Irish Soup

I'll be honest. I didn't have any high hopes for this recipe. Ham, potatoes and cabbage were all on sale from St. Patty's day so I threw a soup together to fill the holes on a budget and hopefully taste ok in the process. I think it far surpassed that, though. It turned out really good! My hubby isn't always a big soup fan, especially not a brothey soups, but he said it was great. So, I figured I should write it down so I at least have a chance at recreating it again someday.

Irish Soup

6 c. water

4 tsp. beef bullion

1 lb. cooked ham, diced (I used deli ham)

1 small green cabbage, chopped

3-5 potatoes, diced

garlic powder

thyme

salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Simmer on medium for at least 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 

*It goes well with a loaf of warm, crusty bread!

Gluten Free Protein Pancakes

Happy National Pancake Week! I have a yummy new pancake to share with you in light of the holiday.

Due to some allergy issues in the family, I was recently advised by our physician to not give Bambina gluten until she is at least 1. This was a bit disheartening as we are just starting to explore the world of solid foods and doing Baby-led Weaning I want her to be able to eat what we are eating. So I decided to play around with some pancakes this morning to make something tasty for us, but gluten free for her. These came out nice and fluffy and with the extra eggs, cottage cheese and yogurt the Hubby commented that they filled him up more than normal pancakes which is always a plus around here!

Gluten Free Protein Pancakes

3 eggs

3/4 c. cottage cheese

3/4 c. yogurt (I mixed plain and vanilla)

2/3 c. *rice flour

1/3 c. oats

1 tsp. baking powder

Heat griddle to a medium heat and lightly grease. Mix ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.

Pour batter onto preheated griddle with 1/4 c measuring cup. Flip when small bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake and continue to cook the other side (approximately 2-3 minutes per side) until batter is no longer runny. Makes about 10 4-5 inch pancakes.

*If you don't need them to be gluten free just substitute the rice flour for white or wheat flour.

Enjoy!

Hawaiian Chili

I have a recipe creation to share with you all from last night. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I meshed ideas from a few different sources added in my own twist and this was the result.

Hawaiian Chili

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 can (28 oz) baked beans ( I used Bush's Onion Baked Beans)

2 cans (14 oz) kidney beans

2 cans (28 oz) chopped tomatoes

2/3 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits, drained (the whole can would probably be fine too if you like pineapple)

1 heaping tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder (adjust to your spiciness preference)

1 heaping tsp cinnamon

1 tsp thyme 

Brown ground beef and onion. Drain fat if neccessary. Add remaining ingredients. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve and enjoy.

(This makes a fairly large pot of chili. It works great at our house since hubby is a chili lover, but don't say you weren't warned!)

Healthy Banana Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

I always LOVED baked oatmeal growing up, but with a half cup of butter and a cup of sugar it isn't the healthiest way to start your day (though the taste was delish!). I am happy to report that their are much healthier alternatives out there for baked oatmeal that are equally tasty, though. I found this one and this one that I liked the sounds of and merged them into my own version using ingredients I almost always have on hand. Pantry staples = easy weekday breakfast with little planning necessary. And that my friends, makes this mama happy.

Banana Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

3 c. Oats

2 tsp Baking powder

2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Cloves

1/4 tsp Allspice 

1 Egg

2 c. Milk

1/2 c. Vanilla Yogurt

2 Bananas, mashed

1 c. Pumpkin

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into a lightly greased baking pan and bake at 350 for approx. 40 minutes or until center is no longer wet. Serve warm. (Optional, top with a dollop of yogurt, sliced bananas, milk and syrup...) Enjoy!

It also works great to cook it up in the evening. When morning rolls around just warm up a piece for a quick 5-minute breakfast. 

Cottage Cheese Enchiladas

I was so happy to stumble across this recipe one of my Pages Documents the other day! It's a recipe Mom used to make growing up and I thought it was long gone. So now it's going up on the blog so I'll always know where to find it to share with you all.

Cottage Chili Enchiladas

4oz. can whole green chiles

12 corn tortillas

8 oz. sharp American, Jack or Cheddar

1 cup sour cream

12 oz. cream style cottage cheese

14 oz. can mild enchilada sauce

Salt, pepper

Drain chiles, remove seeds & rinse.  Cut into 12 strips.  Fry tortillas in hot oil a few seconds on each side & drain on paper towels (or warm for a few seconds in the microwave to make them more pliable).  Cut half of cheese into 12 strips.  Shred remaining cheese. Combine sour cream, cottage cheese, salt & pepper.  Spoon heaping T. of mixture on each tortilla & top each with a strip of cheese & chili.  Roll & place seam side down in 9 x 12 pan.  Combine remaining sour cream mixture & enchilada sauce.  Pour over enchiladas.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake @ 350 degrees 20-30 mins.

Honey BBQ Meatloaf with a Twist

I love the taste of meatloaf. I don't love that it takes a whole pound of meat and in our house we don't usually get even two meals out of it. My solution? Sneak in some lentils for to double the volume and protein at a fraction of the cost. I tried finding an existing recipe for what I had in mind, but nothing quite matched. So I used my go-to meatloaf recipe as a base and doubled it.  But here is the twist, I only added one pound of ground beef and swapped out the second pound for lentils. 
         It turned out to be a win-win. We get twice as many meals with the same amount of meat and after six years of marriage I finally have a lentil recipe that is hubby approved! (In other words, the flavor of the lentils is completely undetectable. Honest. It would not be hubby-approved if it you could still taste them!)

Honey BBQ Meatloaf with a Twist

• 2 tsp beef bouillon granules
• 2 tbsp hot water
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 2/3 cup honey barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup uncooked lentils
• ketchup

In a small saucepan cook lentils in 2 cups of water for 20-30 minutes until tender (more instructions here).

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed. Spread into two loaf pans or a 9x9 casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for approx. 1 hour. Top with ketchup if desired and bake for 5-10 minutes more.

Chicken Alfredo Rice (a.k.a. We're out of groceries!)

This little recipe came from a need for a quick easy dinner and not a lot of groceries in the house! We were pleasantly surprised with the results, though.

Chicken Alfredo Rice

2 cups uncooked brown rice

2 cups milk, divided

2 cloves garlic (more or less to taste)

1 tbsp butter

2 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese

1 tsp salt

1-2 chicken breasts, diced

2 tbsp flour

1 c. shredded parm. cheese

1  (28oz) can diced tomatoes

Cook brown rice in 4 cups water. 

In a separate pan saute garlic in butter add chicken and cook through. Add cream cheese and flour to make a roux of sorts. Add milk and stir till thicken. Add tomatoes (slightly drained). Cook until heated through. Serve over brown rice and dinner is on the table.

(If your rice is already cooked then it will only take a matter of minutes to pull it all together!)

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

I cannot take any credit for this recipe. It came from a friend, but I wanted to share it on here so I don't forget it.

Chicken, Bacon and Ranch Pizza

Preparation time: 15 minutes   Cook time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups diced, cooked chicken

1 cup ranch dressing

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1⁄2 tsp each, salt and coarse ground pepper

cornmeal for dusting

prepared pizza dough

4 small vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 cups Colby and Monterey Jack blend

10 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

Directions:

1. Combine chicken, dressing, pressed garlic, salt and black pepper in large bowl; toss to coat.

2. Generously sprinkle Pastry Mat with cornmeal; place dough onto center of mat. Roll dough to a 12-in. (30-cm) circle. Place dough onto Pizza Pan, gently stretching to cover bottom. Top crust with chicken mixture and tomatoes; sprinkle evenly with cheese and bacon (Freeze at this point if desired).

3. Thaw. Bake in a 425* oven for 10 to 15 minutes or till bubbly.