Slow Cooker Picadillo

This is a Cuban dish I got from skinnytaste- it is SO good! I slightly adapted her recipe. Even the kids loved it- here are their dishes after eating with no complaining!

1 lb. ground turkey

1 minced onion

2-3 minced garlic cloves (1heaping tsp crushed)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 diced tomato (I cut up grape tomatoes- about 1 cup)

8 oz tomato sauce

1/2 cup alcaparrado (I used the sliced Spanish salad olives from target)

1tsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat in a skillet; season generously with salt and pepper. Add the onions and garlic and cook an additional 3-4 minutes. 

Transfer the meat to crockpot and add the tomato sauce, tomato, cilantro, olives, cumin and 1 cup water (I used a little bit of olive juice and just under a cup of water). 

Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Serve over brown rice. 

**Here is my confession- the original recipe calls for 2.5 lbs of beef, but I didn't even read it and just assumed it used only one tray of ground meat instead of two, so I only used about 1 lb of ground turkey, but kept the rest of the measurements the same (except I increased the olives!!!). It turned out so good that I'm keeping it that way! Plus, 2.5 lbs of meat is way too much for us. 

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

Photo and recipe from twopeasandtheirpod

This is SO good- Gary and the kids loved it, and it's vegetarian and gluten free!  It's great because you can assemble the casserole ahead of time and put it in the fridge to bake later.

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tsp crushed)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jar red enchilada sauce (I used the trader joes brand)
8-10 small corn tortillas
about 2 cups shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend)

Preheat oven to 400.  Place the vegetables on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toss until coated.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes.  Let cool. Reduce oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, combine vegetables, beans, spices, garlic, cilantro and S&P.  Spread some enchilada sauce on the bottom of a baking dish (I  used one slightly smaller than 9x11) and cover with tortillas (I did 2 whole tortillas then I broke some more to make it fit without overlapping a lot because I didn't want a ton of tortilla).  Top with half the vegetable mix and then cheese.  Do another layer of tortillas and then sauce.  Top with remaining half of vegetables and more cheese.  Do another layer of tortillas then sauce and top that with cheese.

(At this point, I put the entire casserole in the fridge ready to bake at dinner time!)

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Cool for 10 minutes, cut into squares and serve.

Chicken and Corn Chili

This chili is so delicious!  The kids loved it too!  It's from Family Circle magazine.

1 large onion, chopped
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 3 frozen breasts)
2 cups chicken broth
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1-3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with jalapeños, drained (I did not drain them)
1-1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
shredded cheese (optional)
avocado (optional)

In a slow cooker, combine onion, chicken, broth, green pepper, 1-1/2 tsp of the cumin and 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp cayenne.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking, shred the chicken with 2 forks and add remaining 1/4 tsp each of cumin and cayenne, remaining salt, tomatoes, corn and beans.  Gently mash some of the beans against the side of the bowl to thicken chili.

Sprinkle with cheese and avocado.

Veggie Masala Burgers

Homemade Vegetarian "Chipotle" Bowls

Ok, it really has nothing to do with Chipotle other than being rice and beans in a bowl, but we tell the kids they are Chipotle bowls to make them like them more. ;)  One of our favorite meals.  Healthy and flavorful. 

2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, divided
1 bag frozen brown rice (I use the TJs kind that comes 3 bags in a box)
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 heaping tsp. ground cumin
2- 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth (but if you use chicken, it won't be vegetarian)
chopped cilantro
chopped fresh avocado
crumbled feta (and/or shredded jack or cheddar for the kids)

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add about 1/2 the onion, cooking until softened.  Add rice and saute a few minutes.  Remove rice from pan and set aside.

Using the same pan, heat remaining 1 tbsp oil, add remaining onion and cook until softened.  Add coriander and cumin, stir 1 minute.  Add beans, broth; season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, occasionally mashing beans, until thickened, about 8-10 minutes.

Either scoop rice into separate bowls and put a large spoonful of bean mixture on top OR, what we always do, just mix the rice into the bean mixture.

Top each bowl with chopped cilantro, chopped avocado and crumbled feta.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Original recipe here

Gary and the kids (but especially Gary!) loved these!  It's not health food by any means, but it's better than regular chocolate cake and at least has a cup of zucchini hidden inside!  They were very moist.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (**I used a gluten free flour mix instead of whole wheat.  Next time, I'm going to try all GF flour because they were plenty moist)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin pan by spraying cavities with non-stick spray or insert muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and the cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, applesauce, vegetable oil, milk, and the vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the zucchini and the chocolate chips.
4. Divide the batter evenly amongst each cavity (for only 12 muffins, you will need to fill each one very full). Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let muffins cool. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Powdered Peanut Butter Flourless Brownies

Recipe and Photo from Skinnytaste

Another healthier option for brownies.  Really yummy, and they are a cake-y brownie as opposed to the fudge-y black bean brownies.

Ingredients:

• cooking spray
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1 cup powdered peanut butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup raw honey 
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I don't think they even need these, and mine all sank to the bottom)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a nonstick 9 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Beat the egg and egg white in a small bowl with a whisk; mix in the water.

In a large bowl combine the powdered PB, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and mix well with a spatula. Add the egg mixture and stir. Add honey, vanilla and stir with a spatula until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake about 30 minutes.

If cut into 9 squares, they are each 192 calories each. (30.3 g carbs; 7.3 g protein; 63. g fat)