Quick Burritos

Just a quick easy burrito I made to put in the freezer.  Wrap them individually and then you can just pull them out and nuke them.

Spread some refried beans onto a tortilla shell.  Top with some cooked ground beef (I seasoned mine with chili powder and cumin), taco sauce, and shredded cheese.  Roll up and wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.  Microwave when ready to eat.

Southwest Turkey Soup

You must like ground turkey to like this soup.  I think next time I may try it with ground beef.  I like turkey, but only if it's cooked a certain way, or with certain ingredients.  This wasn't bad, don't get me wrong, just may tweak it some next time.

Found the recipe in the Taste of Home magazine, December/January 2011 issue page 38.

Southwest Turkey Soup

In a Dutch oven, brown 1lb. ground turkey in 1 Tb olive oil. (I omitted the oil and added a small onion during this step.)  Drain if needed.  Add two cans rinsed and drained kidney beans, 2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth, 2 cups frozen corn, 1 cup salsa, 1 can (4 oz) green chilies and 1 Tb chili powder.  (I seasoned my meat with chili powder and cumin so I did not add anymore here.)  Bring to a boil; cover and simmer fro 10 minutes.  Serve topped with sour cream and fresh cilantro.

Serves 6

Chili

Basic Chili:

2 lbs ground beef
1 to 2 onions, depending on how big they are
2 cans chili beans
1 can white bean (I usually use Great Northern)
1 can red bean (dark red, light red, whatever you like)
1 packet chili seasoning (I used Williams brand, nothing else!)
Large can (I think it was something like 47 oz) tomato juice
Secret ingredient my grandpa used:  sugar, a few tablespoons, or as much to your liking.  I'm learning that a little sugar on meat make a huge difference in taste.  When I did those Double Decker Tacos it called for brown sugar, which I thought was a little strange, but it was the best tasting taco meat I've ever had.

Cook beef until almost done, drain if needed.  Add onion and 3/4 of the chili seasoning and cook until slightly soft.  Meanwhile, in crockpot add beans, NOT DRAINED, rest of seasoning, sugar and tomato juice.  Once meat is done add to crockpot.  My crockpot gets really, really hot so I do 2 to 3 hours on high or 4 or 5 hours on low.

Enchirito

I think these would be better with the sauce I use on my chicken enchiladas:  enchilada sauce, tomato soup, and cream of mushroom soup.  I put a batch in the freezer without sauce so when I make those in a couple weeks I'm going to try them with the enchilada sauce.

1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 pack taco seasoning
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can refried beans
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
12 burrito sized tortillas
extra grated cheese and extra sauce for top

Spicy Beef Directions:
Brown ground beef and diced onions in large skillet.  Drain off excess fat and add taco seasoning.  Stir in 3/4 can of enchilada sauce (around 1 cup) and set pan aside.

Cheesy Beans Directions:
Stir shredded cheese and beans together and warm in the microwave.

Enchirito Directions:
Nuke some tortillas for about a minute or so.  You want them to be soft and pliable.  Spread on some warm cheesy beans and some spicy meat.  Roll it over, fold over the ends, and roll over again.  Place in a baking dish.  Top with extra cheese and sauce.  Bake until warm and cheese is bubbly, about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Slow Cooker Tamale Pie

This was my first time making this recipe so I didn't make any to freeze but it would work great as a freezer meal if you leave off the cheese and cornbread until later.  It was very yummy and I will definitely make it again.

Slow Cooker Tamale Pie

1 lb ground beef
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained
1 can (11 oz) whole kernal corn, drained
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 pkg (8 1/2 oz) corn bread/muffin mix
2 eggs
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
sour cream and additional minced cilantro, optional

In large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in cumin, salt, chili powder and pepper.  Transfer to a 4-qt slow cooker; stir in beans, tomatoes, corn, enchilada sauce, onions and cilantro.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until heated through.

In small bowl, combine muffin mix and eggs; spoon over meat mixture.  Cover and cook 1 hour longer or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  Serve with sour cream and additional cilantro if desired.

8 Servings

Linked up to:
Meatless Mondays at My Sweet and Savory
Homemaker Monday at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven
Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin'
Recipe Swap Thursday at Prairie Story
Tuesday Night Supper Club at Fudge Ripple
Tip Day Thursday at Around My Family Table
Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Mexican Black Beans

These were pretty tasty.  I ate some as a side but my husband put them on his fajita.  Great both ways!

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups black beans, fully cooked from dry beans)
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup beef or chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt, to taste
2 Tb minced cilantro

Combine black beans, corn and red pepper in skillet (or saucepan).  Add broth, cumin, garlic powder and salt to taste.  Bring liquid to boil and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes over medium heat.  Remove from heat, adjust salt if needed and stir in cilantro.

Red Beans & Rice

This is a recipe we grew on eating.  It's doesn't take too much time and is also a great freezer meal.  I always cook two batches and freeze one for later.

Red Beans & Rice

1 (16 oz) pkg smoked sausage

1 tsp salt and pepper

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1 chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 rib chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 (16 oz) can dark red kidney beans, UNdrained

1 (16 oz) can red beans, UNdrained

2 cup cooked rice

Slice sausage.  Place in large pan.  Cover with water.  Bring to boil and simmer 15 minutes.  Drain water, reserving 1/4 cup.  Add salt, pepper, onion, garlic, celery, and parsley to sausage; mix well.  Pour in undrained beans and cook 40 minutes over medium heat.  If mixture is too dry, add 1/4 cup reserved liquid.  Serve over rice.

Hungry Jack Casserole

This is one of our family's go-to meals that is tasty and easy to prepare.  It also freezes well and I almost always double it to stash away for a later meal.




Hungry Jack Casserole

1 lb ground beef
3/4 cup barbeque sauce
16 oz can baked beans
little diced onion
1 can dinner biscuits

Brown beef with onion in skillet.  Drain.  Add beans and bbq sauce.  Heat on medium until bubbly; stir occasionally.  Cut dinner biscuits in half.  Transfer to casserole dish.  Place rolls flat side down around edge.  Cook 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until rolls are brown.

**NOTE:  I do not cook this with the biscuits on top.  I find that they never done underneath and you are eating dough.  So I cook the biscuits seperately and then serve this over them when it's ready.

Burritos

One of our new favorites I've made a few times now. A light, healthy dinner at that.

Burritos

Cilantro Lime Rice: recipe on other post under Sides category
shredded or cubed cooked and seasoned chicken: I seasoned using cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and pepper
black beans, drained and rinsed (I used frozen, cooked, dried beans)
tomato
onion
salsa
cilantro
shredded cheese
whole wheat tortillas

Layer on desired ingredients, roll up, and enjoy!

Kid wanted his plate pictured as well! Cheese roll and brown rice with parmesan for the picky kids.

Franks and Beans

Not the most healthy recipe but my husband enjoys this one.


Franks and Beans

2 cans pork and beans
1 pkg (12 oz) hot dogs, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 Tb brown sugar
2 Tb worcestershire sauce
2 Tb mustard
1 pkg cornbread mix
1 c shredded cheddar

In bowl combine first 5 ingredients; mix well. Transfer to a greased 9 inch dish. Prepare cornbread; stir in cheese. Drop by spoonfuls onto bean mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until heated through.

Serve: 6

NOTE: I do not put the cornbread on the beans to cook. I find putting bread on top of something moist makes it impossible to get done in the amount of time it should. Therefore I make the cornbread seperately and either eat them seperately or mix them together. It's good either way.

Seasoned Black Beans

I planned to make seasoned black beans to go with tacos last night and decided to try my first experience with dry beans. I saw a vlog over on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures on cooking them in a crockpot so I decided that was probably the easiest way to do it.

First you pick them clean. Check for any rocks or odd looking beans. My son really enjoyed this part!








Then you place them in your slow cooker, or a bowl, and cover them with water. Let soak 7 to 9 hours or overnight.

Drain and rinse.

Place in crockpot (or on stove). Wait until the end to season them.

Fill with water at least 2 inches above the beans. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours. I think mine were a little over cooked so watch them towards the end or they might be a little mushy.



Strain off the liquid and let cool. I then put about 2 1/2 cups in the freezer and used another 1 1/2 to 2 cups for dinner that night. I froze mine without any seasoning so I could use them in other things.




For dinner last night I made Seasoned Black Beans, also from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. I'm on a diet and couldn't eat them but I did sneak a couple bites, to at least check the flavor. I also did a couple things differently, because of what I had on hand and my family's tastes. But they turned out pretty good and I will be making them again.

Seasoned Black Beans

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or use cooked dried beans)
1 clove garlic minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

In a pan cook and onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add oregano and cumin and cook over low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add black beans and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, to allow flavors to blend. Add chopped cilantro and lime juice, stir and serve.












My cilantro ended up being bad so I didn't get to use that and I think that would have made a big difference. Instead I added a little shredded cheddar for a little more taste and I think that made it really good. This was also my first time using cumin and I love it! Great flavor.

Black Bean