Beef Stroganoff with a Twist

Instead of using noodles for this stroganoff, use rice and it is an easy one pot dish. Although it is not much to look at, it taste delicious

Ingredients

1-2 lb Beef Tips
1 can Golden Mushroom soup
1 package sliced mushrooms
1 onion sliced
1 package onion and chive cream cheese
2 cups rice, uncooked
1 can beef broth
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle of minced garlic


Directions

Line crock pot with slow cooker liner. Place sliced onion and mushrooms in bottom of crock pot. Next layer on beef tips. Top with golden mushroom soup, beef broth and water. Sprinkle pepper, salt  and minced garlic over top. Top with dollops of cream cheese. Turn crock pot to low and simmer for at least 6 hours.  I left mine on for 8 hours and it was fine.

The rice soaks up all the delicious juices as it cooks and it becomes a filling comfort food that is perfect for a cold night!  It is also a good thing to make if you have a busy night or want to come home to a ready made meal! Try adding sliced peppers, sauerkraut or cabbage for an additional boost of veggies.

White Wine Pork Roast

Ingredients

1-3 lb pork roast
1 package baby carrots
1 onion
3-4 potatoes
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups water
1 can cream of mushroom soup

To taste
Basil
Garlic Powder
Ground black pepper

This recipe is great if you are going to be gone all day.

Directions

Slice onion and potatoes into bite sized chunks and put in bottom of slow cooker. Place pork roast on top and dump baby carrots over slow cooker. Sprinkle with garlic powder, black pepper and basil. Add cream of mushroom soup, 2 cups water and white wine. Turn on low and cook 6-9 hours. The white wine really brings out the taste in this recipe!

Baked Ricotta Custard

Ingredients

8 oz. low fat cream cheese, at room temperature

¾ cups ricotta cheese, fat free

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup sugar substitute

1 egg

1 egg white

Directions

Preheat oven to 250F. With electric mixer, blend cream cheese and ricotta cheese together until creamy.  Next, blend in sugar substitute and eggs.  Finally, add vanilla extract and blend until well mixed.  Spoon mixture into oven-safe ramekins.  (Original recipe said it would make 4 but I filled 8 ramekins).  Fill baking dish with 1 inch water and set ramekins in water. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until custard is set. Cool on a wire rack and then transfer to the refrigerator to chill until ready to eat.

Serving Tip

Sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg or another delectable spice, or serve with fresh fruit slices on top!

Eggplant Casserole

Ingredients

1 eggplant, sliced into rounds

1 can tomato sauce 

1 can tomato bisque soup

1 onion chopped

1 package sliced mushrooms

1.4 cup shredded cheese of your choice 

italian seasoning and minced garlic to taste

Directions

Turn oven on to 450F.  Grease shallow baking pan (I use PAM),  Layer sliced eggplant in pan.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until eggplant is golden on edges.  Take out from oven and reduce oven to 350F.  Layer sliced mushrooms and onion on top of eggplant. cover with tomato sauce and tomato bisque soup. Finally, sprinkle cheese, italian seasoning and garlic on top 

Bake in oven for 30 minutes and enjoy!

Next time, I want to try this with chicken breasts!

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