Oriental Ramen Broccoli Cole Slaw

This recipe is sort of a spin on the traditional oriental salad we all remember. I love it though. I am a fan of anything with broccoli slaw, and of course edamame!

2 (3 ounce) packages beef-flavor ramen noodles

2 (8 1/2 ounce) packages broccoli coleslaw mix

1 cup toasted slivered almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 bunch green onion, chopped

1 cup edamame

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

Before opening noodles, crush into 1 inch pieces. Open packages and keep one flavor packet. Toast almonds and noodles in 2 tablespoons of oil, make sure not to burn. Let cool. Mix broccoli slaw, with noodles, almonds, sunflower kernels, green onions, and edamame.

In a separate bowl combine sugar, oil, vinegar, and flavor packet from noodles. Pour over slaw, cover and chill up to 24 hours. Toss before serving.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa

 Another good one!  This recipe is vegetarian, but I added ground beef to it.  It would be good either way. 

 

Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa

 

Ingredients

• 4 bell peppers (any color), sliced in half stem-to-tip, seeds removed
• 1c quinoa, uncooked
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 (4oz) can diced green chiles (don’t drain)
• ¼c cilantro, minced
• ¼tsp salt
• ¼tsp pepper
• olive oil, if desired
• ½c Monterrey Jack, grated
• ½c cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 recipe red enchilada sauce (or 1 (28oz) can)

Instructions

1. Add quinoa and onion to a large saucepan with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil 5 minutes, cover, turn off heat and let steam 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
2. In the meantime, microwave pepper halves 2-3 minutes to soften slightly. (Prepared this way, the peppers should come out crisp-tender. If you want them crisper, you can omit this step.)
3. Pour quinoa/onion mixture into a mixing bowl. Stir in black beans, tomato, green chiles and their juices, cilantro, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. If the mixture seems to dry, drizzle in a bit of olive oil (I didn’t need any).
4. Pour enchilada sauce into a 9×13″ baking dish. Divide filling among peppers. Nestle stuffed peppers into the enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with cheeses.
5. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 375 degrees 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and cook about 5 minutes longer. Serve peppers drizzled with enchilada sauce.

Recipe and picture from HERE

Fresh Pea, Herb and Cheese Salad

I don't know how else to describe this other than saying it was AMAZING. I don't really like peas, they are too squishy for my liking, but I loved this. 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups water
2 cups freshly shelled peas (use frozen if you have to)
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup fresh cheese (I used mozzarella, but I think feta or blue would be good too))
salt and pepper to taste
freshly chopped basil and oregano (or whatever you like instead)
splash of balsamic vinegar and oil (roughly 2 teaspoons each)

In a large saucepan set over medium heat, heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Set aside.
Bring the water to a boil in large stock pot and cook the peas until tender (about 5 minutes). Drain them from the water, rinse under cold water and drain well.
In a large bowl, combine the peas, onion, garlic, fresh cheese, salt, pepper and the herbs. Mix until combined and add a few splashes of vinegar and olive oil. You're set! 


oh, and I think this could be really good with bacon, or even nuts added into it.


recipe and photos are from here: http://www.mytartelette.com/2010/06/recipe-fresh-pea-cheese-and-herb-salad.html

Restaurant Style Salsa

(I'm sorry my posts always begin with a pointless story. Actually, I must not be sorry because I keep doing it...)

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, it's pretty much exactly the salsa I have been making for years, but I have never written it down and with my "just wing it" style, it always ends up just a little bit different. So I followed the recipe this time and it was excellent. I think I will use a recipe from now on.

I never use jalepenos, it is plenty spicy for me with the green chiles. I'm wussy. I know. And I only use one can of regular stewed tomatoes and one can with the green chiles.

If you like it chunkier, sometimes I chop a couple fresh tomatoes and dump them in.
*Please see my next post for Picante Chicken if you want to use this salsa in another excellent recipe.

Restaurant Style Salsa

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time:

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• ¼ cups Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• ¼ teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
• ½ whole Lime Juice

Preparation Instructions

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Cheesy Sausage Zucchini Casserole

I got this recipe off of allrecipes.com. I love it, and so does everyone else in my family. I changed it a little from what is on allrecipes. Here is my version:
3/4 c uncooked rice
1 1/2 cup water
1 pound pork sausage
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced fresh tomato
4 cups cubed zucchini squash
1 can sliced muchrooms, drained
1 (8oz.) package shredded cheese
1 pinch dried oregano
1 pinch dried basil
1 pinch cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Combine the rice and water in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 min. or until tender. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350
3. Cook sausage and onion in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until evenly browned. Drain excess grease. Stir in zucchini and tomatoes, and cook until tender. Stir in rice, mushrooms, and cheese. Season with oregano, basil, cayenne, pepper, and salt. Spread into a 9x13 casserole dish.
4. Bake, uncovered, for about 15-20min until cheese is melted and starting to bubble.

Southwestern Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients
2 slices whole wheat bread, torn
4 T fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 15 0z can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 t taco seasoning
1 egg
Place torn bread in a food processor bowl or blender container. Cover and process or blend until bread becomes crumbs.
Transfer crumbs to a large bowl and set aside.
Next, process or blend cilantro and garlic until finely chopped. Add beans and seasoning. Process or blend until beans are coarsely chopped and mixture begins to pull away from the sides.
Add mixture to the breadcrumbs in the bowl.
Add egg, mix well and shape into four 1/2 in thick patties.
Grill patties on a lightly greased rack or an uncovered grill directly over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until patties are heated through, turning once. (I cooked mine on my George Foreman.)
Place the black bean burger on a bed of coleslaw and top with tomatoes, guacamole, and limejuice. I served it with cheese quesadillas. You can also put it on a bun to make it more burger-like.
Serve with healthy coleslaw

Easy Zucchini Casserole

Sliced desired amount of zucchini and spread evenly in a lightly greased casserole dish(use cooking spray) Cover with grated mozzarella. Pour can of spaghetti sauce over zucchini. Cover with favorite prepared stuffing or breadcrumbs. Bake at 400 for 15 minute. Can also add chicken or ground beef to the zucchini.

No Cream Creamy Broccoli Soup

2 med. carrots, peeled, chopped
1 med. onion chopped
2 celery stocks chopped
3 T oil
2 cans (14 ½ oz each) chicken broth
2 cups water
2 small bunches of fresh broccoli trimmed into 3 inch lengths
½ cup minute rice
2 cups milk
¼ grated Parmesan cheeseCook and stir carrots, onions, and celery in oil in large saucepan on med-high for 3 min. Add chick broth and water, stir. Bring to a boil. Stir in broccoli and rice. Reduce heat to med-low. Simmer 10-15 min or until veggies are tender. Stir frequently. Add soup in batches to blender or food processor. Blend until pureed-return to pot. Add milk and cheese. Cook until heated.

Zucchini Soup

8-10 cups of cut-up zucchini
½ lb bacon
1 can chicken broth
½ tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp pepper
2 medium onionsCut up zucchini, fry bacon until crisp, remove. Cook onions in pan until transparent. Combine zucchini, bacon, onions, and remaining ingredients in large pot. Cook until zucchini is tender, adding water if needed. Allow to cool. Put everything in a blender and blend till smooth. Heat for serving. Top with croutons and Parmesan cheese. Leave out bacon to make vegetarian.

Taco Soup

You can make this vegetarian style without the beef and it is still really good. Just add the taco seasoning to the bean/corn/tomato mixture
1 lb ground beef
taco seasoning
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
2 cans kidney beans
1 can white beans
1 can corn (or I use frozen and it's yummy)
I can tomato sauce
I can diced tomatoes
I can water (optional)
brown ground beef, then add taco seasoning. In crock pot add beans, corn, tomatoes, mix then add meat mixture. I cook it for at least a couple hours on low in crock pot. Serve with sour cream, cheese and tortilla chips.