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...

Recipe by Our Best Bites 1 Tbs. olive oil 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup) 2 (15oz) cans white beans (great northern or white or cannellini) 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cubed (about 3-4 normal sized chicken breasts) 3-4 garlic cloves, minced 1 (3.5oz) can green chilies 1/2 tsp. cumin 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 1/2 tsp. coriander 1/2 tsp. salt pepper to taste 1 (32 oz.) box chicken broth 1 lime juiced 1/2 cup chopped cilantro Toppings: sour cream, chopped cilantro, shredded Mexican cheeses, avocado, tortilla chips, lime wedges, tomatoes. 1.  Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the chopped onion and cook for about 2 minutes, until translucent. 2.  While the onions are cooking, drain the beans and rinse with cold water; set aside.  Sprinkle the chopped chicken with a little salt and pepper and add to pot.  Add the garlic.  Cook for 4-5 minutes or until there's no more visible pink on the chicken. 3.  Add green...

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...

Ingredients: Beef mixture-- 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 can chili beans or black beans 1 Packet Taco seasoning 1/4 green bell pepper, chopped 1/4 onion chopped 1/2 cup tomato sauce Rice-- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles 1/2 cup rice 1/2 tsp. cumin 1/2 tsp. garlic 1/4 tsp. chili powder 1/4 tsp. onion powder 1/2 tsp. salt Freshly ground black pepper (just eyeball it) About 1/2 cup water Enchilada sauce-- 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup flour 8 oz. can tomato sauce 2 tsp. chili powder 1/4 tsp. garlic 1 quart water & 6 chicken boullion cubes OR 1 quart (4 cups) chicken broth Additional Ingredients: 2 or 3 cups grated cheddar cheese corn or flour tortillas Directions: Start with the rice because it takes the longest to cook. Drain the juice from the tomatoes into a measuring cup. Add enough water to the juice to get a cup of liquid (or if your rice needs more or less liquid, add to or take away some of the juice). Add liquid, rice, and all spices to pot or rice cooker and cook according to p...

As per request, I am putting this salsa recipe on the blog. You can't beat homemade salsa flavor-wise, and it is FAR cheaper than buying ready-made salsa. However, this salsa doesn't keep nearly as long as salsa from the store, so you'll want to make sure you can eat it all up within a week if you're going to make it. I've never tried freezing it--I'm not sure it would be as good once thawed though. Anyway, here ya go! Ingredients: 1 can diced tomatoes 1 jalepeno, seeded and diced (if you like it spicy, put a few seeds in the salsa) 1 green onion stalk or 1/2 an onion finely diced 1/8 tsp. garlic A dash or two of chile powder 1/2 tsp. season salt 1/2 tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped (optional) I don't often have cilantro when I decide to make salsa, but it's fine without it. Put tomatoes in a blender and hit the pulse button 2 or 3 times, just enough to make the tomato pieces smaller, but not pureed smooth (unless you don't like any chunks). Pour to...

Ingredients: 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles 2 cans chicken broth 1 can refried beans 1 can black beans, drained 2/3 c. canned/frozen corn 2 1/2 c. shredded chicken (I just use canned chicken if I'm in a hurry!) 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. cumin 1/4 tsp. onion powder 1/4 tsp. salt freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 small limes, juiced handful chopped cilantro (amount is matter of personal preference) Directions: Combine broth, tomatoes, corn, and spices. Slowly work in the refried beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat; add chicken and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is heated through.  Add lime juice and cilantro to soup, stir into soup, then remove from heat and serve.  Optional toppings for individual servings: cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, salsa, green onions, diced fresh jalepenos, etc. This was really good, and REALLY easy. I think I might add some diced, fresh jalepenos next time for ...

*Fair warning to everyone: I seem to have a real issue with following recipes exactly . I don't think I ever follow a recipe the same way twice, and I'm really bad at measuring out ingredients, I tend to just 'eye' them alot, so if my recipes get really annoying when I just say, "as much as you want", sorry... 1/2 lb. ground beef 1 small red onion (I just always use regular onions, or onion flakes if I'm out of those) 2 cans stewed tomatoes (I just use regular petite diced canned tomatoes, but the recipe recommends Mexican style) 1 can kidney beans, undrained (I also add 1 can black beans, undrained) 1 can corn, undrained 1 package taco seasoning 1 can tomato soup (if you happen to be out of tomato soup like I was when Will & Peggy & Amy were here, about 1 soup can of salsa makes a nice substitution) I also like to add dried cilantro - um...as much as you want. Place all ingredients in large pot, and simmer for 15 min. Serve with sour cream, g...

Aptly named for my college apartment complex where I first had the pleasure of eating this yummy dish! : ) 4-5 large chicken breasts 3 cans cream of chicken soup 1 c sour cream 1 c diced green chiles 1 tsp. chili powder 2 Tbs. taco seasoning 1 tsp. onion powder salt and pepper 1-2 shredded cheese 10 flour tortillas Boil the chicken, cool and shred. In a skillet, combine soup, sour cream, chilies and seasonings. Heat until boiling. Take off heat and add chicken. In a casserole dish, tear up 1/2 of the tortillas ( about 1-in pieces) and place in the bottom of the pan. Spread half of the mix on top of the layer. Tear up remaining tortillas and layer on top. Pour remaining sauce mixture and spread evenly. Top with cheese and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes at 375. Enjoy!

2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 bag tortilla chips 2 cups cooked shredded or diced chicken 1 can diced tomotoes cheese Layer bottom of casserole dish with tortilla chips. Layer shredded cheese on top. Pour chicken soup, chicken and tomato mixture over the chips. Top with more cheese. Put in oven until warmed through. Enjoy! (eat as a casserole, or use the remaining chips to scoop it like a dip)