EASY SHEPHERD'S PIE

This is so easy, it's almost cheating!  I'm a big fan of easy right now...

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1/3 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (such as carrots, peas, and corn), thawed
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded Cheddar (optional)
1- 16-ounce package mashed potatoes, refrigerated or frozen and thawed

Directions
Heat oven to 400° F.

Place the beef in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat.  Spoon off and discard any fat. Stir in the ketchup and Worcestershire. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Spoon into a baking dish.

Mix the cheese with the potatoes. Spread over the beef mixture and bake until heated through, 15-20 minutes.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Cheesy Potato Soup

This recipe requires little prep effort for one of my all-time favorite comfort foods - Cheesy Potato Soup.  Serve with a sprinkle of bacon, chives and some biscuits to round out the meal.


Ingredients
3 cans Campbell's condensed cream of potato soup
2 cans milk
3 baking potatoes, cubed in smallish pieces
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (we use sharp)
couple shakes pepper
bacon
chives

Instructions
Put soup, milk, potatoes and cheese in large pot.  Simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours stirring frequently.  Enjoy!

Thai Quinoa Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing

By now you have probably heard all the hype about quinoa.  High in protein, gluten free, easy to cook......if you haven't tried it yet, I recommend this recipe.  The hardest part is chopping all the vegetables, but if you have a food processor you can chop them all pretty quickly.  Or put on a little music and chop the old fashioned way!  I always feel so good after eating this meal.  So many colors of veggies....so healthy!  It makes 4-6 portions, and leftovers keep well for a couple days in the fridge.  I usually eat the leftovers cold, but you can microwave if you prefer warm.  Hope you experiment a little and give this dish a try!

Ingredients
¾ cup uncooked quinoa
1-2 cups shredded red cabbage (pre-shredded bagged makes it easy!)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
½ red onion, diced
1 cup shredded carrots
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup diced green onions
½ cup cashew halves or peanuts (honey-roasted is good)
1 can chickpeas

For the dressing:
¼ cup all natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
3 tablespoon soy sauce, gluten-free if desired
1 tablespoon honey (use agave if vegan)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
Water to thin, if necessary

Instructions
To cook quinoa: Cook quinoa according to package instructions, then place in large bowl and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

To make dressing: Add peanut butter and honey or agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and both sesame and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner dressing, simply stir in a teaspoon or two of water or olive oil.

Add the dressing to the quinoa.  Next, fold in red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, chickpeas and cilantro into the quinoa. Garnish with nuts and green onions. Serve chilled or at room temperature with lime wedges if desired.

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Are you tired of soup and chili yet?  Although I wish it was warmer, Mike and I do enjoy the winter months for the various warm comfort foods that come with the cold!  I was looking for a chicken chili recipe that wasn't so rich (and un-healthy).  I made some slight modifications to a recipe I found on a blog called "Jamie Cooks it Up!".  I don't think you will disappointed in the taste and your hips will thank you for this lightened up version of creamy white chicken chili :)

4 (15 ounce) cans white beans

1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans

1 (14.5 ounce) mexican stewed tomatoes

1 (4 ounce) can green chilis

1/2 C salsa

1 T taco seasoning

2 chicken breast or 1 chicken breast, 1 chicken thigh (frozen works well)

1/2 C sour cream

1/2 C milk

1 t oregano

1/2 t cumin

TOPPINGS: Cheese, Tortilla Chips, Green Onions, Diced Tomatoes, Cilantro....be creative!

1. Drain and rinse the beans and toss in a 4-6 quart crock pot.

2. Add 1 can of green chilis.

3. You’ll need 1 can of diced Mexican Stewed tomatoes.  If you only have whole tomatoes, stick a pair of scissors into the can and chop them up. Works great, without a lot of mess.  Add the tomatoes to the crock pot.

4. Add 1/2 cup of salsa and 1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning. Stir everything together to combine.

5. Place chicken into the pot. Scoop some of the bean mixture on top of the chicken so they are about half way covered up.

6. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 7 hours or on high for 4.

7. Remove the chicken from the crock pot and shred it up with a fork. Toss it back into the pot.

8. Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup milk. 

9. Add 1 teaspoon oregano and 1/2 teaspoon cumin. Stir everything well to combine.

10. Cook on high for 15 minutes, or until all ingredients are heated through.

Serve and enjoy! If you have leftovers, add a little bit of milk to thin things out when you heat it up.

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Still cold.....need more soup!  Here is a VERY easy recipe for a chicken tortilla style soup.  I shared this with my cousin and she said her entire family loved it!

Ingredients
1 lb (approx.) boneless chicken breasts

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped
1 pkg Taco Seasoning Mix
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans black beans
1 (15 oz) can corn, or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

Your choice of toppings (tortilla chips, cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, chopped tomatoes, chopped green onions, chopped onions, jalapenos or chiles)

Place all ingredients into a crockpot and cook for 5-6 hours on low setting. If you will be gone longer, start with frozen chicken and increase cooking time.  Remove chicken, shred, and return to crockpot. Stir and heat through before serving.

Crockpot Vegetarian Chili

Sara's cousin Brian was nice enough to share his recipe for vegetarian chili with us.  This has so much flavor, you will not miss the meat!  It's supposed to get VERY cold here again this week so why not put a batch in the crockpot today!?

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can vegetarian baked beans
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (29 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can diced chilies
1 -2 jalapeno, chopped (depending on how much heat you want)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon cilantro (optional)

Directions:

In a saucepan, saute the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and celery for about 5 minutes.

In a large slow cooker, combine black bean soup, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, baked beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, zucchini, jalapeno, chilies, and celery.

Season with garlic, chili powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, basil (and cilantro if using).

Cook for about 6 hours on low.

Serve with tortillas, cornbread, rice, or French bread.

This freezes well!   Leftovers are good on top of tortilla chips for vegetarian nachos!

Tomato, Sausage, and Spinach Soup

It is CRAZY cold here in Ohio!  Try this easy Cooking Light soup to warm you up.  If you like it more soupy, buy a carton of broth instead of a can and add more (I do).  If you like a thick soup, more like a chili, add less.  I also typically substitute chicken broth for the water called for in the recipe. 

Note: Instead of fresh herbs, you can use dried.  1 teaspoon of each, added when you add the beans, tomatoes, and broth.


Ingredients
10 ounce sweet turkey Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/2 cup water
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained                             
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups baby spinach
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons grated fresh Romano cheese

Preparation
Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage in a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and 2 teaspoons garlic to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup water, beans, tomatoes, and broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and cook for 3 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat, and stir in spinach, basil, and oregano. Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 4 bowls, and sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese.

Cincinnati Style Chili

If you know Mike and I, you know we love all things Cincinnati.  Reds, Bengals, Graeters, Skyline, 700WLW.....  We have been making "Skyline" chili at home for a couple years.  Did you know you can buy a seasoning packet for Cincinnati Style chili at your local grocery?  (well at least in the Cincy-Dayton area).  Find it with the paper packets of chili seasoning, gravy, etc.  Making this chili at home allows you to use all-natural lean ground beef (we use Laura's Lean Beef) and the pasta of your choosing (whole wheat, gluten-free).  If you don't eat beef, I would recommend trying bison.  A dark ground turkey might work.  If you try either bison or turkey, let us know what you think.  Since no trip to Skyline is complete for Mike without two cheese coneys, we make our own with nitrate free hotdogs.

Ingredients: 

1 package Cincinnati Recipe Chili Mix
6 oz can tomato paste
1 lb lean ground beef
Mild cheddar cheese
Spaghetti noodles
Oyster crackers
Hot dogs and buns (optional)

Prepare chili according to packet.  Basically you mix seasoning, water and tomato paste, then add raw meat and break up with a fork. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 -1.5 hours until desired thickness.  When almost ready to serve, boil your pasta and hot dogs (I do this in the same pot to save on dishes).  Top the pasta with chili, cheese and crackers.  Take a bite and remember all the reasons you love the City of Cincinnati.  

Peppermint Brownie Dessert Shooters

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, friends.  Sorry it's been so long...other priorities and distractions have taken us away from our blogging.  But we have received many requests from family and friends to resume the blog, so we have made it a New Years resolution to be better to our followers!

Below is a fun recipe, maybe little late for this year, but a request from our dear friend, Linda.  We enjoyed these shooters for dessert on Christmas Day.  Very festive, and possibly the best part, they still leave room for sampling all the other tasty treats that seem to make their way onto the dessert table!

Peppermint Brownie Dessert Shooters

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
8 mini candy canes, crushed
1 pan brownies, prepared according to box
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, place the chocolate squares and microwave them for 35-40 seconds, just enough to soften.  Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the chocolate, then return to the microwave for 50-60 seconds.  Remove and stir until the chocolate is fully melted and a thick hot fudge sauce forms.

Using an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form.  Slowly add the sugar, cocoa and vanilla.  Whip until the cream holds its shape (do not to overbeat!).  Spoon into an icing bag with a large star tip on top (or, if you don’t have an icing bag, you can just spoon the cream atop the shooters).

Spoon a small amount of warm fudge sauce in the bottom of each shot glass (or any other size glass you like).  Sprinkle a layer of crushed candy canes on top.  Fill 3/4 of the glass with crumbled brownie.  Pipe the chocolate cream on top of the glass.  Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.