Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are my all time favorite pumpkin muffins.  I make them every year.  This is a lighter version substituting applesauce for oil.  This recipe makes 24 muffins.  I often cut it in half, otherwise I would eat way too many of them!

These are from Food.com

Ingredients
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil ( or substitute applesauce for this too)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 (16 ounce) cans pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces semisweet mini chocolate chips

Directions
Mix first 5 ingredients together; separately, mix dry ingredients.
Blend the two mixtures together, fold in chips.
Generously fill 24 greased or paper-lined muffin cups. (I have found the paper liners don't work very well.).
Bake at 400 degrees F. for 16-20 minutes.

Vegetarian Chili

I was looking for a vegetarian chili since my husband has decided to stop eating meat.  I wondered if I should just do my regular chili recipe, which I love, and leave out the meat, or just explore.  So, I decided to google.  What did we do before google?  Anyway, I adapted this lovely recipe from The Picky Eater.  I loved the name of that blog.  It describes me!  Well, I've branched out a lot over the years, but I do still have things I'm particular about.  :-)  For the beans in this recipe, I usually use dried, and prepare them in my pressure cooker, for more info on that, look here.  You can certainly use canned beans as well.  If you go that route, rinse and drain them. And, feel free to use whatever your favorite beans are, I just happen to like a variety.  :-)


1 cup dried Kidney beans
1 cup dried Black beans
1 cup dried Cranberry beans
1 cup frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 jalepeno finely chopped
1 sweet onion, diced
2 15oz cans diced tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth
5 garlic cloves, crushed in a garlic press
1 heaping tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp Ghirardelli cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
Black pepper to taste

If using dried beans, prepare them according to directions so they are ready before you begin.

Chop the garlic, onion, and bell peppers and jalapeno. Saute lightly over medium high heat in 1-2 tsp olive oil.

Once the veggies have sauteed for about 5 minutes, add everything else into the pot (tomatoes, beans, spices, etc.). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 min or longer as needed.

You can also do this in the slow cooker.  If you do, I would recommend still sauteing the onions and peppers.  But you don't have to, I just like the flavor better.  My whole family LOVED this recipe!  Let me know what you think!

Notice the corn muffins in the background?  Those were yummy too!  There's nothing like a hot corn muffin to go with your chili!

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole With Sweet Potato & Apple

This is another divine dinner from Cuisine At Home.  It's a wonderful, warm, comfort food, full of fall flavor.  It's not your traditional Chicken Pot Pie, I like to think of it as a little more 'grown-up', but my kids really liked it too.

1 pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed (2 sheets)
3 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 cups peeled, diced sweet potato
1 1/2 cups peeled, diced russet potato
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 tbs minced garlic
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups diced rotisserie chicken
1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 tbs fresh lime juice
salt and pepper to taste


For the crust, cut pastry sheets into 1 inch wide strips.  On a parchment lined baking sheet, weave strips into a lattice pattern; freeze while preparing filling.  (Roll out one of the sheets of pastry just a little so it is the length of your 9x13 pan)

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray

For the filling, heat 2 1/2 cups broth, sweet and russet potatoes, onion, celery, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high.  cook until vegetables are slightly soft, about 8 minutes.

Whisk together remaining 3/4 cup broth, cream, flour, curry powder, and cinnamon.  Pour mixture into vegetable mixture.  Cook and stir until thick and bubbly.  Add chicken, apple, peas, cilantro, and lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour filling into prepared baking dish.

Bake the crust and casserole separately, yet at the same time, so the pastry is crisp when you lay it on the pie.  In about 25-30 minutes your filling should be bubbling, and your pastry should be golden.  Transfer on top of the casserole.

Enjoy!!

Thanks for stopping by, let me know if you try something, and your thoughts.  :-)

Tex-Mex Lasagna

This is my new favorite mexican type casserole.  The whole family loved this!  It's adapted from Cuisine At Home.

14 corn tortillas, cut into thirds
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 can of chopped mild green chili's
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 Tbs minced garlic (about 6-8 cloves)
2 Tbs Olive oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbs chile powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbs fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups black beans (I typically start with dried, then prepare.  If you use canned, rinse and drain)
16 oz shredded cheese.  I used 8 oz triple cheddar and 8 oz mexican blend.  You could use pepper jack if you want it a little more spicy.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray

Arrange tortillas in a single layer on baking sheets.  Bake until slightly crisp, about 15 minutes.

Saute' onion, bell pepper, chilis, corn and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat until softened, 3-5 minutes.

Stir flour, chile powder, cumin and coriander into vegetable misture, then stir in broth.  Bring to a boil and cook until thick, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Add the lime juice and season with salt and pepper.

Line bottom of baking dish with 1/3 of the tortilla strips.  Layer with 1/3 of the black beans, begetable mixture, and cheeses.  Repeat twice, using 1/3 of the ingredients in each layer, ending with cheese.

Bake until cheese is bubbly and melted, 30-35 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with Avocado Lettuce Salad.  YUM!

You could also substitute chicken for the beans, or just add both.

Avocado Lettuce Salad

This recipe is adapted from Cuisine At Home.  It's a great side dish that offers the best of guacamole and a crunchy salad.  It compliments any mexican meal.  Okay, it compliments anything if you love guacamole like I do!

1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 avocados
6 Tbs mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
8 cups shredded Romain lettuce
4 roma tomatoes, diced
2/3 cup sliced scallions
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup seeded, minced jalepenos (optional)

Mash avocados in a large bowl until smooth.  Add mayonnaise, lime juice, and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

Stir lettuce, tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, jalapenos, and bacon into avocado mixture until combined.

A couple notes:  If you like it really crunchy, you may want to use iceberg lettuce.  I like Romaine because there is still crunch to it, but it has more nutrients than iceberg lettuce.

The jalepeno's will add some heat.  I left them out because my kids are not big fans of hot-spicy food.

This recipe makes a lot!  I actually made a 1/2 batch for my family of 4.  My daughter tried it, but she is my picky one and didn't want seconds.  The rest of us all had a second helping and there was still a serving left over.

Enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

SRC: Strawberry Melon Smoothie

It's Secret Recipe Club time!  This month I was assigned Simply Food.  Nayna's blog has so many delicious recipe's to choose from.  Her pictures are mouthwatering, and I love that her recipes are made with real food.  Her blog is all things vegetarian which was so timely for me as my hubby has recently taken on a vegan lifestyle.  She also has tons of authentic international food, another thing I love to learn about.  Nayna describes herself as a home-cook without culinary school training striving to make her dishes feel complete without being complicated.  Her blog accomplishes that.  If she hadn't said so, I would not know that she hasn't had any formal training.

So after browsing through her yummy dishes I landed on the Strawberry and Melon Smoothie.  It was a warm Sunday afternoon, we had recently returned from vacation and I was trying to get back into the routine of life but felt a little draggy.  This smoothie caught my eye and was the perfect refreshing pick-me-up!

2 cups strawberries, washed and hulled
2 cups sweet honey dew melon, peeled and chopped into large chunks
2 mint leaves. torn
6 ice cubes

Add all ingredients to the blender and blend throughly.

Pour into tall pre chilled glasses and garnish if you wish with mint, melon balls, and/or strawberry.
Serve immediately.

Not-Fried Tomatoes

I have an abundance of tomatoes from my garden.  Home grown tomatoes are one of my all time favorites!  There is nothing like a home grown tomato.  So, I've been making lots of Pasta Sauce, Bruschetta, Salsa and Roasted Tomatoes.  This is a twist on the "Fried Green Tomatoes" that are a traditional southern dish.  I adapted it from Everyday Food Magazine.  You can use any color tomatoes, I happen to be growing red, you just want a firm tomato.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
5 cups cornflakes, crushed
salt and pepper
2 lb. firm tomatoes (any color) cut in 1/4 inch rounds
ranch dressing for serving

Preheat oven to 425.  Place wire racks in rimmed baking sheets.

Place flour, eggs and cornflakes in three separate shallow dishes an dseason each with salt and pepper.  Dip each tomato slice in flour, then egg, then cornflakes, pressing lightly so it sticks.

Arrange tomatoes in a single layer on racks and bake until deep golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Serve with ranch dressing.

What's your favorite thing in your garden (or from some one else's garden)?

Blessings,
Chellie