Banana Drink

I made this today and my kids loved it.  I told them that Mom used to make it for us when I was little.  It brought back memories of home. Anyone have the Orange Julius recipe?

1 banana
1 cup milk
1 tbs honey
1 tbs peanut butter
3-4 ice cubes

put all ingredients into a blender and blend.  

Slow Cooker Bean and Cornbread Casserole

I got this recipe from The Vegetable Collaboration.  I think the website is run by one of Deb's roommates.  Steve and I really like this.  I haven't made the cornbread yet as I tried this recipe to use up some almost inedible corn muffins Big E and I made (they were way to dense and dry).  It was just right.  So I'm sure making it with the cornbread would be delicious. 

Ingredients:

• 1 large green or red bell pepper
• 1 large sweet or white onion
• 3 cloves garlic (or more, if you’re a garlic fiend!)
• 1 can (16oz) red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 can (16oz) pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 can (16oz) black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 8-10 oz tomato sauce
• 16 oz diced tomatoes with chilies
• 1/2 can cream corn
• 2 t chili powder (I used a “NM” blend, but any kind will work)
• 1 t pepper
• 2 t salt
• 1 t hot sauce
• 1/2 cup yellow corn meal
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1 1/4 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1 T sugar
• 3/4 cups non-dairy milk
• 1 egg replacer mix of choice
• 1 1/2 T vegetable oil
• 1/2 can cream corn

Directions:

1. Chop onions and bell peppers, and mince garlic cloves.
2. Spray inside of slow-cooker with non-stick spray.
3. Sautee onions, peppers and garlic in water in a pan until tender, then add to the slow-cooker.
4. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1/2 can of corn, spices and hot sauce.
5. Cover, and cook on high for about 1 hour.
6. In a separate bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, then stir in  the milk, egg replacement, oil and the rest of the corn.
7. Ladle over the bean mixture in the slow-cooker, making it nice and smooth.
8. Cover again, and cook for about another 1.5 hours, but sometimes my cornbread takes a little longer to cook all the way through. (ETA: This could take up to an additional 30 minutes, but you can slice into the cornbread to see if it’s cooked)

Makes 5-6 servings 

Notes about this recipe:

1. I am afraid of making things too spicy so I only added a fraction of the hot sauce called for. It turned out mild and could have used a teensy bit more kick but was still yummy.
2. Also, it says to use your choice of egg replacer to the amount of one egg; one real egg works just fine too.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

This is one I got from Mom's recipe folder when I left for college.  Nate and I love it and have it regularly.  Super easy and delicious.

8 tortillas
1/2 c chopped onion
1 C cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
2 T butter
8 oz sour cream
1 can diced green chili pepper
4 cloves minced garlic
1 t ground coriander ( I substitute cumin)
2 c cooked chopped chicken ( I use 2 cans of chicken)
3 T flour
2 c chicken broth

Warm tortillas. For sauce cook onion, garlic, coriander and pepper in butter until onion is tender. Stir flour into sour cream and add to onion mixture. Stir in broth and chili peppers all at once. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

For filling: stir 1/2 cup of sauce into chicken (I wind up using about 1 cup of the sauce). Place about 1/4 cup filling atop each tortilla and roll up. Arrange rolls seam side down, in lightly greased 9x13 pan. Top with remaining sauce.

Bake at 350 for 35 min.  Sprinkle with cheese after removing from oven.

Serve with delicious guacamole, salsa, sour cream, etc.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

This slow-cooker corned beef recipe is awesome!  I only cook it on St. Patty's day (is corned beef even available at other times of the year?), but this year we enjoyed it so much I bought another one and we made it again the next week.

From Southern Living Slow-Cooker cookbook

4 ish lb cured corned beef brisket with spice packet
1 large onion, sliced
8 large carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, sliced
14oz beef broth
2 T brown sugar
1 1/2 T mustard
1t carawayseeds
1 small cabbage, cut into 8 wedges

(I omit the bay leaves and caraway seeds because I never have them, and substitue chicken broth for the same reason.  It still turns out really delicious.)

Place onion and carrot in a 6 quart slow-cooker; place brisket on top of veggies. Sprinkle bay leaves and garlic over brisket.
Combine spice packet, beef broth, sugar, mustard and caraway seeds; pour over brisket.
Cover and cook on HIGH 1 hr. Reduce heat to LOW, and cook 8 hrs. Add cabbage, and cook on LOW 1 1/2 hours or until cabbage is tender. Remove and discard bay leaves and onion (I never do this.  We just eat the onions with the rest of it.)
Cut brisket across grain into slices; serve with cabbage and carrots.  Makes 6-8 servings.

(I also never adjust the temp. because I'm usually putting it on and leaving for the morning.  It does just fine on LOW the whole time)  Total cook time: about 10 hrs

Panini

We have a new found love of Panini's. You can put what ever your heart desires on them. This is one that we like:

Tomato
Avocado
Lunch meat
Pesto
Dijon Mustard
Bread: sourdough, french, garlic herb...you get the idea.

Butter one side of the bread. On the other side spread pesto and mustard. Place butter side down griddle [we can invert our waffle iron and make it a panini iron]. Layer with tomato, avocado and lunch meat. Top with second bread slice, butter side up. Smush the sandwich as it toasts. Flip and repeat.

Brown Sugar-Glazed Carrots

This on comes from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

1 pound, peeled baby carrots or medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 TBLS butter or margarine
1 TBLS packed brown sugar
Dash of salt
Dash of black pepper

In a medium saucepan cook carrots, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and remove carrots from pan.
In the same saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until combined. Add carrots. Cook and stir about 2 minutes or until glazed. Season to taste with pepper.

I want to try Herbed Glazed Carrots:

Prepare as above, excpet substitute 1 TBLS honey for the brown sugar and add 1 TBLs snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed, to the butter mixture.

Parmesan Potato Wedge

This is in the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

6 medium potatoes
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Line a 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan with tin foil; set aside. Cut eash potato lengthwise into eight wedges. In a large bowl stir together butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Add potato wedges and stir to thoroughly coat. Place wedges on the prepared baking pan. Bake uncovered in a 425 oven for about 30 min or until tender.