Stuffed Green Peppers

Mexican Inspired Stuffed Green Peppers
3 medium-large green bell peppers, cut lengthways

1lb. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 c. black beans, rinsed

3/4 c. corn

1/2 c. uncooked rice

2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce, divided 

1 clove of garlic, smashed

Cilantro
Cumin

Salt & pepper

Pepper Jack cheese

1. In a large stock pot bring aprox. 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the cut green peppers & simmer for about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, brown ground beef & onion in a saute pan.
3. Add black beans, corn, rice, 1/2 c. water, 1 can of tomato sauce, garlic, cilantro, cumin, salt & pepper. Bring it to a boil, cover & simmer about 7 minutes.
5. Pour the 2nd can of tomato sauce in the bottom of the Deep Covered Baker. Sprinkle in salt & pepper to taste. Lay blanched green peppers in. Fill with the meat/rice mixture. Top w/ Pepper Jack cheese (Not pictured). Put lid on baker.
6. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes or until green peppers & rice are tender & cheese is melted! OR place in a crock pot & cook on high for 2 hours.

Mexican casserole Wins!

Ken asks "What is for dinner?"

I say "Mexican casserole."

Ken: "Huh? Oh, you mean Mexican lasagna?"

Whatever you want to call it this recipe is quick and easy. It's also easy to keep all ingredients on hand, I love those kinds of recipes. I like to serve 1-2 vegetarian recipes a week so when I make this I always keep it meat free--but it would be delicious w/ some ground beef browned up and among the layers!

Mexican Casserole/ Lasagna- Makes 6 servings
4 Tortillas. thawed
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
1 can (16 oz) fat free re fried beans
1 green pepper, chopped
1 c. corn (I use frozen, thawed)
1/2 c. onions (white or green)
1/2 tsp each: parsley, chili powder, cumin and cilantro
salt & pepper to taste
1 c. low fat cheddar cheese
1/4 c. black olives, sliced

-In a large skillet over medium heat add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add green pepper, corn, onions and all the seasonings. Saute just until tender, about 5 minutes, b/c they will finish cooking during baking process!
- Spray your crock pot w/ cooking spray. (FYI-This dish can also be done in the oven. 350 for 35 minutes) Put 2 Tbsp. of enchilada sauce on bottom. Next, pour remaining enchilada sauce into a separate, deep, dish.
-Dip 1 tortilla into enchilada sauce and put in crock pot.
- Top tortilla w/ 1/4 of the re fried beans, 1/4 of corn mixture then 1/4 c. cheese.
-Repeat 3 more times!
-Top last layer w/ cheese then black olives & any remaining green onions.
-Put lid on crock pot and allow to cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4.
-Serve w/ salsa, sour cream etc.
==1 serving is 5 WW pts!

Shredded Chicken Tacos WIN!

Shredded Chicken Tacos
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/3 c. chopped onion
1/2 jalapeno, minced (optional)
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tsp. dry parsley
1/2 tsp. each cilantro and cumin
S & P to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
6 corn or flour tortillas {I homemade my tortillas using this Excellent recipe}

1. Place everything through salt and pepper into crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
2. After crock pot cooking time is up- Add olive oil and bell pepper to a large skillet and saute until tender.
3. Transfer chicken mixture to skillet, discarding juice. {I use tongs to eliminated as much juice as possible}
4. Stir until mixed and any juice has simmered off.
5. Serve in warm tortillas with: Cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce & EXTRA napkins these tacos are messy :)

Nutritional Info: Recipe makes 4 servings (4 tacos)
Chicken filling only= 2 pts per serving
Tortillas= Use points value on package or if you use the same recipe I used they are 4 pts a piece!
Don't forget to calculate your points for garnishes like sour cream and cheese too!

Rotisserie Chicken in crock pot Wins this week!

Whole "Rotisserie" Chicken in the Crock Pot
1 4-5 lb. whole chicken
1/2 onion
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. parsley
1/4 tsp. each: thyme, sage, rosemary, pepper, garlic powder & paprika

1. Rinse chicken in warm water, place in crock pot and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Combine all the spices in a small bowl and mix well.
3. Rub dry spices all over chicken. I like to pull the skin back and force the spices in between the skin and the meat. This helps keep the herbs on the chicken allowing to really penetrate the meat.
4. Roughly chop onion and place around the chicken.
5. Place breast side Down, put lid on and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8.

-When I prepare chicken this way Ken and I eat just the breasts with some sides on the first night. The following day I shred/chop the leftover chicken and use in a soup, tacos, enchiladas (tonight I am making "Lone star enchiladas" from the new Taste of Home!)

Fits perfectly in my crock pot. This is after it is rubbed down w spices. You can not see them b/c they are in between the skin and the meat!

All done. This is as I'm peeling the ICKY skin off. Now you can see the spices!

Dinner is served!

Nutritional Info: I had trouble coming up with the WW points for chicken prepared this way. Since I just ate the breast I considered it 4 pts.

Sweet N Sour Pork Chops Wins!

Here's a great meal from the crock pot. It was nice to use my c.p. on Monday---It was like 98 degrees out! PHEWWWW

Sweet N Sour Pork chops- Makes 6 servings
6 pork chops (I used thin ones bc they were on sale)
S & P
1 can pineapple in its own juice, undrained
1/3 c. vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
3 Tbsp corn starch
1 tsp. parsley
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can water chestnuts
1/2 c. green onions, chopped
2 c. cooked brown rice

1. Place pork chops in the bottom of crock pot and season with salt and pepper.
2. In a small mixing bowl combine: pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, corn starch and parsley. Pour over porck chops.
3. Add bell pepper. Cook on high for 6 hours.
4. The last 30 minutes add water chestnuts and pineapple.
5. Serve over brown rice!

Nutritional Information: 7 WW pts per serving! (Recipe makes 6 servings)
cal: 296
fat: 7
carbs: 34
protein: 21

fiber: 2.5

Swedish Meatballs WINS this week's poll!

Meatballs:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c.bread crumbs
2 lb. ground beef or any variation
1/2 c. milk
1/2 onion, finely chopped
Parsley
S&P
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsp. EVOO

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. flour
1 c. half and half
1 c. beef broth
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. sour cream
S&P

1.Combine all meatball ingredients, EXCEPT butter & EVOO, and roll into balls {Pampered Chef cookie scoop works great}
2. Melt butter and EVOO in large skillet over medium/high heat. Place meatballs in skillet and cook, with out moving, for 5 minutes. This allows a nice crispy crust to form. (It's ok if they are still pink-they will continue cooking in the c.p.) NOTE: This step can be skipped. If in a hurry just place rolled meatballs into c.p.
3. Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer until slightly thickened.
4. Put meatballs in crock pot and pour sauce on top. Cook on low for 4 hours. Or cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
5. Serve over egg noodles.
***If freezing:
 1.Allow to cool completely.
 2. Transfer to a freezer friendly container. Glad has a great pan that is oven safe. Or I found some great foil containers at Kroger that work perfectly.
3. When ready to eat: Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. OR transfer to a crock pot. Cook on low 4-6 hours.

Browning in the skillet

Finished

Homemade YOGURT

***Update: I changed up how I make my yogurt. It's so much quicker and results in a thicker consistency. If you want to make yogurt at home quickly and have the attention to babysit it in the beginning follow these instructions. Below I have how I used to make it in my crock pot.

Ingredients:
1/2 gallon milk (any percentage will work)
1/2c. Plain yogurt (I always freeze a half cup from my previous batch. The 1st time I made yogurt I used Dannon)

Instructions:
-Pour milk into a large stock pot.
-Over low heat, scald the milk, stirring occasionally & removing any skin that forms. {Scalding milk is to bring just before boiling. Several ways to know your milk is scalded. Temperature should be around 185, milk smells sweet, & the top get frothy} Stay close to kitchen during this process. You do NOT want it to even simmer & the bottom will burn if you do not stir, scraping the bottom!
-Once the milk is scalded, turn off the heat and bring the temperature down to 115.
-Once milk is at 115 degrees add the 1/2 c. plain yogurt.
-Put a tight fighting lid on pot and wrap in several kitchen towels. {Keep it wrapped. No peeking!! I put my pan in a Pyrex travel case w/ the hot pack heated up! I also recently got a heat pad that I put underneath}
-Let sit on the counter for 8 hours.
-After 8 hours. Remove towel and stir yogurt. Place in refrigerator overnight. If whey forms just stir into yogurt. It's normal for it to do that.
-The next morning: Reserve 1/2c. for your next batch of yogurt. You can freeze this! This way you won't need the Dannon next time.
-I wanted Greek style yogurt so I strained mine in cheese cloth over a colander. Do this in the morning after its sat in fridge over night. This process is quick, about 20 minutes. You can let it sit longer or shorter depending on the consistency you'd like.
-Now is when you can add flavors!!! I've tried several different ways. Ken & I like it w/ just honey. Miss Mae likes it w/ a strawberry or blueberry sauce.

Scalding milk

Showing how I wrapped it during incubation. The blue on the bottom is the heat pad it was on low for the first 5 hours. After  this picture I zipped up the carrying case and put 2 more towels on top.

My breakfast the next morning: Homemade yogurt, homemade blueberry sauce, homemade granola :)

Tamale Pie is the WINNER

Tamale Pie WINS the most votes! This is an awesome recipe that Ken requests often! I've also made it for a few friends as a "Congrats on your new baby" meal!  Its simple and easy to keep all the ingredients on hand. Try it out and let me know your opinions!

Tamale Pie

1 lb. ground turkey/beef

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 c. corn, canned or frozen

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can enchilada sauce or tomato sauce

1 tsp. cilantro and cumin

S & P

Corn bread batter, 1 small Jiffy box mix or according to corn meal directions

1. Brown ground turkey in skillet until no longer pink. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook for 5 additional minutes.

2. Transfer meat mixture and ALL the remaining ingredients to crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours OR bake at 375 for 1 hour.

3. Mix together corn bread batter and pour on top of ground meat mixture (do not stir in- just let it sit on top) Place lid back on crock pot and cook for aprox. 1 hour OR bake according to corn bread recipe. Corn bread should be cook all the way through.

4. Serve w sour cream, hot sauce, additional cheese etc.

Nutritional Info: serving = 1/8 of pie

9 WW pts

Ca: 436

Fat: 13g

Fiber:10g

Protein:26g