How to make yummy fideo…

Instead of Spanish rice cook fideo!

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons minced onion

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

7 ounces vermicelli pasta

4 cups chicken stock

2 cubes tomato-flavored bouillon

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce



Directions

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir the onion in the hot oil for 1 minute. Then add the minced garlic. Cook for another minute. Stir in the vermicelli and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Add the stock, bouillon cubes and half the can of tomato sauce. Add the cumin, Italian seasoning and chili powder. Stir to blend all ingredients.

Simmer until the vermicelli is tender, 10 to 11 minutes or until the fideo is tender and sauce has thickened.

French Toast Casserole

Yield: 12 Servings

Ingredients:
1 loaf or 10 ounces of french bread, cut into 1 inch cubes or you can tear off pieces
8 eggs
3 cups of milk
4 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon of sea salt

Directions:
Butter insided a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Place bread inside. Mix eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a mixing bowl. Then pour over bread. Cover & refrigerate overnight or for 8 hours.

Topping:

2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
3 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
maple syrup

Take out from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Dot with butter. Add sugar & cinnamon on top.

OR

Put cinnamon in mixture with milk, eggs, vanilla, sugar & salt. When french toast casserole is ready sprinkle powdered sugar on top & then add maple syrup. This is my favorite way.    :)

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Use a toothpick to check if center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes & enjoy!

Vegetarian Greek Sandwich Filling

A filling sandwich spread full of nutrients and a great source of protein. A great alternative to tuna (tuna contains the highest levels of mercury of all fish and food sources, see http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/08-10/mercury-in-fish-article.htm) which was once my favorite type of sandwich until I was aware of all the harmful effects, especially for pregnant women, infants, young children, those with neurological disorders, and those with autism.

Yield:  3 Servings

Sandwich Filling

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed


1 stalk celery, chopped

1 green onion stalk, chopped (may use onion of your choice, onion powder, or as much/little/none at all)

1 tablespoon mayonnaise (to taste or use salad dressing of your choice)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/5  teaspoon dried dill weed

salt and pepper to taste


Directions


1.Drain and rinse garbanzo beans. Pour garbanzo beans into a medium size mixing bowl and mash with a fork. Mix in celery, onion, mayonnaise (to taste), lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper to taste.

2. Use on whole grain bread, or your favorite pita bread or flatbread. Add plain nonfat Greek yogurt & spoon across bread. Add seasoned salt on top of it. Just a sprinkle on top of the yogurt. Then add the sandwich filling. Fold it & enjoy!

The Best Lentil & Smoked Sausage Soup!

About 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil or just enough to coat bottom of crock pot

1 cup of dry lentils



1 small onion, chopped (onions are on the “Clean 15” list, so does not have to be organic)

1.5 cup of shredded green cabbage, depending on preference (cabbage does not need to be organic as it is on the “Clean 15” list)

3 teaspoons of minced garlic

1 (14 ounce) smoked sausage, preferably without MSG, gluten or added nitrites

1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes, preferably organic, natural or dice up 3 or 4 fresh tomatoes depending on size.

2 cubes of vegetable bouillon (I like Rapunzel Vegan with Sea Salt & Herbs because ingredients are organic & non-hydrogenated)

5 cups of water or depending on your preference

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Throw everything in the crock pot on high for 6 hours & enjoy!

The Yummiest Chicken Chili I have had!

Ingredients


1 1/2 pounds of skinless boneless chicken meat cut into bite-size pieces

1 (15 ounce) can of kidney beans, drained (retain half the liquid)

1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, drained (retain half the liquid)

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 (6 ounce) can of  tomato paste

1 (14.5 ounce) can of stewed tomatoes

1/2 cup mango salsa (I used All Natural Frontera Gourmet Mexican Salsa Mango Key Lime with roasted tomato and habanero- medium)

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

ground black pepper to taste

 
Directions


Place all ingredients (the chicken meat, kidney beans with half their liquid, black beans with half their liquid, onion, green pepper, tomato paste, stewed tomatoes, mango salsa, rice vinegar, bay leaf, smoked paprika, salt, chili powder, and black pepper) into a slow cooker, and stir well to combine. Set the cooker to High, cover, and cook for 1 hour; stir the chili. Turn the cooker down to Low, and cook for 3 to 4 more hours.

Serving Size 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe 8
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Amount Per Serving:
Calories 253
Calories from Fat 50
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Total Fat 5.6g 9 %
Saturated Fat 1g 5 %
Cholesterol 36mg 12 %
Sodium 920mg 37 %
Potassium 657mg 18 %
Total Carbohydrates 33.5g 11 %
Dietary Fiber 9g 36 %
Protein 19.5g 39 %
Sugars 5.6g
Vitamin A 19 %
Vitamin C 40 %
Calcium 9 %
Iron 41 %
Thiamin 23 %
Niacin 64 %
Vitamin B6 23 %
Magnesium 18 %
Folate 23 %

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Top with green onions, cheese, add corn chips for those that like Frito pies or whatever you desire!

Basil Pesto Chicken Florentine

Ingredients


2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tsps minced garlic

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1.5-2 lbs of chicken) cut into strips

salt & pepper to taste

2 cups fresh spinach leaves (can find organic prewashed at Walmart)

4 McCormick Creamy Alfredo sauce mix (1.25 oz packages)

3 cups no fat milk

1 Bestlife buttery baking stick

1 stick of unsalted butter

2 tablespoons Basil pesto

1 (14.5 ounce) box of Barilla Plus Penne Pasta

1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese


Directions


1.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, saute for 1 minute; then add chicken (salt & pepper to taste) and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. When chicken is close to being cooked through (no longer pink inside), add spinach and saute all together for 3 to 4 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, prepare Alfredo sauce.  Put  milk in medium sauce pot. Add half a package of sauce mix at a time. Keep stirring until well mixed & all packages are in. Then add 1 stick of butter & 1 stick of Bestlife buttery baking stick. When finished, stir in 2 tablespoons pesto; set aside.

3.In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package. Rinse under cold water and drain.

4.Add chicken/spinach mixture to pasta, then stir in pesto/Alfredo sauce. Mix well, top with cheese and serve.

This dish is so yummy! Even my non-eating spinach boys enjoyed it very much!

Do you like a little bit of spicy? Creole? Comfort food? Even better... Make it in the slow cooker!

This is very yum! A little spicy, but not too much that someone cannot handle it. It cooks 6 hours in a slow cooker & freezes well.

Creole Black Beans and Sausage Served Over Steamed White Rice

Ingredients:

2 pounds smoked sausage, (2 packages) cut into 1 inch slices
3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves

Directions:

Place a large skillet over medium heat, and add sausage. Cook, stirring, until sausage is browned, about 5 minutes. Drain fat, and transfer sausage to slow cooker.

Stir the black beans, onion, celery, green pepper, chicken stock/broth, tomato sauce, garlic, thyme, white pepper, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves into the sausage in the slow cooker. Cover, and cook on Low until vegetables are tender, about 6 hours. Remove bay leaves before serving.

For perfect Steamed White Rice
Ingredients:

2 cups long-grain rice
3 cups water

Directions:

Put the rice in a 3 quart pot or saucepan with a tight fitting lid (don't put the lid on yet!) and pour in the water. Bring to a boil, and cook until the surface looks "cratery" (like the surface of hot lava or something).
Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about ten minutes, till the water is gone.
Let rice stand for a minute or two, then remove the lid, fluff the rice, and serve!

So yummy!

Do you like Mexican food? Then you have to try this recipe!

Chicken Flautas with Avocado Cream Sauce

Ingredients

For the Flautas:

Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 small red onion, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat finely shredded

1 cup salsa

1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves

1 cup shredded Cheddar/Monterey jack blend

1 lime, juiced

Salt

16 (5 to 6-inch) flour tortillas

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce, for serving

For the Avocado Cream:

1 very ripe avocado, halved, pitted and flesh removed (I used 2, 1 didn't seem enough)

1 (4-ounce) container sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt
Directions
Special equipment: toothpicks


Fill a large pot with enough oil to reach 2 inches up the side of the pan. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reads 375 degrees F. To make the flautas: In a pan over medium heat melt butter and saute onions and jalapenos until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and cayenne pepper and cook until fragrant, another 2 minutes. Add chicken and salsa; stir to combine. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, cheese and lime juice. Let cool slightly.


Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.


Working with 4 tortillas at a time, spread a heaping spoonful along the middle of each tortilla. Roll tortilla tightly around the filling and secure with a toothpick. Using tongs, hold each flauta in hot oil until firm, then release to continue cooking. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes, then remove to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately season with salt. Keep flautas warm in the oven on a sheet tray while assembling and cooking the remaining tortillas.


To make the Avocado Cream: In a serving bowl, mash avocado, sour cream and lime juice until smooth. Season with salt, to taste.


To serve, arrange flautas on a platter of shredded lettuce and serve with Avocado Cream on the side.