Veggie Fajita Black Bean Chili

With the weather turning cold and life getting busy again, I took out the slow cooker to do some easy, healthy cooking. I thought about foods I like and haven't had in awhile and realized that chili was one of them. While this recipe would also be good with ground chicken or beef added in, the veggies and black beans make this a hearty, vegetarian meal.

Veggie Fajita Black Bean Chili - Serves 4

Ingredients:

* 2 14oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
* 2 14oz cans of tomatoes with green chilis or jalapenos ( use regular tomatoes if you like your chili less spicy)
* 3 bell peppers cut into strips
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
* 2 tsp of cumin
* 1 TBSP of chili powder
* 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper or to taste
* 1/4 tsp of garlic powder

Directions:

1. Dump all ingredients into the slow cooker and mix them together.
2. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
3. Serve topped with shredded cheese, sliced avocado, and/or sour cream. Also great served over brown rice, whole grain pasta, or a baked potato for a more filling meal. Enjoy!

Sugar N Spice Baked Apples

I am a person who has a sweet tooth and often likes to have something sweet at the end of the day. Generally I try to serve myself lower calorie, healthier options for my dessert the majority of the time. While cookies, cake, pie, and other sweets have their place, they are not things I want to be eating large amounts of for the sake of my health. I tend to save those for the weekends, holidays, and other special times with friends and family. On those "regular" nights I go for healthier desserts or snacks. Here is one I have been enjoying for years, ever since my days of doing Weight Watchers in my early 20's.

Sugar N Spice Baked Apples - Serves 2

Ingredients:

* 2 apples (I used gala apples today, but most kinds of apples work for this)
* 1 TBSP of dark brown sugar, packed
* 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
* Cooking spray or about 1 TBSP of melted butter/margarine

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash and dry apples. Cut the apples in half and remove the core but leave any stems intact.
3. Place apples on a small, non-stick cookie sheet with the cut, flat side facing up.
4. Mix brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
5. Spray the top of each apple with cooking spray or brush each top with melted butter.
6. Coat each apple half with sugar and spice mixture.
6. Bake apples for 25-30 minutes or until apples are fork tender and soft.

These can be eaten on their own or served with the following for a tasty treat: Vanilla ice cream, vanilla yogurt (greek or regular), or whipped cream. Enjoy this healthy, but still sweet dessert.

200 Likes on Facebook Page Giveaway

The facebook page for this blog is now at over 200 likes. We are at 204 likes and as a result are having a giveaway. If you like a post on Facebook, you get an entry. Becoming a follower of the blog is another entry. Commenting on a Facebook post or on a recipe entry and/or blog entry here gets you two entries. The giveaway starts tonight and will end on 1/19/13, 11:59 PM EST.

The winner will receive the cookbook of their choice via mail from amazon.com.

Spicy Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burritos

I love breakfast, it's one of my favorite meal of the day. Especially on the weekends when I get to make breakfast at home and don't have to prep breakfast ahead like I usually do on weekdays. Here is an easy to put together breakfast that you can easily enjoy with some hashbrowns on the side or some fresh fruit.

Spicy Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burritos - Serves 2

Ingredients:

* 2 medium sized tortillas (I used a medium sized, store brand high fiber tortilla that is 70 calories each.)
* 2 eggs
* 2 TBSP of sour cream (I used light sour cream)
* 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar or pepperjack cheese (I used reduced fat sharp cheddar)
* 1/8 tsp of black pepper
* 1/8 tsp of salt
* a few dashes of hot sauce, depending on how spicy you like things (jalapeno tabasco hot sauce is great here, but regular will work as well)
* a few sprigs of fresh cilantro (optional)
* 1/2 cup of black beans from a 15oz can, drained and rinsed
* Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Turn on stove and heat a non-stick pan on medium heat. Spray pan with cooking spray.
2. Crack eggs into a small bowl and add salt and pepper.
3. Whisk eggs with fork, reduce pan to low heat, and pour eggs to the pan.
4. Scramble eggs in pan and when eggs are halfway done, add black beans, hot sauce, and shredded cheese.
5. warm torillas in a large pan or microwave each tortilla for 10-15 seconds.
6. Grab two plates and smear 1 TBSP of sour cream onto each tortilla.
7. Put 1/2 of the egg mixture into each tortilla and add cilantro on top if desired.
8  Roll up tortillas and enjoy! Serve with hash browns and/or fresh fruit for a great, filling breakfast.

Other variations include salsa in place of hot sauce, cream cheese in place of sour cream, and sliced avocado to garnish burritos. I have made this quite a bit and enjoy various variations of this now and then for breakfast.

Meatloaf Burger Patties

Think about a burger and then think about meatloaf. This recipe brings the two together and makes meatloaf something you can make for a quick weeknight dinner. I kept it burger consistency while added meatloaf components to make this have the "meatloaf" taste. Also becomes the perfect shape for meatloaf sandwiches.

Meatloaf Burger Patties - Serves 4

Ingredients:

* 1lb of lean ground meat (can use any kind you like, but I used 93% lean ground beef)
* 1 TBSP of worchester sauce (if you are allergic to fish and/or seafood like my husband you can use Annies organic worchester sauce, its vegan)
* 1/4 tsp black pepper
* 1/4 tsp sea salt
* 1/4 tsp garlic powder
* 1/4 tsp onion powder
* Cooking spray or oil (optional)

Directions:

1. Defrost ground meat before starting your recipe.
2. Mix worchester sauce in with ground meat in a mixing bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients to ground meat and throughly mix everything together.
4. Form meat into 4 burger patties.
5. Cook in a large pan or skillet on medium-high heat for about 12-15 minutes, flipping patties halfway through. They will be ready when they are lightly browned and the juices run brown and clearish. (If using ground turkey or extra lean meats, lightly coat the pan with oil or cooking spray, not needed for lean beef though).
6. Serve on a bun or 2 slices of bread with ketchup or on your plate as you would traditional meatloaf. I ate mine with a baked sweet potato and veggies as you can see below:

 

Enjoy and feel free to grill or oven bake these if you choose, I bet they would also be great cooked using these methods. Let me know if you try this recipe.

Thanksgiving Stuffing Bake

With Thanksgiving coming very soon, stuffing is one of the things I have been wanting lately. Here is a one-dish meal that is easy to put together and enjoy for dinner or double the recipe and take it to a potluck:

Thanksgiving Stuffing Bake - Serves 4

Ingredients:


* 3 chicken breasts of thighs (I used chicken thighs)
* Cooking Spray (I used canola oil cooking spray)
* 1 box of stuffing mix (I used a box of whole wheat chicken stove top).
* 1 1/3 cups of water
* 1 TBSP of butter or margarine (I used unsalted butter)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Boil 1 1/2 cups of water and 1 TBSP of butter in a medium saucepan.
3. Add stuffing mix and stir.
4. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Spray 8x8 square pan with cooking spray.
6. Add chicken to the bottom of the pan in a relatively even layer.
7. Add stuffing on top of chicken, making sure the layer is even.
8. Place pan in oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
9. Slice and serve with your favorite gravy and veggies, enjoy!

Mushroom, Pea, and Onion Rice Pilaf

I came up with this using the idea of peas and onions, a common vegetable combo. I added mushrooms in since I am a big fan of them and enjoy them sometimes with peas and onions. Add in some rice and seasonings and you have a heartier side dish that can also be a light meal.

Mushroom, Pea, and Onion Rice Pilaf - Serves 2 as a light meal, serves 3-4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

* 2 cups of cooked rice (I used boil in the bag brown rice)
* 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth (I used vegetable broth)
* 1 1/3 cups of green peas (I used frozen peas)
* 1/2 of a medium onion, diced
* 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
* 1 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil
* 1 TBSP of grated Parmesan cheese (The kind from the pasta aisle is fine)
* 1/8 tsp of black pepper
* 1/8 tsp of oregano
* 1/8 tsp of garlic powder

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to directions for the brand you use and make 2 cups of cooked rice.
2. Add extra virgin olive oil to a large pan and add remaining ingredients to the pan.
3. Cook vegetables on medium for 5 minutes or until mushrooms are fully cooked and are starting to brown.
4. Add rice to the pan and mix everything together. Serve and enjoy!

* This dish would be great served with additional vegetables and chicken or steak. Also can become a main dish with one of more of the following: diced chicken, cheese, crumbled bacon, etc.