Shortcut Spanish Rice

This is a really simple recipe that adds flavor to Tex-Mex style dishes. I used it in enchiladas and as the base for burrito bowls. Feel free to double, triple, or cut the recipe in half.

For burrito bowls I serve with a can of refried beans and any other toppings I have on hand. We like cheese, salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, and avocados but anything goes.


2 cup dry white rice
3 1/2 cups water
4 chicken bouillons or enough for  4 cups of water
1 c. bottled salsa

Place all in a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cover. Let cook until the rice is tender throughout. 

Check to make sure the bottom isn't sticking and burning towards the end of cooking.

My Dads Enchiladas

Enchiladas as baked from frozen

I like to make these in bulk. The main body of the work (and mess) is cooking the hamburger and then filling the tortillas. At that point it is just as easy to cook and fill a 100 as it is 10. So I cook 4 lb of meat and use disposable pans to freeze them in for later. That way once you clean up the mess you are left with dinner for several nights, and next time you want enchiladas you wont have any mess at all. 

If you like more spice, I like to add a 4 oz. can of chopped chilies and jalapenos to the onions. The type of cheese is also optional. I usually use cheddar but pepperjack or monetary are great, and even mozzarella tastes really good. Feel free to replace the hamburger with cooked shredded chicken.

1 large can refried beans 

(I usually add some salsa verde to my refried beans and 

simmer a few seconds for more flavor, but straight out of the 

can works great too, I prefer the zesty ones.)

1 lb. ground beef

2 Tbsp. tacos seasoning

2 - 3 c. Grated cheese

1 onion, chopped

12 flour tortillas

2 (15 oz.) cans red enchilada sauce

Sour Cream

Salsa

Combine taco powder and beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain grease. 

Thinly slice the onions and cook in a hot, ungreased, pan, stirring occasionally until translucent and browned in spots. 

Spread tortilla with beans. Top with hamburger, onions, and then cheese. Roll tortilla and place seam side down in a 9x13 casserole. Repeat with remaining tortillas. You will have to push them to the side to fit them all in. Top all with enchilada sauce and additional cheese, if desired. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and salsa

To freeze: I just make 4 times as much, 4 cans of beans, 4 lb. ground beef, etc... Top with the enchilada sauce, cover the top of the pan with tin foil and drop in the freezer. I also like to freeze them in 8x8 inch pans instead of 9x13. That way one is enough for dinner or if I am having more people I just cook 2 pans. I have found that I like the pans from Wal-mart better than the dollar store, the sides are deeper and I can squish more tortillas in.

To eat: Leave the tin foil on the top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, remove the tin foil and continue baking for 45 minutes or until heated through.

White Chicken Chili

This is a hearty, and filling but still light. 

Great on a cold night and super fast to throw together.

The salsa verde doesn't make it spicy in the slightest,

that's where the can of jalapenos comes in. 

 3 chicken breast, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp oil
1 can (15 1/2 oz) white hominy, drained
2 cans (15 oz.) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. salsa verde

1 (4 oz) can green chilies OR chopped jalapenos
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. half-and-half cream

1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. sour cream

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the chicken and the onion and cook until the chicken is no longer pink. 

Add the hominy, beans, broth, salsa verde, chilies, garlic, basil, cumin, and pepper. 

Simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir the flour and half-an-half together until smooth. Whisk into the bubbling broth and stir until thick. Reduce the heat and stir in the sour cream. Stir until heated through and mixed in. 

Serve with corn chips

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

So I made this in two parts. First on the stove and then in the crock pot because I didn't have time to let the rice cook in the crock pot. I couldn't leave it simmering on the stove while I was at church either but I wanted it done when it was time to eat. Feel free to add as much shredded turkey as you wish, or leave it out in favor of cooked lentils or white beans.

If you threw the veggies in the pot to cook with the wild rice you wouldn't have to saute them later, I just didn't think of it until after the rice was already in the crock pot.

1 1/4 c. wild rice

6 c. chicken broth

oil

1 onion

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 large carrot, diced small

1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1/2 - 3/4 c. milk, half-an-half, or cream or any combination of them

2+ c. cooked shredded turkey (or chicken, lentils, or white beans)

Simmer the wild rice and the chicken broth until the rice is just cooked enough to eat. 

Add to the crock pot and stir in the mushroom soup, dairy, and cooked turkey. In the pot you cooked the rice in heat the oil. Saute the onion, celery, and carrots until cooked, but not tender. Add to the crock pot. Cook on high for 1 - 2 hours. Taste and adjust salt or pepper (I used Mortons nature seasons)

Red Beans and Brown Rice

I started my first blog , Bean Basics, in July of 2009, long before I started this blog. It was pretty specific though, it had to be a bean recipe. But since I was cooking with mostly beans, as a meat replacement at the time, it wasn't a huge deal. In fact it was really fun to write down all the creative things I came up with. This was the first recipe I posted there, it wasn't something I came up with on my own by any means, but it was one of my favorite recipes ever. My mom used to make it all the time when I was a kid. It's cheap to make, really simple to throw together fast, and it tastes like bacon. Don't let the simplicity of it not intrigue you, this is really fantastic, nothing else tastes quite like it.

What's not to love?

1 lb bacon

2 cans red beans

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

2 heaping tbsp. flour

1 tbsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Dash Mortons Natures seasons (optional)

Dash Tabasco sauce

3 or 4 c. cooked brown rice

Cook bacon until nice and crispy and then remove from pan. Saute the onion in the bacon grease until tender. Whisk in the flour and cook until thickened. 

Combine the liquid from beans and enough water to make 2 cups, add to the pan and whisk in. Cook until thick and bubbly. Add the beans and remaining ingredients and simmer 10 minutes. Top with reserved crumbled bacon and serve over brown rice.

Since beans have a lot of protein on their own I don't actually crumble the bacon on top like my mom did. We have BLT's for lunch and reserve just the drippings for dinner.

Taco Shell Pasta

I cooked the pasta shells and the hamburger and then let my 6 year old daughter and her friend fill the shells. They had a lot of fun, and helped me make dinner.

Presto Pasta Nights 229 is being hosted by Ruth, at Once Upon a Feast

1 (12 oz) box. Jumbo pasta shells (about 35) 

1 can refried beans

1 lb hamburger

2 Tbsp Taco seasoning

12 oz. cheddar cheese

1 can enchilada sauce

Cook Pasta shells in lightly salted water until al dente. Drain and toss with a little butter or olive oil.

Heat hamburger with 1 Tbsp of the taco seasoning. Cook, crumbling, until no longer pink and cooked throughout. Add 1/2 cup of water and remaining taco seasoning and simmer over medium heat until most of the liquid is gone. 

Divide between the shells a scoop of beans, filling each shells about halfway, then a sprinkling of cheese and top with hamburger. Place in a 9x13. Pour the can of enchilada sauce over the shells. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, uncover and bake just until cheese is starting to melt. 

Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. 

Serve over a bed of lettuce, top with fresh tomatoes and ranch.

German Lentil Soup

I know this looks like a long list of ingredients but you probably already have most of them in your pantry and you just throw the lentils, broth, and seasonings in the pot. While that is cooking I chop the remaining vegetables and throw them in when the lentils are tender. It's that simple, but the results are a very hearty, very thick, very flavorful soup that makes great "pockets" the next day. I'll explain that last part in a minute.

I like to eat with a dollop of sour cream



2 c. dried brown lentils
7 c. vegetable stock
(you can use chicken too, I prefer vegetable though, it doesn't interfere with the flavors of the spices as much. If you use bouillon skip the salt, you wont need it)
1 bay leaf 1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 - 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5 drops hot pepper sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp. caraway seed (I like lots)
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped celery
3 c. potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 can ham, crumbled, or 1 c. leftover ham or chicken chopped fine (optional)

Combine the lentils, chicken stock and the next 11 ingredients. Simmer 45 minutes or until lentils are tender. Do not let the soup boil dry, if it starts to add more liquid, either water or more stock. If you just simmer the pot you should be just fine. The only time it went dry on me was when it was at a full boil. When the lentils are soft enough to eat add the carrots, celery, and potatoes and continue to cook until tender. When the vegetables are done stir in crumbled ham. This goes great served with a dark crusty bread.

Or you can throw all the ingredients at once in the crock pot and cook on high for 4 - 6 hours

And now for the pocket part. The next day I like to strain the liquid and use as a filling in stuffed bread. I throw a batch of dough in the bread maker and when its done pull off 2 inch balls of dough. I roll them flat and top with a heaping tablespoon of the lentil mixture. Then wet the sides on half of the dough and pull the other side over the top to create a half circle. Press the sides with a fork to seal and place on a lightly floured bake sheet. I bake them at 350 for about 20 minutes or until the are golden brown and it looks like the bread is done.

Mujadara

Orzo is a rice shaped barley pasta that is perfect in this hearty, tasty, and lightly spiced Middle Eastern dish. It makes a great meal in itself alongside a green vegetable or as a side dish in a Middle Eastern dinner. This dish is lightly seasoned so you really get the right flavor without the spices being so overwhelming you cant taste anything else. As one diner at my table said, "it's not what I was expecting, but its still really good"









While it may look like a long time to be cooking, the onions take almost an hour, its not really active time. Once you add the sugar you leave them to cook, just stirring every 10 minutes or if they start to crackle. It also looks like a LOT of onions, and it is, but they cook down quite a bit.

You can make it with other grains too in place of the orzo, such as barley, quinoa, or brown rice, you just have to adjust the cooking time. In the past when i have used brown rice I just boil the pot of water and then cooked the rice for 20 minutes before adding the lentils to the same pot.

I'm linking up again to Presto Pasta Night being hosted over at Girlichef this week. Check out the round ups, always something (usually most everything) looks delicious





6 - 8 large onions, sliced
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 1/4 c. brown Lentils
1 1/2 c. Orzo

1/4 bundle Fresh Parsley, chopped

Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, and cook over low heat until translucent. Add the sugar and continue to cook over low heat until caramelized, about 45 - 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook the lentils in 3 cup water until soft enough to eat, immediately drain. Return to pan and add 4 cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer until tender. Drain and add seasonings and then toss with onions.

Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the top and serve.

Tostadas

One of my favorite dinner. Super fast and easy and yet savory, soft, crunchy, and delicious all in one.

Take a tortilla spread it with your favorite refried beans. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and broil until cheese is melted and starting to brown.

You can also throw of any leftover meat you might have to use up in your fridge

Top with your favorite vegetables and sauces and enjoy. I just fill several bowls with all the veggies and let everyone top their own buffet style.

Mine consisted of
Chopped Spinach
Cucumbers
Carrots
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Bell Peppers
Leftover corn with caramelized onions

And then a variety of sauces
Salsa Verde
Salsa
Sour Cream
Ranch

Harira (Moroccan Lentil Stew)

Harira is a Moroccan stew traditionally made with lentils, garbanzo beans, and tomatoes. What else you add to it differs from family to family. Orzo is most commonly used, I just prefer the brown rice. Lamb is also traditional, but not very economical.

This is a great food storage/pantry staple recipe. Its mostly dried or canned ingredients. Dehydrated onions and celery work great in here.

The lemon juice (which I always keep a bottle of in my fridge) and the cilantro are the only exceptions. Cilantro is usually cheapest at Wal-mart. They sell it loose in the produce section for $0.88 a bundle. This is the one thing where fresh is important.

Dates are also usually added, a handful of chopped raisins work to, I usually leave them out though.

This is also one of Johns favorite meals

My camera phone doesn't do it justice. The stew is a rich golden red color.

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can garbanzo beans
8 cups water
3 Knorr Vegetarian Vegetable bouillon cubes (chicken bouillon is really tasty here too)
1 tsp. Garlic powder
1/2 large bunch chopped fresh cilantro
Salt to taste
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 can tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup lentils
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. each sweet paprika, turmeric, ground ginger, ground coriander
1/4 tsp. each ground nutmeg, black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
¾ cup brown rice

Heat the oil in a large pot until hot and add the onions and cook until tender.

Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, 40 minutes, or until lentils and rice are both tender.

When tender remove from heat and serve.

It's a one pot meal (the best kind!)
Bit I still like to serve canned fruit with it.
Tonight's was frozen watermelon cubes.

Pumpkin Day

Last night the girls went and picked out their pumpkins and today we carved them.

Miriams Cat Pumpkin

Lily's Ghosts

Rosie just wanted a Big Smile

Then we roasted the pumpkin seeds

To roast your own rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.)

Drain in a colander to remove excess water. Toss with just enough oil to coat and lightly salt. Roast at 450 about 25 minutes, stirring half way through, until light golden brown in spots. Remove from the over and stir again. Allow to cool and enjoy.

If you let them cook too long and they turn dark they will taste like burnt kale chips. Not tasty.

And ended with pumpkin soup for dinner

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
One can pure pumpkin puree (15 ounces)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Salt to taste
4 Beef bouillon cubes
6 cups water
2 cans black beans (15 ounces), undrained (I sometimes use pinto)
1 can corn, drained, or 1 c. frozen
1/4 c. uncooked grain (rice, barley, quinoa, whatever)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Taco Bell Taco Sauce (Or about 4 packets

Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream

Heat olive oil. Add onion and cook until onion is translucent. Add apple and cook slowly over medium heat until starting to brown a bit and is looking tender all the way through. Add the garlic and cook JUST until fragrant and then immediately add liquid. Water and then bouillon cubes.

Add the cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, corn, beans, pumpkin, and grain.

Simmer until grain is tender. Stir in taco sauce and lemon juice. This is also really good if you reduce the liquid (and beef cubes) to 1 cup and serve it as a sauce over rice.

Thanksgiving Balls

I saw a recipe a long time ago that looked pretty good, I think on TV, though at this point I can't actually remember where, for Thanksgiving Meatballs. It was a combination of stuffing, poultry seasoning and, and ground turkey. I just removed the meat from the equation. While my version was not vegetarian they are certainly very adaptable with very minor substitutions.

The stove top brand stuffing isn't vegetarian so make sure whatever brand you buy is if you don't consume meat.

1 large carrot, chopped pretty fine but not as small as grating it
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 Tbsp. butter
1 box. Stovetop Savory Herb Stuffing
2 chicken bouillon cubes (Or imitation)
1/3 c. red lentils
1 can garbanzo beans
splash milk
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
dash black pepper

Combine lentils, 1 chicken bouillon cube and 2 cups water. Simmer until lentils are very tender. Drain any excess liquid.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the carrots and saute over medium high heat until the are starting to brown a little. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring until the onion is tender making sure not to let the onion burn. Add 1 1/4 cup water and 1 chicken bouillon cube. Bring to a boil, add the stuffing mix, cover and remove from heat. Let sit 5 minutes.

Drain the garbanzo beans, Remove 1/4 of the can and puree with a splash of milk. Lightly mas the remaining beans to break up into smaller pieces but not made a paste.

Combine the cooked lentils, stuffing, pureed beans, mashed beans, eggs, and seasoning. Form into meatball sized balls and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 2o minutes, turn over and bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve with Gravy

Onion Gravy
4 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, sliced
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken broth (OR imitation vegetarian bouillon cubes dissolved in boiling water first)
dash black pepper
3 Tbsp. heavy cream

Saute onions in butter until translucent. Turn heat to medium and continue cooking 20 minutes more, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Add the flour and cook 2 minutes more. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and black pepper and cook and stirring until combine and thick. Whisk in the cream and and heat through

Chickenless Chickenish Stew

A tasty version that is cheaper, faster, and easier than regular stew. I used bacon drippings instead of olive oil when I made it the second time. It was quite tasty and very hearty.

Any type of bean really would work in here, the garbanzo are just a better color for chicken. Try adding beef broth and using kidney beans for beefy stew, just skip the cream soup and use Steak Seasoning in place of the chicken.

1/2 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, sliced

2 carrots, cut into coins

olive oil

1 can garbanzo beans, drained (White beans work too but have more of a bean taste)

1 can corn, drained

1 c. frozen peas

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted (Or other cream soup that's vegetarian)

5 c. water

3 chicken bouillon cubes (Vegetarian imitation works just fine, still has the taste)

3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 1/2 tsp. McCormick Rotisserie style chicken seasoning

Large dash black pepper

1/4 c. flour

Saute onion and celery in oil until starting to get tender. Add carrots and saute 4 or 5 minutes more. Add water, chicken cubes, soup, corn, peas, beans, potatoes, and seasonings. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Mix flour and enough cold water together to form a thin paste. Stir that into the hot stew and cook, stirring, until thickened. 

Update - You can replace the cream soup with 1/2 c. milk with equally, if not more so, delicious results. 

The two different pictures are from different batches of stew on different nights. You can see I make it quite often.

Very Tasty Vegetarian Entree

I just made this again tonight for a ward pot-luck tomorrow. I used half quinoa and half brown rice, both of which I cooked in Edward and Sons vegan chicken flavored bouillon. Regular chicken bouillon would be fine, I just was trying to get rid of the other so I didn't have it in my cabinet taking up space.

And a special disclaimer for anyone who might be curious.
No, I am not a vegetarian, I just like beans.

4 Tbsp. butter
2 large onions, cut in half from the root and sliced
large pinch sugar
1 can corn
1 large carrot, grated
1 can black beans
1 can jalapenos
1 bunch green onions, sliced
3 c. cook quinoa
Mortons Nature Seasons o taste

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and saute until tender. Then add the sugar to the pan and let the onions brown a bit further. Heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are caramelized. Add the corn and let that caramelize a bit too. Then add the carrot, jalapenos, black beans. Heat through. Add the quinoa and sliced green onions and toss to coat. Taste and sprinkle with nature seasons to taste.

It's also great the next day as soup. Just boil some broth, chicken, vegetable or beef all work great for this, and add the quinoa black bean mix. Simmer until hot.