Easy Bean & Cheese Enchiladas

I have found a new favorite recipe...actually it is an old one from Cooking Light magazine in 1999.  This is quick, easy, & also a great vegetarian meal for those nights when you have no time to cook.   I changed the recipe a little to make it easier for me...here is my version.

1 cup chopped onion (or less if desired)
1 16oz. can fat free refried beans
1 small can of mild green chiles
1 1/2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese (made with 2% milk)
Flour or corn tortillas
1 19oz can of red enchilada sauce
Low-fat sour cream
Chopped black olives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine the onion, refried beans, & green chiles in a bowl...microwave on high for 3 minutes.   Stir in one cup of the cheese until melted.  Place bean mixture on tortillas & roll up.  Place in 11 x 9 baking dish & pour the enchilada sauce on top.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese & bake in oven for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven & top with sour cream & black olives if desired.

Tender Pot Roast (Gluten-free)

An easy main dish to fix when you are expecting company is pot roast.  Here is my pot roast recipe that gets rave reviews every time...plus it is gluten free.

3-5 lb. chuck roast
Cooking spray
1-2 cups of beef broth (as needed)
1 14.5 oz can of Italian-style tomatoes
1 Tbls. dried oregano
1 bay leave
2 Tbls. dried parsley
8 black peppercorns

Coat a large pot with cooking spray & heat on top of the stove on medium-high until hot.  Once hot sear the roast for 2 minutes on each side.  Then add 1 cup of the broth & the remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, cover & simmer for 3 hours.  Add additional broth during the cooking time if needed.   Add potatoes & carrots during the last hour if desired.

Pork Roast / BBQ Pork Sandwiches (Recipe for 2 meals)

I am always looking for ways to make my meals stretch.  Here is a roast pork recipe that can be turned into a second meal the next day.

4-5 lb. pork loin roast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 cups water

Sprinkle the pork with the dry ingredients.  Place in roaster & add water (this will keep it from drying out). Seal the top with foil & bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours or until tender.   This will be your first meal.

The next evening cut up the leftover pork into bite size pieces & place in baking dish.  Cover with your favorite BBQ sauce & bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.   Serve on warmed hamburger buns. 

Chili (Serves 8)

Had a snow storm in Georgia today, so needed some warm comfort food.  No matter where you live chili is always a favorite.  This recipe includes Worcestershire which adds a nice, rich flavor.

2 lbs. ground chuck

1 large chopped onion

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 (10 1/2 oz.) can of tomato soup

1 (10 1/2 oz.) can of chili style tomatoes
1 Tbls. of Worcestershire sauce
1 3/4 cups canned chili beans
1 Tbls. chili powder

Brown the ground chuck & onion in a large skillet on med-high heat. Add remaining ingredients & mix well. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer.  Cover & simmer for 10 minutes.

BBQ Chicken

Here is an easy recipe for BBQ chicken...just add your own BBQ sauce or your favorite bottled variety.

1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins
Flour
Butter
BBQ sauce

Flour the chicken & brown in 4 Tbsp. of butter, about 2 mins. per side, or until golden.   Pour your favorite BBQ sauce over the chicken & simmer until tender (about 20 mins.).   If you want to use chicken pieces still on the bone raise your simmer time to 40 minutes.

Chicken Tetrazzini (Serves 12)

Anytime I have a recipe that says to "cook & remove chicken from the bone", I head to the deli isle in my grocery store & pick up an already cooked rotiserrie chicken.   This saves a lot of time & adds additonal flavor to the dish.   I did that with this recipe & it came out great!

2 whole rotiserrie chickens
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
2 (16 oz. cans) stewed tomatoes (I use Italian style)
2 Tbsp. paprika
1/2 cup ketchup
salt & pepper to taste
1 (8 oz.) package spaghetti, cooked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. shredded cheese, ( Italian blend)

Remove all of the meat from the chicken & chop in large pieces.   Brown the onions & bell pepper in the butter & olive oil.  (You can use all olive oil if you prefer, but the butter adds extra flavor).  Add the chicken, tomatoes, paprika, ketchup, salt & pepper to onion/bell pepper mixture & simmer for 15 minutes.   Add cooked spaghetti & soup.  Mix thoroughly & place in casserole dish.  Top with the cheese & heat in oven at 350 degrees until hot & cheese is melted.

Menu idea:  Serve with Kim's Easy Salad

(This recipe serves 12 but it is really easy to cut in half if you need to make a smaller portion. )

Pepper Steak

Really easy & tasty recipe.  You can use round steak, london broil, or flank steak (the tougher cuts of meat), because of the simmer time they come out very tender.  I used the london broil & it turned out really well.

1 1/2 lbs. of London broil

Salt & pepper, to taste

Flour, for dredging

Olive oil, for browning

1 cup water

1 (11 oz.) can of onion soup

1 medium chopped onion

1 cup ketchup

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

Cut the beef into strips or serving size pieces & sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Dip the pieces in flour & saute in hot olive oil until brown.  Add water, soup, onion, & ketchup.  Simmer on low for 45 minutes or until the beef is tender.  Add the bell pepper the last 15 minutes of cooking time. 

Serving suggestion:  Serve over hot rice

Chicken Cacciatore ( Serves 6 to 8)

I love making casserole style dishes because they are easy & you have time to clean up or make side dishes while in cooks in the oven.   So here is a great chicken recipe to make. 

Rotisserie chicken from the grocery deli
2 chopped onions
1/2 green bell pepper sliced in thin strips
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 package of pre-sliced mushrooms
Shredded cheese (1 cup)

Saute onions & peppers in a little olive oil with the garlic powder & celery seed,  then place in casserole dish.  Remove all of the chicken from the bone (both dark & white meat) & combine with onions & peppers.   Pour the tomato sauce over the mixture, top with mushrooms, & stick the bay leaves in.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Put the cheese on for the last 15 minutes of baking.  I would recommend an Italian blend or you can use cheddar.

Shrimp Creole (serves 4)

I bought some shrimp & it has been sitting in my freezer because it still needed to be peeled (and I hate peeling shrimp).  My husband was home today so I knew he wouldn't mind doing it for me....especially if I was going to make shrimp creole!  Here is an easy recipe for you to try.


2 Tbsp butter
1/8 cup olive oil
1 large chopped onion
1/2 cup green bell pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
Dash of salt & pepper
1/8 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp paprika
2 cups canned tomatoes
1 lb cleaned cooked shrimp
2 to 3 cups hot cooked rice

Melt butter in saucepan & add olive oil to it.    Add onion, bell pepper, garlic powder & saute 10 minutes or until tender.  Add salt, pepper, rosemary, paprika, tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer for 15 minutes.  Add your cooked shrimp & heat thoroughly.  Serve over rice. 

You might want to double the recipe to make extra...it is so good

Baked Chicken (serves 6 to 8)

When my husband asked "what's for dinner tonight?", I really didn't know.  All I knew is that I had some chicken tenders I could cook in some form or fashion.   So I pulled out a recipe that is actually for whole cut up chicken pieces & adapted it to what I had.  So here is a recipe for baked chicken that can be used for both styles.

4 lbs of chicken pieces

1 Tbsp. salt

1tsp pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 medium onion (1 cup) chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup melted butter

Sprinkle the chicken with the dry ingredients.

Combine the onion, oil, & butter in a large bowl & toss the chicken pieces in the mixture.   Place chicken in shallow roasting pan & pour the mixture over the chicken.   Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Cover the chicken with foil & place on the bottom rack of the oven for 10 minutes (20 min. for whole chicken pieces). Turn the chicken & baste with the mixture & return to the top rack of the oven without the foil for 15 minutes (30 min. for whole pieces), or until tender & browned. 

The chicken tenders cooked perfectly for this time although they were not a golden brown.  I did not want to over cook them plus they do not have the skin on which gives you a nice color.   I would recommend serving this with rice so the juices with the oil, butter, & onion can be soaked up....very flavorful!