Easy quick bread

 This can be made with lots of different flavor combinations.

1 cake mix

1 small pudding mix (3.9 oz)

1 cup sour cream

3 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water

Grease mini loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 25-27 minutes. Test by inserting a toothpick; if moist crumbs are attached it’s done. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. Can be frozen. Makes 4-5 mini loaves.

Flavor ideas:

*Lemon cake mix, lemon pudding, replace water with 1/2 cup lemon juice

*Yellow cake mix, pistachio pudding, add a crumb topping (1 cup brown sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon) 

*Chocolate cake mix, banana pudding, replace oil with mashed banana

Chili

I got this recipe from Marilyn Johnston. It was my favorite at the Ward Chili cook off!

Cook together:

2-3 lbs ground beef

1 large onion

9 cloves minced garlic 

Then add:

1 quart tomato juice

3/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 16 oz can diced tomatoes (or more?)

3 16 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 8ox tomato sauce 

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp thyme

1-2 tsp chili powder

4 bay leaves

1 tsp salt

1 quart water

Cook for 45-60 minutes.

Healthy Mexican Mac and Cheese

Healthy Mexican Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked 93% lean ground beef, fat drained

4 tsp low sodium taco seasoning mix

9-10 cups cooked cauliflower, cut into small florets (3 12oz bags frozen)

1 cup chopped green chilies (2 4oz cans drained)

1 cup green or red peppers, diced

2 oz pickled jalapenos, chopped (optional)

For the sauce:

2 cups unsweetened cashew milk

8 tbsp or 4oz reduced fat cream cheese

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp Kraft reduced fat grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3 cups shredded reduced fat Mexican or sharp cheddar cheese

Topping:

2 cups shredded reduced fat Mexican or sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish lightly with cooking spray.

Combine cooked ground beef with taco seasoning mix and 6 tbsp of water in a small skillet. Heat over medium high heat. Cook until sauce thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, combine seasoned ground beef, cauliflower pieces, green chilies, green or red peppers and jalapenos. Set aside.

Pour cashew milk into a medium sized sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add the cream cheese, dijon mustard, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder. Stir until combined and cream cheese is melted. Add 3 cups cheese. Continue cooking until cheese is melted and sauce is nice and smooth, about 2 minutes.

Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower beef mixture and stir until everything is coated with the cheese sauce. Pour mixture into a prepared dish. Sprinkle 2 cups of cheese over the top. Bake for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Divide into 8 equal portions.

Lasagna Soup

 This is Janalee’s recipe.

1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage (you can either do all mild or 1 lb mild + 1/2 lb hot) (if you only have 1 lb it works fine)

2 onions finely chopped (a bag of frozen chopped onions works great)

4 cloves (or 4 tsp) minced garlic

2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 T. tomato paste (pro-tip: a cookie dough baller is 1 T. and works great for scooping and dropping)

28 oz diced tomatoes (2 regular cans or 1 large can)

6 cups chicken broth (3 cups if you’re substituting veggies for pasta)

2 bay leaves

16 oz fusilli pasta ( if you don’t have fusilli, rotini would substitute well)

1/2 cup finely chopped basil (I never have fresh herbs, so a Tablespoon of dried would work too)

Mozzarella cheese 

Crumble and Brown sausage. Drain fat. 

Add onions and sauté about six minutes. 

Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and sauté one minute.

Add tomato paste and sauté about five minutes.

Add tomatoes (with juice), broth, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. 

Increase heat back to a boil, then add pasta, cooking til al dente. 

Discard bay leaves. Add basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with mozzarella cheese .

If you want to make a low carb version, only add 3 cups of broth, simmer as usual, then add small bite-size cauliflower florets instead of noodles and cook until soft. Fresh or frozen work, but if frozen, defrost enough to cut into small pieces before adding to the pot. Sliced half moons of zucchini and squash are also great additions!