Wasabi Guinness Chilli

As previously posted, cooking with beer is amazing. It really enhances the flavor of every dish you can think of. From veggies to dessert, it is YUMMY. I enjoy experimenting with chili, I make it often and never make it the same way twice. Found this awesome recipe from AllRecipes.com that I used to inspire my chili dish for cooking club at the end of last year. It was so so so so so so good. I can't stop raving about it. Secret Ingredient? Not the beer (though that was great), not the wasabi powder, (thought that made it kickin!) It was COFFEE!!!  All the crazy ingredients together make for a flavorful, exotic meal with a lot of kick. I dare you to use it for any chili kick-off you compete in.

I know that picture isn't that classy, but trust me...this dish was FANTASTIC.

Ingredients:
1-2 cups of diced onion
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb of ground beef, extra lean
1 lb of spicy Italian sausage (remove from casing)
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bottle (12 oz) of Guiness (or other dark beer)
1 cup of brewed coffee (I used some fancy Jack Daniels brew)
1 can beef broth
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/4 cup chili powder (or more)
1.5 tbsp wasabi powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp coriander (or ground coriander)
1 tsp salt
1 can kidney beans, dark red
1 can kidney beans, light red
1 or 2  chile peppers or 1 jalapeno peppers, chopped (don't rub your eyes!)


Directions:
Cook onions, garlic, beef, and sausage over medium heat until browned and tender.
Pour tomatoes, beer, coffee, broth, and hot sauce.
Add chili powder, wasabi powder, paprika, cayenne, cumin, sugar, oregano, coriander, and salt.
Stir in beans & peppers, bring to a boil.
Then reduce heat, cover and simmer.
Cook for 2 to 3 hours.

Serve with cornbread & biscuits!

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Black Bean Burgers

Found these on Martha Stewart's website under Easy Freezer meals. They were quite easy to make (considering it's a Martha recipe) and they were delicious.
 

Nutritional Information (Based on 10 patties served on Arnold's circle bread & no dressing)

Calories: 217       Fat: A little more than 1 gram      

WW Points: 3      Points+: 5.3

Ingredients:
2 cans 15.5 oz black beans, rinsed & drained
4 green onions, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
salt & pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup fat free plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp cilantro paste (or fresh cilantro)
1 tbsp lime juice


Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Meanwhile, in a food processor mix 1 can of the beans, green onions, and cumin.
Pulse until a chunky paste forms.
In a large bowl, combine the paste with rice & remaining can of beans.
Mix in salt & pepper.
Divide into 10 thin circular patties.


To Eat Now: Bake in oven on rimmed baking sheet that's been sprayed with pam for 10 to 12 minutes. Flip after 5 to 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine yogurt, cilantro, & lime juice. Add salt & pepper. Put some on the top of patties after they finish baking and serve on bread as a sandwich with cucumbers, tomatoes, & lettuce.

A nice alternative is ranch dressing if you don't want to make the sauce/dressing.


To Eat Later: Wrap patties individually in plastic wrap and freeze all in a large freezer bag laid flat.

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Seven Layer Tortilla Pie

Nutritional Information (based on 8 servings)

Calories: 313    Fat: 11 grams      WW Points: 5.8   Points+: 7.8

This is a low-fat dish I found online. This past summer we went with some of our friends to  Nissley Vineyards for their summer concert series. We showed up early to eat dinner before the concert started. So I packed this in a portable pie container along with a foldable table and some candles to enjoy under the starts. It was awesome!

Ingredients:
2 15 oz. cans of pinto beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup hot sauce
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp cilantro paste (obsessed with that stuff!)
1 16 oz. can of black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
7 8 inch tortillas
2 cups low fat cheddar cheese, shredded
fat free sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

In a large bowl mashed pinto beans.

Mix in 3/4 cup hot sauce & the garlic.

In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 of the hot sauce, cilantro, black beans, and tomato.

Place 1 tortilla in a greased pie plate. Spread 3/4 cup pinto bean mixture over tortilla. Leave some room around the edge.

top with 1/4 cup of cheese.

Cover with another tortilla.

Spread 2/3 cup black bean mixture over and top with 1/4 cup cheese.

Repeat layers two more times.

Top with remaining pinto beans and cheese.

Cover with foil.

Bake for about 40 minutes. 
Cut into pie wedges and serve with additional hot sauce and sour cream.

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Taco Cups

One of my favorite dishes to make is the Taco Ring. (Pillsbury Dough + Taco Meat = Amazingness) I was asked to bring an appetizer for a dinner party so I decided to make these "mini taco rings". You might see them called taco muffins or taco cups. Either way, they are delicious!

There are lots of different ways to do these. I've seen them with wonton wrappers, pillsbury dough biscuits, or crescent rolls, dough from scratch, and tostito chips. I went with pillsbury dough biscuits. 

I've seen these with black beans, salsa, ground turkey, and ground beef. I went with extra lean ground beef. You can throw in diced onions too. I went with avocados & tomatoes. But you can top with lettuce & sour cream. Endless possibilities, make them your own. 



Ingredients:
3/4 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 envelope of taco seasoning or 1/4 cup
1/2 cup water
1 can Pillsbury biscuits
1/2 cup tomato, diced

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese or mexican blend
1 avocado diced


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook ground beef in skillet until brown.
Stir in taco seasoning & water.
Simmer for a few minutes until water is evaporated.
Meanwhile, spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
And place 1 biscuit in each muffin cup and press down on the bottom and partway up the sides forming a cup. (I had 10 biscuits, but used a muffin pan for 12 - see picture).

The trick is to really form a thin muffin cup. It will bubble up when it cooks and you want to make sure they meat & cheese doesn't overflow.
Add meat/onion mixture into center of each cup, but don't add too much.
Bake in oven for about 10 minutes. 
Top with shredded cheese and cook for an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
Top avocado & tomato after removed from the oven.

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Layered Mexican Shrimp Salad

This is an amazing salad. I take back my BEST SALAD EVER POST...this is really the best salad ever! 


I found this on Gina's Skinny Taste, of course. I love Gina's website. She is one of my favorite bloggers. I haven't met a recipe on her site that isn't amazing. I steal a lot of recipes from her. Yum Yum Yum. I also had to steal the recipe for the dressing as well. I made creamy tomatillo salad dressing to compliment this layered shrimp salad. I was so proud of myself because I've never made salad dressing from scratch before and it turned out to be addicting. 

Ingredients:

16 oz. cooked shrimp, tail shells removed

2 tbsp chipotle seasoning
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp cilantro paste or fresh cilantro

15 oz can of black beans, drained & rinsed

15 oz can of whole kernel corn, drained & rinsed

1 head of lettuce, shredded

1 small red onion, diced

2 tomatoes, diced
2 avocados, diced

2 cucumbers, diced

1 cup reduced fat, shredded cheddar cheese 

Directions:

Thaw & rinse shrimp.

Mix shrimp in a small bowl with chipotle seasoning, lime juice, & some salt to taste.

In a separate bowl combine corn, beans, cilantro, & red onion.

Place lettuce in the bottom of large clear bowl or trifle dish.

Layer bean/corn mixture on top. 

Then top with cucumber, then tomato.

Top with avocado. (I ran out of avocados so I just spread out the fresh guacamole I had in the fridge)

Then top with the layer of cheese. 

Finish off with the shrimp on the top.

Serve with dressing! 

Mexican Pot Pie

We had friends over putting in our new patio this past spring. (Thanks, guys!) They did an awesome job and we promised them a full meal for their help. So while they were working outside I was working in the kitchen to make this Mexican Pot Pie. It is from the Best of Pillsbury Bake-Off book. Yum! I wound up doubling the recipe and making two whole pies. (I had a lot of hungry men at my house). 


Instead of buying raw chicken and cooking it, I decided to take a short cut (no pun intended) and use the Purdue chicken breast Short Cuts - Southwestern Style. It seemed just too perfect (they were on sale) for me to pass up. 

Ingredients:

1 container of pie crusts (2 crusts per box)

1 package refrigerated southwestern-seasoned chicken breast strips, thawed

1/2 cup uncooked instant rice

1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained & rinsed

1 can kernel corn with red & green peppers, drained

1 can of whole black olives, drained & sliced

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup fat free sour cream

1 cup chunky-style medium salsa

2 cups shredded cheese, mexican-style

1 egg, beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare pie crust as directed in pie plate.
In a large bowl mix chicken, rice (uncooked), beans, corn, olives, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, sour cream, & salsa.
Pour into each crust-lined pie plate.
Top with second crust. 
Seal edges and attempt to make the edges fancy. (I didn't bother).
Cut slits in several places.
Brush top with beaten egg and top with parsley.
Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Then cover edges of crust with foil and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes. (this prevents the edges from burning too much).
Let stand for a few minutes, then serve. 

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Southwestern Pasta Salad

Perfect for those summer barbecues. Cut down on the pasta, skip on the cheese & oil, and replace with vegetables & beans to keep the calories/fat down.


My husband & I were going to a picnic on Sunday night and I needed to come up with a salad recipe. I wanted to do something besides macaroni salad or Amish pasta salad. I wanted to do something healthy & light so I looked up some ideas on All Recipes and pulled this together. Lots of leftovers to eat throughout the week!

Ingredients (serves 12+):

• 1 package of colored rotini pasta 
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 15 oz. cans of whole kernel corn
• 2 15 oz. cans of black beans, drained & rinsed
• 2 green bell peppers, diced
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 1/2 cup cilantro paste (goya)
• 4 roma tomatoes, chopped

Directions:

• Cook pasta according to box directions.
• Meanwhile, chop of peppers & tomatoes.  
• In a large bowl combine lime juice, chili powder, cumin, cilantro paste, salt, & garlic. Stir in pasta.
• Mix in veggies, corn, & beans. 
• Stir well, use hands if necessary.
• Chill in fridge until ready to serve.

 Serve in this awesome Mickey Mouse bowl if you have one :-) 

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Burrito Bar

I know that the super bowl was over a month ago, but we had a great night (my brother-in-law is a devoted Packers fan) and a delicious spread of food. My husband had the brilliant idea of doing a Qdoba-Style Burrito Bar (complete with queso sauce) for dinner. It makes life easier for me because I don't have to cook everything. Plus it keeps the cost down because everyone brings an ingredient that they would put in their burrito/taco and we share. Because there are so many options you can make your burrito as healthy or unhealthy as you want. The secret is to use tinfoil to wrap up your burrito and not make such a mess.


Here are some of the things we had:
chicken/steak/beef (cooked in taco seasoning)
grilled peppers
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
diced onions
green chiles
refried beans
black beans
pinto beans
rice
shredded cheese
guacamole
salsa
sour cream
queso sauce (!!!)


I have this awesome Football Taco Bowl that I used to use back in college and I was able to break it out after 7+ years of retirement (we had a lot of taco parties back in college) and my mother just bought me a triple chafing dish set that we used to keep the meat warm.

Be sure to bring plenty of dips & chips for side dishes. Don't forget the tortillas!

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Meatball Soup

Can you guess where I got this recipe from? Yup, you guessed it. Freezer Pleasers!


Ingredients:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
4 cups reduced-fat beef broth
1 can kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/4 cup uncooked pasta, any kindDirections:
Combine egg, bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan, garlic salt and pepper.
Mix in crumbled ground beef and mix well.
Shape into 1-inch balls. 
Brown meatballs in large saucepan. They do not have to be entirely cooked through at this point.
Add broth, beans, tomatoes, carrot, and italian seasoning.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat.
Cover & simmer for 10 minutes.
Add pasta. Simmer 10 minutes longer or until meat and pasta are cooked.
Serve or freeze.


To use frozen soup -- thaw in fridge that morning. Place soup in saucepan and heat through.


What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Green Bean Chicken Casserole

Another great recipe from my Freezer Pleasers book! You really just need to buy this book already. I get so many great recipes from this. This recipe makes two casseroles. One to eat now, one to freeze for later. So adjust if you want to just eat one now. 


I didn't grow up eating green bean casseroles. I think the first time I ate one was in college. At least that's what I remember. It seems like a staple dish for holiday gatherings, but I've never made it before until now. It was very easy to make. And even easier to freeze and heat up. I know those french-fried onions are so bad for you. But they just make the dish. Yum!

Ingredients:
1 6 oz. package of wild rice
4 cups of cooked and cubed chicken
2 cups frozen French-style green beans (I used canned green beans)
1 can reduced fat, condensed cream of chicken soup (I hate cream of mushroom)
1 can reduced fat, condensed cream of celery soup
2/3 cup chopped onions
2/3 cup chopped green pepper
1 envelope of onion soup mix
3/4 cup shredded Colby cheese
1 can of french-fried onions

Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions.
In a large bowl or pot combine the rice with chicken, beans, soups, onions, green pepper, and soup mix.
Transfer to two greased/sprayed 1.5 qt baking dishes.
Top with cheese.


To eat now...
Cover and bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover, sprinkle with french-fried onions and bake 5 minutes longer. Onions should be golden-brown.


To eat later...
Cover and freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready, completely that in fridge. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking.
Cover and bake at 350 for 60 to 65 minutes. 
Uncover, sprinkle with french-fried onions and bake 5 minutes longer. Onions should be golden-brown.


What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)