Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean Dip

This is the best bean dip I've ever had. I found the recipe in The Kind Diet book. Here it is for you to enjoy. Great for an appetizer, lunch or to be the hit of the party!

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans (I like black beans)
3 large avocados
3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
2 (8-ounce) containers of sour cream (non-dairy for those trying not to eat dairy)
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 cup diced mild green chiles, drained
1/2 cup sliced black olives
5 tomatoes chopped (roma is the best!)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or vegan cheese)

Pre-heat the oven to 350

Spread a layer of refried beans in the bottom of an 8" x 8" quart glass baking dish. Pit and peel the avocados, and place in a bowl. Mash the avocados together with the lime juice, and spread on top of the refried beans. Stir together the sour cream and taco seasoning, and spread over the avocado.

Sprinkle the chiles over the sour cream, and top with a layer of black olives. Add the tomatoes, and sprinkle with cheese. Heat the dip for 15 to 30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is a bit melted.(20 minutes usually does it for me)

Serve warm or at room temperature with your favorite tortilla chips!

Crockpot Lasagna

A friend from our ward made this for a ward activity a couple of weeks ago and I just had to get the recipe. It's super good and easy to make. Thanks Jackie for this recipe!

Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients
Crock-Pot Lasagna Recipe
* 3 cans (14.4 ounces) crushed tomatoes
* 3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
* 2 Tbsp. dried oregano
* 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
* 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
* 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
* 2 containers (15 ounces each) fresh ricotta
* 2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
* 12 lasagna noodles (about three-quarters of a 1-pound box)
* 5 ounces (about 6 cups) baby spinach
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan. In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella. Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender—especially in the center of the lasagna—about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Chicken Pillows

This is by far one of my favorite recipes. It never gets old, it's deliciously good and soooo easy to make. And that's what we all want isn't it? Good food that's easy to make.

CHICKEN PILLOWS

Items/Ingredients you will need:

• 2-3 chicken breasts or 6 chicken tenders OR 2 cans of pre-cooked salted chicken (if you are really short on time)
• 1 block of cream cheese (or more or less depending on your preference)
• 1 can of Pillsbury Crescent rolls Big & Flaky (yields 6)
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• baking pan
• 1 medium pot

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven according to the crescent rolls you have purchased or made. Usually 350 degrees.
2. Boil chicken in medium pot with 1/2 inch of water covering the chicken and add salt. If you do not add the salt, your chicken will taste very bland. Boil for approximately 10-15 minutes on medium high. When the water froths, check the chicken to see if it is done. I usually let it froth for about 3-5 minutes before I consider it done. Drain and rinse briefly with cold water. Shred the chicken either with two forks by hand or in a food processor.
3. Add the block of cream cheese by thirds into the shredded chicken and mix until all the chicken is well coated.
4. Roll out crescent rolls and scoop about a tablespoon of chicken mixture on the large part of the triangle and roll up. Bake in oven according to the directions. Usually 11-14 minutes.

And Voila! Simple but so so good. I've heard some people like to add onion and celery and butter to the mix, but I just like mine simple. Occasionally I will heat up a can of cream of chicken and pour it on top of the chicken pillows.

SIDE DISHES I LIKE TO SERVE THIS WITH

• Steamed vegetables. You can never go wrong with them.
• Rice Pilaf. A must with this recipe. Super easy to make as well.
• For every cup of rice you use add 1/3 cup of vermicelli. (if you don't have vermicelli, no sweat). Sautee rice and vermicelli in a large pot or skillet with butter or margarine for a few minutes on medium-high heat. (About one tablespoon butter for every cup of rice). Add up to two cans of chicken broth and 1 cup of water. I say two cans, because it depends on how much flavor you like. Add a couple dashes of basil if desired. Bring water to a boil then bring heat down to low and cover. Takes about 30 minutes.
• I would recommend starting the rice pilaf before you start the chicken pillows to ensure it will be done in time.

Black Bean Burgers

Check out this recipe for Black Bean Burgers! My husband found it and made it tonight. It was delicious between 2 multigrain buns (the thin kind). Try it out for a great vegetarian meal. Add some bite size potatoes drizzled in olive oil and garlic salt and baked at 375 for 20-25 minutes, but be sure to include the skin because where most of the nutrition is.

Recipe #6 PIZZA!!!!

Ok, so I get daily emails from Allrecipes.com and I got one for this pizza crust recipe and boy was it good! So the crust version of this recipe did not come from me, but I did add a couple of notes in there of my own because there wasn't enough information from the original recipe to help me as much as I wanted. But I did however make the sauce on my own. If you like your sauce with a little bit of kick (not too much, just a little) than try my sauce out! My husband says I could open up a pizza chain with this recipe. He couldn't shut up about it, but I told him I have no interest in starting a pizza restaurant.

                                               Pizza Crust                                                   

Prep time: 75-90 minutes (to give dough time to rise) Cook time: 20 Minutes

Servings: enough dough to make one large pizza . James and I make a pizza with 8 large slices and use the rest of the dough to make 8 bread sticks.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 C)

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour or 2 1/2 cups of white flour and the rest whole wheat flour.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the warm water, and let it sit for 10 minutes

2. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 3/4 cups of the flour.

3. Turn dough onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in the rest of the flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Knead a lot longer than you think you need too! Place the dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double in a warm place. Approximately an hour. Punch down the dough. Really, punch it! and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax a minute before rolling it out. 

4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you are baking on a pizza stone, place your toppings on the dough and bake immediately. If you are baking in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it. Some people I read, cook the dough for 10 minutes without toppings and than pull it out and top it and than bake for another 5-10 minutes, but either way is fine.

5. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until cheese and crust or golden brown. 

                                            Pizza Sauce                                                    

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 tablespoon ground oregano

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (to neutralize the acid and reduce heartburn)

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Throw all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix until well blended and top on your pizza. YUM!

Jessica's Scrumdiliumptious Summer Pasta -- Recipe #5

Just so you know. I didn't name this recipe. I asked James what I should name it and he kept saying it was "scrumdiliumptious" so I should include that in the name. I told him I would name it this for now and rename it later. P.S. this was inspired from my earlier post. I made my own version since I didn't have all of the ingredients. Feel free to do that too! If you see something on here that looks good, but you don't have everything you need, than substitute it for something you do have. If you are afraid of being that bold, than just follow the recipe. ;-)

                         Jessica's Scrumdiliumptious Summer Pasta                   

Items  you will need:

Large pot

Large skillet

3 tablespoons olive oil 

pinch of salt (or sea salt)

1/2 pound of whole wheat rotini pasta

Half medium onion cut in thin slices

2 garlic cloves chopped (or 1 tablespoon minced garlic)

Half red bell pepper cut in slices

Half green bell pepper cut in slices

2-3 cups of fresh spinach leaves (really I just do 2-3 handfuls)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup vinegerette sun dried tomato

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta according to the directions on the box, but also add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil to the water. Set aside. I like to start the skillet portion of this recipe while the pasta is cooking in the boiling water so both are done at the same time.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in large skillet. Sautee onions for a few minutes and then add garlic for another minute. Add bell peppers and cook for additional 2 minutes. Add spinach and stir it around until it no longer looks like it's original leaf like form.

3. Add soy sauce (or shoyu), balsamic vinegar, and sun dried tomato vinegarette. Stir to evenly coat and lastly, add garlic powder and parsley. Sautee all of the ingredients for a few minutes.

4. Add pasta to vegetable mixture, evenly coating the pasta. Cook for another minute. And then serve.

Note: We also had this with sauteed green beans and toasted whole wheat bread with garlic salt. 

I should also mention that most of these portions are good for 2-4 people. Depending on what other food you serve with it. If you only serve this as your meal. It's only enough for 2.

Rustic Pasta - Recipe #4

Before I dive into this next recipe I would like to answer Lindsey's question about how to get ones calcium intake if you decide to go without milk or even dairy all together. Here is a list of food that provide calcium compared with milk.

Calcium Milligrams (per 100-gram serving)

• Butter --- 20
• Whole Milk --- 118
• Chickpeas --- 150
• Collard Greens --- 203
• Parsley --- 203
• Soybeans --- 226
• Almonds --- 234
• Sesame Seeds --- 1160
• Hijiki Sea Vegetable --- 1400

As you can see from this list, there are other choices that are far better for you as far as calcium intake is concerned. James and I personally love to eat almonds and soybeans aka edamame. We are always stocked with a few frozen bags of this delicious soybean. Some even come in microwavable pouches. I personally like to boil water with a pinch of salt and a little olive oil (for flavor), throw the beans in and let them boil in the water for 10 minutes. Just be sure not to eat the shells! It also makes a great snack. Especially, if you're having a salty craving and want unhealthy chips. This always does it for me. *Edit* James and I definitely eat soybeans in moderation. Usually only a serving every 3 or 4 days. Check the comments for details on the Great Soy Debate. :-) *

Moving on to the recipe portion of this post. The following recipe is NOT my own but from the book, The Kind Diet. Try it out and let me know how it turns out for you. I haven't tried this exact recipe, but have done a variation of it. This one looks like it would taste better. I'll be trying it out here in the next couple of days.

                                                Rustic Pasta                                          

Items you will need:

1/4 pound pasta, long or short shape, as you prefer

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or thinly sliced (if you have mince garlic -1-2 teaspoons should do

2 celery stalks, diced or thinly sliced on a diagonal

1/4 cup shoyu (also known as soy sauce -the healthy version)

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or regular table salt if you don't have this)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 head green cabbage, thinly sliced

5-6 tablespoons marinara sauce

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Salt the water (I personally love to add a tablespoon of olive oil to every pot of water I boil for pasta) add the pasta; cook just until al dente. Drain the pasta well.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onions and cook for 7 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and saute for 3 minutes longer, until the onions are transparent and turning golden.

3. Add the celery to the skillet and saute for 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in the shoyu, salt, and garlic powder, then add the cabbage; saute for 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes longer.

4. Add the pasta to the skillet with the sauce and toss together. Cook over medium-high heat for a minute or two and serve.

You can also serve this with meat-balls (tofu or real) if you choose. A yummy fresh salad (avoid Iceberg lettuce - it doesn't really have very many nutrients compared to other greens out there - I personally love spinach leaves) and garlic bread. Don't have any garlic bread on hand? Try Pan frying some pieces of bread in sesame or other oil for a couple of minutes on each side. Cut a garlic clove in half and rub onto the fried bread slices.

This is making me hungry! I hope you enjoy it!