Black Bean Chicken

From Angela's blog

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) jar salsa, any kind
6 ounces cream cheese (reduced fat is fine on this one)
sliced avacado or cilantro for topping

1. Take 3-4 boneless chicken breasts and put into crock pot. It's fine if they are still frozen.
2. Add the black beans, corn, and salsa.
3. Cover and cook on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. 4. Shred chicken with two forks and then add the cream cheese (just throw it on top!).
5. Turn the crock pot to low and let sit for about 1/2 hour.
6. Serve over a bed of spinach and cooked rice, wrapped up in tortillas, or in a bowl with tortilla chips for scooping.

Summer Blueberry Crumble

My mother-in-law made this for us, and it was delicious!!! This recipe is specifically engineered so that the filling is not soupy and the topping holds its thickness and crunch. Funny, because we had just made a VERY soupy raspberry crumble last week, and the topping sunk right in. This recipe was perfect! From cookscountry.com.

1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt, divided
5 cups fresh blueberries
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and chilled

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine granulated sugar, cornstarch, and 1/8 tsp salt in large bowl. Add berries to bowl and toss to coat. Transfer to 8-inch square baking dish.
2. Process flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and remaining salt in food processor until combined.* Add butter and pulse until dime-sized clumps form. Transfer crumble to bowl and pinch together any powdery parts. Sprinkle crumble evenly over berries.
3. Bake until filling is bubbling around edges and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Serve. (Once fully cooled, the crumble can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

*Crumble without a food processor:
In step 2, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp salt in large bowl. Add chilled butter to bowl and, using pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into dry ingredients until clumps form. Pinch together any powdery parts, then sprinkle crumble evenly over berries. Proceed with recipe as directed.

Try #1 - August 16, 2010
I made this with blackberries (4 cups) and peaches (1 peach)... YUM!!! The topping sunk a tiny bit in a few places, but overall stayed intact and crispy! Delicious with ice cream or yogurt.

Triple Chocolate Cake

From Melissa!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a bundt pan:
Grease VERY well, especially the cracks, then sprinkle to lightly cover with sugar.

Mix together thoroughly:
1 Devil's Food cake mix
1 large box of chocolate pudding (NOT instant)
3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. water
1/4 c. mayo
4 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 c. chocolate chips

Pour into bundt pan and bake for approximately 50 minutes. Let it cool completely before removing it from pan.

Tortilla Pie

From allrecipes.com

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian or Mexican diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro or parsley, divided
4 (8 inch) flour tortillas (I used corn tortillas)
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1.In a nonstick skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil; remove from the heat. In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons cilantro.
2.Place on tortilla in a 9-in. round cake pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Layer with half of the meat sauce, one tortilla, all of the ricotta mixture, another tortilla and the remaining meat sauce. Top with remaining tortilla; sprinkle with cheddar cheese and remaining cilantro. Cover and bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Note: Several reviewers said they needed to significantly increase the spice content.

Try #1 - July 2010
Nathan liked this, but I wasn't a big fan... it tasted similar to enchiladas, but for some reason I just wasn't into it that much. I probably won't make it again.

Broccoli and Potato Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 (10 ounce) packages chopped frozen broccoli, thawed
1 potato, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1.Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, and saute onion and garlic until tender. Mix in broccoli, potato, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
2.With a hand mixer or in a blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Return to the saucepan, and reheat. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Source: allrecipes.com

Try #1 - July 5, 2010
Easy, healthy soup. I actually used 4 potatoes and a 32oz bag of broccoli, and didn't bother to blend it. The soup was creamy but also chunky, which is what we like. We topped it with shredded cheddar cheese (no nutmeg).

Try #2 - September 8, 2010
I put all ingredients in the crockpot this time...

Beef Fajitas

From allrecipes.com

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 pound beef flank steak, cut into thin strips
3 green onions, thinly sliced
4 (8 inch) flour tortillas
Salsa

1.In a bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, lemon peel, chili powder and pepper. Place half in a resealable plastic bag; cover and refrigerate remaining marinade. Add meat to bag. Seal and turn to coat; refrigerate for 4-8 hours.
2.Drain and discard marinade. In a skillet, heat reserved marinade. Add meat and green onions. Cook and stir until meat reaches desired doneness. Using a slotted spoon, place about 1/2 cup meat mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with salsa if desired. Fold sides over meat mixture.