Fantastic Food

 I did it again.  I opened a big can of pumpkin.  Of course I didn't use it all--I never do unless I'm making pumpkin pie (does anyone  ever use it all?).  I made pumpkin pancakes, then pumpkin spice syrup, then pumpkin coffee cake (drool).  And then I had about 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree left....  It's like it never ends!  And I didn't want anymore sweet pumpkin foods.  So I brainstormed.  I remembered a couple of years ago when I was trying to lose baby weight that I made some sweet potatoes with black beans, green chiles, and lots of cumin.  Well, pumpkin is pretty silimar to sweet potato flavor, so I decided to whip up some quesadillas.  I didn't have black beans on hand, so I pulled out a can of small white beans instead.  A little tillamook cheddar added in there, and it was just delicious! A great use for that leftover, less-than-a-cup pumpkin puree.   Ingredients: Corn Tortillas (12 ish) 4 oz. Diced green c...

 So soup is one of my favorite family meals.  Whole meal in one pot? Yes please!  We eat it year-round because it's easy and hearty and delicious.  Even during the peak of summer heat you can bet I'll be cooking soup at least once a week (sooo thankful for AC!).  This particular soup recipe I have cooked a few times, and while I've tried it with a variety of different ingredients, I think I hit on the perfect  combination this last time.  Everyone was raving about it (except my husband, who happens to be trying an all-meat diet currently and had to pass on the soup for a giant steak; yes, he's crazy), and after I finished I was looking forward to eating more of it the next day for lunch (and it did not disappoint the second time either).  Ya'll should give it a try for sure... Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 1 13 oz. package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped 1 yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 3 medium...

You know that time when you went to Costco and....  Need I say more?  Don't you always buy something you didn't intend to buy when you go there?  Those darn samples, they get me every time!  So there was this time I went to that accursed place that I both love and hate, and I ended up buying a huge package of fresh cheese tortellini.  The package was so big they had to split it into two packages.  Oh America...  Anyway, I had to come up with a great idea for this pasta, because of course I bought it impulsively with no plan whatsoever besides, "this is good.  must eat again."  (Sometimes when I eat delicious food, it takes over brain function and I sound a little bit like a caveman...)  Everyone knows that when you need a good idea, you go to the World of Good Ideas Only (aka Pinterest), where anything you try will always turn out (I realize it's hard to sense sarcasm through text, but I'm counting on your common sense to know when I'm ...

This is a tasty, quick, easy, and super healthy meal.  It can be the main dish, or it can be a filler for pita bread or a topping for salad greens. INGREDIENTS: 1 15 oz. can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained 1 6 oz. can tuna, drained 1 scallion, or 1/4 cup red onion diced 6 or 7 grape tomatoes, chopped 2 tbs. olive oil 1 1/2 tbs. balsamic vinegar 1 tbs. capers 1-2 clove garlic, minced 1 tbs. fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried) salt & pepper to taste DIRECTIONS: 1) In medium bowl, shred drained tuna. 2) To the tuna, add the beans, scallion/onion, tomatoes, capers, garlic & basil. 3) Whisk together olive oil and vinegar until well-mixed.  Add to tuna mixture. 4) Salt and pepper to taste Serve room temperature or chilled.

Total time: 20 minutes INGREDIENTS: 3 medium carrots, sliced 2 celery ribs, chopped 1/2 large onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil 2-3 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 6 cups chicken broth 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham 1/2 tablespoon chili powder 3 cloves minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 bay leaf salt to taste INSTRUCTIONS: In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and bell pepper in butter until tender.  Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cook for 15 minutes or until heated through. Discard bay leaf.                                 Yield:  7 servings.

I got to try this recipe at a relief society activity, and it was delicious.  I am putting it on here so I know where to find it when I decide to make it :)   Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked quinoa 2 Tbs olive oil 1 Large onion, chopped 5 stalks celery, chopped 5 medium carrots, peeled & sliced 6 sweet peppers, seeded & chopped 1 zucchini, quartered & sliced 2 yellow zucchini, quartered and sliced 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced pinch of salt 32 oz. broth (chicken or vegetable) 2 15oz. cans diced tomatoes 2 cans white beans, drained & rinsed 2 Tbs ground cumin 1 1/2 Tbs chili powder 1 tsp hot sauce 1 tsp fresh lime juice Salt & pepper to taste Garlic salt to taste Parsley to taste Directions:  Saute onion, celery, peppers, carrots, and squash until softened, then add broth, beans, spices, and quinoa.  simmer 20 minutes or until quinoa is cooked through.  

INGREDIENTS:   3 Tbs. Olive Oil 1 cup minced yellow or white onion 1/2 c. chopped zucchini 1/2 c. frozen or fresh cut green beans 1/4 c. minced celery (about 1/2 stalk) 4 tsp. minced garlic (about 4 cloves) 4 c. vegetable broth (can use chicken) 2 15oz. cans red kidney beans (drained & rinsed) 2 15oz. cans small white beans (drained & rinsed) 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes 1/2 c. julienned or shredded carrot 2 Tbs. minced fresh parsley 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 1 1/2 tsp. salt (or more to taste) 1/2 tsp. black pepper (or to taste) 1/2 tsp. dried basil 1/4 tsp. dried thyme 2 bay leaves 3 c. hot water 1 to 1 1/2 c. cubed butternut squash** 4 c. baby spinach 1/2 cup small seashell pasta* (or other small pasta) DIRECTIONS: 1) Prep all veggies. 2)Heat olive oil over medium heat in large stock pot.  Saute onion, zucchini, green beans, celery, and garlic in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent. ...

I say "Chili" because it's not really that chili-ish except for a couple of ingredients.  It's more of a soup that has some chili powder in it.  I kind of mixed two "chili" recipes together to get this, and as it was cooking I thought, no one is going to like this.  It looked weird, but I think that's because I was thinking of it as a chili, and whoever heard of a chili with carrots and celery in them? Or even chicken?  Not me--that's not how I do chili; beef, sausage, beans and lots of chili powder and spice is how I do chili.  Despite the misgivings, this soup turned out to be a real winner.  I was very pleasantly surprised by it's awesomeness, so much so that I made it for a family in need two days later and made sure to make enough for us to eat too.  The kids absolutely loved it.  Naomi took it to school for lunch one day and when I asked her if it was okay for lunch or if it was too cold (they don't get microwaves in their classrooms--a...

1 medium onion, minced 2 green bell peppers, chopped 1 lb. bacon 3 Tbs. worcestershire sauce 2/3 cup Ketchup 1 15 oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained (or crushed pineapple) 8-9 cups pork & beans (or 1 3lb., 5oz. can + 1 1lb. 15 oz. can) 1 cup brown sugar 2 Tbs. molasses 1 1/2 Tbs. red vinegar Directions: Cook bacon so that it's easily crumbled.  Using a couple Tbs. of leftover bacon grease, saute onion and peppers for 2 or 3 minutes, then add all remaining ingredients except  pork & beans.  Simmer for a few minutes, then mix with pork & beans in a large bowl.  Pour in a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncovered.  (it might not all fit in the 9x13 dish, especially if you use more beans.  I typically cook it in the next size smaller and put the rest in another dish, then put them in the oven together.)  Serves 15 or so.

Recipe courtesy of "Fast-Fix Meals", with a few alterations by me. 1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil 4 to 6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced 3 to 4 green bell peppers, sliced 2 red bell peppers, sliced 1 onion, sliced 1 to 2 T. chili powder 1/2 t. ground cumin Salt and pepper to taste 1 16oz. can diced tomatoes, DO NOT DRAIN 1 16oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed 2 cups cooked brown rice 10 8-inch flour tortillas 1/3 cup chopped cilantro Directions: If you don't have cooked rice already on hand, start that cooking first. Pour enough oil in a large skillet just to coat bottom; heat over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook just until no longer pink; add peppers, onion and seasonings.  Stir-fry until chicken is golden and vegetables are tender.  Add tomatoes with juice and black beans (check flavor here to see if more salt/pepper is needed).  Cook until liquid is evaporated; add rice and cilantro and stir together.  Place heap...

This is a recipe of Emily's to which we've made a few changes to suit our family preferences. Ingredients:                Shredded Chicken 4 chicken breasts (can be frozen or thawed) 1 1/2 cups Pace Medium Salsa 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup brown sugar (to taste)            Black Beans 2 cans black beans, drained 1/2 cup corn (frozen or canned) 3/4 cup tomato juice 1/4 tsp. cumin 1/8 tsp. garlic 1/8 tsp. onion powder 1/8 tsp. chili powder 1/2 tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped finely (optional)            Taco Additives Romaine lettuce, shredded Shredded cheddar cheese Sour cream Fresh tomatoes, chopped  Tortillas Directions: Place all of the shredded chicken ingredients in crockpot.  If using frozen chicken, cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.  If using thawed chicken, cook on low for 4 hours. (crockpots vary, so you may have to adjust times or settings...

This is a slightly altered version of a recipe I found on Food Network.  It's been my favorite chili so far! 1 pound pork sausage 2 pounds ground beef 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped 1 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 2 28oz. cans chili beans 2 15oz. cans crushed tomatoes 2 large onions, finely chopped 1 28oz. can tomato sauce 1 tablespoon black pepper 3 tablespoons red chili powder 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper 1 generous cup ketchup 4 dashes hot sauce (or to taste) 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 cup water 3+ tablespoons sugar (to taste) Brown sausage in a frying pan, then drain and add to a large pot.  Brown beef in frying pan, then drain and add to the sausage.  Add all remaining ingredients to pot and simmer for 4 to 6 hours for best results (or pressure cook in instant pot on 5 minute manual setting). For those who like it hot hot, use HOT sausage ins...