CHocolate Hummus

I found this one day on Debbi Does Dinner Healthy...I was intrigued by it but hadn't made it yet. Then my friend Lori, over at Teacher Turned Mommy made it and RAVED about it. So seen as I had extra chick peas I decided to give it a try. I know it sounds odd...but PLEASE try it! I'm glad I did...it didn't disappoint me at all!


Chocolate Hummus-shared from Teacher Turned Mommy
2 cups chick peas
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup cocoa powder(I used special Dark)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2-4 tbsp warm water

Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. You may have to add a bit more oil to get it to the consistency you like!

**This was SO GOOD! Lori suggested it with pretzels or cinnamon tortilla chips, but I tried it with fruit and it was a delicious! I'm highly addicted and definitely quences my chocolate craving! I did tell my boys that it was "chocolate pudding" because I knew if I called it hummus I'd get the "I don't like hummus". Q did like it, A didn't care for it. I think I need to get it smoother for next time though!

Curried Sweet Potato and Chick Pea "Burgers"

I'm always on the lookout for new vegetarian meal ideas and this one sounded intriguing. We invited our friends over for dinner on the night we had these as they are vegetarian so I figured they would be good candidates to try it out on!

Curried Sweet Potato and Chick Pea "Burgers"-shared from The Sweets Life
2 cups chick peas
2-3 small sweet potatoes, baked
1 tsp curry powder
1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped(optional)
salt and pepper to taste
favorite toppings:tomato, lettuce, mayo, ketchup

Scoop potatoes out of skin, place in a bowl. Add in chick peas and mash throughly. Season with curry powder, salt, and pepper, parsley if using. Mix to combine. Scoop out and form patties. (I got 4 big burgers and 6 mini burgers) Place on hot grill or pan and cook for 5-6 mins per side.

**I wasn't sure how these were going to stay together, but they stayed together perfectly! You never would have known they were a bean burger! We all really liked them, even the 3 kids at least tasted them. The curry was a perfect addition and it wasn't to strong. We weren't sure what would be good on them, I really liked it with tomato and mayo, our friend liked his with ketchup and mayo. Overall they were a great hit!

Sausage and Lentil Soup

This is supposed to be a Carraba's recipe...but I was unaware that they had a soup like this. It's probably because we don't normally get soup when we eat out! I haven't' been to a Carraba's lately either...and I LOVE their food, so I really don't know how this compares!

Sausage and Lentil Soup-shared from Mama Bird's Nest
6 cups chicken broth
1 onion, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 lb italian sausage, browned/drained(I used 1/2 sweet, 1/2 hot)
2 cups dry lentils
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt, pepper, red pepper,basil, oregano, thyme, to taste

Place all ingredients into your slow cooker. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Enjoy!

**This was pretty tasty and very hearty! K I don't think was much of a fan he compared it to some soup I made last week that I now can't remember what it was! Even Q loved the lentils, A wouldn't touch it!

Black Bean Tacos

After I used some corn tortillas for a soup, I was left with quite a few tortillas left over. This recipe IMMEDIATELY came to mind! It's quick, easy, and delicious! Although, I swear I posted it before! It is a great vegetarian meal that is quite filling.

The original recipe calls for feta crumbles, but I wasn't paying $4 for a small pkg, so I cut up some sharp cheddar into tiny squares and we loved it even more!

Black Bean Tacos-shared from The Hart of the Home 
2 cups black beans
1/2 tsp cumin
1 pkg broccoli slaw(or shredded cabbage)
1 lime, juiced
1/3 cup feta crumbles or chedder cubes
oil
8 corn tortillas
hot sauce

Mash the beans slightly and sprinkle with cumin, stir. Set aside. Combine slaw and lime juice, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well and set aside.

Heat 1-2 tsp of oil in frying pan until hot. Place corn 1-2 corn tortillas in pan and fry until golden brown. Flip and fill with 2 tbsp beans(or what will fit), fold over and heat for a few mins. Remove from pan and place some slaw on top, sprinkle with hot sauce just before serving. Continue with the rest of the tacos.

**We added to much hot sauce to ours, but that was our own fault! We liked the sharpness of the cheese and the tang of the lime juice. YUM!

*This has been linked to Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Mexican Ravioli

A few weeks ago I was looking for something different to make with ravioli besides your typical white or red sauce topping. My friend, Meggan, shared this recipe. She hadn't tried it yet, but it sounded good to both me and my friend Amy, so we made it for our cooking day.

Except I forgot that it really doesn't go well with my lactose intolerant child...so he had something else!

Mexican Ravioli-shared from Myrecipes
1 25 oz pkg frozen cheese ravioli
1 16 oz jar salsa
6 oz can tomato paste
2 cups black beans
1/2 tsp cumin
1-2 cups shredded cheese

Mix together beans, salsa, puree, and cumin. Now I laid the ravioli in the bottom of the dish and topped it with this mix and spread the cheese on top, BUT the original instructions say to layer it like a lasagna. So it's your choice.

Place in 350 degree oven for 45 mins covered. Remove cover and cook for another 5 mins until hot and bubbly.

**Q loved the beans, A liked the ravioli. K liked it all...and for me well...it was just ok. I've decided I'm just not a fan of ravioli casseroles, but its more of a texture thing than it not tasting good. I shared one with a friend who's boyfriend is vegetarian and they both said it was really good. So did Amy and her family, but she would add in some corn next time for some color. I would too, if I made it again. But considering Q' can't eat it, I probably wont! It was pretty quick and easy to make and great for a make ahead meal!

Coconut Rice and Beans

In an effort to attempt to eat at least ONE meatless meal a week I stumbled upon this one. We LOVE coconut here so I immediately put it on my list. It's cheap and easy!

So we had quite the ordeal making this tonight...I was planning on using my rice cooker. But after 15 mins of nothing happening in it, I took a closer look and realized that the button wasn't staying down on the cook option. So I put the rice/milk into a pot to start cooking it on the stove...and don't you know I turned the wrong burner on and MELTED the feet off the rice cooker. So in case it wasn't done already that did it in...I wondered why A kept asking me what that smell was...and this time there was actually a smell to smell!(He had been asking me all day when there was no smell!) So needless to say I had to say goodbye to the rice cooker...may it rest in peace...

Onto the recipe!

Coconut Rice and Beans-shared from $5 Dollar Dinners
1 15 oz can of lite coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1 cup brown rice
2-3 cups cooked beans(I used red beans)

*In the event that something tragic happens to your rice cooker...
Place water, pineapple juice, and milk into a pan and bring it to a rolling boil. Add in rice, cover and simmer for 15 mins or until rice is cooked. DO NOT TAKE LID OFF! Let stand for 5 mins and fluff rice with fork. Stir in beans.

**I found that this did not have much flavor at all...I was a bit stumped. I think it may have been the milk I used. I did double the recipe as I wanted extras. Once I added some shredded sweetened coconut and a touch of salt it satisfied my taste buds better. K really enjoyed it and the boys devoured the beans. I will try it again with a different brand of milk!

Black Bean Rice Burgers

Black Bean Rice Burgers-shared by Taste of Home
-we did like this recipe...but i was having trouble keeping them together. K was surprised at how good they were and they were made tasty by the sauce. I did add shredded cheese to the top to help keep them together.

• 
  1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup salsa, divided
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 4 lettuce leaves
• 4 slices reduced-fat cheddar cheese (1 ounce each)
• 4 hamburger buns, split
  
  In a large bowl, mash beans with a fork. Add the rice, onion, egg and 2 tablespoons salsa; mix well. Drop by 1/2 cupfuls into a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Flatten to 1/2-in. thickness. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until firm and browned.
  In a small bowl, combine sour cream and remaining salsa. Place a lettuce leaf, burger, sour cream mixture and slice of cheese on bun. Yield: 4 servings.

• Kids Help: dump, rinse/drain beans, help mash beans, mix ingredients.
  
  
  Next Time: I will use a real egg vs. a substitute, this could have been the cause of why they didn't stick together. I will also make them thicker as that may help as well.

Batch Cooking-Beans

One thing I had never used/cooked were dry beans. I do not know why these tiny beans that can be found so cheap were so daunting to me. Sure I've used them plenty of times for arts and crafts and in a texture table for preschoolers...but I ALWAYS bought the canned beans. Boy, was I paying a premium!

While reading through A Year of Slow Cooking, I stumbled upon how to use your crock pot to cook the beans. It is so easy really, you may be kicking yourself for never trying it before.

First, buy a bag of beans. Any kind will do, I have done black beans and garbanzo (aka chick peas) I get the store brand, its $1 for 1 lb. Take this bag and open it up. Dump bag in crock pot( I have used both a 5.5 and 6 qt). Search through them and take out any non bean items(I've yet to find any) and any split beans. Cover the beans with water. Let sit for 6-8 hrs or overnight. In the morning, drain off the water and fill again about 2 inches above the beans. Turn crock pot on low for 6-8 hours(depending on the bean and your cooker) 6 hours works best in my cooker for black beans. Once they are done, drain again and divide.

But what if I don't need 1 lb of cooked beans? EASY! Measure them in 1 2/3 cup increments and place in either a zip top bag, container, or what I've been using press and seal. Wrap/seal and they can go right in the freezer. Then when you need them, just pop them out of the freezer and pop them right into your soup(or thaw for other recipes.) This is the only way I use beans now...and you are cutting down large amounts of sodium AND saving a bundle. After all, 1-1lb bag will give you 3-4 "cans". 1 can in the store can cost you 75 cents...unless you hit a good sale!

Needless to say we do eat a lot of beans now!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

I found this recipe for Black Bean and Spinach Egg Rolls while searching for vegetarian recipes. I watch a little boy 2 days a week and have to provide lunch for him. I wanted to be creative so when I stumbled upon this I immediately put them on our menu. The egg rolls themselves are one of the best things I have ever had and one of my favorite dishes. I have been wanting to make them again, but I keep forgetting the wrappers so I decided to try this recipe.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

26 shells, cooked according to pkg
1 can black beans, rinsed, drained(or 1 2/3 cup cooked dry beans)
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 cups reduced fat Mexican cheese, divided
1 pkg chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2-3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 jar salsa
1 pt roasted cherry tomatoes

Mix together beans, spinach, 1 cup cheese, corn, and spices. Place tomatoes and salsa in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.  Spread some sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Spoon mixture into shells. Place sauce over shells and cover with 1 cup cheese.  Place in 350 degree oven for 30-35 mins.

**if you are not a fan of spicy food I would tone down the cayenne and chili powder. My spice tolerance must be getting better as they border lined spicy for me, but it didn't last long. The tomatoes aren't really needed, but I needed to use them up. You can also use a can of diced or more salsa.

Kid's Help: count out shells, measure spices, wash tomatoes