Chicken and (Hidden) Veggie Pasta

This was a "what's in my fridge that is going to go bad soon" meal. And...it turned out really good. I don't feed my kids rotten food, but I just wanted to use the peppers and spinach before they "matured", I guess is a better way of saying it. I had the chicken cooked and in the freezer from my prep day, so it was easy to throw together. My kids loved it and they had at least 4 veggies in this meal, and I also gave them carrots, so all 5 in one meal, that is awesome. This calculated out to about 340 calories per serving. I said it serves 8, but we had a ton left over, and everyone had a lot. So, I think it serves more than 8 and may be less calories than that.

Ingredients
2 peppers (I prefer yellow or red because they blend well with the tomatoes and have a sweeter taste.)
1/2 a large onion (I prefer sweet onions, but whatever kind you have works.)
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus 1 teaspoon EVOO
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic (about 6 fresh cloves)
1/2 bag baby spinach
2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken (about 1 pound)
1 28 oz can tomatoes (whole, diced, stewed, I prefer Italian flavored)
1 14 oz can tomatoes (same as above)
1 16 oz. box of pasta (I used linguine, but I think next time I will use something like rigatoni or shells)
Shredded Parmesan Cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut peppers and onion in chunks. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon EVOO over them and spread them in a pan (I used my 8 by 8 pan.) Roast for 40 min, stirring once.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Puree veggies and tomatoes in a food processor or blender (if you drain tomatoes the sauce will be thicker, if you want a thinner sauce, keep the juice.) Heat a large pan, add 1 teaspoon EVOO and allow it to heat up. Add garlic, saute for about 1 minute. Add veggie puree and allow mixture to heat up. Add chicken and spinach. I cooked it for about 15 more minutes. Cook pasta according to directions. Serve together, or separate (I mixed mine together, but if you have kids that are "separatists" I understand. I have one of those and told her "too bad" tonight.) Top with some parm cheese - ENJOY!!

Baked Potato with Salsa and Grilled Chicken

These were surprisingly a hit, and incredibly easy, something I love!!

Ingredients:
Potatoes washed, stabbed with a knife or fork a few times, wrapped in AL foil, and baked (425 for about an hour)
Salsa (for something a little healthier than just your normal salsa in a jar use the recipe for "red pepper salsa", click here.)
Grilled chicken
Cheese
refried beans (optional)
sour cream (optional)
butter
salt and pepper

Slice open potatoes, top with beans, salsa, chicken, cheese. Enjoy!!

Mexican Shepherds Pie

Still have no idea why it is called Shepherds Pie, but... whatever. This took minutes to make and was really good. I am a HUGE fan of the cook once, serve 4 or 5 times theory. I had some taco meat that I had made and frozen, and instant potatoes I had gotten 4 for $1. Why did I only get 2 boxes, I guess there wasn't a ton of room in my cart or something. Anyway, this was a great alternative to tacos and if I would have had some pureed butternut squash or cauliflower I totally would have snuck it in.


Ingredients:

2 pouches (1 box) of instant potatoes made according to instructions.

1 1/2 pounds of taco meat

1 small can of tomato paste

salsa

nacho chips

cheese


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put prepared instant potatoes in greased 9 by 13 pan. Heat up taco meat, add desired amount of salsa and can of tomato paste (I do this to make it a bit thicker and it adds more vitamins to the mix too). Spread taco meat over potatoes. Cook in oven for about 20 mintues. Add nacho chips and top with shredded cheese (I only had cheese slices) and heat in oven until cheese is melted.

Sneaky Veggie Loaded Leftovers Shepherd's Pie, Italian Style (I think)

Why is it called "Shepherd's Pie"? This picture does not do this dish justice. Anyway...this has been a "Whatever Is In My Fridge" week. I am trying to stay away from the store this week and just use what I have. This turned out really well and was SOOOOOOO easy to make because I used left over roast and instant potatoes. There was only a little bit left at the end of the night, ahhhhhh, success. (And there are a lot of veggies in it, shhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell my kids.)

Ingredients:
Left over roast (I had at least 1 pound of left over pork roast, maybe more like 2 pounds), shredded
1 red pepper (optional)
1 onion (optional)
1/2 bag spinach, chopped
1 14 oz can of Italian flavored tomatoes, pureed
1 small can of tomato paste
2 pouches of instant potatoes, made according to directions on box
mozzarella cheese, shredded parmesan cheese would be good too.

Preheat oven to 350. Make potatoes according to package directions. In a pot heat up roast, add pureed tomatoes and tomato paste. Chop and saute onion and red pepper (I drizzle the veggies with olive oil and roast them in the oven at 400 for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once. I just really like the flavor it gives to the veggies.) Add to meat (I pureed the veggies so that they are not picked out of the meal). Add to meat, add spinach. Heat through. Add salt and pepper if needed. In 9 by 13 pan spread potatoes. Then top with meat mixture. Top with cheese. Heat in oven until heated through and cheese melts (I think mine was in for 25 to 30 minutes.) Enjoy this meal on a cold day, I love comfort food that is actually good for you too.

EASY Pizza Rolls

It has been a long time, so sorry. I have had to cut back on blogging because I have been trying to limit kid time on the computer. That means, it is not on a whole lot. But, I am trying to get back into it. Excuse me, I am laughing so hard, we are watching that show "Outsourced", it is pretty funny. Anyway, back to you.....

This has become one of my new favorite things to make because it is SOOOOOOOOOOO easy and everyone likes it. You can buy the dough or make it yourself. I made mine because I didn't have any on hand. If you are buying it, I would go with two loaves if you are trying to feed more than two people because the store bought dough does not make a ton. They heat up nicely and left overs are great.

Ingredients:
2 rolls of french bread dough, or homemade dough for 1 loaf. I will post that recipe another time.
Ground Beef, cooked
Pepperoni
Mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
Sauce (to dip rolls in. DO NOT put sauce on the bread dough with other ingredients, it will turn out mushy and you will have a MESS on your pan)

The How To:
Roll out dough. Spread pepperoni, then ground beef, then cheese.
Roll up dough.

Slice into one inch pieces.
Place rolls on greased baking sheet. (You do not have to let them rise. I love that!!!)
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.
Dip in your favorite pizza sauce. (This is a picture of one loaf of homemade dough.)

Pizza Joes

,
We have been so busy lately, it has been hard to find time to blog. But I have a few moments and wanted to post this recipe. We have had baseball or softball 4 nights a week, so I have been making very easy meals and will post them when I get a chance. This one was super easy, and EVERYONE ate it. I call it "Pizza Joes" instead of the traditional "Sloppy Joes". This is a great recipe to get "Deceptively Delicious" with and add pureed beans and veggies.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds of lean ground beef, chuck, or sirloin
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Enough buns to make the number of sandwiches you need
Extra toppings if you so desire (pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives)

Cook meat, drain, and rinse (this washes away extra fat). Add pasta sauce, mix well. Spoon onto rolls (I like to toast the rolls int he oven for a few minutes), add cheese ASAP so that it melts like on a pizza. Add extra toppings if you like.

Easy Chicken and Spinach Pasta

This meal was so easy to make and EVERYONE ate it and had seconds. That is always a plus. I make a version of it at least once a week. The sauce can be made in about the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta. You could prep the sauce ahead of time and add everything except for the spinach.

Ingredients:
2 to 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cans of undrained tomatoes, Italian flavored. (I puree mine in the blender because my kids are not big on chunky foods)
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups cooked chicken
1/2 bag of fresh spinach, chopped (I have also used a box of frozen spinach, thawed, and it was good.)
Cheese to top (optional, I recommend the fresh Mozz, but shredded Mozz or Parm would be great too.)
Chopped fresh tomatoes to top (optional)
1 box of pasta (I used a 14.5 oz box of Rotini)

Cook pasta according to directions. Heat pan, add EVOO and let it heat up. Add garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, do not let it turn brown because it will be bitter. Add tomatoes. Heat for a few minutes. Add evaporated milk (you could also use cream but I don't have that on hand all of the time), mix well. Let heat through. Add chicken, mix in well. Add spinach when pasta is done cooking. Stir sauce into pasta and top with cheese (I recommend mozz or parm) and tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Chili and Cornbread Casserole

I made this with meat and beans that I had frozen in the freezer, it took less than 10 minutes to prepare. This is one of the easiest meals I have made in awhile and most liked it. If I had been more ambitious, I would have roasted some peppers and pureed them with the beans so that the kids would not have seen the beans. But, whatever, they can deal with it. If you only need an 8 by 8 pan, cut this in half)

Ingredients:
2 to 3 cups cooked meat (I used left over pork roast, but you can use beef or chicken too)
2 to 3 cups cooked beans (or 1 can of beans, drained), I used black beans for this one.
1 to 2 cups salsa (I had about 1 1/2 left in a jar)
1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes (drained, I did puree mine so that it would be more like a sauce)
Chili powder (I used 1 1/2 Tablespoons, you may want more depending on your family's taste)
Ground cumin (I used 1 teaspoon, again adjust to your families taste)
Chopped Cilantro (about 2 Tablespoons, optional)
2 packages of corn muffin/bread mix and ingredients needed to make cornbread from package instructions. (Mine was milk, butter, and eggs)
1 can of corn (optional)
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat meat, beans, salsa, tomatoes, and spices in pan until heated through. Add cilantro if using. Spray 9 by 13 pan with cooking spray. Add chili. Mix ingredients for cornbread, add corn and cheese, and spread on top of chili. Bake for 30 minutes or until cornbread looks done on top.

Pizza Bianca

My husband ordered something like this when we went out to eat one night. It was really good and was a hit. I tried to recreate it and came close.

Pizza Crust:
3 cups flour (I usually use 1/2 whole wheat or oats that I grind up in the blender and 1/2 white flour)
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon milk
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons yeast
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
(Or you could just use a store bought crust)

Toppings:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic (Optional, I would use minced)
Mozzarella cheese, sliced (I prefer the kind that comes in a ball, but whatever kind you have is fine, shredded would work great too)
Roma tomatoes, sliced
Fresh basil, chopped

For Crust: Heat water in microwave for 1 minute. Add 1 Tablespoon EVOO, sugar, salt, milk, and yeast and stir. Let sit for a few minutes. Put 1/2 flour in mixer. Add water and put it on the knead cycle. Add the rest of the flour. There have been times when I have needed extra flour so don't put it away. Knead for a few minutes, the dough will be a little sticky, but will mostly hold together on the kneading paddle. Remove bowl from mixer, pour about 1 tablespoon of EVOO in mixing bowl. Turn dough. Cover, let rise for 1 hour.

Time for Pizza: Preheat oven to 425. Brush a pan (with sides) generously with olive oil. Roll out pizza crust and brush top of crust with olive oil. Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes (I put it in the oven before it is done preheating). Remove from oven. Sprinkle with garlic (I don't do this because it gives me heartburn right now), add tomatoes, then cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, add basil. It was really, really, really good. We like to dip the crust in a combo of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon

My sister, Kelly, made these on the grill when we went to the shore last summer. They make a great appetizer, but I can eat them as a complete meal. I made them and had some left over and put them in an omelet the next day for breakfast. Very good. A like to drizzle mine with some brown mustard and top them with tomatoes.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of asparagus
1 lb. of bacon
toothpicks
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper
Cookie sheet with sides

Preheat oven to 450. Wash asparagus and snap off bottoms that are hard and "woody". Decide how many asparagus you can use with the amount of bacon you have. (I wrapped 3 to 4 pieces of asparagus in 1 slice of bacon) Secure with a toothpick. Brush pan with olive oil and place the asparagus wrapped in bacon on the pan and brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once during that time. It is done when the bacon looks done.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I am starting to "hit the wall" with cooking with this pregnancy, 11 weeks left, I can do it. Maybe this is just an off week, the weather has been so nice so we are outside all of the time. I need to start looking up crock pot recipes again. But, this was totally easy. I put it in the oven in the morning and it was done at 6. I used a 4.5 pound pork tenderloin, but you could use a pork shoulder, a cut of meat with the bone, whatever.

Ingredients:

4 to 5 pound pork tenderloin (or other cut of meat)

Pork rub (I got mine at Walmart in the baking isle near the spices. There are also several recipes online for different "rubs", I am not motivated enough to make any homemade)
Aluminum foil
Rolls
Sauteed sweet onions and peppers (optional)
Mozz cheese (optional)
BBQ sauce

Rub pork with "pork rub". Place meat on 2 pieces of aluminum foil big enough to wrap meat in. Wrap foil around meat and place in a 9 by 13 pan. Cook in oven at 225 degrees 8 to 10 hours (mine took about 10 hours). Remove from oven and let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes (I would also check with a meat thermometer to make sure it is done, which it should be). Take 2 forks and pull meat apart. You can pour BBQ sauce on it, or top it with BBQ sauce when you put it on the rolls. Top with onions, peppers, Mozz cheese. This roast made enough for about 3 meals for our family. I used it for lunch the next day and then used it in tacos for another meal. Love the cook once, use 3 times theory.

Chicken Sandwiches - Smothered in whatever you want

These are awesome and easy to make, especially with left over chicken. If I were planning a menu I would cook twice as much chicken for one meal and then save some for these sandwiches. This would be an awesome way to eat grilled chicken too. I topped mine with bacon, sauteed onion and yellow peppers, mozzarella cheese, BBQ sauce, and a special mayo. These were so good, I don't think you can even see the chicken in the sandwiches in this picture. (No, you can't because for some reason I can't get the photo to upload, oh well. Check back later for a photo). AND (A tip for cooking bacon. I cook mine on a rimmed cookie sheet in the oven. Heat oven to 375 to 400 degrees and cook bacon until done, about 20 minutes. Check it every 7 minutes or so. It is so much easier than doing it on the stove.)

Ingredients:
Enough chicken to make the number of sandwiches you want. I made 6 and probably used about 1 pound (my little ones don't eat a whole lot on theirs and prefer the roll to the meat anyway.)
Rolls
Smothering toppings-
Bacon
Sauteed veggies
BBQ sauce
Cheese
Mayo (about 1/4 cup with 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp of paprika, and salt and pepper added in)

Heat up chicken. Assemble sandwiches however you want. Have plenty of napkins around, there may be a few drips. Enjoy.

Pasta Puttenesca

I used to make this all of the time when Mike was in vet school because it tastes great and is very inexpensive to make. I like to add chicken or tuna to it to give it more protein. It is kind of a "whatever you have in your cupboard and fridge" dish. I have to double this to feed our whole family. I got this recipe a long time ago from a cook book I no longer have. I have changed it quite a bit too, so sorry to the original author.

1/2 sweet onion, chopped very small

1 pepper chopped very small (optional, I just try to add more veggies when I can and peppers are easy to get away with. I prefer red, yellow, or orange, but you can use green. The others just taste sweeter)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Garlic (I use about 4 cloves, minced, but you can use however much you want)

1 28 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes (the Italian seasoned ones work really well. I drain about 1/3 of the juice off and then add the rest)

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 can of black olives, sliced in half, or you can just add them whole (and you can use the whole can if you want. We usually only get about half in there because the other half gets eaten.)

1 Tablespoon of capers (optional)

1 to 2 teaspoons of dried basil, or I like to use 1/4 cup fresh if I have it. Some people like to add dried oregano, I prefer not to, but the original recipe did call for about 1 teaspoon.

Salt and pepper to taste

Sometimes I add a dash of sugar too

1 to 2 cups cooked chicken or 1 can of tuna, drained

Shredded Italian or Parm cheese

8 oz. of your favorite pasta

Saute pepper and onion, when they are soft add garlic. Saute for a few minutes. Add tomatoes, and tomato sauce. (After I do this I puree it because my family prefers a smoother sauce.) After they are heated through add black olives, capers, and chicken or tuna. Cook until heated through. Spoon sauce over your favorite pasta. Sprinkle with cheese. Enjoy!!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

One of my favorite things to make is homemade pizza. I have a good mixer, so it does most of the work, I just add the stuff. My one child complains when I make this because he prefers the store bought pizza, the kind that is as thin as a cracker, so he is often disappointed.



Ingredients:
3 cups flour, plus some extra (I use half all purpose flour and half whole wheat)
1 cup water
1 to 2 Tablespoons of sugar (I like it to taste a little sweet)
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon salt (some people may want more salt)
cornmeal
BBQ sauce
Cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (probably about as much as one chicken breast)
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Sliced red onion (optional)
Chopped cilantro (optional, but oh so good), About 2 Tablespoons


Heat water (I put mine in the microwave for about 45 seconds) until very warm, but not hot. Add yeast, salt, sugar and let yeast activate (it will start foaming) for a few minutes. Put 1 cup of flour in mixing bowl. Add water and yeast mixture and mix well. Add the rest of the flour 1 cup at a time. Continue to knead in mixing bowl until dough is mixed well and no longer sticking to the sides. I usually have to add at least another 1/2 cup flour to get it right. Add a little bit of oil to mixing bowl and turn dough in it to coat. Cover and let it rise for about an hour. Preheat oven to 425. Sprinkle corn meal on pizza pan and roll out dough. Add sauce, chicken, cheese, onions and cilantro. Bake until cheese is melted and crust is a little golden brown (mine usually takes about 15 minutes on a 15 inch round pizza pan). We enjoy dipping the crust in a little olive oil mixed with balsamic vinegar.

Asparagus Pesto Pasta with Chicken

This is an easy meal, especially if you already have the chicken cooked. I used 2 cups of the Asparagus soup I made yesterday. Seriously, no one knew that this was different than usual. When Aldi has their Italian specials, I buy about 20 of the pesto sauce packets( they cost way less there than at Walmart). Then I am stocked for a long time.


Ingredients:
This served 7 of us (granted, 2 of us don't eat a whole lot)
2 cups cooked chopped or shredded chicken
2 cups of Asparagus soup (recipe in previous posting)
2 packets of pesto sauce mix
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 cup Water (If you want the sauce to be thinner, add more water and EVOO)
Pepper to taste
16 oz of your favorite pasta
Italian blend or Parmesan cheese

Mix EVOO and water with 2 cups of Asparagus soup. Add contents of pesto packets and heat. Add cooked chicken. Cook pasta. Mix together and top with cheese to serve.

Meatball Soup

I saw a recipe for this at a website called "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" under "Italian Meatball Soup". She has some awesome recipes. Anyway, I was intrigued. It sounded very good, but a bit too much work. For some reason I cannot make my own meatballs, they fall apart or are gross. And, I have no idea where to even purchase cheesecloth and didn't have any of the herbs on hand (the first time I made this I used Italian dressing seasoning and it was good. If you want more flavor, try that). So, here is my simplified version, and it was really good. This picture does not do it justice. The first time I made it I added the pasta (whole wheat spaghetti) and then went outside to play in the snow with the kids. When I came back inside and hour later my soup had morphed. It looked like canned pasta and meatballs. The kids still liked it, but I didn't like the mushy pasta. Lesson learned - cook the pasta and add it to the soup when you are ready to serve it. The second time was so much better and I am excited for left overs tonight.

Ingredients:
1 large onion (I prefer the big sweet onions)
1 large red pepper
3 large carrots
Olive oil
3 cans of beef broth
At least 1/2 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (After I dump the sauce I rinse it with about 1/2 cup water to get the rest that is in there and add it to the soup. You can use a full jar if you want. I had 1/2 a jar, so that is what I used.)
1 16 oz bag frozen meatballs (or 1/2 a 32 ounce bag, what I had)
small pasta of your choice, about 2 cups, cooked. (If you want more, add it)
cheese for topping
optional - fresh spinach (Frozen would work too, but fresh looks so pretty. I didn't have any this time, so my soup looks kind of blah, but it tasted awesome. ALL of the kids liked it.)

Preheat oven 425 to 450 (some cookware is not designed to cook above 425, if yours is not roast these veggies at a lower temp.) Cut up the onion and pepper, peel and slice up the carrot. Put them in a 9 by 13 pan and drizzle with 2 to 3 Tablespoons of Olive oil (or less if you want). Roast veggies in oven for 35 to 40 min, stirring once. In the meantime heat up broth and pasta sauce. In a skillet, heat up 1/2 cup to 1 cup of the broth mixture and add meatballs. Simmer meatballs until they are fully cooked. I spooned them out onto the cutting board and cut them in 1/4's so that there were more. Cook pasta. When veggies are done roasting, puree them in blender. Add veggies to broth mixture. Heat through. Add meatballs and spinach and cook for a few more minutes. Add cooked pasta right before you serve the soup. Top with Italian blend of shredded cheese. Serve with some yummy garlic bread. Enjoy!!!

Focaccia Dippers

My kids love "dipping" things and so this is a hit. I have included the recipe for the foccacia bread, but you can just use a roll of pizza dough and cook it according to the directions on the package. The dipping sauce is a great way to sneak veggies in on them to win the battle I am not willing to fight right now at dinner. This makes enough sauce for 2 dinners. I freeze the left overs for later.

Ingredients:
1 onion
3 carrots (big one's)
1 Red pepper or other colored pepper
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
A jar of your favorite pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 425 or 450. Cut up veggies and put them in a 9 by 13 pan, drizzle with Olive oil (2 to 3 Tablespoons) and add salt and pepper. Cook in oven for 35 to 40 min., stirring once. Puree veggies and put in a pot. Add as much as your favorite pasta sauce as you like (usually about 1/2 to a whole jar) and mix. Cover and let it simmer for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Add salt and pepper if needed. Get ready to dip.

Foccacia from CooksRecipes.com:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar (I use 2 usually)
2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast (a 1/4 ounce package)
3 1/4 cups flour (I do half wheat half regular and usually need a little more than this.)
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded Parm or Italian cheese

Dissolve sugar in the water in a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let it stand for 10 min. In a large bowl combine 3 cups of flour and salt. Add yeast mixture and knead for 10 min. (I have a mixer that kneads it for me and I usually have it on the knead setting for 2 to 3 minutes). Slowly add what flour you need until the dough is no longer sticky (I usually end up adding at least 1/2 cup, if not more). Place dough in a well greased bowl, tuning once to coat it. Cover and set it in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 1 to 1/2 hours. Mine usually is not quite double, but it has gotten bigger). Preheat oven to 375. Punch down the dough and place it on a lightly oiled pizza pan or stone, or baking sheet. Make several dimples in the dough with your fingertips. Drizzle the dough with olive oil, spread it around with a spoon to make sure it is well distributed. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Turn off oven and add cheese to foccacia bread. Return to oven just until cheese is melted, 3 to 5 min. Cut into "sticks" and enjoy.

Pork taco lettuce wraps

This is a meal that takes minutes to make if you have several of the ingredients as left overs from previous meals. It is also known as ,"whatever is left in my fridge" or "Kristen surprise". I will often make a roast one night, then make this another night, then make Tortilla Soup that I posted earlier with the leftovers from this meal. I roast and puree the veggies, just because of the battle I am too tired to fight at dinner time. I roast several veggies and freeze them, then thaw and puree them when I am ready to use them. The picture of this would be so much prettier if I had not pureed the veggies, and if I had some fresh cilantro (so missing that!!!). You can also serve these on tortillas, taco shells, or with chips.

Ingredients:
Left over roast or chicken; or about 1 pound of ground beef, or other meat
1 onion
1 red pepper (I prefer Red, but others work, no prejudice here)
Olive Oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 to 2 cups of rice (cooked just depends on how much you need to make enough to feed everyone)
1 to 2 tsp. lime juice
1 can of beans (I prefer black, but whatever you have works)
1 tsp. chili powder (you can also use a packet of fajita seasoning instead of these three spices)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
Romaine, Redleaf, or Boston lettuce (to wrap them in)
Serve with Tortillas, nachos, or on lettuce
Top with salsa, chopped tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, avocados

If the meat needs to be cooked, heat up a little bit of oil in a pan and cook the meat (If I have to cook the meat I always drain it when it is cooked, so as not to add more fat to the meal). Add garlic and spices to meat. Cut up and saute veggies (or cut up, drizzled with olive oil, and roast in the oven at 450 for 35 to 40 min, stirring once). Add to meat, add lime juice. After veggies are cooked add beans and rice to meat and cook until flavors combine.

"Curry in a Hurry" - Chicken Curry

I think there is a resturaunt named that in Madison, Wisconsin, I've never been there, but I like the name. This is something my husband and his family grew up eating and I love it. I have changed the recipe a bit, but it is still really good. I got the original recipe from his mom and made the changes I wanted. This is really quick if you have chicken and vegetables cooked ahead of time. I like to serve mine with rice. At the bent and dent grocery store where I LOVE to shop, they had Kasha for super cheap. It is buck wheat (the box said gluten free and wheat free, if it is gluten and wheat free why is it called buck wheat?). Anyway, I was low on rice and mixed in some of that stuff. It was really pretty good. The kids didn't complain, well one did, but the other two ate it and didn't complain. One child is sick and the baby just plays with her food half the time. Mike said it was really good too. I like to top it with fresh cilantro, but I am in a quandary here because I cannot find that. So pretend there are lovely chopped leaves and a sprig or two of fresh cilantro. There are several things you can stir in or top this with if you want it a little different. My kids are not into chunky food, so I didn't add the apples that I have put in before, very good, or the nuts (cashews are awesome on it). If you want it to have more of a kick add a bit of Cayenne pepper, a sprinkle of paprika is good on it too. Hope you enjoy. The one child that complained just yelled to me from the hallway, "Actually, Mom, I do like the chicken curry." I wonder if that has anything to do with the M & M's her dad brought home from the M & M store in LV. "Things that make you go Hmmmmmmmmmm..."

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup diced onion, carrot, celery (whatever root veggie you want to use. I had about 1/2 cup left of the roasted pureed veggies I used for the chicken and dumplings soup. So, I just used that.)

3 teaspoons curry powder

6 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 15 oz. can chicken broth

2 cups milk

1/2 to 1 cup cup plain yogurt (It makes it creamy and adds more calcium too)

1/2 cup sweet potato puree (I gotta' sneak the veggies in any time I can.)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

I like to have a diced apple in here too but did not add that this time. When I use an apple I cook it with the onion to ensure that it is cooked all the way. You could probably add it at the end and it would be great too.

Heat oil, add onion or veggie puree and heat through. Blend in flour and spices. Her recipe says cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly, but mine was just kind of pasty. Stir in chicken broth, milk, and yogurt. Bring to a boil while stirring. Add chicken and lemon juice. Serve over rice. I love to top this with fresh cilantro (seriously, I am going through withdrawal. I need to venture out to the Giant grocery store and see if they have any there.) chopped tomatoes, and nuts. Good luck.

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

This is a really easy meal and there is no recipe to follow. I got this idea from my friend, Nicole, in Elkhorn. We often shared recipes with each other and had big dreams of our husbands opening a vet clinic together and then we could open a cafe next door. My friend, Aleca, said we should call it "The Barkery" and have treats for the dogs and lunches for clients. It would be fun. Anyway, I made these this afternoon while my kids were coloring and then heated them up before dinner. I like hot sandwiches, they just taste better to me. The sandwich pictured here does not have cheese. I have 2 children that are anti-melted cheese. They did not get that from me!! Anyway, we had 6 people, so this is what you need for 6 sandwiches. You could also use turkey, roast beef, or sandwich style pepperoni.

6 rolls (I used the ones I bought on the day old bread cart, much cheaper and still really good)
Ham
Cheese (I prefer Provolone)
Sandwich toppings (mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato, bacon)
Aluminum foil
Marker to label the sandwiches if people want different toppings (or for those who don't like melted cheese)

Make sandwiches. Wrap them in foil and label if necessary. When ready heat oven to 375. Bake for 15 min, until cheese is melted. Serve with oven fries, veggies, chips, soup, whatever.