Quinoa, black bean and corn tacos

My friend had tried this recipe and gave it an 8/10 rating so I thought I would try it. It definitely was good. Half way through dinner Elliott said, "We need to make this again. This needs to be one of our regular meals." All my kids loved it. Both boys asked for seconds. Even my 8 month old was shoving it in her mouth by the fist full. I made minor changes to the original recipe. I changed this recipe from the original to make it a one pot meal.

Quinoa, black beans and corn tacos


1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth or water)
2 (10 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chilis, undrained (Rotel)
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp.  ground coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1-1 1/2 Tbsp. Lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Serve with:
Tortillas (we used corn)
Cheese
Sour cream
Avocados, diced
Shredded lettuce
Tomatoes, diced


In a small frying pan, sauté onions in Olive oil until golden and tender. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add quinoa, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, coriander, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked and mixture is thickened.

Stir in corn and black beans and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in lime juice and cilantro and serve on warm tortillas with desired toppings.


Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

I know that this says crock pot, but I actually just made this in a pot in about 20 minutes. I didn't have chicken thawed so I just used canned chicken. I also used garlic salt rather than onion powder and I didn't use cumin. This was all because those are the spices that I had. (That's the way I cook.) 

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
1 can Rotel Tomatoes (undrained) I used the one with green chilies
1 can corn (undrained)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 t cumin
1 t onion powder
1 T chili powder
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 pkg cream cheese

Put chicken in the bottom of the crock pot. Add rotel tomatoes, corn, black beans, spices, and ranch dressing mix. Stir. Then add the cream cheese, but do not stir it in.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Before serving stir in the cream cheese.

Almond Joy Cookies

This is Dexter's Mom's recipe. I love them, but I also love coconut!

1 cup butter
1/2 C white sugar
1 1/2 C brown sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/2 C flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
5 C chocolate chips
2 C sweetened coconut
2 C chopped almonds

Pre-heat oven to 375.
Lightly grease cookie sheets. Combine dry ingredient, except the sugars, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, stir in the vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients until well mixed, then stir in the chocolate chips, coconut, and almonds. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sausage Dip

Someone brought this to a school I was teaching at a few years back. It's my favorite dip!

1 can green chilies (4 oz)
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
1 (16 oz) sour cream
1 package regular sausage
1 package Italian sausage
2 cans Mexican tomatoes

Fry sausages in fry pan. Drain grease. Add cream cheese, sour cream, and chilies. Put in crockpot and add tomatoes. Warm and serve with chips.

Creamy Sausage and Spinach Pasta Skillet

 I made this and I loved it! Dexter doesn't really like pasta and he said that he actually really like this! It is almost better on the second day too.

Ingredients

• 6 oz. smoked sausage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion (We definitely used less than this.)
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chiles
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 8 oz. pasta
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded monterrey jack
• 1 whole green onion 

Instructions

1. Thinly slice the smoked sausage and add it to a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the sausage over medium heat until it is nicely browned (about 5-7 minutes). Drain off the excess fat.
2. Dice the onion and add it to the skillet. Continue to saute until the onion has softened (about 5 minutes). Add the can of diced tomatoes with chiles and the chicken broth. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet.
3. Add the uncooked pasta to the skillet and make sure it is all submerged under the liquid. Place a lid on the skillet and allow the mixture to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about ten minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir once or twice while the pasta cooks to keep it from sticking.
4. Stir in the fresh spinach, one cup at a time, until wilted. If you add it all at once, the skillet will be too full to stir. Keep the heat on while adding the spinach, so the liquid will continue to simmer and thicken.
5. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, replace the lid, and let it sit for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Slice the green onions and sprinkle them over top. Serve hot!