#19 & #20

Lastnight we ordered pizza for family and friends night and had friends over :)

Tonight, since I got a coupon, we are doing Pei Wei.

#18 Potato and broccoli bake

Pour olive oil into an 8x8" glass baking pan until 1/2" deep. Add 4 diced red skinned potatoes and 1/4 cup torn basil leaves. Cook in 425F oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven; leave oven on. Add chopped broccoli and mix into potatoes. Return to oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and prinkle 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

You can use any potato you like, I just prefer red skinned potatoes bacause they aren't as mushy. If you use Yukon Golds make sure to adjust cooking time, since they have a higher water quantity and therefore cook faster.

#17 Leftovers

Leftover enchiladas and rice. I cooked the brown rice with cilantro and a dash of cumin to complement the enchiladas.

Note to self: brown rice uses more water than white and take significantly more time to cook.

#16 pizza!

Too tired to cook tonight, so I'll pop a pizza in the oven. Just add some more cheese and diced vegetables and it's a passable dinner. :)

#15 Beef enchiladas

I like the McCormicks enchilada mix packets :) Just add 1/2 a diced onion and bell pepper (red is best) to the meat while it is browning.

#14 Black Bean soup with salsa

Beans are not only a complete protein, but as an added bonus, cost pennies per serving!
You can cook then on the stove or put them in a crockpot. They need very little added to them, and pair well with rice.

Nothing says southwest like black bean soup with salsa and cheddar for garnish.

Black Bean soup

1 1/4 cup dried black beans
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
2 Tsp chili powder
8 cups water or chicken broth

Salsa

2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced
1-2 Tbs fresh lime juice
2 Tbs fresh torn cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Pick over and discard any damaged beans or stones. Rinse the beans. PLace in a bowl, add plenty of water to cover and soak for 3 hours.

Drain the beans, In a large saucepan heat olive oil. Add onions and saute until soft. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, drained beans and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours, uncovered until tender. Or place in crockpot on high for 2-3 hours.

To make salsa, sti together tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, lime juice, cilantro and salt in a bowl. Set aside

When soup is ready season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and garnish with salsa.

Serves 6

#13 Soup and dumplings

It's raining again and time to take some chicken soup from the freezer and make dumplings again :) Making a pot of soup and freezing it in protions for a rainy day saves a lot of time :)

The last dumpling recipe I posted was a low-fat one. This one is definitely not! But very good.

Danish Dumplings

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour (white rice flour if you can't have wheat)
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tbs parsley

In a saucepan combine water and the butter; bring to boiling. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt all at once and stir vigorously. Stir constantly, till mixture forms a ball that doesn't seperate. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add eggs one at a time, beatign well after each addition. Stir in parsley.

Drop dumpplings into simmering soup by tablespoonfuls. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.