can peas
1 cup frozen broccoli
3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried thyme
2 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup beef broth
2-3 cups instant potatoes

Instructions
Set oven to 400.
Spray cooking spray in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, carrots and celery then cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the browned meat, thyme, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Mix the peas and broccoli into the mixture until well combined. Pour soup and broth in and mix well. Let simmer 3-4 minutes then pour the mixture into a large baking dish.
Prepare the potatoes and spread over the beef filling. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle parsley and bake 30 minutes.

White Chili

So, I'm a soup fanatic. It's the meal I make the most. So, here's another soup idea!
I wanted to make creamy soup, but use up some fresh vegetables, so I made traditional white chili with some additions.

Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
1 chicken breast
2 pealed carrots
1 stalk celery
1/2 yellow onion
1 can white beans rinsed and drained
1/2 can green chiles (or a splash or red Thai chile sauce, which is what I had on hand)
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup yogurt or milk
Fresh chopped cilantro to taste
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken, carrots, and celery and saute until there is no pink in the middle of the pieces and the vegetables are soft. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes; add the garlic, green chiles/chile sauce, cumin, Italian Seasoning and some salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes then add the broth. Next add the beans and cilantro. Simmer on low for 20 minutes; taste during this time and add more spices as desired. Stir in yogurt and heat for several more minutes and then garnish with shredded cheese and cilantro and enjoy!

Tomato Soup with Cilantro

Quick and easy!

Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 cup milk
1 clove minced garlic
1 small onion chopped
A dash cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning (or just basil)
Fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions
In a medium pot, saute butter with garlic and onion until tender. Add soup, milk, and all spices except cilantro. Bring to a simmer stirring constantly. Simmer 3 minutes, then add as much cilantro as desired. Take off heat and serve.

Pineapple Chicken in Black Bean Sauce

I saw this recipe in the weightwatchers cookbook and had most of the ingredients, so I decided to try out an edited version of it.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
one small-medium onion chopped (white or yellow)
1 tbsp chopped ginger root
2 medium garlic cloves minced
1 chicken breast diced into about 1-inch cubes
1 cup canned pineapple chunks with juice
1/2 can black beans
Instructions
Before beginning cooking, put black beans with juice from can in a blender or magic bullet with a little water and blend until very smooth and runny. Add more water or chicken broth if you have it to get it smooth. (The original recipe calls for black bean sauce, but I didn't have any so I did this instead.)
Set aside.
In a saute pan, cook ginger, garlic, and onion until tender over medium heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides.
Add pineapple and juice as well as the black bean sauce mixture.Bring to a simmer and simmer until chicken is cooked through--about 5 minutes.
Serve over rice.

Apple Crumble

So...I am still behind on posting, so I am going to again post several recipes at once.

Recently, I made a great dessert for my boyfriend's house-warming party.
I combined a traditional apple pie filling with a crumble topping to make my version of apple crumble.

Ingredients
For the filling:
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
4 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced (You can always use more for a larger dish)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crumble:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter until damp, and sand-like.
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions
For the filling:
Set oven to 350
Put apples aside.
Melt butter and mix with sugar by hand in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, and vanilla until the mixture is well-blended.
Add apples into the bowl and mix together until well covered with filling.
Dump mixture into the bottom of a buttered pie pan, fruit dish, or casserole dish.

For the crumble:
In a second mixing bowl, sift the flour, oatmeal, and sugar and then stir in butter until the mixture looks like damp sand.
Lay on top of the apple mixture.
Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar on top.
Put in the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crisp.

Poptarts

I used the other pie crust to make this amazing dessert from my wish list. I ate one with a glass of milk that evening and then had the other two for breakfast. My roommate and boyfriend really liked them too.

Homemade Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Poptarts:
Original Recipe from: For the Love of Cooking.net

Ingredients
1 premade pie crust
Butter, softened
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg, mixed well

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Place the dough on top of a cutting board. (I used a paper towel...)
Cut the circular dough of the pie crust once horizontally and twice vertically to make 2 square pieces and four triangle piece.
Spread a small amount of butter on one side of the pieces
Mix the cinnamon and sugar mixture until well combined. Spoon a bit of cinnamon mixture on top of the butter.

Fold the dough in half and gently seal the edges with your fingers. Take a fork and crimp the edges of the pop tart closed.
Slice a little vent into the top of each pop tart. Brush the tops of each pop tart with the egg wash. Sprinkle each pop tart with some of the raw brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

For the companion pie recipe for this, click here

Pie Night!

I'm a little behind on posting, so I am going to post the last couple of days of meals at once.

I bought a box of pie shells from HEB for under $2 and made a dinner and a dessert with them on Monday night.
The first was Beef Pot Pie, which is kind of a made-up recipe that combines something like Shepherd's Pie with something like pot pie. :)

Beef Pot Pie:

Ingredients
1/2 package ground beef
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
3 red potatoes diced
1/2 can corn
2 cups beef broth
1/3 cup cornstrach (more to make thicker)
1 tsp thyme
black pepper and salt
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp tomato sauce/paste (I only had sauce, so I went with that)

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the diced potatoes in a pot of water and boil for 3-4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Spray deep saute pan or dutch oven with cooking spray and brown the beef with garlic, salt, and pepper.
Add carrots, celery, corn. and thyme and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce/paste and worchestershire sauce stirring well then deglaze pan with 1/2 cup of broth, scraping up pieces of sides.
Add potatoes along with another cup of broth.
While the mixture is simmering, whisk the corn starch and the remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth; stir into the beef mixture until thickened-- about 2 minutes.
Take off heat and taste, putting more salt, pepper, or thyme is necessary.
Ladle into baking dish or deep pie pan.
Roll out the pie crust from the package and place on top of the filling. Crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork. Make 2 small incisions with a fork in the center. Place the pie on top of a baking sheet and cook for 30-35 minutes or until crust is flaky and brown.

For my companion dessert, click here

Southwest Vegetable Soup

Ingredients
1 can black-eyed peas with bacon
1/2 c yellow onion
1 stalk celery
1/2 c chopped carrots
1-2 chopped red potatoes
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp season salt
chopped cilantro
1 c beef broth (add more to increase broth amount)

Instructions
Put beef broth in a medium pot with carrots, celery, and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.
Spray a small saute pan with cooking spray and saute onions with garlic until tender.
Add to soup pot with black-eyed peas, season salt, and black pepper and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are soft. Stir in cilantro and enjoy!

Simple Summer Salad

Here's a dish I made last night for a late dinner. This is an idea I got from reading about summer salads in the Weight Watchers cookbook. It's fast, simple and really tasty because of the pungent cilantro. Plus it's filling while also not making you feel stuffed.



Ingredients
1 can black beans drained
1/2 a yellow onion chopped
chopped cilantro

Instructions
Microwave beans according to directions.
Let stand or put into the fridge until cold.
Mix in raw chopped onions and cilantro.
Enjoy!

Spicy Black Bean Soup

I found this recipe in the Weight Watchers cookbook. They use only core, fresh ingredients to make healthy and great tasting meals.
This recipe is for 8 servings, so I cut it down and I tailored it to the ingredients I had.


Ingredients
1 medium onion finely chopped
4 medium garlic cloves minced (I use the Spice World jar of minced garlic)
1- 1 1/2 cans(s) black beans, undrained (eyeball how much you need depending on how thick you want the soup. See Note below)
1 C chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 C salsa 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin
1-1/2 can corn depending on how much you like
Cilantro (optional)

Note: If you didn't have any onions, you could double the salsa amount. Also: You should puree some of the beans to thicken the texture naturally without milk or cornstarch before cooking. I pureed all of mine to make it thick and creamy.

Instructions
Spray bottom of a cooking pot and saute onion and garlic on medium heat until onions are soft, but not brown. (about 5 min)
Puree either half or all the beans in a blender or Magic Bullet with onion mixture, cumin, and red pepper.
Add to the pot with whole beans (if you saved any), salsa, broth, and corn. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium again and simmer 15-20 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Healthy Peaches and Cream

My roommate and I went to a farmer's market in town and found some amazing fruits and vegetables. Even though I had to get up early on a Saturday morning, I did get some yummy peaches. Here's an easy, healthy dessert I made with them.




Ingredients
2 peaches washed and sliced
plain, low-fat yogurt
honey
granola (optional because I rarely have any...)


Instructions
mix peaches and yogurt and dribble honey over the top. Enjoy

Quick Creamy Broccoli Soup

My roommate and I made this soup from her Magic Bullet recipe book, but we tweaked it slightly.

(For one person)



Ingredients
1 cup frozen broccoli florettes
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup milk (we used a little evaporated milk to make it extra creamy)
salt and pepper to taste
Extra: one American single or 1/4 C shredded cheddar mixed with a little shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions
Microwave broccoli, garlic, chicken broth, and cheese until broccoli is soft and cheese is melted-- about 2-3 minutes.
Add milk and blend until smooth.
Then put in bowl and microwave until desired temperature. Add salt and pepper.

(If you don't have a magic bullet, this recipe could be tweaked by putting broccoli in a food processor or regular blender before microwaving with other ingredients.)

Bread for dipping:

Ingredients
cookie sheet
2-3 pieces sandwich bread
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning (or basil and oregano)
shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions
Set oven to broil on high.
Cut bread into small squares.
Mix spices with oil in a small bowl.
Brush or sprinkle mixture on top of the bread pieces.
Sprinkle cheese on top of each piece.
Place on cookie sheet and broil for several minutes until the tops of the pieces are browned/toasted.

Dip into the soup and enjoy!

Steak Dinner

Tips

Look for sales on sirloin and chuck steak at the grocery. You can find some for $2-$4 a pound, and if you are just cooking for yourself or for one more person, then it’s very inexpensive.

You can keep the raw steak in your fridge, but only for 2-3 days.

You don’t have to have an outside grill to cook good steak. This recipe is for a sauté/fry pan or George Forman grill.

Steak:

Ingredients

Salt

Pepper

Worchestershire sauce

Instructions

Rub salt, worchestershire sauce, and black pepper into both sides of the steak with your hands. (If you don’t have worchestershire sauce, that’s fine.)

Grill both sides in pan or grill as desired (rare, medium rare, well-done). Cut a slit in the middle to check the pinkness.

Garlic Butter Sauce:

Ingredients

1 stick butter

2 tbsp. chicken broth

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tbsp. chopped or minced garlic. (I use the spice world jar of minced garlic)

Instructions

In a small sauce pan, cook chopped/minced garlic and broth on medium heat until it simmers. Add garlic powder and butter. Stir. Once butter is completely melted, take off heat and set aside.

Green bean and red potato casserole:

I had originally planned on making green bean casserole and rosemary red potatoes, but I decided to combine them.

Ingredients

2 small red potatoes chopped in bite-sized pieces

1 can cut green beans

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

3 tbsp. milk (you can add more or less, or add water depending on how thick you want the sauce)

French fried onions

2-3 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

Set oven to 350

Mix milk, pepper, and mushroom soup in a bowl

Add green beans and red potatoes and mix well

Pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle liberally with French onions

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Tip: To shorten baking time, you can boil potatoes on the stove for 5-7 minutes before putting into casserole and baking. Then you only have to cook for 25-30 min.

Easy Quesadillas

Ingredients
Cooking Spray
2 flour tortillas
Fourth of can of black beans
Fourth of a can of corn
2 avocado slices
4 slices onion
Chopped tomatoes
2 American cheese singles
2 slices of turkey
(Optional) 1 Tbsp. Chopped cilantro

Instructions
Set burner on medium/high heat.
Spray bottom of a sauté pan.
Put on tortilla face-down in pan.
Spread the black beans and corn on top.
Add turkey, onions, avocado, and tomatoes.
Break up singles and place on top.
Sprinkle with cilantro.
Put other tortilla on top and spray the outer side with cooking spray. Press down with spatula.
Cook about 4 minutes on each side or until cheese melts and tortillas are crispy.

Thai Cocunut Soup

This soup is a combination of two different recipes I've found -- I also tweaked and added some things. It's geared to one or two people, but you can double it to feed more. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1-2 chicken breasts chopped
2 large sweet potatoes chopped
1 teaspoon of ginger
1 tablespoon Thai seasoning
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped red or orange bell pepper
1 can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (You can add more broth or more water if necessary)
1 teaspoon fish sauce (If you don’t have any, just use soy sauce for both)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 (13.5-ounce) can light or regular coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

I mixed together my own Thai spices
chili pepper, cardamom, coriander, red pepper flakes, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, lemon peel, onion powder, jalapeno salt/seasoning, cayenne pepper, and sesame Seeds.

Note: I just eye-balled the amount of each, but I would recommend using larger portions of chili pepper, garlic, coriander and onion and then a little lesser of cumin, sesame, red pepper flakes, and jalapeno seasoning. Put the least amount of cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon peel, cayenne, and cardamom.

Instructions
Mix Thai spices in a bowl or bag with the chopped chicken
Spray the bottom of a large cooking pot and add chicken. Sauté until cooked through and then set aside.
In the same pot, add chopped sweet potatoes, ginger, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft and mushy and the broth is reduced slightly (about 10 minutes).
Transfer into a blender or magic bullet and puree mixture. Set aside.
Spray bottom of pan again and add chopped bell pepper. Sauté 2 minutes. Add puree, reserved chicken, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Simmer for several minutes and then add coconut milk. Cook about 2 minutes or until heated through.
Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro.