"No Veggie" Burritos

I recently visited my friend Amanda Templeton for a few days. She made this dish for lunch while we were there and it was soooo good and yet soooo easy! Lately Matias has been refusing to eat green vegetables! I know, he is only 11 months and it has already started! Anyway, this recipe has a "hidden" green veggie that you can't even taste! Amanda's daughter, Abby, swore that she saw some vegetables in the burrito and therefore refused to eat it. Amanda tried to convince her it was just the salsa, but she was not having it! So in honor of Abby, I am naming this the "No Veggie" Burrito! This is a great recipe for those of you who are trying to get your kids to eat some green veggies! Matias loves this burrito! Thanks for the recipe, Amanda!

“No Veggie” Burrito

¼ cup minced onion

1 small zucchini, diced

¼ cup red pepper, minced

¼ cup yellow pepper, minced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well

½- ¾ cup salsa

Extras:

Tortillas

Sour Cream

Shredded Cheese

Sauté onions, zucchini, red and yellow pepper in olive oil over medium heat until tender. Add black beans and salsa, cook until desired texture. Serve on a tortilla with sour cream and shredded cheese. Enjoy!

Messy, but yummy!

What? There are green veggies in here! No way!

 

Pot Roast Meat Loaf

I love this dish because it is a fix it and forget it meal. I usually make a salad to go along with it, but other than that, the rest of your meal is in one LARGE pan, which means fewer dishes to wash! Those of you who know me well know that I HATE...no DESPISE, washing dishes! I have always told Peter I want to hire someone to come in and clean up the kitchen after I finish cooking a meal. How much do you think that would cost me?... Ok, sorry about my dish washing rant. Anyway, I love this recipe. Let me give you a couple of tips to make it a little easier:

1.Take your ground beef out of the fridge about an hour before you start mixing your meat loaf. Otherwise your hands will be freezing while you are mixing the meat. I learned this the hard way. My fingers were so cold they were hurting!

2. Buy a 10.5 x 14.75 glass baking dish! Otherwise you will not be able to fit all of the potatoes, onions and carrots you will want to eat around the meat loaf. 

Pot Roast Meat Loaf

1.5 lbs. ground beef

1/3 cup bread crumbs or 6 saltine crackers

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup milk

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tsp. worchestire sauce

4-6 medium potatoes

2 medium onions

small bag of baby carrots

Sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1-2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Using your hands, mix ground beef, bread crumbs, salt, milk, pepper, ketchup and worchestire sauce. With wet hands, shape into a loaf in the center of a 10.5 x 14.75 glass pan. (You can use a 9 x 13 but you will not be able to fit as many potatoes, onions and carrots around the meat loaf. So I recommend using a larger pan.) Slice 2 medium onions, set aside. Peel and slice 4-6 medium potatoes. Place slices of potatoes, onions and carrots around the meat, starting with potatoes first. Sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper. Pour about 1/2 cup (1/4 cup if using 9 x 13) of water over the potatoes, onions and carrots. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Remove meatloaf from oven and uncover. Mix 1/2 cup ketchup and 1-2 Tablespoons of brown sugar. (I kind of eyeball this, so if you think you need more sauce or would like it to be sweeter just adjust it to your taste.) Spread over meatloaf and bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage

I love corned beef! I also love cabbage! Therefore, this dish is one of my absolute favorites! Some of you may have never heard of corned beef, let alone actually eaten it. But don't turn your nose up too soon, just give it a try! With Saint Patrick's Day approaching, this dish should be a great representation of Irish cuisine! I hope you broaden your palate and give this dish a try!

Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage

1 (4 lb) Corned Beef Brisket with Spice Packet

1 large onion, sliced

8 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 bay leaves

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1 (14 oz) can beef broth

2 Tbsp dark brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp prepared mustard

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 small cabbage, cut into 8 wedges

Trim fat from brisket. Place onion and carrot in a 6-quart slow cooker; place brisket on top of vegetables. Sprinkle bay leaves and garlic slices over brisket. Combine spice packet from brisket, beef broth, brown sugar, mustard and caraway seeds; pour over brisket. Cover and cook on HIGH 1 hour. Reduce heat to LOW and cook 8 hours. Add cabbage and cook on LOW an additional 1 1/2 hours or until cabbage is tender. Remove and discard bay leaves. Cut brisket across grain into slices; serve with cabbage, carrots and onions. Makes 6-8 servings.

White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Have you ever just had a day when you really just wanted to bake something? You wanted something sweet and delicious, but you had minimal ingredients and did not want to go to the grocery store. Well I was having one of those days when I found this recipe! This recipe is supper easy and has very few ingredients. It is a great quick dessert. It doesn't even require a mixer! Just stir it all together by hand! I hope this recipes comforts your sweet tooth!

White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

1 box White Cake mix

1/3 cup butter or margarine,  melted

1 Tbsp water

2 eggs

1 ½ cups dried cranberries

1 cup white chocolate baking chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 9x13 pan with shortening and lightly flour. In a large bowl mix cake mix, butter, water and eggs with spoon until dough forms. Stir in cranberries and baking chips. Spread evenly in pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Enjoy!

Penne With Pumpkin Sauce

I know I said that we do not eat pasta often, but lately I have found some pasta recipes we actually really enjoy! So I might be posting a few more pasta dinners over the next few months. At first glance this recipe did not sound like something I would normally make, but I thought I would give it a try. It turned out to be amazing! It is also a very affordable dinner. Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and pasta kind of sound weird together, but I promise you it will be a huge hit! I hope you step out of your comfort zone and give it a try!

Penne with Pumpkin Sauce

 

Penne With Pumpkin Sauce

2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

1 onion, chopped fine

1 red bell pepper, chopped fine

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup canned solid-packed pumpkin

1 cup chicken broth

½ cup water

2 Tbsp heavy cream

dash of Ground Nutmeg

¼ tsp Ground Ginger

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Salt & Pepper to taste

½ pound penne pasta

3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Over moderate heat, melt butter in a large deep skillet. Add onion, pepper and garlic, stirring until softened. Stir in pumpkin, broth, water, cream, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, cook the penne in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Add penne to the sauce, cook the mixture over moderate heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring and thinning the sauce as desired with the reserved cooking water. Stir in parsley. Remove from heat. Divide between 2 plates and top with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Comments

I would love to know if you have tried any of my recommended dishes! If so, please make a comment and let me know! I would love to know if you liked the recipe and if you made any changes to the recipe! Thanks for reading!

White Chicken Chili with Pine Nuts

I know, I know, I'm posting another soup. Being that it is winter and we were just blessed with our biggest snow of the season so far, I just couldn't resist! I love eating a warm bowl of soup on a cold snowy day. This recipe is very easy and very tasty! For those of you who are making baby food, throw in an extra chicken breast. Blend the chicken breast with some of the onions and add some curry powder. Matias loves it! The toasted pine nuts add a nice touch to this dish, so don't leave them out! I hope this dish warms you up on a cold wintry day!

 

White Chicken Chili With Pine Nuts

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 large onion, chopped

1 teaspoon white pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cans cream of chicken soup

3 cans great Northern beans, drained

2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 can chopped tomatoes and green chilies, drained

Toasted pine nuts (optional)

Sour Cream (optional)

Shredded Cheese (optional)

Salsa (optional)

Place chicken and onions in a large pot with water to cover. Add salt and pepper. Boil until chicken is cooked and tender. Remove chicken, leaving onions in pot. Allow chicken to cool and cut into ½ inch pieces. Drain broth, reserving onions, into a separate container and reserve both (broth and onions). Return chicken to pot with onions; add soup, beans, and next 6 ingredients, stir to blend. Cook over medium heat until heated through. Add reserved chicken broth until you reach the desired consistency. Reduce heat to low at least 30 minutes or in a crock-pot for several hours.  Top with toasted pine nuts, sour cream, cheese and salsa! Enjoy!