Kielbasa and White Bean Stew {Slow-cooker}

For lunch, I all too often end up eating some of the quick kid favorites I keep on hand for lunches at school and home.  I decided I needed some quick, healthier options for myself.  I was on the look out for some kind of soup that would freeze well.  I found this one on Pinterest.  It is easy to prepare.  You just toss it all in the slow-cooker with very little prep work.  Then I split it up into individual freezer containers.  It thaws well in the microwave and is quite filling.  This is a great lunch for a cold winter day.  This recipe is a keeper!

Notes:  I made this with turkey sausage, as suggested.  For dairy-free, omit Parmesan cheese.  For gluten-free, make sure your sausage and chicken broth are gluten-free.

Slow-cooker Kielbasa and White Bean Stew with Tomatoes and Spinach - Click to link to recipe.

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

I made this side dish with a Cuban pork roast we had a few weeks ago.  It was delicious and pretty easy.  I even froze some of it and it reheated really well later.  

Note on the recipe:  I didn't use a dutch oven.  I just cooked it in a large covered skillet.  Be sure to adjust your liquid to the amount suggested with your particular rice.  If your rice calls for less liquid, it will cook up mushy.  

Cuban Black Beans and Rice - Click to link to recipe.

Chicken Fiesta Salad

In our continual attempts to try to eat healthier, my husband and I are trying to eat more salads.  But for him to really be on board with that, I need to keep them somewhat interesting and tasty!  He loved this Fiesta Salad.  I know you all probably don't really need a recipe for salad, but I always find it helpful to see salad recipes to inspire me!  So, I thought I would share.

Chicken Fiesta Salad

Mixed greens

Chicken, shredded (I used rotisserie chicken.)

Easy Corn Black Bean Salsa

Carrot, shredded

Cheese, shredded 

Black olives, sliced

Ranch (We like Wishbone Ranch and Chipotle Ranch.  They are egg-free and gluten-free.)

In a large bowl, combined desired amount of each ingredient, omit some, add others, depending on your tastes.  I find that if you add a little dressing and mix it into the salad, then you can get away with using a lot less dressing.

Easy Corn Salsa

Salsa is a great way to add flavor without much added calories.  This is a super quick, easy corn salsa.  We had it on salad.  I think it would be great on tacos, nachos, grilled chicken or steak or just about anything you can think of!

 

Easy Corn Black Bean Salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained

Put all ingredients in a bowl and gently mix until evenly combined.  Serve immediately or refrigerate for later use.

Easter {Egg-free}

Easter is only a week away!  Because the date changes every year, it always sneaks up on me.  I am still trying to decide what we should have for Easter dinner.  I always serve ham for Easter, so that is decided.  I am thinking about maybe baked potatoes and green beans.  Some other things things that have been on menu in the past...

Resurrection Rolls (EF) - We make these with the kids Easter morning.

Lemon Cream Pie (EF,) - I made this for our Easter dinner last year.  It is one of my husband's favorites!

Easter Cupcakes (EF) - We made these fun cupcakes the past two years.  I think we may skip these this year and have only one dessert in an attempt to cut back our holiday indulgences.

Easy Banana Pudding (EF) - I think this creamy light pudding is a pretty color for Easter.  Plus, I really like it!  I may make this for our Easter dinner dessert this year.

Slow-cooker Ham and Beans (EF, DF, GF) - This is what I plan to do with my leftover ham.  Yummy!

Cowboy Caviar

I love recipes like this one because you can really make it into whatever you like.  You can add or take away ingredients that don't suit your tastes or adjust simply based on what you have available.  My sister makes this often for her family.  She sent me her recipe but I have misplaced it.  So, I looked up several similar recipes online for inspiration.

This is a great summertime dish to share with friends!  Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, you may also like Avocado Salsa (EF, DF, GF).

Cowboy Caviar 

Inspired by:  I Wash You Dry

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained and rinsed

2 roma or plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 small purple onion, diced

¼ c cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1 lime 

Garlic salt, to taste

2 avocados, diced

Drain and rinse black beans.  Set aside.  Drain corn.  Mix all ingredients, except avocados until well combined.  Gently fold in avocados.  Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

Ham and Beans {Slow-cooker}

Winter is almost over and Spring is upon us.  So, I thought I would post one more cozy winter recipe in our last few days of winter.  I make my recipe for Slow Cooker Pinto Beans (EF, DF, GF) often.  One of the times I was picking up dried pinto beans at the grocery store, I noticed a dried bag of bean medley.  This mixture of dried beans intrigued me.  I wanted to find something delicious to make with them that would expose my family to some legumes we don't regularly eat.  When my husband saw the bag laid out on my counter, he was skeptical.  But he really enjoyed the end result as did the kids, especially when it was served with Honey Wheat Cornbread (EF, DF).

We enjoyed this recipe so much.  I think I will use leftover Easter ham to make it again soon!

Ham and Beans {Slow Cooker}

6 c water for soaking

6 c water for cooking

4 cups ham, chopped

1 lb dried beans*

1 lg sweet onion

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 t sea salt

1 t black pepper

The night before, rinse beans and discard any obviously shriveled and/or discolored beans.  Put in slow cooker with 6 cups of water.  Put on lid and soak the beans overnight. 

In the morning, drain soaking beans and re-rinse.  Put beans back into the slow-cooker.  Peel onion leaving it whole and place in the beans.  Do not chop or slice the onion.  This allows you to remove it after cooking but still benefit from the flavor.  Add 6 cups of water for cooking, ham, minced garlic, salt and pepper.  Cook beans on high for 8 hours.  Serve with cornbread.  

*I used a bean medley and we loved it!  It had dried great northern beans, pinto beans, green split pea, small red bean, baby lima bean, light red kidney beans, small white beans, black eye peas, pink beans, lentils, yellow split peas, large lima beans, black beans, dark red kidney beans and garbanzo beans.

Gluten-free notes:  If you have a gluten allergy, double check your ham ingredients to make sure they do not contain gluten.

Main dish – serves 4-6

Taco Chili {Slow-cooker}

It doesn't get much easier than this recipe!  I love it because it works well on a day when I am running low on fresh produce.  I can pull the meat out of the freezer and almost all of the other ingredients out of the pantry.  It is also nice to put this on in the morning and have a nice hot meal at the end of a long cold day.  I thought I better share this before our cooler days come to an end, soon I hope!

The taco chili pictured below was actually made with one pound of lean ground beef and one pound of venison.  Our neighbor gave us several pounds of ground venison.  My kids didn't even notice anything different in the chili.  Chili has so much flavor, it is a great way to feed your family wild game without them even knowing the difference.

This recipe goes great with Cornbread (EF, DF) or Honey Wheat Cornbread (EF, DF).  If you like this recipe, you may also like Chicken Taco Chili {Slow-cooker} (EF, DF, GF).

Taco Chili

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 lg onion, chopped

2 (14oz) cans no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (10oz) can tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 (15oz) can chili beans, undrained

1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14oz) can corn, drained

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 pkg chili seasoning

Brown meat and onion together.  Drain.  Place in slow cooker and add all other ingredients.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.  Top with shredded cheese and serve with tortilla chips or cornbread.

Serves 8-10

Chicken Tamale Pie {Egg-free}

Today is the first day of Fall, my favorite season!  I really love it!!  I love the crispness in the air, the fun fall activities, getting to wear some cooler weather clothes and especially all of the delicious fall treats. . . apples, pumpkins, etc.

Today I am sharing a recipe that isn't necessarily related to fall, but does have some fall colors and has a nice warm cozy comfort food taste to it!  Here is my recipe for Chicken Tamale Pie.  It turned out pretty much how I envisioned it.  This recipe is a little spicy.  If your family doesn't like spicy foods, you can omit the cayenne pepper and use regular canned diced tomatoes in place of the diced tomatoes and green chilies.

If you like this recipe, you may also like Shredded Chicken Tacos (EF, DF, GF).
 

 Cut and topped with olives and green onion.

Fresh out of the oven.

Chicken Tamale Pie

2 split chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

½ t onion powder

½ t garlic powder

½ t freshly ground pepper

½ t salt

3 T chili powder

¼ t cayenne pepper

1 t ground cumin

1 c shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar cheese blend

Cornbread topping:

1 ½ c all-purpose flour

1 ½ c cornmeal

2 T sugar
1 T baking powder

½ t salt

1 ½ c milk

½ c vegetable oil 

Preheat oven to 425°.  In a large bowl, add chicken, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce and spices stirring until well combined.  Spray the bottom of a 9x10 baking dish with cooking spray.  Add chicken mixture spreading evenly.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese and set aside.

To make the cornbread topping, stir together all ingredients, except for baking powder, until mixed through.  Add baking powder last, mixing until incorporated.  Immediately, pour over chicken and cheese.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until edges brown and top is golden.  Serve warm.  Topping ideas include: sour cream, green onion, olives, fresh diced tomatoes, etc. 

Serves 8

Dairy-free notes:  I think a non-dairy milk could be substituted in the cornbread.  The cheese in between the chicken mixture and cornbread could also be omitted to make this dish dairy-free.  If anyone tries it, let me know how it turns out.