Sinchiladas

2 cans of chili beans, pinto, or kidney beans in any combination (or 1 quart processed beans)

1 can diced tomatoes (you can also replace this with another can of tomato sauce)

2 cans tomato sauce

1 can chopped green chilies

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can corn, drained

Flour or corn tortillas (corn makes it tastier)

Grated cheese

Mix first seven ingredients in a large bowl. In a 9 x 13 pan, layer bean mixture, cheese, tortillas (broken and arranged to cover entire layer, usually about 4 per layer), ending with cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes until bubbly and hot. Serve with salsa, ketchup, hot sauce, sour cream, or whatever condiments you like.

Cream of Vegetable Soup

6 medium to small potatoes, diced (can be peeled or not peeled, depending upon time or preference)

1 medium onion, diced

Broccoli (You can either use fresh, chopped, or any freezer blend with these veggies, about 2 to 3 cups)

Cauliflower

1 grated carrot, optional

Mushrooms, sliced, optional (If you are a mushroom fan, these make the soup REALLY good)

5 cups chicken broth (can also use five bouillon cubes and five cups water here)

1 cube margarine or butter

½ cup flour

2 cups milk

½ teaspoon dry mustard

2 cups grated cheese, any kind

Cover veggies with chicken broth in a large pan. Put the lid on and cook until potatoes are done. While veggies are cooking, in another pan melt butter. Stir flour and milk into butter. Bring to a boil and thicken. Add to veggie mixture. Then add cheese and let melt. Yummy. J

Texas Spaghetti Squash

2 cups cooked pinto beans

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. cumin

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 cup water

1 spaghetti squash, 1 1/2 to 2 lbs.

1 cup brown rice, uncooked

1 1/2 cups chopped green onions

1 clove garlic, minced

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Tomatoes, chopped for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small saucepan, combine pinto beans, coriander, cumin, pepper, and water. Simmer. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove seed and membrane. In large Dutch oven, cook squash until tender, about 35 minutes. Cool. Using a fork, scrape out squash to form spaghetti. In small saucepan, cook rice according to package directions. Cool. Add 1/2 cup of onions, garlic, egg, and yogurt or sour cream. Stir.

In a 9 x 13 baking dish, layer as follows: squash, beans, Monterey jack cheese, rice mixture, 1 cup green onions, and Cheddar cheese. Bake 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped tomatoes.

Bean Sandwich Spread

This is a fun and yummy recipe to add to you sandwich list. I have also added grated cheese to this.

1 cup mashed cooked pinto beans (I'm sure other varieties would work as well)

1 T. grated or finely chopped onion

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

1/4 cup mayonnaise

White Chicken Chili

I know Jen has a really yummy recipe for this too, but here's what we liked in it last week. It was another meal Isaac said was a "miracle," so it must've been good!

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, chopped bite sized
1 t. olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 T. minced garlic
15 oz. Great Northern White Beans
1 can chopped green chilis
1 1/2 t. cumin (I used a little more)
1 t. white pepper (I just used regular, we don't keep white in stock)
1/8 t. cayenne pepper (ok, I didn't realize we have no shaker on the top of our cayenne, so we ended up with significantly more cayenne and it turned out great)!
14 1/2 oz. chicken broth
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. water
1/2 cup monterrey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms

Heat oil oil in the skillet. Add chicken and cook until it is white. Coarsely chop onion and add. Add garlic and continue to cook. Drain chilies and beans and rinse. Put chicken mixture in a pot (I used the crockpot and slow cooked all afternoon). Add chilies and beans, cumin, white pepper, cayenne pepper mix thoroughly. In a small dish, mix cornstarch and water. Add chicken broth. Stir the broth mixture into crockpot. About 30 minutes before serving, add sour cream, cheese and chopped mushrooms. Enjoy!

Easy Swedish Meatballs

Ok, so these meatballs really made an impression on Ben! A few YEARS ago, we had them at our friends' house for dinner. He had me call that friend and beg for the recipe years later. My friend explained that it is embarrassingly easy, but hey, those make the best recipes sometimes, right?! Anyway, we have altered it a bit to make it to our family's liking and a little healthier, so please feel free to make it your own too! Oh, I also have to mention that most of the time we make our own meatballs, but for convenience, Jen introduced me to frozen meatballs and they are great too! Don't be ashamed to use frozen, they taste like homemade and in a pinch, are great to have on hand:) 

I really contemplated not using a picture because this one certainly does not do them justice, so you'll have to just TRUST ME on this one... or TRUST BEN if you can't trust me... They are really tasty!

3/4 lb. - 1 lb. hamburger made into meatballs (use your favorite recipe)
1 cup sour cream (we use fat free- you can't tell the difference in sauce like this)
1 packet brown gravy mix
1 cup water
1-2 T. onion soup mix
pepper to taste
Egg Noodles, or  whole wheat pasta, if you like a little more fiber

Prepare meatballs as you normally would (we do ours in the oven). Cook noodles according to package directions. Prepare gravy mix according to directions (our packet said to add 1 c. water to gravy mix in a saucepan stirring continually until thickened). Once thickened, add 1 cup of sour cream mix and warm thoroughly. Add onion soup mix and pepper to taste. Stir in meatballs and cook on low heat for 7-10 minutes. Serve warm over noodles. I usually like to make more sauce, but it just depends on how you like it.

I know, this IS easy! But, the next time you are in a pinch for dinner, I hope you think of this one;)
Also, FYI, this has hardly any carbs... Gravy mix only contains 3 g. carbs per serving, so even the most diabetic can afford a few noodles:)

Water

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. It is really simple, super satisfying and fills you right up.

Get a cup out of the cupboard. Go to the sink and turn it on. Put the cup underneath it until 1/2 to 3/4 of the volume is filled with liquid. Put it to your mouth, tip the cup slightly so the water runs into your mouth, swallow and enjoy.

Posted by Michael

Whole Wheat Bread

I like trying new things with my bread to change things up. The last batch I made turned out so well and Tom suggested I share my secret with others.

5 1/2 cups hot water

1 tablet vitamin C (half tablet if 1000 mg) OR substitute 1 cup of the water with 1 cup of vitamin C enhanced juice (I like grape juice if I have it on hand)

1 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey (if you don't have this, you can add an extra 1/2 cup of sugar. Can also replace with molasses if you have it)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 T. salt

1/2 cup potato flakes or oatmeal (I use whatever I have on hand)

4 T. yeast
3/4 cup vital wheat gluten

10 cups of hard white wheat, freshly ground into flour

Add the first seven ingredients to your mixing bowl. Then add about 5 or six cups of whole wheat flour mixed with the gluten and yeast. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Let rest 2 minutes. With mixer running on medium speed, add enough flour until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and is a little sticky, but not too sticky. This is the tricky part. If you add too much flour, the bread will be more dry. If you don't add enough, the bread will not rise properly. Once you have added the right amount of flour, let mix on medium speed for 7 minutes. Roll into six small loaves and place in greased small bread pans. Turn on oven for one minute and then turn off (to let the oven get warm but not hot). Place the bread dough ( in the pans) in the warm oven to rise. Let rise for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the dough is as high as you want the finished bread to be. Leaving the risen bread in the oven, heat the oven to 350 and bake for 35 to 38 minutes depending upon your oven, starting the timer right after you turn the oven on. Bread is done when golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the top.

Spicy Honey Mango Chicken Salad

Ok, I got this recipe off of http://www.ourbestbites.com/. It was a HUGE hit with my mango, avacado loving family:) Even if you don't do the salad, the Spicy Honey Chicken is Soo Good! Anyway, if you click on the link, it will take you right to the recipe (and the spicy honey chicken)- Try it out- it has Pieper written all over it:) Sorry I didn't get a picture of the salad... I guess it went too fast, but there is a pic on the link.

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/05/spicy-honey-chicken-salad.html

Sweet and Sour Pork

I was in the mood to cook something new and with a little more effort last night for dinner. I found this recipe on the food network website. Very yummy and very fun to make. I even enjoyed the frying and usually I hate it.

2/3 cup soy sauce

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 T. minced ginger

1/4 cup flour, plus seasoned flour for dredging

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 pound pork butt, cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt and pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 T. honey

1 T. vegetable oil

1/2 T. sesame oil

1/3 cup large diced Vidalia onion

1/3 cup large diced celery

1/3 cup carrots sliced 1/4-inch thick, on a bias

1/3 cup large diced red bell pepper

1/3 cup large diced green bell pepper

1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions

In a large non-reactive, bowl, combine soy, garlic, ginger, flour, and cornstarch. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper. Place the pork in the bowl and toss to cover. Marinate int eh refrigerator overnight.

Drain off any excess marinade and dredge the pork in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan heat 1-inch of oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the pork in batches, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Reserve on a warm plate.

In a separate bowl, combine the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, and honey. Whisk to blend.

In a small roasting pan heat the vegetable and sesame oils. Place the pork and vegetables into the pan and cover with the ketchup moisture. Bring to a simmer and cook until the pork is tender. Serve over cooked rice if desired.

Artichoke Chicken

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups mayonaise

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

4 large chicken breasts (I cut them in half)

Combine first four ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Grease or line a 9x13 baking dish and add trimmed chicken breasts (I usually make enough to cover the 9x13 pan with chicken breasts). Spread the mixture over the chicken breasts, covering entirely. Bake at 350 degrees covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for about 15 minutes more. (Time can vary). As you can see, we ate ours with broccoli on the side, but rice would be a good choice too.