Sweet Potato-Coconut Soup with Spicy Relish

We just had this for dinner and it was SO GOOD !!!  If you don't want it to be spicy I would just skip some or all of the red-pepper flakes. 

 

Serves: 4

Spicy Relish Ingredients:
1 Tbsp canola oil (we used olive oil)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Pinch of red-pepper flakes
1/2 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into a small dice
Salt and fresh black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsely (We used cilantro.  We aren't parsely fans but we LOVE cilantro.  We thought it was a delicious substitute!)

Sweet Potato-Coconut Soup Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil (again, we used olive oil . . . so much better for you!)
1 small red onion, chopped
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
Pinch of red-pepper flakes
3 cups homemade chicken stock
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into a large dice
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 Tbsp clover honey
Large pinch of ground cinnamon

Directions:
1.  For relish: Heat oil and butter over medium heat.  Add red-pepper flakes; heat for 10 seconds.  Add the diced sweet potato, salt, and pepper.  Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 15 minutes over medium-low heat.  Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until diced potatoes are golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl; stir in parsley or cilantro.

2.  For soup: Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and ginger; cook until soft 5-7 minutes.  Add red-pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds.  Add stock and water; bring to a boil.  Add sweet potatoes; bring to a simmer.  Cook until potatoes are soft, 20 to 30 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes.

3.  Transfer mixture to a blender (or food processor) and process until smooth.  Return to saucepan; simmer over low heat.  Whisk in coconut milk, honey, and cinnamon.  Cook until thickened and warmed through.  Season with salt and pepper.  Ladle into bowls; top with spoonful of spicy relish.

 

Sausage Casserole

this was something easy to put together and it tasted pretty good!

Ingredients

• 5 potatoes, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound pork sausage, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place potato slices in the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add onion slices, corn with liquids and tomatoes with liquids. Top with sausage slices and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until pork is cooked through.

from allrecipes.com

Chocolate Chunk-Banana Bread

This is so easy to make.  I have a some in the oven right now and I can't wait to eat it :)

1 c mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
2 eggs
1/3 c vegtable oil
1/4 c milk
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 c chocolate chips
1/2 c walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix eggs, bananas, oil, and milk in large bowl until well blended.  Add dry ingredients; stir until just moistened.  Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.  Pour into a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.  Bake 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

I haven't tried this, but I saw the recipe and thought that it looked good.

Ingredients:
1 lbs Frozen Spinach (thawed and strained)
1 1/2 lbs Cream Cheese
1 1/2 Cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Sour Cream
2 cups Artichoke Hearts (drained)
1/2 cup Half & Half
2 tsp Seasoning Salt


1 Diced Tomato
Pinch Shredded Parmesan Cheese


Place all ingredients into a mixer. Using the flat paddle attachment blend till smooth and creamy. Place desired amount in a glass container and bake for 10 min at 350 degrees or microwave for 30 to 45 sec. Top with diced tomatoes and a pinch of Parmesan cheese. Served with tortilla chips.

Salsa Verde Pork

This is one of our favorite meals and it is easy, easy, easy!


3 small cans (per 3 lb roast) Herdez green salsa verde (white can)
½ can water
3 lb pork roast

1. Put pork, water, and 2 cans salsa verde in crock pot.

2. Cook on low for 8 hours.
*last ½ hour add 1 can salsa verde

3. Shred pork. (will shred with fork easily)


- - - Serve with tortillas, Spanish rice, refried beans, cheese and sour cream.

Sweet and Sour Chicken and Sauce

Chicken:

1/4 cup corn starch
2 T. flour
1 t. sugar
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 cup water
1/4 t. sesame oil
2 cups vegetable oil

1. Cut uncooked chicken into 1 1/2 inch strips. Heat vegetable oil over medium heat.

2. Combine, starch, flour, sugar, baking soda, water and sesame oil. Dip chicken in batter.

3. Cook chicken in oil.

4. Mix with sweet and sour sauce.


Sauce:

2/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup vinegar
1 t. soy sauce
1 T corn starch
2/3 cup pineapple juice
1 t. ketchup
½ cup water

Pineapple chunks

1. Add top ingredients to sauce pan.

2. Bring to boil. Add pineapple

3. Simmer 10-15 minutes.

Taco Soup

1 lb hamburger
½ - 1 whole yellow onion
2 small cans tomato sauce
2 regular size cans Kernal corn (with juice)
2 regular size cans chili beans (with juice)
1 big can stewed tomatoes
1 large can kidney beans (drained)
2 packets taco seasoning

crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos
grated cheese
sour cream


1. In frying pan, brown hamburger with onion. After brown, add 2 cans tomato sauce.

2. Transfer meat mixture to crock pot. Add corn (with juice),
chili beans (with juice), stewed tomatoes, kidney beans (drained) and taco seasoning.

3. Stir.

4. Cook on low in crock pot all day.

5. When serving, add Doritos, cheese and a spoonful of sour cream onto each bowl.


Serves about 6 people.

Porcupine Meatballs

This is Ron's absolute favorite meal that I make. I double the recipe so that he will have a whole bunch of leftovers.

1 lb. ground beef
½ cup uncooked rice
½ cup milk or water
4 T. chopped onion (dried onion is fine)
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. celery salt
¼ tsp. garlic salt
dash pepper

2 T. shortening or drippings
2 cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce


1. Combine top ingredients in bowl. Mix well with hands.

2. Shape into 1 ½ inch balls.

3. Brown meatballs until cooked thoroughly.

4. Add last 4 ingredients.

5. Cook until warm and rice is tender.

Meat Loaf

1 lb. hamburger
1 onion, chopped
¾ sleeve club crackers, crumbled
1 egg
1 can Campbell’s minestrone soup
½ cup OR 4 second squeeze ketchup


1. Mush together all ingredients in bowl. Transfer to bread pan.

2. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

** I have also cooked this in the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.
Line your crockpot with carrots, shape round meatloaf on top, line edges with whole scrubbed potatoes and you have a complete meal.

Chicken Pillows

2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 cups chicken, chopped
8 oz. cream cheese
4 T. butter, softened
4 oz. mushrooms, chopped
extra melted butter
Stove Top in canister (dry)
Your choice of seasoning (optional)
Chopped walnuts (optional)


1) Mix cream cheese and butter.
Add mushrooms, chicken, walnuts and seasoning.

2) Put mixture on crescent rolls.
Wrap rolls around mixture, pinch seams closed.

3) Dip in melted butter.
Dip in set aside Stove Top.

4) Place on ungreased pan

5) Cook at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.


Topping - Cream of chicken soup. (Thick)

Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad

This is one of my very favorite salads that I make to take to potlucks.

Dressing:

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 t poppy seeds
1 3/4 T. yellow onion, finely chopped
2 t. salt
2 t. dry mustard
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup frozen raspberries

1. Blend all ingredients together in blender or food processor.

2. Put in refrigerator for 1 hour or longer.


Salad:

Spinach
Craisins
Red apples, cut into bite size chunks
Sugared almonds

1. To sugar almonds, put almonds in frying pan and sprinkle a generous amount of sugar over the top. Heat. Sugar will start to dissolve. Stir until all sugar is dissolved and coating almonds. If stuck together, make sure to separate.

2. Toss all ingredients into salad bowl.

3. Pour in dressing and toss.*

* Do not toss in dressing until right before serving.

Pull Aparts

21 Rhodes frozen rolls
¾ cup brown sugar
1 small package cook butterscotch pudding
1 cube margarine or butter

1. Spray bundt pan generously with non stick cooking spray.

2. Place rolls in pan.

3. Melt butter in sauce pan. Add brown sugar until dissolved. Take off heat. Stir in pudding. Poor over rolls.

4. Spray plastic wrap with non stick cooking spray. Cover bundt pan. Leave to rise overnight.

5. Cook on 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Check at 20 minutes. If getting dark, cover pan with foil for remaining 10 minutes.

6. Tip over onto cookie sheet and enjoy.

Tip – Cover cookie sheet with foil, put bundt pan on cookie sheet for baking. This will make any spills go onto the foil and not the bottom of your oven.

Jarlsberg Dip

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 ½ cups onions, chopped

2 jalapeños, chopped

2 cups jarlsberg cheese, grated

½ cup bacon bits

1. Combine all ingredients in 8x8 baking dish.

2. Spread evenly in dish.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread pieces or tortilla chips.

Creamy Lemon Chicken

We just had this last night for dinner and it was soooo good! I got the recipe off of sisterscafe.blogspot.com. Camden even ate it and he hardly ever eats dinner with us! Hope you enjoy!

1/2c. plus 1 T. Flour (divided)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 chicken breast
1/4 c. butter
1 c. chicken broth
1 c. whipping cream (divided)
3 T. lemon juice
1/2 pound fresh sliced mushrooms

4 servings of cooked rice

Put 1/2 c. flour, salt, and pepper in a large ziploc bag. Cut chicken into chunks and drop into ziploc bag. Shake bag to coat chicken. Melt butter in a large skillet (I used EVOO and it turned out great... less fat too!). Cook chicken in skillet until juices run clear. Remove chicken from pan onto a plate and set aside.
Add broth to the drippings. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir to loosen the brown bits from the pan. Simmer uncovered for 10 min. or until broth is reduced to about 1/3c. Stir in 3/4c. cream, lemon, and mushrooms. Cook over medium low heat for 5 min. Combine remaining cream and flour and stir until smooth. Stir into skillet. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 min or until thickened. Return chicken to pan nad heat through. Serve over rice. Serves 4 to 6.

I used the whipping cream because I had some left over at home but I am sure you could use milk to cut down on the calories. You would just have to use extra flour or cornstarch to make the sauce creamy.

Spinach Manacotti

This was so yummy!  Ellie even ate it.  She has never eaten anything with spinach in it before.

1	box (8 oz) uncooked manicotti shells (14 shells)
1.5	cups shredded Italian cheese blend (6 oz)
1/4	teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1	container (15 oz) reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1	box (10 oz) Cascadian Farm® frozen organic cut spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
2	cloves garlic, finely chopped
1	egg, slightly beaten
1	jar (25.5 oz)  pasta sauce (any flavor)

	Heat oven to 375°F. Cook manicotti as directed on box. Rinse with cool water; drain well. In medium bowl, stir together 1 cup of the Italian cheese blend, the pepper flakes, ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic and egg.
	In bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce. Spoon ricotta mixture into manicotti; place over sauce in dish. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti. Cover tightly with foil.
	Bake about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Uncover dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend. Bake uncovered 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Garlic Potatoes and Ham

8 small red potatoes, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, partially thawed
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
1 (1 ounce) package herb and garlic soup mix*

In a large skillet, cook potatoes in oil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in broccoli, ham and dry soup mix. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

* we used dry onion soup mix ( I guess making it onion potatos and ham)when making this because that is what we had at home. It still tasted good, but it might be nice to try the one recomended: Lipton Savory Herb with Garlic.

Recipe courtesy of: Melody Williamson on allrecipes.com

Golden Meatballs

1 pkg stove top stuffing
1 lb hamburger
1 egg
1 can golden mushroom soup (or reg.)


Mix soup with 3/4 can of water and set aside. Prepare stuffing as instructed on box and let cool a bit. Then mix hamburger, egg, stuffing and 1/2 of the soup mix together. Form into 2 in. meatballs and place in a greased baking dish. Pour remaining soup over the meatballs and bake @ 350 for 1 hour. Makes lots! so if you have less than a pound of hamburger don't use as much soup in the meatball mixture.

Maple-Bacon Oven pancake

Breakfast is dinner for us a lot of the time.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 c packaged biscuit mix (bisquick or jiffy whatever)
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs
3/4 c milk
1/4 c maple syrup
5 slices crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled

(This is my personal addition if you want to descretely add a veggie, you can add 1/4 or 1/2 c pureed carrot to the mix, really you can't taste the difference)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Grease 13x9 in pan. In bowl mix biscuit mix, half of the cheese, the eggs, milk, and syrup,(& pureed veg if desired) beat until nearly smooth. Spread in pan.

bake in oven for 10-12 mins. or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remainin cheese and bacon, bake for 3 more mins. cut into squares and serve with or without additional maple syrup.

Does the picture help??

Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf

I am big fan of meatloaf but I have a hard time making it very often because the average meatloaf has about 23.5 grams of fat per serving.  We just tried this recipe and it is fantastic!  It is is about half the fat of normal meatloaf.  Quinoa is a little hard to find.  You can get it at Costco or any store like Whole Foods. I also only used a pound of ground turkey.  It is easier to find that a 20 ounce package.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup quinoa 1/2 cup water 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 large clove garlic, chopped 1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce Directions: 1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. 2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool. 4. Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Rub the paste over the top of the meatloaf. 5. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 egg 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon water

Apricot Chicken

1 jar apricot jam
1 package dry onion soup
8 oz bottle of Russian dressing
4 chicken breasts

Mix apricot jam, dry onion soup and Russian dressing. Pour over Chicken. Bake 350 degrees for 45 min uncovered.YUM YUM!!!

Pumpkin Chocolate chip cookies

1 c canned pumpkin
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 egg
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve baking soda in milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips, and nuts
Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm

Chicken Or Turkey Divan

If Brad likes it anyone will like it. Keep in mind that you can adjust this recipe size to fit your family. We did it half and in a smaller 8x8 dish to feed our 3 eaters.

Ingredients:

2 pgks frozen broccoli spears
2 c cooked, sliced chicken or turkey
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 c mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry pwdr (opt)
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 tbsp butter

Cook broccoli and arranged in a greased 11x7 baking dish (with florrets facing outward for looks).
Place chicken or turkey on top. In bowl combine mayo, soup, lemon juice, and curry. Pour over chicken and broccoli. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over that.
Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 min.

We didn't use curry, or bread crumbs and it still turned out pretty good!

Beefy Barbecue Macaroni

This is pretty simple to make. The first time I made it that had a lot to do with the decision, plus my son loves noodles and this is a new spin. But when I ate it myself I actually really liked it too.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 c cooked elbow macaroni
3/4 lbs ground beef
1/2 c chopped onion
3 minced garlic cloves
3/4 c barbeque sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1 dsh cayenne pepper (opt)
1/4 c milk
1 TBLS butter
1 c shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet cook beef, onion, and garlic until meant is not longer pink, drain. Add macaroni, BBQ sauce, pepper and cayenne; mix well. In sauce pan heat and butter over medium heat until butter is melted stir in milk and cheese until melted. Pour over the macaroni mixture and mix gently. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.

Thai Chicken Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce

This is another favorite of ours

Thai chicken stir-fry w/ peanut sauce

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
½ c peanut butter
½ c water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp crushed red pepper
3-4 c sliced broccoli

In small bowl, blend peanut butter, water, soy sauce, and sugar; set aside. In wok or large skillet heat oil over high heat. Add garlic and pepper. Cook for 30 sec. Add chicken and cook till firm and white (about 5 min). Add broccoli and cook until bright green (about 3 min). Stir in peanut butter mixture and stir constantly till sauce is smooth (about 3 minutes). Serve over rice.

Tandoori Chicken skewers

This is my favorite way to eat chicken.  It is really, really spicy!  I usually only use half of the tandoori/spice powder.  So unless you love really spicy food only put in 1 tbsp of the tandoori powder/spice.


Tandoori Chicken Make 4 servings

1 ¼ lb chicken cut into 32 chunks
1 ¼ c plain fat-free yogurt (divided)
2 tbsp Tandoori spice
¼ tsp salt
½ c cucumbers, diced
3 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
2 c cooked rice, warm
1 med red onion, cut into 16 wedges
Put chicken, ½ c yogurt and spice mix in a Ziploc bag. Seal bag and turn to mix. Refrigerate for 1-8 hours.
To make sauce, in a small bowl stir remaining ¾ c yogurt, cucumber, mint, and salt until blended. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Preheat grill. Remove chicken from marinade and thread chicken and onions onto 8 skewers. Coat chicken and onions w/ cooking spray. Grill skewers, tuning often, until chicken is no longer pink in center. Serve skewers on rice w/ sauce.

Recipe Swap

This blog is for our recipe swap.  Please post any recipes that you want.  I have invited everyone in playgroup to be an author.   If you know of anyone that would like to join the recipe swap I just need their email address so I can invite them to be authors.  I am excited to try all of you favorite recipes :)