Caribbean Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

I guess I'm on a black bean kick, but this soup is awesome. My mom got a gift card to a cooking class for Christmas, and she took me with her today! This was the super easy one-pot meal for non-chefs like me. A pureed soup without having to bake a squash? Yes, please.

1 tsp ground cumin
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 oz) light unsweetened coconut milk
1-3 cups low sodium vegetable broth (We made ours on the thicker side)
6 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T fresh lime juice (we actually used the juice of a whole lime... depends on how much you like)
1 T grated lime peel
salt and pepper

Stir cumin in med. saucepan over med. heat for 30 seconds
Add pumpkin, beans, coconut milk, broth and half of cilantro
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer at least 3 minutes to blend flavors
Mix in lime juice and lime peel
Season with salt and pepper
Ladle into bowls, garnish with remaining cilantro

Creamy Tuskegee Soup

This is a very different kind of soup. It's a semi-spicy peanut soup (it can be as bland or as spicy as you want it to be), and it's hard to explain the taste, but it has become a favorite over the past 3 years. We eat it a lot during the winter; it's a great meatless and one-pot recipe if you're willing to try it out.

4 Tbsp butter
1 onion, minced
2 celery ribs, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
3 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup peanut butter
Ground cayenne pepper
Chili powder
Pepper
3/4 cup cream
Peanuts

1) Melt butter in big pot; add onion and celery and cook 5 minutes.

2) Add flour, broth, and peanut butter. Stir until smooth.

3) Turn the heat to "low," add spices to taste***, and cook 20 minutes.

4) Add cream and cook 2 more minutes.

Serve in bowls and sprinkle peanuts within.

***NOTE: I just sprinkle the peppers in to taste, so I really don't know how much to put in; I would probably start with a teaspoon of each and work from there. If you want more spice, add more Cayenne pepper.

One last thing: to make it healthier, you can also add minced carrots and/or leeks, or any other vegetable you'd like to try.

Chicken and Rice

I've been meaning to post these for awhile, so you're getting a bunch from me at once. We eat a lot of chicken, so here's another easy one from John's mom. This one's not quite so healthy. :)

2 c minute rice
8 chicken strips or tenders (unbreaded)
Ranch packet
1 c water
2 c milk
1 stick (1/2 c) butter, melted

Spray 9x13" pan. Put in rice, water, and milk. Lay chicken strips on top. Sprinkle ranch powder over everything (do not mix in). Drizzle melted butter over the chicken strips. Bake 45 minutes at 350.

Three Cheese Enchiladas

1 lb. Ground beef or turkey
Onion
6 oz. Cream cheese
16 oz. Salsa
10 tortillas
1 c mozzerella
1 c cheddar

Brown meat with chopped onion. Add cream cheese and half of salsa. Stir together. Spoon meat mixture into tortillas, roll up and place ends down in a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle cheddar and mozzarella over the top. Pour rest of salsa over the top. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. You can garnish with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes.

Pie Filling Bars

1 c. shortening
1 3/4 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cans pie filling

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each egg. Add vanilla baking powder and flour.

Put half of batter in a greased 9x13 pan or larger. Spread 2 cans pie filling on batter. Then drop by teaspoon the rest of the batter over the pie filling.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Frost immediately with powdered sugar glaze while still warm.

Zesty Italian Turkey

This one's great for a houseful of guests, and super easy! I just made it for Lucian's birthday party

One 4-6 lb turkey breast
3 packets Italian Dressing seasoning mix

Spread one packet of seasoning mix on the bottom of crock pot
Place turkey breast in crock pot
Rub remaining packets all over turkey
Cook overnight or 8 hours on low (in a time crunch, you can cook it on high for a shorter time... I usually do)

Remove turkey, shred with forks, replace in crock pot (without bone) and stir
Serve on buns (I usually do small buns or dinner rolls)

It's TASTY!

Pot Roast

This is an old standby that will either feed a small crowd or feed a family for several meals. I usually have these ingredients on hand and the prep takes only about 10 minutes. Just remember to thaw the meat ahead of time! After some quick chopping and dicing, your oven will do the rest of the work :) BUT be prepared to wait at least two hours for dinner to be ready.

-a 3-5 lb beef roast

-1 3 lb bag of potatoes, diced or sliced

-1 bag of baby carrots

-1 small onion, chopped

-1 stalk of celery, chopped

-1 can cream of mushroom soup thinned with 1/2 can of milk to aid in the roasting

Toss everything together in a roasting pan for a couple hours and presto! I like to make this on Sundays and then eat the left overs for a couple of meals.

Chicken Broccoli Bake

This is an old standby of mine- I always have the ingredients on hand, so if I haven't been to the store in awhile I can still whip this up. It's not gourmet, but it's a good family dish.

4-5 chicken breasts, cut in half (I often use frozen, since I keep a stash in my freezer at all times)
1 pkg Lipton Rice Sides- Chicken and Broccoli flavor
2 c chicken broth or water (or one cup of each)
2 c frozen broccoli
1-2 c shredded cheddar cheese
garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350
Pour rice packet into 9x13 pan, then pour in 2 c broth, mix
Arrange chicken breasts and broccoli in pan
Season with garlic powder and cover with shredded cheese
Cover and bake for 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through

*Alternate idea: Lipton Rice Sides also has a Spanish Rice flavor. Use corn instead of broccoli, Mexican cheese blend instead of cheddar, and you've got a new dish!

Apple Walnut Salad

Per request, here is the "recipe" for the salad I brought to the couple's study on Friday. I didn't exactly measure ingredients... so I'm just guessing. When in doubt, add more of what you like, less of what you don't!

Salad ingredients:
2 apples, chopped (I used braeburn, but green apples might have been really good)
1 c walnut pieces
6 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed
two handfuls of craisins
3 small heads of romaine lettuce (they came in a package. Probably 1 1/2 regular-sized heads)

Dressing ingredients:
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
1/2 c olive oil
1 tsp brown mustard
2 tsp brown sugar

Tear lettuce into bite sized pieces, rinse, shake dry
Toss together all salad ingredients

Whisk together the vinegar, oil, mustard, sugar
Toss dressing with salad, to taste
**I only used about HALF of the dressing on the salad**

Enjoy!

Chicken or Pork Asian Skillet

1 lb chicken or pork
1 carrot
1 pepper
3-4 green onions
frozen peas
2 pkgs. Oriental flavor Ramen noodles
2 c. water
Teriyaki sauce
2 cloves garlic
Sesame oil

Slice meat and coat with sesame oil and seasoning packets (from Ramen). Brown the meat. Add carrots, peppers, onions, and a handful of frozen peas. Crush or press the garlic and add to the pan. Cook until tender crisp. Add water to pan and stir to loosen bits from the bottom of the tpan. Add ramen and cover. Bring to a boil and cook until noodles are soft. Add teriyaki to taste and toss to coat.

** If you don't have prepared Teriyaki sauce you can make your own Asian sauce by combining crushed ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and crushed pineapple.

Mexican Brown Rice Casserole

1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
8 oz sour cream
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
1 jar (8 oz) chunky salsa
2 cups cooked brown rice
crushed red pepper to taste
ground black pepper to taste
sliced black olives, optional
chopped onion, optional
Tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. Set aside half of cheese. Mix first nine ingredients together, pour into a casserole dish. Top with olives, onions, extra cheese. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Serve on tortillas with sour cream, salsa, avocado or guacamole.

Hints

If you want to add meat, brown 1lb ground turkey or beef and add 1-2 cups of the meat to the mixture.

This dish can also be served with chips as a very hearty dip