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.

Bolognese Sauce {Slow-cooker}

This is delicious!  It is perfect for a cool January day.  This recipe as a little more prep work than most of my other slow-cooker recipes.  So, I did all of the prep at night and let it cook all night.  The next morning, I put it in the fridge.  At dinner time, I cooked up some pasta and just reheated the sauce at dinner time.  So good!

Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce - Click to link to recipe.

Gluten-free notes:  Make sure the tomato paste you use is gluten-free.

Mexican Zucchini

Do you need a quick meal on a busy school night before you race off for your kids' activities?  Try this one!  It is pretty healthy, too.  I liked it as is, but I also served it over seasoned Spanish rice.

Mexican Zucchini and Beef - click to link to recipe.

Chili Con Queso

Football season is here!  I am not a huge football fan but I do enjoy a good football party.  Here is a great recipe to take to your next party or pot luck!  It is a crowd pleaser!  My husband recently took it to a work lunch!  We got it all ready, put it in the slow-cooker and he plugged it in at work.  So, I didn't get a good picture of it when the cheese had melted.  This picture is from my husband's cell phone so it is not the best quality.

I just noticed I had posted this recipe before with less meat and spice.  I think this version could easliy be used as a main course with chips.  The other one can be found here as a side dish Chili Con Queso (EF, GF).  Also, the version used as a side is gluten-free.  It just uses a gluten-free taco seasoning packet and not the chili packet.  It is very hard to find a chili seasoning packet without gluten.

Chili Con Queso

2 lb ground beef

1 taco seasoning packet

1 chili seasoning packet

2 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed

2 cans tomatoes with green chilies

Brown ground beef in a skillet until no longer pink and crumbly.  Drain.  Place cooked beef in the bottom of a slow-cooker.  Top with taco and chili seasoning, Velveeta and tomatoes.  Cook on high for about 4 hours, stirring every hour, or until cheese is all melted.  For best results, turn your slow-cooker to warm while serving.  Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Chef Salad

Another salad that is interesting and tasty enough for a manly man!  My husband loved this chef 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.

Chef Salad

2 c Mixed greens

½-1 c Cooked ham cubes*

¼ c Carrot, shredded

¼ c Cheese, shredded 

¼ c Black olives, sliced

½ c English cucumber, sliced and quartered

½ c Grape tomatoes, cut in half

1-2 T Ranch (We like Wishbone Ranch, which is 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.

The quantities I listed above are great for one large salad.  According to my calorie counting ap, it is only about 400-600 calories.  That is not bad at all for a filling, delicious lunch.

*The first time I made this salad, I used leftover ham that we had in the freezer from our Easter dinner.  I have also bought packaged cubed ham from the grocery store.  I like to sear my ham in a skillet to brown it up a little, which enhances the flavor and dries up any excess moisture on your ham pieces.  You don’t need to add oil or anything to the pan.  If you are on a gluten-free diet, make sure your ham is gluten-free.

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.

Meatball Subs

My mom gets me a subscription to Women's Day.  I rarely have time to read them so they are in a heaping stack by my bed.  One night I flipped through this one.  I thought this recipe sounded so good and like something maybe the kids would like.  It was really good!  We will for sure be making this one again.  I also love that the meatballs are made without egg or gluten!  Win!

We served our meatballs and sauce on toasted and broiled hoagie buns with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  Mmmmm.

Beef and Sausage Meatballs in Tomato Sauce - click to link to recipe

Dairy-free and gluten-free notes:  To make dairy-free, simply omit sprinkling with cheese and serve on a dairy-free bread.  To make gluten-free, make sure your tomato paste is gluten-free and serve on your favorite gluten-free bread or pasta.

Sloppy Joe Sliders

Do you need a quick kid-friendly meal during this busy holiday season?  Try this recipe for Sloppy Joe Sliders.  Our family really enjoyed these.  The recipe could be easily multiplied for a party!

Sloppy Joe Sliders

1 lb lean ground beef

1 T brown sugar

½ t garlic powder

½ t onion powder

¼ t ground mustard

½ T red wine vinegar

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

2 T ketchup

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook ground beef in skillet until beef is no longer pink.  Drain well.  Stir in all remaining ingredients and simmer about 10 minutes.  Serve on mini hamburger buns, rolls or your favorite gluten-free bread.  

Makes 8-12 sliders

Cajun Chicken & Sausage {Slow-cooker}

Do you want to come home to a nice warm dinner on a crisp cool day?  Try this recipe for Cajun Chicken and Sausage!  This recipe is a compilation of several recipes I found online, plus some my own adaptations based on our preferences with regards to Cajun and Creole cooking.  I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Cajun Chicken and Sausage {Slow-Cooker}

Inspired by: 

    Slow Cooker Chicken and Sausage by Southern Food Expert

    Slow Cooker Creole Chicken and Sausage by Pinch of Yum

    Chicken and Sausage Gumbo by myrecipes.com

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

12 ounces smoked Andouille sausage*, cut into small rounds

1 c chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1½ c low sodium chicken broth*

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes 

4 T tomato paste

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 t black pepper

½ t white pepper

¼ t cayenne pepper

1 t thyme

¼ t oregano

Salt, to taste

Green onions, chopped, for topping

File powder, to taste

Rice for serving

Place the all ingredients in the slow cooker, except for green onion, file powder and rice. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Cook rice according to package instructions.  While rice is cooking, shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker.  Taste to see if any additional salt is needed.  Mix in file powder to taste, if desired.  Serve in bowls topped with a scoop of rice and sprinkled with green onions.

*If you are on a gluten-free diet, make sure your broth and sausage are gluten free.  I just saw online that Johnsonville makes a gluten-free Andouille sausage.

Notes:  I used tomato sauce in place of the diced tomatoes because one of my kids doesn't like 'chunks'.  I also omitted the bell pepper because it isn't a favorite at my house.  But with these minor adjustments, it was gobbled right up by everyone!

Mexican Rice

Ahhh... This is good Mexican Rice.  This recipe came from the ever so talented Homesick Texan!  This woman knows how to cook delicious food!  Love her blog and cookbook that my brother gifted me for Christmas last year.  Like her, I have forever been searching for the perfect Mexican Rice recipe.  I have been making one for several years but it always seemed a little bland.  I tried this recipe recently and this is what Mexican Rice should taste like!  Yummy!!

Mexican Rice - please click to link to recipe.

Note:  The recipe says to use two cups of chicken broth to one cup of rice.  I would say to adjust the chicken broth to the liquid recommend on your rice package.  For example, my rice said to use 1¾ cups of water for 1 cup of rice.  So, for this recipe I used 1¾ cups of broth (which was exactly one can).  This will help ensure your rice is dry enough and not mushy.

Allergy notes:  If you have a gluten allergy, make sure the chicken broth and tomato paste you use are gluten free.  If you have a dairy allergy, use additional olive oil in place of the butter.

Roasted Vegetable Medley

Here is the Roasted Vegetable Medley as promised.  I also want to try them grilled as suggested by the recipe that I adapted this one from.  Check it out at the link below.

Roasted Vegetable Medley

Adapted from Easy Grilled Vegetables by Gimme Some Oven

1 zucchini, quartered and thickly sliced

1 yellow squash, quartered and thickly sliced

8 oz mushrooms, quartered

1 lb grape tomatoes, whole

1 yellow onion, cut in half then each half in quarters

2 T olive oil

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

black pepper and seasoned salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 425^o.

In a 11x14 baking dish, add vegetables and mix to evenly distribute.  Then drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle mixture with garlic, seasoned salt and pepper.   Stir again. Then roasted in oven, stirring every 10 minutes until cooked to desired texture.  

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.

Easy Pizza Sauce

Here is the sauce for the pizza I made!  Quick easy and somewhat less processed than the jarred varieties.  It is also much lower in sodium.

Easy Pizza Sauce

Inspired by the sauce published by Annie's Eats posting of a recipe by Cook's Illustrated.

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, no salt added

2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce, no salt added

½ t salt
1/8-1/4 t sugar
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt and sugar.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, about 25 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in oil and season with pepper to taste.

Note:  This recipe is enough for two pizzas.  I blended my diced tomatoes because one of my kids doesn’t like tomato chunks.  Quick and easy way to make the sauce even more kid-friendly!