overnight groats

I discovered this recipe a couple weeks ago after buying groats at winco. we liked it so much I just bought 9 more pounds of groats!

3/4 c. groats
1/4 c. wheat germ
1/2 c. whole almonds
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cardamom
4 cups water

Combine everything in a 2 qt. slow cooker. Cook on low 8 hours (or overnight). Mix in some berries of your choice (we like dried ones added a half hour before we eat cause then they're plump), a little brown sugar, milk, and enjoy!

Southwestern Chili with Corn

I found this recipe in a Real Simple cookbook and it lives up to the name. It's simple, fast and really tasty.  It was originally a beef chili, but I tweaked it to make it meatless.  I'll include the meaty directions so you can decide how you want to make it.

1 T olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
{1/2 pound ground beef, omit kidney beans}
2 T tomato paste*
2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed
1 T chili powder
3 cups vegetable or beef broth {or water}
kosher salt & black pepper
1/2 cup corn kernels

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over meduim-high heat.  Add the carrots, onion, and peppers and cook, stirring, for three minutes.  {Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.}  Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it is slightly darkened, 1 minute.  Stir in the beans, chili powder, broth {or water}, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir in the corn.  Serve, {topping with shredded cheese and diced scallions.}  We love this with Pancheri cornbread.


*I used to hate using only a few tablespoons of tomato paste, because I usually ended up throwing the leftovers away. It finally dawned on me that I could freeze the extra in silicone ice cube trays.  I do that until they're solid, then throw them in a freezer bag in the freezer.  It works perfectly to throw into soups later. I just wanted to pass along my a-ha! moment*

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Since I am soy-free, dairy-free these days, I am always on the lookout for new dinner recipes that are tasty, healthy, and don't make me feel deprived.  Enter this recipe, yet another from Brooke.  I'm in love.

1 fresh butternut squash

1 T Earth Balance

1 cup almond milk

1 tbsp flour

5 T nutritional yeast

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp kosher salt  

ground black pepper

8oz whole wheat elbows

green mix-ins (spinach, kale, collards, etc)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Cut butternut squash in half and peel.  Scoop out seeds with spoon.  Place cut side down in a 9x13 pan.  Add about 1/4-1/2 inch of water.   Bake for 45-60 min.  Once done, puree in food processor.*  

Meanwhile, prepare the cheese sauce in a pot on the stove top. Add Earth Balance over low-medium heat.   In a bowl, whisk together milk and flour until clumps are gone. Add into pot and whisk. Stir in nutritional yeast, Dijon, garlic, and salt & pepper and whisk over low heat until thickened, about 5-7 minutes.

Cook your pasta according to package directions.

In a blender, blend the sauce with 1 cup of roasted squash. {I added a little more than 1 cup, and it made it extra-saucy & creamy. Yum.}

Add cooked, drained, and rinsed macaroni into pot, along with cheese sauce & mix-ins. Heat through and serve.

*A 3.5 pound squash makes about 5 cups cooked squash – I froze my leftovers in silicone ice cube trays and will either thaw to use as baby food or throw them in green smoothies.*

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.

testing, testing

Does anyone still read this thing? I have several new recipes that I love and will add if anyone is interested.  Otherwise, I'll just keep them to myself ...

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

2 pound ground beef

2 tsp salt

1 small onion finely chopped

1 cup soft bread crumbs (dry work fine, too)

1/2 cup milk

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into balls (appx 1.5 inches). Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until centers are no longer pink. These freeze really well. If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll make up a couple hundred and put them in Ziploc bags ready for a quick dinner or appetizer.

We combine the following to make a "sweet/sour" sauce:

2 cups ketchup

1 cup grape jelly or marion berry jam

Basic Pizza Crust

1 Tbsp yeast

1 cup hot water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

2 1/2 - 3 cups flour

Dissolve yeast with water, sugar and salt. Add remaining ingredients and mix together. I usually let the dough rise for about 20 minutes for a lighter crust. This dough can also be rolled out immediately, if you are in a hurry. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes.

Chicken Lime Tacos

This recipe comes courtesy of my sister-in-law Christy!

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast

1 Tbsp chili powder

3 Tbsp lime juice

1 can corn

1 can black beans

1-1/2 cups chunky salsa (I use my own canned salsa)

Taco Seasoning, to taste.

Place chicken in crockpot, mix together lime juice and chili powder and pour over chicken. Cook chicken for 5-6 hours on low. Remove chicken, shred and return to crockpot with the juices. Add corn, beans and salsa and enough taco seasoning to give it a bit more kick. Add more salsa if mixture appears a little dry. Stir and cook for 30 minutes on low or until heated through.

I serve this mixture with tacos, nachos, salads and quesadillas.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

1 c. butter
3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
nuts chopped

Mix thoroughly, roll into balls. Makes about 72. Put all on 1 cookie sheet. Bake at 250 for 1 hour. Shake in bag of powdered sugar.

kale & tomato rice

here's one of our faves. got the idea from a dish made with kale and tomatoes and just kept adding ingredients to make it tastier and here's what I got.


1 1/2 cups cooked white rice (I make mine with vegetable stock instead of water)
2 garlic clove, minced
1/2 yellow onion diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup raisins
2 cups finely chopped & rinsed kale (about half a bunch)

In a heavy skillet saute the garlic & onions in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until golden. Add the tomatoes and raisins. Stir occasionally for 3 to 5 minutes until tomatoes are heated through and raisins start to plump. Add the kale and cook until wilted about one minute. Remove from heat and stir in the rice. Salt to taste.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Mandy and I made this when she visited last month and I made it again last night. So tasty and easy. It's not really a recipe, but more a list of ingredients. Sorry, there are no real quantities.

1 recipe pizza dough (I used 1 1/2 cups wheat flour and 1 cup white flour instead of the 3 cups of flour)
BBQ sauce
rotisserie chicken, shredded and then coated with BBQ sauce (its a great way to use leftover chicken or you can cook your own chicken in BBQ sauce)
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
red onion, thinly sliced (about 1/3 to 1/2 depending on taste)
pineapple
black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
pepperoni (optional)
shredded mozzarella (about 2 cups)
shredded cheddar (about 1/2 cup)

Heat oven to 400.
Assembly: Roll crust, or press into 10x15" jelly roll pan. **If you don't have a pizza stone, I recommend prebaking the crust for about half the cooking time. This will prevent your crust from getting soggy and will give you a nice crisp on the outside, soft on the inside texture.**
Pre-bake just the crust for about 10 minutes. While the crust is cooking, assemble all your pizza toppings. Remove crust from oven. Spread about 1/4 cup BBQ sauce on crust (its really personal preference) Top with whatever toppings you are using. I added black beans to make a vegetarian version for my roommate (so technically it is a BBQ black bean pizza). Top everything with mozzarella and then just a bit of cheddar cheese. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and hot (I'll also put under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to brown the cheese slightly) Slice and enjoy!

**I made my pizza crust in the morning and covered and placed in the refrigerator (the recipe says it doesn't need to rise, but I always think letting a yeast dough rise once makes it softer) When you get home from work or about 1 hour before you want to start assembling your pizza, remove the dough to the counter to come up to room temperature.

Beach Street Lemon Chicken Linguine

Michelle is at it again--making another amazing meal. We had this last night at Sunday dinner and it was fabulous! My vegetarian roommate even said just the noodles with the lemony sauce were delish (no, she didn't eat the chicken!)

1 lb linguine
1/2 c olive oil
zest from one lemon
juice from one lemon
1/2 c chopped green onion
1/4 c parsley
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 T Cajun seasoning
1 T lemon juice
2 T minced parsley
1 T brown sugar
1 T soy sauce
3 chicken breasts sliced ( or 16 large shrimp)

Combine marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag, add chicken. refrigerate for 1-12 hours. Cook marinated chicken in skillet with all juices, until chicken is done.

Cook linguine in salted water, drain and rinse. Combine first 5 ingredients in bowl and add pasta and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss in Parmesan cheese. Serve chicken with juices over linguine. Delicious!

30-Minute Green Chicken Enchiladas

I got this recipe from a recent issue of Cook's Country magazine and added the half-and-half to suit my husband's tastes.  (He's become more and more anti-spicy over the years, even mild spicy, but I love him in spite of his deficiencies.)  This is quickly becoming one of our weeknight go-to meals because it's so quick and tasty.

2 (10-ounce) cans green enchilada sauce

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about three cups) OR 2 (12.5-ounce) cans cooked chicken breast, drained and broken into pieces

2 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend OR shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

½ cup half-and-half, whipping cream, or whole milk, optional

Preheat oven to 400*F.

Puree enchilada sauce and 1 cup cilantro in a blender.  Combine 1 cup enchilada sauce mixture, chicken, and 1 ½ cups cheese in a large bowl and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.

Wrap tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and microwave until hot and very pliable, 30 to 90 seconds.  Top each tortilla with approx. ¼ cup chicken mixture, roll tightly, and place seam-side down in a greased 9”x13” baking dish.  Spray tops of enchiladas lightly with cooking spray.

If desired, mix half-and-half, whipping cream, or whole milk with remaining enchilada sauce. Pour 1 to 1 ½ cups sauce mixture over top of enchiladas, then top with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake until cheese is melted and enchiladas are heated through, 15 to 20 minutes.  If desired, sprinkle with additional chopped cilantro and pass remaining enchilada sauce at table.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

This cake is very rich and delicious! I frost with either butter cream or chocolate cream cheese frosting (which makes it even more decadent!)

1 cup baking cocoa
1 cup boiling water
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 cup sour cream

Dissolve cocoa in water; let stand until cool. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (start and end with the dry ingredients) Beat until incorporated after each addition. Add cocoa mixture; beat well.

Pour into 3 greased and floured 9-in round cake pans. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans and allow to cool completely before frosting.

**For my nieces birthday cake, I stirred in 1 pkg of Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips before pouring it into the pans for baking. I then frosted it with chocolate cream cheese frosting and garnished it with more chocolate chips.

Peruvian Breakfast Tacos

Really, this is just breakfast burritos with Edam cheese, the only melting cheese here and it is wonderful cheese anyway, and cilantro, and aji, the Peruvian equivalent of jalapenos but even more flavorful and a lovely orange color even though they are called aji verde! Tomatoes, green onions and cilantro round it out! So yummy and such a pretty plate of condiments!

Fish Tacos with Honey-Cumin Slaw and Chiptole Sauce

1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into chunks
1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups panko crumbs
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

2 cups 3 color coleslaw blend
1 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 (7 inch) (8 inch) flour tortillas

1. Place the tilapia chunks in a flat dish and pour 1/2 cup lime juice over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
2. Meanwhile, make the honey-cumin sauce by whisking together 1/3 cup lime juice, honey, vegetable oil, and ground cumin a small bowl. Set aside until needed.
3. To make the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, place the mayonnaise, chilies, adobo sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper together in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.
4. To bread the fish, place the flour, eggs, and panko crumbs in three separate shallow dishes. Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Dip the fish pieces first in the four, coating evenly, and shaking off any excess. Dip next in the eggs, and last in the panko crumbs, patting the pieces to help the breadcrumbs hold. Set the fish aside on a plate.
5. To cook the breaded fish, pour 1 cup vegetable oil into a skillet to 1/4 inch deep. Heat the oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C) over medium heat. Cook the fish, turning until all sides are golden brown, and flesh is easily flaked with a fork. Drain on paper towels. Brush the fish with the honey-cumin sauce.
6. Mix the coleslaw and cilantro together in a bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, and pour the remaining dressing over the coleslaw mixture. Toss to coat evenly with the dressing.
7. Place the tortillas on a flat surface, and spread each with 1 tablespoon reserved chipotle mayonnaise dressing. Divide the fish between the tortillas. Top with the cilantro coleslaw.

Oatmeal Berry Muffins

I got this recipe somewhere, but I have no idea what blog I pulled it from. All I know is this was adapted from Joy the Baker and that Matt and his coworkers polished off a double batch in record time.

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 T canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 cup frozen berries {I used raspberries, blackberries & blueberries}

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with Pam. {If you want to freeze these, use Pam instead of liners.}

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil, egg and extracts. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in berries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 16-18 minutes. Cool on a rack.

{These freeze very well. I just let them cool on the rack, then put a dozen into a gallon freezer bag and froze laying flat. I just took a couple out of the freezer and put them in a ziploc the night before and put it with Matt's lunch in the fridge and they were thawed and ready to eat by breakfast time.}

Homemade Breakfast Sausage

I don't think I'll ever bother to buy pre-made breakfast sausage again.

2 lbs ground pork*
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; mix well.  Shape into 2 1/2" patties, about 1/2" thick.  Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Cook half of patties until well browned and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side.  Transfer to paper towels to drain.  Wipe out skillet and repeat with remaining butter and patties.  Yield: 16 patties.

*You can usually find ground pork next to the ground beef.  Do NOT use lean or extra lean ground pork--it won't have enough fat in it to cook up properly.  You can also check the butcher's counter in your grocery store for ground pork breakfast sausage, which usually has just sage added; reduce the sage in the recipe to compensate.

Crockpot Pulled Pork

1 pork tenderloin (1 lb)
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cut the tenderloin in half; place in crockpot.  Whisk remaining ingredients together and pour over tenderloin.  Cook on low for 4-5 hours, until pork is cooked through and tender.

Remove pork from crockpot and use two forks to shred.  Stir sauce in crockpot, then add pork back to pot.  Toss well and allow to heat through.

Serve on hamburger buns or split kaiser rolls.

Shinsel spaghetti

I know, I should have posted this a long time ago. I just always fudge the amounts, so it's hard to say how much of everything I actually put in! Here's a good guess anyway!

1-1.5 lbs. ground beef (or sausage)
2 cans Stewed Tomatos (15 oz cans)--can use italian style or regular, but DO NOT DRAIN
2 cans tomato sauce (8oz cans--or 1 15 oz can)
1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp. salt OR 1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp oregeno
2-3 bay leaves
2 beef bullion cubes
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 lb. grated cheese (or to taste)
8 oz package of spaghetti noodles (regular--thin doesn't turn out so well)

Start water to boil in large pot. In a large skillet brown hamburger. Drain excess fat and add tomatos, sauce, sugar , herbs, etc. (Can also add other add in's as desired--tomatos, peppers, etc.) Simmer sauce while your noodles are cooking. Drain noodles. Return to pot. Pour sauce into pot with noodles. Add cheese. Stir. Enjoy!