Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

http://damndelicious.net/2013/06/03/quinoa-stuffed-bell-peppers/

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Yield 6 servings

Loaded with protein, veggies and healthy grains, these stuffed bell peppers will provide the nutrition that you need for a healthy, balanced meal!

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 (4-ounce) can green chiles
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup petite diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 bell peppers, tops cut, stemmed and seeded

Add Fresh Creamy Flavor w/ Mexico Avocados

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine quinoa, green chiles, corn, beans, tomatoes, cheeses, cilantro, cumin, garlic, onion and chili powder, salt and pepper, to taste.
• Spoon the filling each each bell pepper cavity. Place on prepared baking dish, cavity side up, and bake until the peppers are tender and the filling is heated through, about 25-30 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

Shredded Chicken Tacos in the Crockpot

Delicious and so easy! I love a good crockpot meal too. These will join our regular menu rotation.

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos

4 chicken breasts

1 jar of salsa

1 can of corn

1 can of black beans

1 packet of taco seasoning

Put chicken, salsa and taco seasoning in crock pot.  Set on low and let cook for 7 hours.    

Shred chicken breasts at around 7 hours; add corn and beans.  After an hour, enjoy! 

Put on taco shells or make a taco lettuce wrap.

Quinoa Chili

This was delicious! I will definitely be making this again. A great twist on regular chili.

Quinoa Chili

http://damndelicious.net/2013/10/16/quinoa-chili/

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Yield 6 servings

This vegetarian, protein-packed chili is the perfect bowl of comfort food that you can eat guilt-free!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder, or more, to taste
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

Add Fresh Creamy Flavor w/ Mexico Avocados

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in quinoa, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, paprika, sugar, cayenne pepper, coriander and 1-2 cups water, making sure to cover most of the ingredients; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in beans, corn, cilantro and lime juice until heated through, about 2 minutes.
• Serve immediately with avocado, if desired.

Spaghetti bake

This was a tasty dish and a fun twist on the traditional spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.

*1 lb of ground beef

*1 jar of spaghetti sauce

*8 oz of cream cheese

*1/4 cup sour cream

*1/2 lb cottage cheese

*1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

*1 pkg spaghetti 16 oz

*Grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350°. Boil your spaghetti noodles until al dente (firm).  Drain and set aside until ready to assemble.

Combine the cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese until well blended.

Brown  your hamburger and when done, drain well.  Combine the hamburger with your spaghetti sauce.

Ready for assembly?

1.  Put a few slices of butter into a 9×13 pan then pour half of your spaghetti noodles on top.

2.  Take your cream cheese mixture and pour on top of the noodles. Spread well over noodles.

3. Pour the rest of the noodles on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Put a few more slices of butter on top of the noodles.  And no, this is not a Paula Deen recipe!

4. Pour your spaghetti and meat sauce on top of your noodles:

 Now it is ready to put into the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, pour the desired amount of grated cheese on top and return to the oven for 15 minutes to allow cheese to melt.

Banana Carmel roll

I have a major obsession with Banana bread, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it! It didn't disappoint and even better, I could freeze it and eat it whenever! We ended up eating it as dessert one night. 


 Banana Caramel Roll

For the Cake:

1 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
3 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar (divided)
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tbsp vanilla paste
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp confectioners sugar
Non-stick cooking spray


For the Filling:
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp vanilla paste
1 cup Cool Whip
1 tbsp confectioners sugar
3 tbsp caramel sauce



Preheat oven to 375-deg.  Coat a 15” x 10” x 1” baking pan with the nonstick spray, then line with parchment paper and coat the paper with nonstick spray; set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.

In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs for 5 minutes with a hand mixer, then add 1/2 cup sugar, mashed banana, vanilla, and lemon zest.   Beat until fully combined.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks begin to form.  Gradually beat in the remaining sugar, one tbsp at a time, on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, mixing gently until combined. Then hand-fold in the egg whites, being careful not to break them.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cake is firm but still soft.  Cool 5 minutes, then turn cake onto a flat surface dusted with the confectioners sugar.

Gently peel off the parchment paper, then roll up the cake in towel jelly-roll style, starting with the short side  (Note: you can use toothpicks to help the cake keep its shape if necessary.)  Move to a wire rack, then cool completely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a flat paddle, beat the cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth, then add the vanilla paste.  Hand-fold in the Cool Whip.

Once the roll is completely cooled, unroll it and spread on the filling in an even layer.

Roll the cake back up, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, and drizzle with the caramel sauce before serving.

Approximate Nutritional Values: http://www.food.com/recipe/banana-cake-with-caramel-frosting-94128

Sloppy Joe Calzones

We love Sloppy Joe in a Biscuit at our house, but always hate how you don't get much sloppy joe mix on each biscuit, so I decided to try something different. I took the biscuits and flattened them out, put some mix in the middle, and pitched the edges closed to make a calzone! It was delicious! We got way more mixture in each bite and you could eat it as finger food! Best yet, it is easy! You can use your favorite sloppy joe recipe and grab a tube of biscuits and you have  got any easy meal!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion

1/2 cup celer

2 Tbls. brown sugar

1 Tbl. mustard

1/2 Tbls. Worchestershire Sauce

1/2 can tomato soup

1/2 cup ketchup

Refrigerated rolls (Pillsbury Grands Biscuits)

1. Brown ground beef and drain. Combine all ingredients together and simmer for an hour.

2. Flatten each biscuit as much as you can, put a tablespoon or more of sloppy joe mix in the middle, pitch it closed an cook at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

 

Mini Caprese Salad Skewers

I was looking for an easy, yet delicious appetizer to bring to a dinner and this was a winner! It is cute and pretty easy too. I will be making these again, a tasty appetizer that is easy to eat.

Ingredients:

Mozzarella mini balls (or larger mozzarella cut into smaller pieces)

Basil

Cherry tomatoes

Toothpicks

Balsamic glaze

Assembly one cherry tomatoes, a piece or ball or mozzarella cheese, and a basil leaf on a toothpick. Drizzle balsamic glaze over the too, chill, serve, and enjoy!