Black Bean Burgers

Black Bean Burgers

Makes 6 burgers

3/4 cup Panko (bread crumbs)

3 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. olive oil, divided

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained, rinsed, and divided

2 large eggs

1tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 red bell pepper

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced

1 shallot, minced

Place medium skillet over medium-high heat.  combine panko with 2 tsp. of the olive oil and mix with a fork to blend. Add mixture to skillet and toast panko, stirring frequently, until golden brown.  Remove from the heat and let cool to room temp.

Place 2 1/2 cups of the beans in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or a fork until mostly smooth.  In a separate bowl, combine eggs, 1 T. of the oil, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Wisk to blend. Add the egg mixture to the panko then add the bell pepper, remaining 1/2 cup of beans, cilantro, and shallot to the bowl and mix into the mashed beans.  Stir until evenly combined.

Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, about 1/2 c. each.  Lightly pack into 1-inch thick patties. (At this point the patties can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before cooking)  Heat 1 Tbsp oil in skillet over medium heat until simmering.  Carefully lay half of the patties in the skillet and cook until well browned on both sides (about 8-10 minutes).  Repeat with the rest of the patties. 

Nutritional Info: (for the patties only!)

Calories: 186 calories per patty

Fat: 3 grams

Carbs: 31 grams

Protein: 10 grams

*Note: Serve these with Sandwich Thins (you can find them near the buns at the store) which are only 100 calories.  Also, These are really good with a little fat free sour cream and some low fat cheese and some yummy leafy greens! 

Chicken Curry in a Hurry

This is from "Eat What You Love" by Marlene Koch. Adam loves to eat at Thai restaurants and this is one of his favorite things to eat at home. The author used nonfat half-and-half and coconut extract as a substitute one day when she was out of coconut milk, but I'm sure if you'd rather, you can use 1/2 cup of light coconut milk and it wouldn't change the nutritional composition too much.

Note: If you like your chicken curry served over rice, be sure to start the rice ahead of time, as this dish cooks quickly.

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 teaspoon minced ginger (freshed or canned), or 1/2 tsp ground (I used ground)
1 medium onion, sliced or wedged
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped into medium cubes
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/2 cup nonfat half-and-half
1/4 tsp coconut extract
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Dash of red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon peanut butter

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger (if using ground, wait and add it with the broth) and cook for 30 seconds. Add the onion and the bell pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.

2. While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the half-and-half, coconut extract, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Add the chicken broth, curry powder, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, (ginger, if using powdered), and peanut butter directly into the skillet with the chicken and stir until combined.

4. Bring to a simmer and pour in the half-and-half mixture. Stir again and let simmer for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

Makes 4 servings. Nutritional Info (without rice): Calories 200, Carbs 11g (Sugars 4g, Fiber 2g), Total Fat 6g (Sat Fat 1g), Protein 25g.

Fiesta Casserole

Fiesta Casserole

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 c. chunky tomato salsa
1 c. (14 1/2  oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
2 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels
12- 6 inch flour tortillas
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream for serving
chopped avocado for serving
chopped fresh cilantro for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brown the meat in a large skillet on med-high heat. Add onion and peppers and saute until the meat is no longer pink (about 10 min.). Drain off excess fat.  Stir in the salsa, tomatoes with juice, and corn.  Bring to a boil, and remove from heat.
Spread out 1 cup of the meat mixture in the bottom of a shallow 9 x 13 in. baking dish.  Top with 6 tortillas, over lapping them.  Spoon half the remaining mixture over the tortillas.  Top with half of the cheese. layer with the remaining tortillas and then the rest of the meat mixture.  cover with lightly greased aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes or until heated through.
Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand for 5 min. or until cheese is melted.  Serve with sour cream, chopped avocados, and cilantro.

Pasta and Chicken Alfredo "Casserole"

3 Tbs. Butter, melted, plus extra for the dish
1 Jar (about 15 oz.) Alfred sauce
8 oz. fettuccine
2 c. diced cooked chicken
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced (optional. I hate onions so I left it out and it still tasted good)
2 c. frozen peas, thawed
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 c. seasoned fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Butter a deep 3-quart casserole. Cook the pasta according to package instructions (the instructions say to boil them for 12 minutes or until tender but still firm to bite.  I don't really think it matters though.) Drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Mix in Alfredo sauce, chicken, green onions, peas, and poultry seasoning.
In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
Transfer pasta mixture to the buttered baking dish.  sprinkle with crumb mixture. (at this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated overnight if you want to make it the next day. Just add 10 min. to the baking time.) Bake, uncovered, until the pasta is hot and the topping is golden brown, about 25 minutes.  (Keep an eye on it though... it only took like 20 min. in our oven. Just don't let it go totally brown!)

Navajo Taco Meat Sauce

(from Ashlee Raisor & Amy Watkins)

1 lb. hamburger
1 medium onion
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 can Italian or Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 can pinto beans

Brown hamburger with onion; drain. Add taco seasoning according to directions on the packet. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Simmer on low until fully heated. If it's too runny, add a little flour/water mixture to thicken. Serve over hot scones or frybread.

Crockpot recipes

Okay, I posted four crockpot recipes below, but I have a disclaimer to make. I haven't actually tried these four recipes yet. However, they are recipes from my Winder 4th Ward Cookbook (my last ward in Utah), so I feel some level of confidence that they will be good. (Hopefully, that confidence isn't misplaced.) I'm planning to make the crockpot taco soup later this week, so I'll let you know how it turns out. The BBQ pork one also sounds really yummy, but I keep wondering if the process would be a pain instead of a timesaver...and I'm going for time saving.

I cooked a roast in my crockpot today and boy was it YUMMY!! You guys probably already have your fabulous recipes for roasts and this one is a pretty standard recipe I think. Still it turns out good. (3-4 pound roast, potatoes, carrots, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 pkg lipton onion soup mix, cook on low for 8-12 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours...I also added a quartered onion in.)

If anyone else has a chance to post any quick crockpot recipes I'd love it (and Heidi too, it sounds like)! I need to find some more that will be time saving and that Alex and I will like.

I have a couple of other recipes (Crockpot Beef Stew and Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore), but I'm not sure where those recipes came from so I didn't post them. If anyone wants me to post them, I will; otherwise, I'll wait to see if they are any good if or when I try them.

Post-Edit: I've tried the Crockpot Taco Soup now and it was really good!!

Down South Barbeque (Crockpot)

2 onions sliced
4-5 lb pork roast or fresh picnic ham
5-6 cloves
1/2 cup water
16 oz bottle BBQ sauce
1 large onion, chopped

Put half of the sliced onion in the bottom of crockpot, then add meat, cloves, and water with remaining onion on top. Cover and cook overnight or 8-12 hours on low. Remove bone and fat from meat. Put meat back in crockpot. Add chopped onion and BBQ sauce and cover and cook an additional 3 to 5 hours on high or 8 to 12 hours on low. Stirring two or three times. Serve on buns.

(From the Winder 4th Ward Cookbook, donated by Joan Cheney...I think.)

Crockpot Pizza

1 pkg (12 oz) wide egg noodles
1-1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can (4.5 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
1-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 pkg (3.5 oz) sliced pepperoni, halved
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook beef and onion over medium heat until mean is no longer pink, drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, mushrooms, and seasoning. Drain noodles. In a 5-qt slow cooker coated with cooking spray, spread a third of the meat sauce. Cover with a third of the noodles and pepperoni. Sprinkle with a third of the cheeses. Repeat layers twice. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through and cheese is melted.

6-8 servings

(Also from Winder 4th Ward Cookbook, donated by Joan Cheney)

Crockpot Apricot Chicken

yams or sweet potatoes, cut in pieces (to your desired amount)
1 can chicken broth
1/2 cup apricot spreadable or jam, may add dried apricot
chicken breast or turkey, cut in pieces (to your desired amount)
1 bay leaf (discard when finished)

Place a layer of yams at the bottom of the crockpot, and then the chicken. Mix together jam and chicken broth and pour over chicken. Cook for 7 hrs in the crockpot.

Faster Method: Place yams and sauce mixture in the crockpot and microwave until it's hot, add chicken and cook until it is finished.

(From my Winder 4th Ward Cookbook. Irene Kikkert contributed this recipe.)

Baked Chicken Taquitos

Hey guys! It's Marlee :) I tried this recipe a couple of days ago and I LOVED it!! This recipe is so good!

Baked Chicken Taquitos
(Makes 10-12 Taquitos)

Ingredients:
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 c. green salsa
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, which is about half a lrg. lime (this is key!! FRESH! it's way better!)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 c. shredded cheese
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- Small yellow/white corn tortillas (I would recommend really fresh, moist ones... the ones I used cracked a lot!)
- cooking spray

*Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and coat with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro. Add chicken and cheese.

Working with a few tortillas at a time, place 2-3 torillas between damp paper towels and microwave for about 30 seconds or until tortillas are soft enough that the wont crack. Place 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture on lower third of soft tortilla. keeping it 1/2" from the edges, the roll tightly. Place them seam down on baking sheet (be quick or tortillas will crack on the baking sheet). Spray with cooking spray and coat lightly with salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp. Serve imediatly with dips of your choice (we just used sour cream and some of the left over green salsa! it was so good!)

So there ya go! :) If you try it I hope you like it! :)

From,
Mars

Cheese-Filled Jumbo Shells

Makes 8-10 servings.

1 package (12 oz.) American Beauty Jumbo Shells
4 cups (2 lbs.) cottage cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) grated mozzarella cheese
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 tablespoon dried parsley leaves
¾ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups (about 28 oz. jar) spaghetti sauce

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together cheeses, eggs, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. In 13x9x2-inch baking dish**, spread ½ cup spaghetti sauce. Fill each cooked shell with about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture and place in baking dish (layer some on top, if necessary). Pour spaghetti sauce over all filled shells. Sprinkle with some additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. Cover with foil. Bake 35 minutes (or until hot and bubbly) at 350 degrees.

*MAKE-AHEAD DIRECTIONS:
Prepare recipe as directed, but do not bake. Cover with plastic wrap, then foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours or freeze up to 2 months. Remove plastic wrap; replace foil. Bake refrigerated jumbo shells at 350 degrees for about 1 hour; frozen jumbo shells at 350 degrees for about 2 hours or until hot and bubbly.

**If you’re only feeding 2-4 people, you can split this recipe in two and put each half in an 8x8-inch baking dish; bake one and freeze one for later. Cut baking times down if using smaller dishes (cook until hot and bubbly in the center.)

Black Bean Quesadillas

My family (and everyone else we've served this to) loves these! And they're really good for you! Smaller families should cut this recipe in half, as it serves 8.

2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, drained
4 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. crushed fresh garlic
1 very large (or 2 small) red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
8 homestyle flour tortillas
2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese (or reduced-fat monterey jack or cheddar)
Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
Toppings:
1 cup nonfat or light sour cream
1 cup diced tomato
½ cup thinly sliced green onions
one small can sliced olives

Place the beans, chili powder, and cumin in food processer and blend (or mash with a fork) until the mixture has the consistency of refried beans. Set aside.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and preheat over med-hi heat. Add the garlic, peppers, and onion and stir-fry for about 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Cover the skillet periodically if it begins to dry out. (The steam from the cooking vegetables will moisten the skillet.) Add a few tsp. of water only if necessary. Remove the skillet from the heat, and set aside.

Arrange the tortillas on a flat surface, and spread 1/8 of the bean mixture over one half of each tortilla, extending the filling all the way to the edge. Layer 1/8 of the pepper mixture over the beans on each tortilla. Sprinkle each with ¼ cup cheese. Fold the top half of each tortilla over the bottom half to enclose the filling.

Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the quesadillas on the sheet, and spray the tops lightly with the cooking spray. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 4 minutes. Turn them over and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the quesadillas are heated through. Serve topped with sour cream, tomatoes, onions, and olives.

Soy Chicken

A big hit with everyone in the family...very rare!

2 c sugar
1 t ginger
1 t garlic powder
2 c soy sauce
1/2 c water
chicken pieces (we use legs & thighs)

Put chicken in a large pan (I usually remove as much of the skin as will easily come off so it soaks up the flavor more). Pour soy sauce mixture over the chicken and cover with a lid or foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until very tender. (Sometimes we will bake it at 300 for two or more hours). Remove grease, strain liquid, thicken with cornstarch if desired, and serve it over rice. (We usually don't bother thickening it anymore, we just use one of those little containers that pours from the bottom as the grease stays on top. However, thickening the sauce will prevent it from spreading to other food on your plate :).)

Pizza

I found this recipe in a magazine while waiting for a doctor appointment. We all love it. I made it last night for dinner and used half whole wheat flour (freshly ground...it seems to taste lots better) and it was yummy! None of the kids noticed that it wasn't made with all white flour.

1 c water
3/4 T yeast
2 t honey
1 T + 1 t olive oil
2 t salt
3 c flour

Dissolve yeast in water with the honey. Let sit for 5 minutes or until foamy. Add 1 T of oil and the salt, stir. Add flour. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth. Coat bowl with remaining olive oil. Place dough in blow. Turn to coat dough with oil. Cover with plastic. Let rise until double. Punch down. Let rise another 30 minutes.

Pizza Sauce

32 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 t dried oregano
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 t sugar
3 T olive oil
2 small garlic cloves, minced

simmer until slightly thick.

Assemble pizza with desired toppings. Bake at 400 to 425 for 15-20 min.

Note: I doubled batch of dough and it made two 14" pizzas plus 6 "personal pan" pizzas for the kids which were about 5" each. It's best not to have the dough too thick or it ends up being doughy.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

When we lived in West Valley, a girl in my ward brought me this after I had Jared (or maybe it was Keith?).

boneless skinless chicken breasts
ham slices
mozarella cheese, slices
cornflakes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c milk

Put ham & mozarella cheese on half of the chicken breast. Fold other half over and secure with a toothpick. (You may need to "pound" your chicken to a consistent thickness). Crush the cornflakes and dip top half of chicken in them. If chicken is dry, dip in a beaten egg before dipping in cornflakes. Place chicken in baking pan. Mix cans of soup, sour cream, and milk (enough to make mixture slightly runny). Pour over chicken. Cook 350 for 1 hour. Serve chicken and sauce over rice.

Sweet Chicken Tacos

Never mind the horrible picture. I just needed one so that I could pin this recipe. :)

This is one of my absolute favorites! I got this off of 24 hour menu.

Sweet Chicken Tacos

3 tbsp. Butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 c. Ketchup
2 tbsp. Vinegar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 c. Brown Sugar (I only use 1 cup)
about 2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Melt butter on medium low heat. Add onions and saute. Mix all ingredients (except chicken) until sugar is melted. Then add chicken and let simmer until juices are absorbed in chicken. Serve with:Flour Tortilla's, Shredded Lettuce, Diced Tomatoes, Shredded cheddar cheese, Sour Cream and Guacamole

Chicken Fajitas

I LOVE chicken fajitas. Whenever we eat at a Mexican restaurant, I inevitably order chicken fajitas if it's on their menu. That's one of the things that irritated me about PepperBellys...no chicken fajitas! I got this recipe from a friend who made them for our "Bunko" group. If nothing else, I got several of my favorite recipes from my bunko experience! Here it is:

Marinate boneless skinless chicken breasts in equal amounts of teriyaki & soy sauces. Add sugar (regular or brown) to make slightly thick. You can also add 7-up if desired (I never do because I don't want to waste the rest and my kids don't need it! I might if I was making a big batch).

Cook chicken and cut in strips (cut it before or after you cook it, whichever you prefer). Cut a white onion and green pepper in long slices. (I usually don't have a white onion on hand...it tastes great with yellow. I think white is just a little sweeter...?) Stir fry in oil until tender. Add cooked chicken. Serve on tortillas with cheese, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, sour cream & salsa.

Taco Meat

Here's a good recipe for taco meat if you run out of taco seasoning packets.

Saute 1/2 small red onion (I never have red...always use yellow) in 2 T oil for 3 minutes or until onion is soft. Add 1 1/2 lbs ground beef and cook, stirring to break up meat until it's no longer pink (about 4 min). Pour off liquid. Add: 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 T chili powder; 1 t cumin; 1 t coriander, 1 t salt; 1 1/2 c tomato sauce. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

This is one of my favorites...so yummy! I had it at a Relief Society social when I lived in West Valley and had to have the recipe!

2 chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each of:
cumin, cayenne pepper (I usually stick with 1/4 on this) & chili powder
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
shredded cheese
corn tortilla chips

Layer chips in pan and break them up. Layer cubed chicken on top of the chips. Mix soups, onions, tomato, green pepper, and spices together. Pour over chips and chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Take out of oven and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Return to oven until cheese melts. Serve with salsa if desired.
Note: the recipe calls for a whole bag of tortilla chips, but I don't use that much in the casserole. I just do what looks like a good layer and then serve it with more chips on the side.

Spaghetti Casserole

1/2 lb ground beef
1 14.5 oz can of tomato sauce
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can of corn, drained
cheese
12 oz spaghetti noodles (cooked)

Cook the ground beef thoroughly, drain excess fat. Cook approximately 12 oz of spaghetti noodles according to package directions.

In a casserole dish, mix all the ingredients together except the cheese. Sprinkle cheese on top.

Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350*F for about 30 minutes.