Veggie Chili

For the next few weeks, there will be meatless meals a few times each week.  This past Friday, I decided to enlist the labor of my crock pot and make chili. I adore recipes that require very little prep work and this is definitely one!

Ingredients

1  sweet potato

1 chopped red onion

1 green bell pepper

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

2 cans diced tomatoes (I use the kind with chili seasoning mixed in)

1 spoonful unsweetened cocoa

minced garlic, cumin and white pepper to taste

What to do

The only prep work is to chop the onion, pepper, and sweet potatoe. Layer all ingredients in the crock pot, add 1 cup water and sprinkle any seasonings on top. Turn on low and let the crock pot do the work for you!  The nice thing about this recipe is that it tastes delicious as a veggie chili, but could be equally tasty with the addition of some ground beef or sausage.

Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes

Sweet, Savory and Sexy for Valentines Day

Today, I wanted to cook in with my hubby. We had some other things to do earlier in the day, but a cozy night in seemed just right. We cooked Ravioli with Walnut Sage sauce

We usually buy frozen precooked cheese ravioli because it is much easier than making pasta from scratch.  First, boil water and follow directions to prepare pasta. The following ingredients are in the sauce....

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 package fresh sage leaves (I always buy fresh for this recipe, because the flavor is awesome!)

1 cup water

Combine walnuts and sage leaves in skillet with olive oil. Cook 5 minutes, then add water, turn up to high, and reduce until there is about half the water left. 

After sauce is cooked down, add 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar about a tablespoon honey. I dont measure honey, just add 2 large squirts from the bottle.  Cook sauce a few more minutes until combined. 

In larger pot, combine cooked cheese ravioli with sauce, and add 3/4 cup parmesan cheese. Toss to combine and serve.

Ravioli with Walnut Sage Butter

Cabbage and Dumplings

I stumbled upon this recipe at the library and it was our vegetarian meal of this week. Although I am not a vegetarian, it can be cheaper and healthier to work  in a vegetarian meal now and then.

Ingredients

1 head cabbage, slliced

1 onion, sliced 

3-5 stalks celery chopped

flour

water

salt to taste

olive oil

Directions

Boil 4 cups water. Meanwhile, coat large skillet with oil, add cabbage, onion, and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently,

                  

Combine 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup water until dough forms. Season with salt to taste.  Drop dough by spoonfuls into boiling water for dumplings. When dough rises to top of pan, fish out dumplings with slotted spoon and add to cooked cabbage mixture.  Season with pepper, curry powder and caraway seeds.

Cooking Tips

The dumplings according to this recipe are very bland, try adding egg and oil for extra flavor. Also, this recipe needs a sauce of sorts. We tried Worsteshire and Soy sauce and neither one quite fit, so I will experiment further next time /i make this.

Cabbage and Dumplings

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Every Tuesday, I work late at the library.  Typically, I will make a crockpot meal so that my husband has a dinner planned for him in my absence. This past Tuesday, I made Slow Cooker Potato Soup.  This recipe is very flexible and when I make it, I make enough to have plenty of leftovers and freeze some for a later date.

5 lb chopped potatoes

1 chopped onion

6 cups water

2 cups milk

½ cup flour

Salt/pepper to taste

Celery chopped (optional)

Directions

Load the potatoes, celery, and onion into crock pot. Pour water over top and sprinkle with any desired spices. I used white pepper instead of black pepper. Cook on Low for 8-10 hours, until potatoes are cooked through.  30 minutes before serving, mix flour and milk, and then pour mixture into crock pot, mixing with other ingredients.

You could also add ham, bacon, carrots or other vegetables to enhance this soup. When I made it, I just did the super cheap version of the recipe.

If you want your soup a little less chunky, mash the potatoes with a fork before serving!

Perfect meal for a cold winter day!

 Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Cozy Comfort Brownies

At the library where I work, we are always coming up with excuses to bring in food to share. Our latest excuse is a Cozy Comfort Food party.  There is no dessert that screams comfort food to me like a fresh baked brownie, so that is what I volunteered to bring. I found a super easy brownie recipe (always better when from scratch) and threw in my own flair, of course. As I write this, my entire house smells of chocolate goodness and my poor husband doesn't even get any.

Here is the recipe....

In large bowl, melt 1 cup butter. Stir in 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 4 eggs. Mix well. Preheat oven to 350 F. Next, mix in 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup cocoa powder. Affter thoroughly combined, pour mixture into greased 8x8 pan. For my own flair, I sprinkled a little cinnamon and nutmeg on top to give it an extra cozy flavor kick. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. I can't wait to taste these tomorrow along with the other tasty treats at our cozy comfort food party!

Quick and Easy Brownies Original Recipe

Pepperoni Casserole

This is another delicious, cheap and family friendly recipe that I stumbled upon. I originally was going to make it for some friends who were to come over, but a week later, I decided to just make it for my husband and I.  This dish is the perfect combination for lovers of pizza and pasta.  As with many of the other recipes I discover, a link at the bottom will give you the details of the original recipe.

                           

Ingredients
Pepperoni (1 package)
Cottage cheese (2 12oz packages)
Mozzarella Cheese (1 package)
Olives (whole or sliced, one can)
Sausage (1 lb)
Rotini pasta (1 lb)
Pasta sauce (16 oz)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Boil water and cook pasta according to package until al dente. (Pasta will also bake in oven so don't overcook).  Cook sausage over medium heat until browned. Grease 9x13 or other casserole dish.  Put cooked pasta, sausage and pasta sauce in casserole dish and mix well. In separate bowl, mix olives, mozzarella and cottage cheeses (I accidentally only used half the cottage cheese and it still turned out fine).  Spread cheese mixture over other ingredients. Layer pepperoni on top and bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted.

 

                      

The result is a pizza-like casserole and it is so yummy!  This recipe makes excellent leftovers and also has the potential to have different varieties. Try different types of sausage, crushed red pepper, green peppers, mushrooms or other pizza topping favorites.

Cooking Tip
Make this recipe ahead of time and throw it in the refrigerator for a busy weeknight. Then, just bake it on that busy night and have a ready made dinner!

Pepperoni Casserole Original Recipe

Hamburger Muffins

This is a recipe that I made last Friday. I have just been too busy to share it before today!  Although it is a bit messy, it is well worth it and even kid friendly (or so I hear).  Here is what you will need...

1-1/2 pound ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 egg
12 slices of bread (if  not more)
spreadable butter
shredded cheddar cheese


Start by preheating oven to 350 F.  Butter one side of each piece of bread and put bread butter-face-down in muffin tins.  Press bread down in muffin cups (we learned that from experience). Mix ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, onion and egg together (I mixed with my hands, it is messy but it is the best way I found to do it). Season with salt and pepper as desired. You can also season with other spices if you like to experiment.  After mixed thoroughly, spoon mixture into cups (I used the same scoop that I use for cookie dough and it worked great). Sprinkle cheese on top and they should look like this...

Cooking Tip

When we made them, we found out that it works out if you have 2 people cooking at once. This way, one person can butter the bread and stuff it into the cups, and the other can scoop the mixture and do the cheese. My husband and I often do "team cooking" together and so we had our own assembly line going!  If you do not press the bread down all the way, the recipe will make 24 muffins instead of 12 (we found that out the hard way).

Bake for 30 minutes, and they come out looking like this...

It took about 2 to 3 muffins to make a meal for each of us. Also, they made excellent leftovers.  Just put them in the microwave for 45 seconds and they heat right back up and taste just as awesome.

Serving Tips

These muffins go well with hot sauce, ketchup, mustard or by themselves!  Experiment by adding sausage instead of beef, or vegetables like sliced pepper or tomatoes. See original recipe below.

Hamburger Muffins Original Recipe

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

This recipe is cheap and easy. It is also perfect for those on the go nights when family members only have a narrow window in which to eat before rushing off to other obligations.  Here is everything you need...

Chicken broth
Chopped Onion
Pumpkin Puree
1 clove minced garlic (I just buy minced garlic by the jar and add one spoonful)
Cajun seasoning
Heavy cream


The recipe is pretty straightforward. Mix all of these ingredients (except the cream) on medium heat.  Add the cream 5 minutes before serving. The orignal recipe (see link below) also states to simmer the soup for a long period of time. This is not necessary if you are in a rush.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup Original Recipe