Vegan Brownies

To continue my baking kick I thought I'd try brownies. It was my intention to use flax as an egg replacement. I googled "Vegan Brownies" in hopes of finding a recipe with flax, but I couldn't find one. Apparently eggs (though included in lots of brownie mixes in powdered form) are actually not a necessity for brownies after-all. Plus, since there are no eggs, you can make them really gooey without fear. The final reason I like the recipe so much is because it's all (besides the chocolate) pantry staples, and everyone else probablly has a Sam's bag of chocolate chips anyway.

2 c. Flour
2 c. Sugar
3/4 c. Cocoa
1 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Salt
1 c. Water
1 c. Vegtable Oil (or butter)
1 t. vanilla

Preheat 350. Mix all. Pour into 9x13" pan. Bake 45 minutes.

Tyler's Biscotti

I don't know why but I've had a real hankering for biscotti lately. I figured it was a pretty simple cookie, and could be veganized easily. I was right. After doing some research on the internet I cobbled together this recipe on my own. Much to my surprise they turned out great. And you should have everything you need on hand. Though there are a bunch of steps, making these is dirt simple. A few notes: Instead of eggs in this recipe I used ground flax seed and water at a ratio of 1:3 teaspoons per egg replaced. It's a little nutty and works great in this recipe, but I'm sure eggs will do nicely too. Omitted from the ingredient list and directions are flavoring agents. I used dried apricots and slivered almonds—a handful of each. Anything could be good (chocolate chips and marshmallows, say), kneed it in when the dough is finished.

1 c. sugar

2 c. flour

2 t. baking soda

½ c. butter softened

1 t. vanilla

½ t. almond extract (optional)

2 eggs

½ c. water (as needed)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients, add wet, blend. Add water as needed; dough should be very thick. Butter and flour cookie sheet. Form into two long flat loaves, bake for 25 minutes. Take out and let cool on rack. With good serrated knife cut into 1" wide biscotti. Lower oven to 300, bake for additional 20 minutes.

Ice Cream Cake

I don't know if you can really call this a recipe, but here it is. Cody was assigned the job of making the FHE treat for tonight and he wanted to make ice cream sandwiches. I generally let the kids make whatever they want (within reason) and figure we could do this. I check out Allrecipes and found some good ideas. Before I knew it the afternoon had slipped away and it we hadn't made the cookies yet. I checked back on Allrecipes and decided to go with this idea instead. Cathy had suggested it to me a long time ago. Braden and the kids LOVED it!

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

24 ice cream sandwiches
1 container of cool-whip
1 jar hot fudge
peanuts, toffee chips, sprinkles, whatever you like

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan with ice cream sandwiches. Cover sandwich layer with cool whip, then hot fudge, then peanuts (or whatever.) Repeat layers. Cover with plastic wrap and stick in freezer until its set. Cut and serve!

Honey Wheat Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey, and stir well. Mix in whole wheat flour, salt, and vegetable oil. Work all-purpose flour in gradually. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for at least 10 to 15 minutes. When dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a well oiled bowl. Turn it several times in the bowl to coat the surface of the dough, and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
2. Punch down the dough. Shape into two loaves, and place into two well greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise until dough is 1 to 1 1/2 inches above pans.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes.

French Bread

1/2 c warm water
2 c hot water
3 T sugar
1/3 c oil
2 pkgs. yeast
6 c flour
1 T salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Combine remaining ingredients using only 3 cups of flour. Mix well. Add yeast and beat well. Add remaining flour to make soft dough that still can be mixed with a spoon. Leave spoon in dough and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Stir down dough every ten minutes for 1 hour. Divide into 2 parts. Roll up each like a jelly roll or make 2 dozen rolls. Put on a greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg white and slash diagonally. Let rise until double in size. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

My camera has been lost for about two weeks. Well, not really lost, but misplaced. It was put away in one of my 37 bags and buried in my closet. So, although I don't have photo evidence, we've been having a fun summer.

My birthday was about a month ago and I was feeling pretty sorry for myself because Dave had to be out of town on the mark of my first quarter-century. Of course I got over it pretty quickly since my friend Jenny came over and we had a little movie-watching luau after Harrison went to bed. And then the next night the Smith's and the Allison's came over to help me celebrate...it was a fun weekend. A week or so later we headed north for Dave's family reunion. It was fun to see all of his cousins and their families. One night while we were there we left Harrison with his Grandma and Great Grandma and went camping for the night.

I was not as prepared as I should have been, so we had to make our fire and set up the tent in the dark. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it really was dark outside. We eventually got it together and toasted some delicious marshmallows.

Although there are no pictures of him, Harrison is doing great too...I'll put some up here soon. He's tottering all over the place these days...with plenty of cuts and bruises to prove it. He is pretty huge...he wore a size 2T shirt to church yesterday...and I'm afraid we may run out of diapers that fit before he's potty trained:) His dad gave him his first buzz cut the other day and it has finally grown back out enough that he doesn't look totally bald. We just finished swim lessons, which he loved, and have been going to the park a ton, now that he likes climbing around on the equipment. I can't believe his first birthday is only a few weeks away!

Pork Chops with Mustard-Sage Sauce

Okay, this is the BEST pork chop I have ever had. And really quite easy. I got it from Robin to the Rescue by Robin Miller. The sauce could really be used over anything, chicken, ham, maybe even veggies or tofu something. Anyways...
1 T vegetable oil
4 boneless pork chops
salt and pepper

mustard-sage sauce

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1 T Dijon mustard
2 t cornstarch
1T chopped fresh sage or 1 t dried sage
1/2 t garlic powder


1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add the chops to the hot pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 min per side.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients until the cornstarch dissolves. Add to skillet, and simmer until the pork is just cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.

Christmas Pancakes

We tried a fun twist on Christmas pancakes the other day. I poured the batter into muffin tins. Try it!!

Apricot Bars

This is an easy recipe that kids can help with. Use apricot preserves or whatever else your family likes and you have on hand. This morning Cody and I used strawberry jam. I also used 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. Experiment and let me know what your family likes!

Apricot Bars

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 sticks (regular, salted) butter, cut into pieces
1 10-12 ounce jar Apricot Preserves

Mix all ingredients except Apricot Preserves. Press one half of the mixture into a buttered 8″ square (or small rectangular) pan. Spread with a 10-12 ounce jar of apricot preserves. Sprinkle second half of mixture over the top and pat lightly. Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes or until light brown. Let cool completely, then cut into squares

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

This is one of my favorites. Its pretty easy and you can make it the night before. I've served at before for brunch (at showers) and it was a big hit. Enjoy!


Blueberry French Toast Casserole

INGREDIENTS
12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries
10 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight. Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned. In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast

Waffles

Life has been crazy around here as of late so we've been having brekfast for dinner at least once a week. My kids LOVE waffles and so I've tried a few recipes and this is the one we like best.

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 c milk
1/2 cup oil
2 egg whites

In a medium bowl mix dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and set aside. In another medium bowl, beat egg yolks slightly. Stir in milk and oil. Add egg yolk mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be really lumpy.) In a small mixing bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold beaten egg whites into flour and egg yolk mixture, leaving a few fluffs of egg white. Do not overmix. Pour 1- 1 1/4 c of batter into waffle iron and cook. Makes 8-10 waffles.

Tantalizing Turkey Loaf

Don't tune out just because you read turkey loaf...I promise that this is delicious...even tantalizing:)

1/2 onion, chopped
1 lb extra lean ground turkey
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/2 cup italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 T (or a little more if you love it) grated parmesan cheese

Mix all together in a large bowl. Form mixture into 4 equally sized personal loaves and arrange on baking dish, or cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes.

*This is adapted from a recipe by Zonya Foco, so its pretty healthy.

Roast

This isn't really a recipe, more of a suggestion. A few weeks ago Sweetbay had roasts for a great deal so I bought a bunch. (In case I didn't tell you we now have a freezer in our garage which allows me to do this kind of thing. Yes, we are your stereotypical Mormon family!!) Anyway, I made a marinade based on the Pioneer Woman's brisket marinade. I made it and then poured it over the roast in the crockpot and cooked it all day (8-10 hours.) It was delicious!

Teriyaki Slaw Salad with Candied Tempeh

Wow, I just ate this whole bowl. So I feel sort of bad coming here with "recipies" for something like a salad or a sandwich, but whatever. I think this is pretty good. Tangy and sweet make a nice combo here.

Teriyaki Slaw Salad with Candied Tempeh

4 c. spinach, torn
3 c. red cabbage, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped
½ block tempeh
½ cup teriyaki dressing/marinade (w/ ginger, sesame)
2 T butter
2 T sugar

Mix vegetables, add dressing, marinade. Cut tempeh into ¼ inch wide strips, and halve. Heat 1 T of butter in pan, fry tempeh. Add sugar, and 1 T of butter, candy. Top salad, serve.

Barbecue Bulgur Sandwiches

So, if you don't know this about me—I'm crazy about bulgur. It's really good, and good for you. And it's really chewy. So I thought it might make a groud x substitute. This is my first try, with a sloppy-joe sort of application. But they're better, and no more messy.

Barbecue Bulgur Sandwiches
(makes 5-6 sandwiches)

sandwich rolls (bread)
toppings
cheese, onions, tomatoes

1 c. bulgur
1 c. water
1 c. broth
⅔ c. barbecue sauce

Mix bulgur, water, broth; S&P, cook. Stir in barbecue sauce (more or less depending on bulgur). Toast bread with cheese, add toppings.

Strawberry Citrus Slush

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups white sugar
6 cups water
2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry flavored gelatin mix
1 (46 fluid ounce) can pineapple juice
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 quart orange juice
2 (2 liter) bottles lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water, and strawberry flavored gelatin. Boil for 3 minutes. Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice. Divide mixture in half, and freeze in 2 separate containers.
When ready to serve, place the frozen contents of one container in a punch bowl, and stir in 1 bottle of lemon-lime soda until slushy.

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/2 C Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 C water

2 C granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 C well-shaken buttermilk

2 T vanilla

2 C all purpose flour

1 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350. Put cupcake papers in your muffin tins.
Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, then whisk in cocoa. (I sifted cocoa into the butter to avoid lumps) Add water and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in separately sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. Then sift again into the cocoa mixture and whisk until just combined (it will be a little bit lumpy).
Fill cupcake papers to about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean. It’s a moist cake, so don’t worry if a few crumbs stick to your tester. Allow cupcakes to cook and then dust with powdered sugar. (I made cinnamon cream cheese frosting instead. See recipe below.)
———————————————–
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

5 3/4-6 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 cup butter, softened, not margarine1 teaspoon vanilla
[NOTES: I used less than 4 cups of powdered sugar, taste-testing between each cup, b/c 5-6 cups seems like ALOT of powdered sugar to me! But maybe I don’t have that strong of a sweet tooth? That might also be why the frosting wasn’t as thick and harder to pipe though.]

INSTRUCTIONS
Beat together cream cheese, butter, cinnamon and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add about half the powdered sugar and beat until mixed well. Then gradually add the remaining powdered sugar until you reach a spreading consistency. (I topped with either chocolate jimmies or dusted with cinnamon)
ENJOY!

Lemon Lemon Cupcakes

Makes ~10 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
For cupcakes

1 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 c unsalted butter, room temp.

2 large eggs

6 tbsp buttermilk

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (~1 lemon for me)

2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest (~2 lemon for me)

For glaze

1/2 cup sugar

Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup water

Juice of 1/2 lemon, strained
[NOTES: The lemon syrup recipe makes quite a bit so you could probably 1/2 the recipe if you are only making 10 cupcakes.]
For topping3-4 large strawberries or 10 raspberries

INSTRUCTIONS
To make cupcakes–Preheat over to 350 F. Line 10 cupcake pan with liners. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl.
Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
Beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Beat in lemon juice and lemon zest.
Divide batter among liners. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to racks.

To make syrup–Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the zest and juice. Cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
The syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks if refrigerated in an airtight container.
ENJOY!

I Second the Soy Vay

This is a testimonial:

We tried it in a veggie stir fry and we loved it. I'll never again have another teriyaki sauce. Definitely worth the price.

Betsy C, Utah

Lemon Garlic Grouper

We had this on Monday night and everyone liked it. I know that the rest of you don't really do fish, but the same idea would be good with chicken or veggies. I like a strong lemon taste, but you can alter the lemon/ garlic ratio to whatever is yummy to you!

4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 c lemon juice
4 T butter
parsley (or dill might be good too!)
fish, chicken, veggies

Saute the garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter until nice and brown. Add the lemon juice and the rest of the butter and mix well. When the butter melts, take sauce off the heat and add herbs.

At this point I put the grouper fillets in a greased 9x13 pan, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and poured the sauce on top. Then I cooked the fish at 350 for 35-40 minutes. You could do chicken the same way, just butterfly the breasts so that they are pretty thin. I made another batch of the sauce and tossed broccoli in it and that was really good too.

Anyway, an easy idea that you can modify and use lots of ways. Enjoy!

The Actual Recipe

This is the real recipe for quite possibly the most delicious thing I have ever made (If I do say so myself)

Fresh Berry Cream Cakes

12 Foil Liners for cupcake pan
3/4 to 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 T butter, melted
1 cup fresh berries (I used strawberries...but I'm sure raspberries would be delicious too)
1 pkg cream cheese, at room temperature
1 can (140z) sweetened condensed milk
1 container Cool Whip

Mix graham cracker crumbs and butter and press into the bottom of the foil liners in cupcake pan. Reserve a few of the berries for garnish and puree the remainder in a food processor or blender. (This only takes a few seconds) Measure 1/2 cup of the berry puree. Discard the remainder.

Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, on low speed, beat the cream cheese until creamy (about 30 sec). Add sweetened condensed milk and pureed berries. Mix on medium until combined. Add 1 cup of the Cool Whip and hand mix until combined.

Divide the berry mixture evenly among the cups. You should have enough to fill each to the top, but not overflowing. Cover pan with plastic wrap and freeze at least three hours and up to two weeks.

A few minutes before serving remove from freezer and top each with the saved berries.

Delicious!!!

(Frozen strawberries can also be used for the puree...but not for the topping!)

Soy Vay!!

This is not a recipe, but more of an advertisement. Last night we had Teriyaki Shrimp for dinner. I was at Sweetbay (our local grocery store) looking for something to marinate the shrimp in and decided to splurge and buy Soy Vay's Veri Veri Teriyaki. I had never tried it before, but had seen it quite a few times and had always been interested. It is SOOOOOOOO good. The best teriyaki we've ever had...by far! I highly reccomend it. In other food news, Sweetbay also carries spiedie sauce (and salt potatoes) so I bought some of that too!!

Feta and Bacon Stuffed Chicken

6 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 T dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package feta
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the oil lemon juice, garlic, oregano,salt and better. Mix together. Mix together the feta and bacon. Make a small slit in the thick side of each chicken breast. Move the knife back and forth to create a large pocket. Stuff each breast with the cheese and bacon mixutre. (If there is any cheese mixture left you can sprinkle it over the chicken right before you stick it in the oven.) Close each opening with toothpicks. Put the chicken in a 9x13 pan and pour oil mixture over chicken. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

I found this general recipe on Allrecipes and tweeked it a bit. We had this tonight for dinner and everyone enjoyed it. It'd be nice when you have company for dinner.

Jess' Vegan Chocolate Cake.

In case you haven't yet heard: I've given up eggs. It's been slow going, (Vinnie made a paprikash that I had to get in on, and there have been various cookie incidents. I don't want to talk about it) but I'm finding my way. So while on iTunes (a while ago now) I found a little upstart vegan cooking vlog called Vegan A Go-Go. It's crazy wonderful, and since most of my classes are from 12 to 4, I can usually catch what Jess (the vlog front woman) puts up in the morning, and can get whatever I need to make it on my way home.

This little ditty, has been made successfully a few times at my house. It's really good, and the recipe doesn't call for some crazy hippy ingredients that I don't have on hand. As a matter of fact Vinnie and I made this cake the other day—just because we had all the ingredients!

Jess' Vegan Chocolate Cake

1½ c. all purpose flour
1 c. sugar
¼ c. cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1 c. water
⅓ c. vegetable oil (I use butter)
1 t. vanilla
1 t. white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9"x5" (or 9" round) pan liberally. Combine dry, add wet, mix. Bake for forty-five minutes.

While making this cake I put together a little tofu frosting. I know it sounds disgusting, but it isn't I swear. I blend it with my power-stick, use something comparable.

Tyler's Tofu Cream Cheese Frosting

½ block firm tofu
½ c. sugar
½ block cream cheese
¼ c. cocoa powder
2 T. honey (can be omitted)

Blend.

Brisket

If you haven't yet met The Pioneer Woman or her cooking you should. Now here's the recipe:

2 cans beef consomme
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups soy sacue
5 cloves chopped garlic
2 tablespoons Liquid Smoke
1 10-lb beef brisket

Combine first five ingrdients in large roasting pan. Place brisket in the marinade, fat side up. Cover tightly with foil. Marinate in fridge for 24-48 hours. When ready to cook, place pan, covered in foil, into a 300-degree oven. Cook brisket for approx. 40 minutes per pound. When fork tender, transfer whole brisket to a cutting board. Slice against the grain and place slices back into the cooking liquid. Serve immeadiately, serving jus over the slices. Store in fridge for ups to 2 days or freeze for use at later date.

We made sandwiches with the meat on a hoagie roll with a little Colby Jack on top. The cheese is defintely not necessary. This is soooo easy and SOOOO good.

Strawberry Creme Tarts

This recipe was the delicious...if I do say so myself...hit of the Valentine's Day festivities. I made a graham cracker crust in the bottom of lined muffin cups. The creme part was a mixture of low fat cream cheese, cool whip, sweetened condensed milk and pureed strawberries. The tarts were frozen, then before serving topped with cool whip and a slice of fresh strawberry. Exact recipe to come.....:)

Smoky Chicken Corn Cakes

1 3 1/2 to 4 pound rotisserie chicken (I use 1 lb shredded chicken)
1 T chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
3 T lime juice
1 T salt
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro (I use dried)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t black pepper
4 large eggs
1 cup part-skim ricotta (I've used cottage cheese as well)
10 oz corn
2 t canola oil
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

1. Shred chicken and combine with chipotle, lime juice, 1/4 t salt, onion, tomatoes, and cilantro; set aside.
2. Wisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, pepper, and remaining salt.
3. Stir in eggs and ricotta until it's not lumpy. Fold in corn.
4. Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. For each corn cake spoon about 1/4 cup batter into skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes on first side, 1 minute on the second.
5. Top cakes with chicken and serve with sour cream. Makes about 10 corn cakes with plenty of chicken to top.

Wish I had a picture. It looks kind of high class... Next one will be vegetarian!

The Pioneer Lady's Brisket (Plant Eater...skip this one!)

For those of you interested, I'm in the process of making brisket from The Pioneer Woman (Bryn calls her the Pionner Lady.) It involves marinating the meat, which is a HUGE chunk of cow, for 24-48 hours and then cooking it for 8 hours or so. I plan on having in Saturday midafternoon. It was easy to prepare thus far...I'll let you know how it turns out.

Enchilada Casserole

1 pound ground beef/ground turkey/chicken breast
half an onion, chopped
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
5 corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch strips
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook meat and onion together until meat is browned. Drain, if needed. Spread half of the salsa on the bottom of a square baking dish. Mix the remaining salsa, sour cream and soup in a separate bowl. Layer half of the tortilla strips, meat mixture, soup mixture and cheese on salsa, repeat.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350.

We've had this with chicken and ground beef, and they're both pretty delicious. It is a quick and easy alternative to enchiladas. I'm sure you could go meatless and substitute black beans or pintos too. We have this quite a bit and so these days I always have corn tortillas on hand. Sometimes for a snack I use a pizza cutter to cut the tortillas into wedges, sprinkle them with a little salt and broil for about 5 minutes and have some yummy homemade chips with salsa. Hope you enjoy!

Tortelinni Salad

OK...I'll start. I don't have a picture, but here is the recipe:

1 big package of fresh tortelenni ( we like the 3 cheese Buttoni's, but whatever you like is fine)
1 bag baby spinach
5-6 strips cooked bacon, crumbled ( or fake-O baco if you don't do meat)
1 package gorgonzola cheese
1 pint grape tomatoes

Cook the tortelinni and mix everything together. Top with Ceasar or Ranch dressing. Serve with crusty bread.

Everyone in my familiy loves this. I love it becuase its really easy and can be thrown together at the last minute, but its yummy and fairly good for you too!