Un-refried beans

I don't remember where I printed this recipe from, but man alive, are they good.  They're so simple and cheap and I had a hard time not eating the whole batch with a spoon right out of the crock pot. These are great on tostadas, in bean burritos, as a side dish, or any other way you can imagine them. 

1 lb. dry pinto beans, picked through and rinsed

1 medium onion, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

1 T garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

10-15 cranks cracked black pepper

1-2 tsp salt

6 cups water

Place onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder and pepper into crockpot.  Add the sorted and rinsed beans and the water.  Stir everything well to distribute seasoning.  Cook on high for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  After cooking, remove as much water as possible, saving it in a bowl.  Mash the beans {I used my potato masher}, adding in just enough reserved water to get the consistency you want.  Season the mashed beans with salt.  I would start with 1 tsp, taste, and add more if needed.

This recipe ends up making about six cups of refried beans, so I took the leftovers and divided them into two-cup batches in ziploc freezer bags. Cool completely in refrigerator, then transfer to freezer.  To use the frozen beans, you can just put them in the fridge in the morning and they'll be thawed by dinner.  Or, if you're like me and can't seem to plan that far in advance, you can always put the whole ziploc bag into a bowl of warm water and they thaw in no time.

Cranberry Sauce

Image and recipe from Simply Recipes 

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

12 oz package of fresh cranberries

1 T minced fresh ginger, optional

Wash and pick over cranberries.  In medium sauce pan, bring water and sugar to boil.  Sitr to dissolve sugar.  Add cranberries and ginger, return to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.  Cool completely and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Mexican Rice

I love the rice you get at Mexican restaurant and finally found a make-at-home recipe that rivals them. It was really easy and turned out perfectly, even though I'm afraid of making rice on the stove and usually use my trusty rice cooker. 

Mexican Rice

3 T vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked rice (not instant)
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.  Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Cool Cucumber Salad

Easy, easy, easy!

3 cukes, sliced in thin rounds
1 cup vinegar
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt

Heat all ingredients, except cukes, until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over sliced cukes and refrigerate.

Blitz bread

I found this recipe here and they got it from another blog. I made it tonight and really liked it. It's actually a lot like garlic pull aparts, but I had much better luck with it. Also a plus for me? No dairy. It's harder than you might think to find recipes without milk of some incarnation. Anyway, this bread was ridiculously easy to make and really tasty.

1 1/2 cups warm water
3 T. olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1 T. yeast
3 tsp. italian seasoning

Lightly grease a 9x13 pan and drizzle 1 to 2 T. olive oil in the bottom. Combine all of the ingredients together and beat at high speed for 60 seconds. {I used my Bosch and I actually put the yeast into the warm water with a bit of sugar to let the yeast get going before adding it to everything else.} {The original recipe also says you can add 1 cup crumbled feta cheese to the batter here, but I didn't try that.} Scoop the very sticky batter into the 9x13 pan, cover and let rise for an hour. Preheat the oven to 375*. Poke the dough all over with your index finger and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle more italian seasoning over the top. Bake the bread 35-40 minutes and enjoy!

Easy Breadsticks

I got this recipe from this site and tried them last night. They were easy and really tasty. Just start them an hour before you want to eat and they'll be hot and ready with the rest of your meal!

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 T. butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and let bubble for a few minutes. Add the salt and flour and knead for 3 minutes {I used my Bosch}. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Melt butter and pour most of it onto a cookie sheet and spread around evenly. Roll out dough. Cut to desired width {I used a pizza cutter} then twist and lay on cookie sheet. {You could also just lay them on flat.} Brush breadsticks with leftover melted butter then sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan. Let raise for 10-20 minutes. Cook in 375* oven for 18-20 minutes. {Mine only needed 18.} Enjoy!

Cumin Grilled Chicken Breasts

Cooking spray
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (5 to 6 ounces each) pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Spray a grill or grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium-high heat. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil. Combine cumin, salt and pepper and rub spice mixture evenly onto chicken breasts. Grill until grill marks have formed and chicken is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side.

Remove from heat, let rest for 5 minutes, then slice into 1/2-inch thick slices. Serve over coleslaw, if desired.

In picture: Creamed Spinach with Caramelized Onions, Garlic and Fennel from Picky Palate - AMAZING!

an Ellie Krieger recipe from Food Network

Roasted Broccolini & Beans

2 bundles broccolini, trim off ends
1 pound string beans, trimmed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Arrange broccolini and beans on a cookie sheet. Coat the vegetables in oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 15 to 18 minutes, until nutty and crispy at edges.

Rachael Ray, 2007
Show: 30 Minute Meals
Episode: Holiday Cheer
Yield: 6 servings

Basic Roll Recipe

3/4 c. warm water
2 T. yeast (2 pkgs)
1/2 tsp sugar

Stir until dissolved and let rise in small bowl

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
1 c. water

Mix in large bowl

3 eggs

Beat and add to above mixture. Add yeast mixture to large bowl.

2 tsp salt
7 cups flour

Mix all together for 7 minutes in bread mixer at high speed. Let rise 1 hour; punch down. Cover and refrigerate overnight. {Does not have to be refrigerated but is best that way.}

Divide dough into 2 equal parts. Roll out each part into a circle. Use a pizza cutter to cut into 16 equal pieces. Roll up from larger end to shorter end. Place in pan seam side down. Let rise 3 hours, until double in size. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Brush with butter.

{I also like to only raise/cook half the batch and put the other half straight into the freezer on the baking sheet for 4 hours. When frozen, take rolls and put into ziploc bag in the freezer. Voila! Homemade Rhodes rolls}

Roasted Baby Carrots

These are too yummy and just perfect for fall.

Note: "Baby Carrots" do not mean the little carrot nubs that I give to my kids for a snack. These are the baby carrots that are 5-6 inches long and most of the time still have the greens attached. I picked mine up at the farmer's market!

1 1/2 lbs of 5 inch long baby carrots, carefully washed,
greens cropped to 1 inch above top of carrot
1 red onion, peeled, cut into 8 wedges
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary, or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Gently toss together the carrots, red onion, rosemary to coat with the olive oil. Lay out on a rimmed baking pan. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

2 Roast for 30 to 40 minutes on middle rack or bottom rack, until well browned.

Serves 4.

Green Rice

Lots of Veggies and Really Yummy!

1/4 cup oil
1 tsp salt
2 cups uncooked rice
2/3 cups chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped green onions (about one bunch)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 cups chicken broth
1/8 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Combine all ingredients in 2 quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Fluff with a fork prior to serving!

Cottage Fried Potatoes

This is a side I make quite often it is a great alternative to mashed potatoes all the time!
And super easy and quick to make. If you like onions you'll like this!

3 TB marge or butter
3 medium potatoes thinly sliced ( the thinner the faster it cooks)\
1 small onion sliced and seperated into rings
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup parmeasean cheese
1/8 tsp pepper

Melt butter in skillet, layer potatoes into skillet sprinkle with garlic p0wder, alt and pepper cook covered till potatoes are tender and browned. about 8 minutes. Flip over potatoes, brown the other side, add onion rings and cover for another 5 minutes. Uncover and add paremesan cheese. Cook til potatoes and onions are tender and browned.

Ranch Bacon Potatoes

Mandy- Here's another side dish! Its really yummy! Don't feel bad, I rarely make side dishes to go with my entree. I feel like superwoman if I manage to do both!

8 red potatoes sliced or cut into chunks
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 onion chopped
1 c grated cheddar cheese ( or more, lots of cheese is always better!)
2 Tb sour cream
2 Tb ranch dressing
3/4 cup mayo
salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until tender. Fry bacon and break into pieces. In dish combine sour cream, mayo, ranch, onion and cheese. Stir in potatoes and bacon pieces. Top with more grated cheese. Cook in oven at 350 for 15- 20 minutes, to heat through.

Company Carrots

Well Mandy- better late than never! Here is a side dish recipie for you, you have probably had it before at Thanksgiving or somthing! I know your sister love it.

2 1/2 lb baby carrots
1/4 liquid from carrots
1/2 c mayo
1 TB horseradish
1 Tb minced parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c cracker crumbs
3 TB marge melted

Cook carrots, save liquid. In a bowl combine liquid, mayo. horseradish, parsley, salt and pepper,
add carrots and coat well. Mix marge with cracker crumbs and spread over the top of carrots. Cook at 375 until crumbs brown and it is heated through. about 15 minutes.

Oven-Roasted Spicy Potatoes

A classic Rachael Ray, good and easy!
Yields: 6 servings

5 pounds red potatoes
A palmful garlic powder
A palmful of onion powder
A palmful of dried parsley
A palmful of dried rosemary
A palmful of dried thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), to coat the potatoes
Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Cut potatoes in one inch cubes and place them on a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Add all of the spices to a small bowl and mix to create a seasoning mixture (keep the leftovers in a well-sealed container for a later use).

Coat the potatoes with EVOO then sprinkle with the spice mixture. Toss the potatoes so the EVOO and spices are distributed evenly. Roast for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Veggie Sides

**** I found this in the drafts and decided to just publish it for Megan, who is in Europe for the next month ****

This is sort of a side dish... One of my favorite ways to eat squash in the summer is just by cutting it in lengthwise strips, tossing on some Lowry's seasoned salt, and throwing it on the George Foreman grill. Tasty! Also, grilling asparagus that's been buttered, salted, and peppered is yummy too!

Now for the best that Mandy may have mentioned in a previous post:

3 c. frozen california veggie mix
3/4 c. cottage cheese
1/4 c. medium cheddar cheese
Parmesan cheese to taste

Basically, defrost the veggies in the microwave, then add the cheeses in the order listed. Microwave on high for three minutes and voila! You have yummy cheesy goodness. It sounds weird with the cottage cheese, I know. But trust me, it's not weird.

Sweet Potato Mashed

I got this recipe from my Runner's World magazine. Who know a running magazine could have such delicious recipes. This is fantastic!

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into one-inch pieces
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (or 1 tsp dried ginger)
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
salt and pepper

Place sweet potatoes in a large sauce pot and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a gentle boil over high heat and cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until tender. Combine milk, ginger and nutmeg in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat. Drain the potatoes, return to the pan, add the milk mixture and beat with a potato masher or handheld mixer until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 5 servings (or two for really hungry athletes if this is your "main course")
Calories: 200 Fat: less than 1g Protein: 2g Carbs: 45g

Southwest Corn

Mandy, here's another side dish that is pretty tasty!

3 1/3 cups fresh or frozen corn -- thawed
1 medium green pepper
1 Tbsp finely chopped onion (I use a red onion because I like the extra color)
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 - 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin (depending on you individual tastes)

Saute corn, green pepper and onion in butter in a large skillet until tender. Stir in cilantro and cumin; saute 1-2 minutes longer or until heated through.

Tomato-Basil Vinaigrette Salad

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 to 6 cups mixed lettuce greens

In a blender, combine tomatoes, basil, garlic powder, vinegar, and oil. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve over greens.

Mixed Greens w/ Tomato-Ginger Dressing

Show: Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller
Episode: To Your Health

1 large plum tomato, seeds squeezed out, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 cups washed mixed greens (any combination of romaine, red leaf, Bibb, Boston lettuce, mustard greens, spinach)

In a blender, combine tomato, sun-dried tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and vinegar. Process until finely chopped. Add water, salt, and pepper and puree until smooth.

Divide greens evenly among 4 salad plates and spoon dressing over top.