Bacon and Bean Tacos

Julie's Bacon and Bean Tacos

Like my sister, this recipe is a Jewel! 

Ingredients 

6 slices of cooked bacon

1 can cannellini beans (drained)

3/4 c. salsa

1/2 c. raisins

1/4 c. sliced green onions

1/4 c. corn

2 T. cilantro

1 t. cumin

tortillas

Optional: your favorite taco toppings

* Corn is missing from the photo

Directions

Cook the bacon and remove the drippings from the skillet.  Add the salsa, beans, green onions, cumin, cilantro, raisins, corn and crumbled bacon.  Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.  

Fill the tortillas 1/4 full.  Add some lettuce, add more taco filling and garnish with cilantro, jalapeno, cheese, sour cream, guacamole or any of your other favorite taco toppings. 

Sour cream with a twist:  add a little taco sauce and chipotle chili pepper and stir.   

ENJOY!!!  

Sauteed Kale - One of the World's Healthiest Foods

A simple but delicious and healthy recipe that makes it easy to incorporate leafy greens into your diet.                          Click this to read why kale is so good for you!

Ingredients

3 c. kale

1/2  onion

1 T. coconut oil

1 t. minced garlic 

Optional: Season with pepper and salt

Directions

Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet.  Brown the garlic. Add the onions and cook until they are almost tender.  Add the kale and cook until the leaves are wilted.  

ENJOY!!! 

Sweet Kentucky Cornbread

The first time I had sweet cornbread was in Kentucky.  It tasted almost like cake and I was hooked! 

Ingredients  

1/2 c. cornmeal

1 1/2 c. flour

2/3 c. sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/3 c. oil or applesauce

3 T. melted butter

1 T. honey

2 eggs

1 1/4 c. milk 

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and sugar.  In another bowl with the melted butter, add the eggs, oil, honey.  * Note in the photo below that I replaced the oil with applesauce.  If you have never made this substitution, give it a try.  You will still have a yummy and moist bread, but with less calories.  

Mix together well. 

Add the egg mixture to the milk and mix well.   Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and mix well.  Spray a muffin tin or a baking pan with a little vegetable spray and coat with cornmeal. 

Divide the batter into each well. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  The secret to baking is not to overbake, so check often.  Use the knife test to check for doneness.  Place the knife into the center of the bread, if it comes out clean remove them from the oven.  Let them cool off for a few minutes, so they are easier to remove. 

ENJOY!!! 

This recipe is from stephskitchen.com 

Zuppa Toscana...Beer Based Soup

Similar to Olive Garden's soup, only better!  

This soup starts with a base of beer, butter and onion that is leftover from the Beer Brats recipe that I posted yesterday.  It had such a nice flavor and I just couldn't bring myself to throw it away.  I thought I could easy turn it into a soup, so I did!  This base paired with a copycat of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana is scrumptious!  I couldn't stop "sampling" it before dinner. 

Ingredients 

Beer Brat soup base w/ 1 or more beer brats - see yesterday's recipe or see the note below***

1 Jimmy Dean's fully cooked sausage patty

1 Box of chicken broth

3 medium potatoes (red)

2 large mushrooms

1/4 c. diced onion

1 t. minced garlic 

6 turns of a pepper grinder 

2 c. chopped kale

1/4 c. heavy whipping cream 

Directions

Heat the beer brat soup base in a large stockpot along with a box of chicken broth.  Add thinly sliced potatoes. 

Thinly slice the leftover beer brat.  If you have more than one great!  These have a really nice beer infused flavor to them and the base adds a richness to the soup that you are going to love!  Use up to 2 more brats.  If you only have 1 brat, add a finely diced sausage patty.  

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and thinly slice the stems and caps.  Cut the cap slices in half. Add the diced onions, remember you already have some beer infused onions from the stock!  YUM! Add the minced garlic and the black pepper.  I prefer fresh ground pepper, but if you don't have a pepper grinder use about 1/4-1/2 t. of black pepper.  I don't add additional salt to my recipes for health reasons, but please do not add salt to this recipe.  It has enough in it already from the butter, chicken broth and brats/sausage.  Simmer everything until the potatoes and fresh onions are tender. 

(I wish you could smell this!  ...AMAZING!) 

 Add the cream and chopped kale.  Allow the soup to simmer for a minute or two before serving.

ENJOY!!!  

***NOTE:  To make the beer soup base without making the full beer brats recipe:  

1 bottle of beer

 4 T. butter 

1/2 c. onions

  2 - 3 beer brats 

Cook until the brats are fully cooked.  Grill the brats and return to the saucepan.  Allow them to sit in the beer based broth to soak up all the goodness.     

Sauteed Cabbage and Onions with Sausage

An easy and healthy way to incorporate lots of vegetables into your diet! 

Cabbage never tasted so good!  I love cole slaw, but I wasn't a huge fan of cooked cabbage until I started playing around with some ingredients several years ago.  It was a hit with my family and we have been eating it ever since.


Ingredients

1/2 head of cabbage
1 onion
2 Jimmy Dean patties-precooked
1 t. minced garlic
1 T. olive oil

Directions

In a large frying pan, add the olive oil.  Section each wedge of the cabbage as shown.  

Peel and slice the onion into 4, then quarter each ring.  Finely chop the sausage patties as shown.  

Heat the oil and brown the garlic.  Add the remaining ingredients to the frying pan. 

Saute until the all the vegetables are just tender.  You might need to break apart some of the onion layers and cabbage pieces while it is cooking

ENJOY!!!  

Super Bowl Party Beer Brats

  Game Day Beer Brats...great for tailgating! 

This is a recipe created by Rick Rollo that was featured on the Food Network with Bobby Flay.  If Bobby Flay likes it, it has to be good!   I didn't change a thing and yes I ate the whole thing!

*******These taste even better the next day! ******* 

Ingredients 

12 Beer Brats

1 onion

Beer to cover - your choice

4 T. butter 

Bakery rolls

* I only cooked 5 brats, so I only used 1 beer and 1/2 of the onion.  If you are cooking more, be sure to use enough beer to cover all the brats.  

Directions

Put the beer, butter and the onion into a medium pot.  Bring it to a boil and reduce heat.  Add the beer brats and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove the brats from the saucepan and grill for about 10 minutes.  Return the brats to the saucepan and keep warm until ready to serve. 

While the brats are outside grilling, saute some onion, green pepper and jalapeno slivers to serve along with your brats.   Add some dijon mustard or your favorite condiments and you are ready to eat! 

ENJOY!!!

P.S.  Be sure to save the beer/butter/onion from the saucepan.  It makes a really good base for the Zuppa Toscana Soup I'm posting tomorrow! 

Sweet Hawaiian Chicken with Brown Rice

Panda who?   Better than you would get at any restaurant!

Ingredients

1 lb. diced boneless chicken

1/4 c. bread crumbs

1/2. powdered ginger

1/4 t. black pepper

2/3 c. pineapple juice

1/3 c. soy sauce

1/3 c. brown sugar

1 t. minced garlic

1 medium onion-chopped

2 green peppers- chopped

1 c. pineapple chunks

2 T. cornstarch

2 c. brown rice 

2-3 T. olive oil

Missing ingredients:  brown rice and olive oil

Directions

In a rice cooker or saucepan with lid, cook the rice according to the package. 

Heat 2-3 T. of olive oil in a large skillet.  In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, powdered ginger and black pepper.  Coat the chicken pieces in the breading.  Add the chicken to the large skillet and cook until they are fully cooked and brown. 

In another large skillet, add the pineapple juice, brown sugar and soy sauce.  Heat until boiling and then reduce the heat.  Add the green peppers, onions, and minced garlic.  Cook until the vegetables are tender.  Place the cornstarch in a small bowl and add some of the sauce with vegetables to the bowl. Mix until the cornstarch is dissolved.  Put this into the large skillet with the vegetables to thicken the sauce.  Add the diced pineapple to the sauce and set on low. 

  Add the sauce to the cooked chicken and mix. 

Place the Sweet Hawaiian Chicken over the brown rice. 

ENJOY!!!

********************************************************************
You can vary the dish simply by changing a few ingredients.  Here I used crushed pineapple with frozen stir-fry vegetables and canned baby corn.  Have fun with the ingredients, nothing is set in stone.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

Cake in a Cup - Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

This is the best frosting I have ever eaten and it is so easy!
Just enough frosting to cover a small 4"cake or a couple cakes from a cup.  

See my Chocolate Fudge Cake in a Cup, if you need a small cake recipe! 

Ingredients

6 Hershey's Baking Melts (1/18 of a 10 oz bag)
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 T. milk
2 T. powdered sugar
1 T. peanut butter

Directions

Put the chocolate melts, vanilla and milk into a small microwavable bowl.  Heat for 15 seconds or until baking melts melt.  Stir.  Add powdered sugar and mix.  Mix in the peanut butter.

ENJOY!!!

Chocolate Fudge Cake in a Cup

Chocolate Fudge Cake in a Cup

If you are on facebook, you've seen the recipe for cake in a cup.  Well here it is in all it's glory and I have to say this one is exceptionally good!  I topped mine off with peanut butter chocolate frosting and sprinkled with coconut and pecans too.

Makes:  1 Cake in a Cup

Ingredients

1 T. and 2 t. of cocoa powder 

3 T. flour

1 T. and 2 t. sugar

1/4 t. baking powder

2 t. coconut oil

3 T. milk 

1/2 t. vanilla

Directions

Mix all the dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside. 

In a small microwavable bowl, add the milk and vanilla.  Put the coconut oil in a coffee cup.   Microwave both about 20 seconds.  Take out the milk and vanilla.  Continue to microwave the coconut oil until it is melted, about 10 additional seconds.  Once the coconut oil is melted, swirl it around your cup and put the rest into the bowl with the milk and vanilla. 

Coat the cup with a little flour, so the cake will pop out easier.  Mix the dry ingredients with the liquid ingredients. 

Using a spatula, scrape the batter out of the bowl and place it in the coffee cup. Smooth the batter evenly in the cup.  Bake in the microwave for 40 seconds.  No peeking!  Take it out of the oven and allow to cool. 

 Gently pull the cake away from the edges with a knife.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

Or if you are feeling a little more adventurous, remove the cake from the cup.  (I used a 4 inch souffle dish).  Frost with my Peanut Butter Frosting!  Sprinkle with some coconut and pecans too! 

ENJOY!!!  

The cake recipe is from...

Apple - licious Mini Pies

APPLE-LICIOUS MINI PIES

Ingredients

1 can Pilsbury Crescent Dough
1 can apple pie filling
5 T. flour
2 T. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
2 T. butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Cut in the butter and continue cutting until the butter is about the size of a pea.  Open the crescent dough and roll out to make 12 pieces.  Place each piece of dough into a square cupcake opening.  Place a spoonful of the pie filling on top of the dough.

Place a spoonful of the crumb mixture on top.  

Bring the 4 corners up to the center on each pie. 

Add another spoonful of the crumb mixture.  

Bake for 15 minutes. 

ENJOY!!! 

* This recipe is from...