Veggie Tacos

Olive oil
1 cup of roughly chopped zucchini or summer squash (1-2 zucchini or squash, depending on the size)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 large fresh mild green chile (Anaheim or Hatch), seeds and stem discarded, chopped
1/2 fresh jalapeño chile pepper, seeds and stem discarded, minced (or more, if you desire more heat)
Salt
Pinch of ground cumin
Pinch of ground oregano
1 small to medium tomato, chopped
4 corn tortillas

Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the zucchini, onions, garlic, green chiles, and jalapeño to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and cumin. Stir to coat the vegetables with the oil in the pan. Spread the veggies out in the pan and then stir only occasionally, until they are all lightly browned. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and oregano, lower the heat to low.

Serve in mini corn or flour tortillas topped with shredded cheese, lettuce and salsa. Or if you prefer a hard shell, give it a try. We ate them on small corn tortillas.

Vegetarian (or not) Dirty Rice

While recently visiting family, my nephew made a fantastic vegetarian dirty rice. He is a great cook and just combined this and that for a very flavorful dish. I have been wanting something similar ever since. I tried this recipe as a main dish for tonight and it turned out great. You could easily add cooked chicken if this would not float your boat as a main dish as is. Delicious and super easy!

4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dry basil
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp. dark chili powder
1 tsp. paparika
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 c. Jasmin rice or any long grain rice (You can use brown rice, however the cooking time will be about an hour instead of time listed below)
1- 16 oz.can Swanson Vegetarian broth (I used chicken broth)
1 c. cold waterSalt and pepper to taste

Prep: Heat a 2 qt. sauce pan to high, place olive oil and butter in pan. Saute onion, garlic until carmalized. Add basil, oregano, chili powder, paparika, red pepper and rice. Saute rice for three minutes, stirring ocassionally. Add broth and water, stir. Bring to a boil for five minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20- 25 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Add cooked chicken if you would like.

Southwestern Egg Rolls

I made this last night for dinner. The kids asked for seconds and thirds!:) I did not put chicken in, but it would be tasty either way. Also, I chopped a full cup of spinach finely so as to hide and add some more fresh greens to the dish. Looking forward to having it again!!


2 chicken breasts diced
1/2 red bell pepper minced
2 T green onion, minced
1/4 c white onion, minced
1 can corn (or frozen 1 C.)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. spinach , sliced very thinly (or chopped finely to hide)
1 small can diced green chiles
1/2 T. fresh parsley minced
1/2 t. cumin1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 t. saltdash cayenne pepper
1 c monterey jack cheese or cheddar cheese shredded
flour tortillas

Avocado Ranch dipping sauce
1 C ranch
1 whole avocado mashed
1 t minced onion
salt and pepper
lime juiceblend together with blender.

Mix first 13 ingredients and saute until warm. Remove from heat and add cheese, mix well, warm tortillas. Place about 1/2 cup of mixture in tortilla and fold so that none escapes. Place inside panini or George Foreman grill. Serve with dipping sauce.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I found this recipe on http://simplehealthytasty.blogspot.com/ and modified them somewhat to suit my taste. They are a hit with my kids!! They are rich so after eating one I was done which is good because back in the day when I was eating treats I could have put away an entire dozen. This recipe makes A LOT so I have plenty in the freezer for after school snacks during the week and maybe the kids will even find one in their lunch:)

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Softened Butter (NO margarine!!!)
3/4 Cup Pureed White Beans
2 2/3 Cups Honey
3 Cups Natural Peanut Butter
6 Cups Whole Hard White Wheat Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Sea Salt

Beat coconut oil, butter, beans, honey, and peanut butter. Mix in flour, soda, and salt, already sifted together. Scoop spoonfuls and drop onto baking sheets and press flat with a fork. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Be careful not to let them get too brown or they will be crunchy. These are very rich.

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

I made this delicious dairy free ice cream tonight as we were having friends over for dinner. It was a hit!! No Sugar and No Dairy but still creamy and sweet:)

Strawberry Ice Cream
14 oz. can Coconut Milk
10 oz. Frozen Strawberries
1/4 cup Agave Nectar
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
vanilla bean (optional but recommended)

1. Blend ingredients in blender
2. Pour into ice cream maker and process 20 minutes or according to your ice cream maker instructions
3. Serve

Black Bean Enchiladas

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp oil
1 c chopped onion
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 c corn kernels
½ c green bell pepper, diced
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles, drained
2 tsp ground cumin
1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese8-10 tortillas
1 1/2 c green chile enchilada saucesalt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350° and lightly grease a 9×13″ baking dish. In a medium sized skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic and sauté until aromatic and onions are softened. Add green peppers (and corn if using frozen), sautéing until softened. Stir in beans, cumin, green chiles & corn (if using fresh). Cook for ~5 minutes until warm; partially mash beans. Remove the pan from the heat, mix in 1/2 cup cheese. Season with salt & pepper as desired.

Spoon some of the black bean mixture down the center of a tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour green chile sauce over the tops of the enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and bake for 10 more minutes until cheese is melted.

Twice Baked Green Potatoes

8 large potatoes
1 large head broccoli (you may wish to buy more than this, to serve another portion of steamed broccoli with the meal)
4 cups spinach
8 green onions, diced (always use the entire onion, including the long green part)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ tsp. sea salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Bake foil-wrapped potatoes at 350 for one hour and let cool enough to handle the potatoes. Chop broccoli in small pieces and steam for 15 minutes, adding the spinach for the last 5 minutes of steaming. Cut each potato in half and scoop out the potato “guts,” being careful to leave skin intact with about ¼” of potato all the way around, to keep it firm to use later. Set skins aside. Use hand mixer to blend until smooth the potato “guts,” steamed broccoli, onions, and spinach, Parmesan, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Add a bit of water if mixture is too thick to blend.

Scoop mixture back into potato skins. Optionally sprinkle with additional Parmesan, and bake at 350 for 15-20 mins. Serve immediately