Southwest Stuffed Peppers

This week, I was really feeling the need for some avocado in my life, so I decided my excuse would be these peppers!  (Really, I should just buy an extra avocado and eat it.  Yum!)  I also feel like red, yellow, or orange peppers would be better than green in this recipe, but green were on sale, so alas, I used green.
These also could be easily vegetarian, use soy crumbles instead of ground beef.  If you don't want to use ground beef, add rice or just more veggies!
The amount of filling is enough for probably 8 peppers, but it's good left over as is.

Southwest Stuffed Pepper

Yum!  Look at the avocado!

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
4 red bell peppers
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 (10 oz.) can tomatoes and green chiles (drained)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 avocado, sliced (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350.
Cut the tops off the peppers, remove the seeds and ribs.  Place in a lightly greased baking dish.
In a large saute pan, over medium heat, saute to the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.
Add ground beef, cook until no longer pink.  Stir in taco seasoning.
Add tomatoes, corn, and beans.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
Fill peppers with mixture, top with cheese, and the top of the pepper.
Bake 40 minutes, or until peppers are tender.
Top with sliced avocado and additional cilantro (if desired).
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Let's Dish Recipes

Pumpkin Curry Soup

It has gotten quite cold here in Philly and I had a can of pumpkin just waiting to be made into soup.  Then came the decision of what kind.  Plain pumpkin soup?  Though yummy, a little boring... so I decided to spice things up with some curry.  Delicious!

Pumpkin Curry Soup

Pumpkin Curry Soup

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
*2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
2 Tbsp. curry
1 Tbsp. butter
2 limes
Topping: Cilantro, plain yogurt

Preparation:
Simmer pumpkin, broth, and cream, whisking.
Meanwhile, toast curry powder in a small pan in butter.  Add to the soup with the juice from the limes.
Simmer about 5 minutes.
Top with fresh cilantro and plain yogurt, if desired.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

*If you would like to make this vegetarian, just sub in vegetable broth!

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

I had a can of biscuits about to expire in the fridge today and really needed to use them up.  Alyssa requested chicken and biscuits, so I set out to find a recipe.  The one I came across called for green chiles, which I found to be a little weird, so I replaced them with peas, carrots, and corn... more of a pot pie filling.

Ultimately, this ended up being a pot pie casserole with biscuits on top instead of pie crust... it was still delicious though!

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

How creamy!

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. butter
*4 chicken thighs, skinned, deboned, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 (10 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
**1 cup frozen peas
**1 cup frozen corn
**1 cup carrots
1 small onion, diced
1 can of biscuits
1/2 Tbsp. paprika
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 bay leaves
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Heat oven to 350.
Boil chicken about 8 minutes in a medium pot with the bay leaves.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat and saute onions until soft.  Add garlic, paprika, and fresh vegetables.  Cook until vegetables are soft.
Add cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and frozen vegetables.  Cook together to warm for about 5 minutes.
Drain chicken and add to mixture.  Stir together.
Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
Pour mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Place in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes.
Take pan out of the oven and place biscuits on top.
Cook for an additional 20 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Life in the Dub Lane

*You can use chicken breasts instead of thighs, though the dark meat adds juiciness
**You can also use 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Are you ready for the easiest recipe of all time?  Four ingredients.  That's it.  Also, it's delicious.  Hooray!
This recipe is great for me because every year my grandma goes to Florida and brings back multiple jars of orange marmalade... gotta use them somehow!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 chicken thighs, skinned

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with tinfoil.  Spray with cooking spray.
Mix marmalade, chili powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Add chicken.  Mix with hands, making sure to cover chicken completely with mixture.
Remove chicken and place on baking sheet.  Spoon the rest of the mixture on top of the chicken.
Bake 30-40 minutes, until cooked through.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Woman'sDay Everyday Cookbook

Meatball Soup

Today I really wanted a comforting soup to ease the chilliness that has set upon Philly.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and found that I had most of the ingredients, except a few; with a few substitutions, I was ready to go!  I also totally cheated and used pre-made meatballs, but hey, I get home from work at 6:30 and did not feel like making meatballs.  Of course, this recipe would have been better with homemade meatballs, but the frozen ones worked just fine and the soup was done so fast!  

Meatball Soup

Yummy!

Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

11 cups chicken broth

1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 cup carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup corn

1 cup small pasta

1/2 Tbsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. Italian-Style frozen meatballs

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large stockpot.  Saute the onion and garlic until translucent.  

Add broth, tomatoes, carrots, and seasonings.  Heat to boiling.  Add meatballs, corn, and pasta.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.  

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Becoming Betty

Herbed Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Sauce

I found this recipe in my favorite casserole cookbook last week and knew I had to make them.  I love Thai flavors, and to use them in meatballs?  I was sold.  They came out a little bland, so I added some red curry paste for some added umph. (Plus, I need to use that up!  I feel like I have been using it for years.)
Serve these over some jasmine rice and use that extra sauce for the rice.

Herbed Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Sauce

Herbed Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Sauce

Ingredients:

Meatballs
1 lb. ground chicken
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 small onion, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
Sauce
1 (14 oz.) can of coconut milk
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. chives
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. red curry paste
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preparation: 
Preheat the oven to 400 and lightly grease the baking dish with cooking spray.  Combine the milk and bread crumbs in a large bowl.
Use a box grater to finely grate the onion and garlic.  Add the grated onion and garlic to the large bowl. Mix in chicken, olive oil, egg, cilantro, and lemon juice.  Mix thoroughly with your hands.
Form into about 16 meatballs in the prepared baking dish. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned.
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan and add the curry paste.  Cook for about one minute, then add coconut milk, cornstarch, chicken broth, salt, chives, and ginger.  Whisk and cook over low heat until the sauce has thickened slightly.  Stir in lemon juice.
Pour the sauce over the meatballs in their dish and turn down the oven to 325.  Bake for an additional 20 minutes.  Serve with extra cilantro.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Not Your Mother's Casseroles by Faith Durand

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

I wanted to use up my leftover chicken this week (you might have leftovers too if you made Roast Chicken and Vegetables) and found this recipe for buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese!  I was very excited because usually for macaroni and cheese you have to make a rue and there are so many dishes! (Actually, that part matters more for Matt, as he is Mr. Dishwasher.)  This recipe is wonderful because everything, even the dry noodles, go in the Crockpot, and it's done in two hours!

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 cup milk
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup diced carrots and celery (either one, or combination)
2 cups pre-cooked chicken, diced
1/2 pound small uncooked pasta
Toppings: Bleu cheese crumbles, chopped carrots, celery, or onion

Preparation: 
Mix together evaporated milk, milk, hot sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in Crockpot until combined.  Stir in all other ingredients until combined.
Cook on low for about 1 hour.  Stir and cook another 30-60 minutes (depending on how small the pasta you used is).
Garnish as desired.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Snappy Gourmet

Tuna Patties

I have found that the only way I can get Alyssa to eat any type of seafood is if I use tuna fish from a can... and thus far I have only been successful making tuna salad.  Tonight however, I decided to try something a little different and make canned tuna fish into tuna patties... or burgers if you will.  She actually ate them!  I consider it to be a success!
I served mine with a spoonful of tartar sauce on top of a polenta cake and Alyssa made hers into a burger.

Tuna Patty

Tuna Patties

Ingredients:
2 cans tuna fish
2 tsp. dijon mustard
Scant 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. water
1/2 small onion, diced
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Hot sauce, to taste
1 egg
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients, except olive oil, together in a medium bowl.
Form into medium sized patties (I made about 5.)
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat.
Cook patties until browned, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Deniece K. over at keyingredient

Applesauce

Apparently Matt and Alyssa didn't know that the apples on the counter were ours, so they were getting pretty mushy by the time they asked.  They were a little too bruised to eat raw, so I decided to bake with them.  Along with apple crisp, I decided to make some applesauce.  My issue was that all the recipes I could find were for giant quantities of apples... like thirty!  I finally found this one, and I used about seven apples to make a small batch.  

Applesauce

Applesauce

Ingredients: 
About seven small apples, peeled and cored
1 cinnamon stick
3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Preparation: 
Add all ingredients to medium stock pot over high heat, stirring occasionally.  Bring to a simmer.
Turn heat to low and cover.  Cook about 20 minutes, or until apples are very soft.
Turn off heat and remove cinnamon stick.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn

Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas

I found this recipe online and this sounded like the perfect way to serve enchiladas to my sister, and as you know my love for enchiladas, I was game.  The only issue is that this recipe basically calls for no Mexican ingredients... the only way these can be called enchiladas is the tortilla shells.  However, I decided to add some more spices to these, which I'm glad I did because they would have been a little bland.

Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas

Close-up!

Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas 

Ingredients:
8 flour tortillas, soft taco size
1 cup chicken, cooked, shredded
1 cup corn
2 cups shredded cheese, divided
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. cilantro
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Fresh cilantro, for serving, optional

Preparation: 
Preheat oven to 350.
Spray baking dish with cooking spray.
Fill each tortilla with half a handful each of corn and chicken and a sprinkle of cheese.  Roll and place seam side down in the baking dish.
In a medium pot over medium heat, melt butter.  Add flour and whisk into paste.  Add chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, yogurt, salt, pepper, cumin, and dried cilantro.  Whisk for about five minutes, until well blended.
Pour over enchiladas and top enchiladas with remaining shredded cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Top with fresh cilantro.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food Family Finds

White Bean Stew

Today it was really cold in Philly, so I decided to make a stew for dinner... bonus, this one took about 30 minutes to make!  Of course I changed a few things, fresh spinach wasn't on sale this week, but frozen was, so I used that instead, and I added some red chili flakes for a little spice!

White Bean Stew

Matt, helping out with dinner!

White Bean Stew

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 14 oz. turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/4 inch thick medallions
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 15 oz. cans Great Northern beans, drained (I used one can of cannellini beans and one of Great Northern)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 box frozen spinach, thawed
Salt
Pepper
1/4 tsp. red chili flakes

Directions: 
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion, stirring occasionally, about five minutes.
Add beans, broth, rosemary, paprika, salt, and pepper (both to taste.)  Crush the beans with the back of the spoon, to thicken, about eight minutes.
Add spinach and kielbasa.
Cook until heated through.
Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Eat. Drink. Smile.