Sausage Egg Roll in a Bowl

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ground pork
6 C. shredded cabbage w/carrots
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. sesame seed oil

DIRECTIONS

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the sausage and cook, stirring often to crumble, until cooked.

DO NOT DRAIN.

Add cabbage & carrot mix, garlic, ginger,and soy sauce to the skillet with sausage.

Cook for 3-4 minutes or until cabbage has softened a bit.

Remove from the heat and drizzle with sesame oil. We also drizzled our individual servings with more soy sauce.

Serve immediately.

SOURCE

Adapted from www.now-recipes.com

Cheesy Kielbasa, Rice, & Broccoli Skillet

INGREDIENTS

½ T. olive oil
1 Hillshire Farm® Polska Kielbasa, sliced on a diagonal
1 small onion, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white rice
2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups broccoli florets - bite size pieces
2 cups shredded cheese, divided (I used a cheddar blend)


DIRECTIONS

1. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large, lidded skillet.

2. Brown kielbasa in the skillet, 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon.

3. Saute onion and bell pepper until onion is translucent. Make sure to work the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet - more flavor :)

4. Add rice to the skillet and stir to combine. Continue stirring for 1 to 2 more minutes.

5. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

6. Without disturbing the rice, add the broccoli to the top of the rice and cover again. Cook an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until rice is tender.

7. Stir in kielbasa, broccoli and 1 cup of cheese.

8. Top with remaining cup of cheese. Cover with lid and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.


MY CHANGES/MODIFICATIONS

1. I use any kielbasa type (turkey, beef, pork, etc.) and brand does not matter

2. I use a green bell pepper

3. I do not mix cheese into the skillet. I top my individual serving with shredded cheese.

4. I prefer to use vegetable broth in this recipe. I found the chicken broth to be too salty for my taste.


CREDIT

www.momontimeout.com

Taco Salad

* Ingredients *

2 heads romaine lettuce

1 can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed

1 lb. ground hamburger

1 pkg. Fritos chips (regular or chili flavored)

1 small tomato (optional)

1 pkg. taco seasoning (approximately 2 T.)

Shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Chopped black olives (optional)

French salad dressing or Ranch salad dressing

* Directions *

Wash, dry, and chop romaine lettuce. Brown hamburger in skillet, drain grease. Add taco seasoning and approx. 1/4 cup water to hamburger, stir well. Add kidney beans to hamburger and heat through. Chop tomato. Layer lettuce, hamburger/kidney bean mixture, cheese, olives, tomato, Fritos, and salad dressing that order. Enjoy immediately so the hamburger/kidney bean mixture is warm when eaten. 

No Bake Energy Bites

* Ingredients *

3/4 c. peanut butter (+ more for desired consistency)

1/3 c. honey

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. oatmeal (I prefer old fashioned)

1/2 c. of one of the following: shredded coconut, wheat germ, ground flax seed, or more oatmeal. 

1/2 to 1 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 to 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

* Directions *

Combine peanut butter, honey and vanilla; add remaining ingredients.  Add more peanut butter if needed to get a good consistency.  Refrigerate for 30 min. then roll into bite sized balls.  Keep refrigerated.  Can be stored in freezer.

* Credit *

www.parents.com 

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

* Ingredients *

2 c. black beans, cooked

½ c. red onion, minced (I omit this)

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. paprika

2 T cilantro, chopped (We love cilantro, so we use the entire bunch of it)

4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated (I use cheddar or colby-jack)

2 T olive oil

Pinch of salt and pepper (I omit these)

8 corn tortillas

* Toppings *

Avocado, sliced (Optional)

Hot sauce (Optional)

Salsa (Optional)

Sour cream (Optional)

* Directions *

1. In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.

2. In a large, non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat.

3. Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1/4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese.

4. Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.

5. As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. If you have a griddle you can do even more at once.

6. Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.

7. When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out.

8. Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.

9. Note: Corn tortillas are resilient to heat. Don’t worry about burning them. They are very flexible. Just be sure to cook them on each side long enough to get them really crispy.

* Source *

www.endlesssimmer.com 

Slow-Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

* Photo from pipandebby.com 

* Ingredients *

24 oz. jar medium or mild salsa
Juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1.25 oz. package of mild taco seasoning
3 boneless-skinless chicken breast halves (completely defrosted)
1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar if it's too taco-y
Instant white rice

* Directions *

Mix salsa, lime juice, taco seasoning, and cilantro in a bowl. Pour just enough salsa mixture in the bottom of a Crock-Pot to cover the bottom. Place chicken breasts on top of salsa. Pour remaining salsa mixture over chicken evenly. Place lid on Crock-pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Shred chicken with two forks. Taste test chicken, if it's too taco-y or to sour from the lime you can add 1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar to counteract the sourness. I also thought about adding 1/2 a cup or so of either cream of chicken soup or sour cream to counteract the acidity. Serve over white rice.

* Optional Toppings *

Sour Cream
Fresh chopped cilantro
Crushed tortilla chips

Zucchini Soup

* Ingredients *

1 cup chopped onions
2 T butter (I have used EVOO in place of butter and it tasted great!) *Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cups diced zucchini
2 cups chicken broth
Dash of Salt
Dash of Pepper
1/2 cup half and half or milk

* Directions *

In a large saucepan cook onions in melted butter or EVOO until they are tender. Add zucchini and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until the zucchini is tender (about 15 minutes). Add salt and pepper. Cool slightly. Pour into a blender and blend well. Return to saucepan and stir in half and half (or milk) and reheat, but do not boil. I like to dip a piece of whole wheat bread in my soup. This dish is a great low-calorie option that really fills you up.

Lemon Chicken & Rice

* Ingredients *

1 lb. of chicken cut-up into bite-sized cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med. onion, chopped
2 T margarine
1 large carrot, sliced thin
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz.)
2 T lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1 T corn starch
1 1/2 cups instant white rice

* Directions *

-Melt butter in a large skillet. Add garlic, onion, carrot, and chicken. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside.
-In a bowl mix chicken broth, lemon juice, salt, and corn starch. Pour over chicken in skillet, simmer for 2 minutes or until liquid starts to thicken.
-Add rice. Stir in rice, cover skillet, and remove from heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Remove lid and check the rice to make sure it's cooked through. Serve.

Spinach Smoothie

* Disclaimer *
I know the minute you read "Spinach Smoothie" as the title of this drink that you are gonna turn up your nose at the very idea of 'spinach' being in a smoothie. However, I have had friends try this drink at my insistence to prove my point that it really does taste good. You see, the spinach takes on whatever flavor of fruit/juice that you blend with it. You do not taste the spinach, you taste the orange/banana or lemonde/banana flavors in this smoothie.

* Ingredients *
3 large handfuls fresh spinach
1 cup (8 oz.) of Tropicana 50% less sugar, 50% less calories orange juice
OR
1 cup (8 oz.) Crystal Light Lemonade flavor
1/2 or whole frozen banana

* Directions *
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend well! Serve in a glass (we like to use bendy straws when we drink this)

* Variations *
The variations of this drink are limitless. Occasionally I add 1 small packet of Splenda no calorie sweetener or some strawberries or some frozen mango, etc. Experiment with different fruits or juices and discover which one tickles your tastebuds.