Mexican Haystacks

An old friend posted this recipe on her Facebook and I knew instantly it would be a hit here! As the recipe says, "It's a party in your mouth!"

Adapted from Whole and Free

2 cups brown rice, uncooked

1 bunch cilantro

1-2 lbs ground beef or turkey or diced chicken
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 cups salsa

2 avocados

2 mangoes

2 red peppers

Cook brown rice according to package directions (I always add another 1/2 c. water to mine to make it more sticky). Chop cilantro and stir together with rice. Cook meat together with onions, drain fat if necessary, and stir in garlic powder and salsa. Cook until heated through and slightly thickened. Dice avocados, mangoes, and red peppers. Assemble as desired and enjoy!

Frozen Strawberry-Pineapple Limeade

All four of us here are kind of smitten with this smoothie. It is so refreshing, and the lime juice creates an almost fizzy feeling to it. The ingredient amounts are very flexible, of course, so feel free to play around with them to suit your tastes. I love using home-canned pineapple, but canned pineapple from the store would work as well. I don't suggest using fresh pineapple, as the taste is more acidic and it has a tendency to overpower the other flavors. 

Also, I like to freeze my bananas when they're slightly underripe. I just peel a bunch and put them in a gallon ziploc bag for use in smoothies. If the peel has brown spots at all, the banana taste is too much for me, so I like to freeze them when they are still tinged with green.

2 cups frozen strawberries

1 cup canned pineapple, drained

1 frozen banana, cut into chunks

1/2-1 cup milk (start with 1/2 cup and increase as needed)

juice from 5-6 medium limes

1/4 cup sugar

Combine ingredients in blender. If your blender isn't very powerful, let the fruit sit for 5-10 minutes to soften up a bit before blending. Blend until smooth, adding milk, lime juice, and sugar as needed. (And don't be shy with the limes! This tastes best with a pretty good lime flavor, so if your limes aren't very juicy you may need to add more.) Enjoy!

Yumprint

I just wanted to share an awesome site for recipe storing and sharing that I found recently. When I get bored reading articles and writing papers (read: everyday!), I distract myself by looking up delicious sounding recipes online. When I find something I really like, I...copy and paste the URL into an email draft. It's super ineffective, but I wanted something fast and easy.

And then, I found Yumprint. It's kind of like pinterest (although I don't use pinterest, so I'm not the best judge), in that you can save all your recipes in one place. If you install the Yumprint extension, whenever you are on a page with a recipe (like blogs or other websites) a little Yumprint banner will pop up. You can just click on it and save the recipe.

If you want to get really fancy, you can save the recipes to a calendar and Yumprint will give you a weekly shopping list.

Anyway, I hope you all find it as useful as I have!

http://yumprint.com/

Cowboy Cornbread

I love this meal because it is so easy, it can be prepared in the crockpot or the oven, and my kids eat it! That's a pretty rare victory! It can be prepared in about 20 minutes and the bottom layer is so flexible--you can use whatever you've got laying around that sounds good. You can throw in some green chilies if you want a bit more kick to it.

For the bottom layer:

You can really use whatever combination of ingredients suits you, but here's what I typically use.

1 lb sausage

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can diced tomatoes or 2 c. freshly diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

Brown sausage with onion and bell pepper. Mix all ingredients together and place in the bottom of a 9x13 pan or the bottom of your crockpot.

For the top layer I use our favorite cornbread recipe. Just spread it on top and if you are baking it in the oven, bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until cornbread is cooked through. If you are cooking it in the crockpot, cooking time really varies based on the size of your crockpot and the temperature you cook it at. I've only done it in the crockpot a couple of times, and I think I cooked it on low for about 5 hours. If you're able to keep an eye on it the first time you make it, you can just make note of when it's cooked all the way through.

Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream on top. Yeehaw!

Grape Chicken Salad Sandwiches

My ward has certain recipes that are considered "staples" at almost any gathering or event. Grape chicken salad sandwiches are one of these items and frequently make their appearance at ward get-togethers. I finally got the recipe from a friend and made them for dinner one night. We ate them in the car on our way home from the zoo! The leftovers made a fabulous lunch the next day, and were perhaps even better since the flavor had been able to blend a little more. So you could certainly make the filling ahead of time and put together the sandwiches just before serving.

Whisk together:

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 c. Mayo

1/2 c. sour cream

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. prepared mustard

In a medium bowl combine:

3 c. shredded chicken

1 Tbsp. minced dry onion

1 c. grapes, sliced in half

2 c. chopped celery

2/3 c. slivered almonds (optional)

1 c. shredded cheese (optional)

Pour sauce a little at a time over chicken mixture, mixing until salad is desired consistency (there is usually some leftover). Spoon onto rolls or croissants and enjoy!

Spinoccoli Pizza

I didn't think this pizza sounded that amazing when I first read the recipe, but I decided to give it a shot. And I'm very glad I did! Although spinach, broccoli, cheese, and alfredo sauce might not sound that spectacular, they make for one delicious pizza!



Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

For the crust: (my usual recipe)

1 1/4 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
pinch sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Combine water, yeast, and sugar and let sit until yeast foams. Add salt, flour, and olive oil and knead in stand mixer with dough hook or by hand. Continue to alternate adding olive oil or water as needed. Dough should not be sticky at all but should form a cohesive ball. Lightly coat ball of dough with olive oil, cover with towel, and let rise until double. Makes enough for 1 large jellyroll pan or 2 8-9 inch round pizzas.

For the white sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. half and half or heavy cream
1 tsp. minced garlic
salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until bubbling and light golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in the half-and-half (or cream) and garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from the heat and whisk in the grated parmesan until completely melted and smooth.

For the toppings:
1 c. packed spinach, chopped
2 c. very small broccoli florets (can use fresh, but I usually steam frozen and it works just fine)
4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
Grated parmesan (optional)

Sprinkle pan with cornmeal and roll out pizza dough. Spread desired amount of sauce on pizza. (There will probably be some leftover--it makes a great dipping sauce!) Spread spinach over sauce, pressing gently into the crust. Top with broccoli and mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Finish with additional parmesan, if desired. Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes.

Green Beans with Cashew Honey Sauce

We're on a veggie-eating spree. In the past, when I thought of preparing vegetables as a dish in and of themselves I generally thought of opening a can and heating it on the stove or chopping up veggies and eating them raw. Neither was a particularly appealing prospect to me. And smothering them with cheese seemed a bit counter-productive. So I started searching for delicious, nutritious ways to prepare vegetables. I've found a bunch, so be expecting lots of veggie posts! These beans are terrific!

Recipe from The Sisters Cafe

1 lb fresh green beans (I trim the ends off)
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. coarsely chopped cashews
2 Tbsp. honey

Steam green beans until tender. In a small skillet, saute cashews in butter over low heat for 5 minutes. Add honey and cook 1 minute longer, stirring constantly. Pour sauce over beans and toss until coated.