Robert's Rockin' Hummus

Robert makes an excellent hummus. If you haven't tried it, you definitely should. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cans chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
10 green olives
4 tbsp. EVOO
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. lime juice (or lemon)
3 tbsp. roasted red pepper
Dash of Chile powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
- Food process olives first (they will not mince as well if you combine all ingredients from the beginning).
- Once olives are ground, add the rest of the ingredients and food process until smooth.
- Serve on crackers or toasted pita. Delicious!

Stroganoff

I know I haven't posted for a while... but with good reason- I've been interviewing, test taking, getting a job (whoop!), driving to Galveston to support my husband as he looks for a job... and oh yeah, I only have one follower! ;) Anyway's, this is a really yummy recipe and it's probably the most healthy one you'll find of a Stroganoff type dish.

Ingredients:
2 cans chicken broth
1 can 99% FF Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 c. fat free sour cream
1 medium onion diced
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1/2 bag wheat egg noodles
EVOO

Directions:
- Using a little bit of EVOO, saute onions until they are transluscent.
- Next, add the ground turkey, and brown until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add chicken broth, sour cream, cream of mushroom soup and mix well until combined. Let simmer until it boils.
- Add egg noodles and cook for about 8 minutes or until the noodles are cooked through. (I stir them pretty regularly to make sure all of them are below the liquid level)

This is one of Val's favorite dishes, it's really easy, it's pretty healthy, and you can easily make a whole pot or just a little bit!

Calabazita con carne de Puerco

So we all know how to make this I think, but since I made it the other night I actually paid attention to what I put into it. This fed 3-4 comfortably with homemade corn tortillas and no rice.

Ingredients:
- 3 zucchini, diced
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 can corn (in retrospect, I think there was a little too much corn in this one- so if corn isn't your fave or you aren't making that much, I'd go for one of the mini cans of corn, or just use half- it tastes fine with the whole can though)
- 3 pork chops/fillets, cubed (and taken off the bone if you didn't get the boneless ones)
- 1 tbsp. tomato bouillon (knorr)
- Enough EVOO to sautee onions

Directions:
- In chef's pan, saute onions with EVOO 3-5 minutes or until slightly see through.
- Add cubed pork and knorr. Stir and cook another 5 minutes. (Until pork is done)
- Add in zucchini, tomatoes, and corn. Simmer for about 15 minutes covered or until veggies are soft. Taste test throughout to see if you need more knorr.

I know it's kind of a simple recipe that we all know, but I find even myself wondering how many zucchini do I get again... when I'm at the store.

Dijon Chicken Smothered in Mushrooms!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. It was my Spring Break and I really didn't go near a kitchen except to pack it up for our move! Here's a recipe I am making tonight that is one of my favorite healthy recipes ever.

Ingredients:
- 4 Boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1/4 c. all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 2 tbsp. EVOO
- 1/2 c. chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tbsp. dijon mustard
- 4 1/2 oz (1 jar) sliced mushrooms

Directions:
- Flatten chicken to 1/4 " thickness.
- Mix flour, salt and pepper into shallow dish. Coat chicken in flour mixture.
- Heat oil in pan. Cook chicken until it's no longer pink (6-8 minutes)
- Remove Chicken and put on plate. Cover to keep warm.
- Stir broth and dijon mustard into the same pan used for cooking the chicken. Bring to a boil.
- Add mushrooms. Cook 2-3 minutes until thickened.
- Spoon sauce over chicken and Enjoy!

* I usually cook this chicken and serve it over brown rice with green beans! Great combo!

Chicken Salad!

I got this recipe from my lovely sister-in-law and have made it twice in the last three weeks for different occasions. It has been a HUGE hit and I have gotten requests for the recipe. This is how I make it- it might be a little different from the original version, but y'all can change and amend it as needed.

Ingredients:
- 1 can (13 oz.) Shredded Chicken (I use the canned chicken I can buy in 5 packs from Sam's)
- 4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese melted or softened (You can add more if you like more of a wet salad)
- 1/4 c. craisins
- 1/4 c. walnuts, diced (I also use sun flower seeds and it's delicious)
- 1/4 small apple, diced
- 1 key lime, juiced
- 2 tbsp. mayo or sour cream (this is actually totally optional if you don't have either or don't want to use either)
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine cream cheese, lime juice and mayo/sourcream (if you choose to use it).

Drain juice from canned chicken and break up into cream cheese mixture until evenly coated.

Add craisins, and walnuts. Then mix together and add salt and pepper to taste.

Add apples last (so that you don't smush them too much) and mix lightly.

This is great for showers, luncheons, etc, etc. Like I said, I've gotten a lot of compliments from it every time I have made it. You could also add celery, grapes, or a different type of nut.

Lovely Leftovers!

I made this last night with stuff I had in the fridge when I got home late and was starving. It literally took 15 minutes and was DELICIOUS! You can substitute whatever you have in your fridge.

Chicken, Noodle and Veggie Delight:
Ingredients:
- 2 c. wheat egg noodles (These cook really fast and go along way in satisfying hunger. I have pretty much replaced cooking with regular noodles and cook mostly with these. I definitely recommend keeping them in your pantry)
- 1/4 c. cream cheese (this is what I used for the sauce, you could also use anything in your fridge like salad dressing or some other liquid to thicken the noodles up)
- Chicken Bullion
- 1/2 c. veggies (I used onion, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper)
- 1 leftover piece of grilled chicken (if you don't cook regularly you could keep canned chicken in your pantry or use any other kind of meat or protein like beans from a can)

Directions:
Boil water and chicken bullion and then add egg noodles.

Cook egg noodles for about 6 minutes before dumping out about half the water and adding cream cheese, veggies and your chicken (cubed).

Cook about 6 more minutes until noodles and veggies are soft. Add salt and pepper as needed.

It seems really simple which is why I love it but it's also really satisfying, tastes like a home cooked meal, and keeps me from picking up something quick on my way home when I know how fast I can make this. Hope y'all enjoy!

Sausage, Egg and Hashbrown Casserole

I made this for Christmas morning this year and fully intend to make every year from now on. It was that simple and that amazingly delicious! The original ingredients don't call for any vegetables so I've changed it up. If you're a certain someone in this family who doesn't like bell peppers than you can definitely make it with just the sausage, eggs and hash browns and it will still be delicious!

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. turkey sausage
- 9 lg. eggs slightly beaten
- 3/4 c. milk
- 1/4 c. margarine-melted (I use B&B which makes me feel a little better)
- 24 oz. pkg. hash browns (you can also make your own by grating potatoes until you have about 3 c. worth)
- 8 oz. cheddar cheese (I have only used the sharp cheddar which is amazing, but you could use any cheese and I think it would come out well)
- 1/4 c. onion diced
- 1/4 c. red bell pepper diced
- 1/4 c. green bell pepper diced
- 1/4 c. mushrooms diced
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease 13x9 pan well. Crumble uncooked turkey sausage in pan.

Add milk and butter to eggs. Then add all the vegetables you want to use to the egg mixture. Pour over turkey sausage. Add hash browns and top with shredded cheese.

Bake 1 hour.

Trust me, it's really really good and it makes an entire huge pan of breakfast casserole that is guaranteed to feed a ton of people. It fed the four of us Christmas morning and then my FIL took it to work and it fed everyone at the station with a little piece left over! If you don't want to feed that many people, use a smaller pyrex and cut the recipe in half. ;)

Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting = AMAZING!

Many of you have had what I like to call my signature cupcake. Red Velvet cake mix out of the box and my homemade Cream Cheese Frosting- this MAKES any dessert about 20 x's better if you ask me.

Ingredients:
- 8 oz. cold cream cheese
- 1 stick margarine, firm but cold
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 3 3/4 c. powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
*If you have a kitchen aid mixer you should DEFINITELY use it, otherwise a regular hand held mixer works well too, just with more effort involved on your part. :)
- Beat cream cheese, margarine and salt for 2-3 minutes on medium until they are combined and reach a creamy consistency.
- Reduce the mixing speed to low and add powdered sugar gradually until all has been added.
- Add vanilla and mix just enough to integrate it into the frosting.
* Tip: if your frosting is too thick slowly add milk (a couple of spoonfuls at a time- nothing too crazy) until you can spread it easily.

STOPP Stoup

Sausage, Tomato, Onion, Pepper and Potato Stoup-
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp. EVOO
- 1 lb. turkey sausage (or any other sausage you prefer- turkey is good though)
- 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 2 Anaheim or Cubanelle peppers diced *
- 1 red bell pepper diced*
- 1 green bell pepper diced*
- 4 golden potatoes diced
- 1-2 onions chopped
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (I don't always use this and I can't tell a huge difference between when I do and when I don't)
- 2 (15 oz) cans of crushed or diced fire roasted tomatoes (I've also just used my food processor with tomatoes I have in the fridge that are too soft to use for anything else and it came out great)
- 1 jug of chicken stock (I think using chicken stock makes a difference- I use a yellow box of it that is all natural with no salt added)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
- French bread, or other bread of your choice for sopping up the stoup
* The peppers are really up to you. The combo I use gives the stoup a slightly sweeter taste since I use a lot of red bell pepper. If there is something in season then I use more of that pepper. The peppers I use are non spicy peppers and still add A LOT of flavor to the stoup.

Directions:
Heat EVOO in deep skillet (I use my glorious cast iron casserole pot and it is amazing).

Add sausage and brown for a few minutes, then add the garlic, onions, and peppers and cook until veggies are soft. Do NOT add the potatoes yet! Add salt and pepper. Add vinegar, chicken stock, tomatoes and potatoes and reduce to a simmer.

If you use a cast iron dish it cooks VERY quickly (like 10 minutes!), if not, it will need to simmer until the potatoes are soft (about 25 minutes or less depending on how small you dice them).

Serve and add cheese on top. Eat with crusty bread of some variety.

This stoup (Stew like soup) is delicious both fresh and as a leftover. It saves VERY well!

Southwestern Cobb Dip

Ingredients:
- 1/4 c. Milk
- 1/3 c. Sour Cream
- 1 Lime squeezed
- 1/2 pkg. of Taco Seasoning
- Salt and Ground Pepper to taste
- 1 Diced red bell pepper
- 1 can of corn
- 1 can of black beans
- 1/4 red onion diced
- 1 avocado diced* (optional- I don't normally put this in)

Combine milk, sour cream, lime, taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Add diced vegetables and chill. Serve with chips or crackers.

Oven Baked "Fried" Chicken

Oven Baked "Fried" Chicken is super healthy b/c it's not fried at all and also is fairly easy to prep. I originally found the recipe on the food network but I have changed it some from its original format.

Oven Baked "Fried" Chicken
Ingredients:
- Cooking Spray (I use Olive Oil)
- 1 1/3 c. Instant Oats
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 4 (4 oz) chicken breast
- 3/4 bottle of honey dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400* F. Coat baking sheet with Olive Oil spray.

Combine Oats, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Coat each piece of chicken liberally with honey dijon mustard. Coat each side with oat mixture. Bake 30 minutes.