Cinncinnati Chili

This is my favorite quick meal!  So thankful that my friend Kim made it for us one night!  It's awesome!

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pkg mild chili seasoning
1 tsp cinnamon
15 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 box whole wheat spaghetti
water

Directions:
1.  Cook pasta according to pasta.
2.  In skillet, cook ground beef until brown.  Add chili seasoning, cinnamon, tomato sauce, kidney beans, and about 1/2 cup water.
3.  Serve meat mixture over spaghetti.
4.  Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

CrockPot Pork for Tacos and Chalupas

Made this last night during our Mexican week, and it was AWESOME!!!!!!  Will definitely make this again and again!


CrockPot Pork for Tacos and Chalupas

Ingredients:
large boneless pork shoulder
16 oz tomato sauce
1 cup water
3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt

Directions:
1.  Place pork in large crock pot.
2.  Combine rest of ingredients in bowl and pour over pork.  Cook on high in Crockpot for 4-5 hours or until fully cooked through and it shreds easily.

Panang Curry with Veggies, Scallops, and Shrimp

My own creation :)

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp diced lemongrass
1 tsp diced ginger
1 1/2 red bell peppers, sliced thin
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut in 2-inch pieces
4 keiffer lime leaves
1 lb scallops
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 green zucchini, chopped
2 tsp red curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1 cup water
4 handfuls fresh baby spinach
cooked white rice

Directions:
1.  Heat olive oil in large wok over medium high heat.  Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until soft.
2.  Add garlic, lemongrass, and ginger.  Cook for about 3 minutes.
3.  Add bell pepper, asparagus, and keiffer lime leaves and cook for about 3 minutes.
4.  Add scallops, shrimp, squash, and zucchini.  Cook for about 8 minutes or until seafood is cooked through.
5.  Mix water, coconut milk, and red curry paste together.  Add to wok.  Add spinach and cook for about 3 minutes until spinach is wilted.
6.  Serve over cooked white rice.

Italian Veggie Quesadillas

This was my own creation, from one of the ideas I found in a cookbook last night.  They were SO good!  The kids said they "LOVED them...even more than the regular ones!"  And Chris said they were "Amazing!"  :)  So, looks like we'll be having these a lot!!!!
The veggies make them nice and rich so you don't need any salt or sour cream to dip them!


Ingredients:
10 small four tortillas
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
1/2 (of 15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced (optional)
sprinkle of Italian seasoning
4-8 oz Mozzarella cheese
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1.  In large skillet, heat oil and onion over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until onion just starts to brown.  Add garlic and mushrooms.  Cook for another 3-5 minutes until mushrooms turn dark.
2.  Add spinach, drained tomatoes, basil, jalapeno (if desired), and Italian seasoning.  Heat, stirring often, until spinach is completely wilted.  Remove from heat.
3.  Heat flat skillet over medium heat.  To make each quesadilla, place one tortilla on flat skillet.  Top with little mozzarella, mushroom/spinach mixture, little Parmesan, and a little more Mozzarella (Use enough cheese to help it all stick together to each tortilla).  Heat until bottom of quesadilla is golden.  Using a large spatula, flip quesadilla over and heat the second side until it's golden brown.  Remove and place onto serving dish; cut into 4 pieces with scissors.

Roasted Garlic, Chicken, and Mushroom Tacos

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
3 cups diced roasted chicken
8 corn or flour tortillas
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes - or canned petite diced

1.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Saute garlic and mushrooms until mushrooms are soft, about 6 minutes.  Add chicken and saute until chicken is heated through, 6 to 8 minutes.
2.  To build tacos, divide chicken mixture equally among tortillas.  Top with spinach, cheese, and sun dried tomatoes.

Buffalo Chicken Taquitos

3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/3 cup Frank's wing sauce
3/4 tsp salt
36 corn tortillas

1.  In large bowl, combine chicken, wing sauce, and salt.
2.  To build taquitos, place about 1 heaping Tbsp of chicken at one end of each tortilla.  Gently roll tortilla tightly and secure with a toothpick.  Deep-fry immediately or place rolled tacos in a resealable bag to keep moist.  Refrigerate up to 2 days or until ready to cook.
3.  Fill a deep-fryer, deep heavy pot, or deep skillet with 3 inches of vegetable oil and heat to 350 degrees.  Using tongs, gently place 3 to 4 tacos at a time in hot oil and deep-fry, turning once, until golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Blue Cheese Crumbles

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups shredded roasted chicken
1/4 cup Franks wing sauce
8 corn tortillas
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
8 oz blue cheese crumbles

Directions:
1.  In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Saute chicken and hot sauce until chicken is heated through, 10 to 12 minutes.
2.  To build tacos, divide chicken mixture equally among tortillas.  Top with lettuce and blue cheese.