My Recipes

Watch for more YUMMY healthy meals. Some vegan and/or gluten free, too.

TEXAS Caviar

This is the yummiest thing to put out for guests and everyone will ask for the recipe!!



This, again, is one of those "eyeball it" recipes - and THAT'S why I love it! I am all about eyeballing!

Mix the following and chill

1 cup frozen or fresh corn
1 can rinsed and drained black beans
1 finely diced tomato
1 finely diced "bunch" of scallion greens
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
handful dried cilantro
salt
pepper
1/2 cup italian salad dressing of your choice.

I mix dried spices with Italian dressing when I start the recipe so it soaks and reconsititutes

Serve with tortilla chips or pita

Enjoy!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

SEMI-SWEET CHOCO Haystacks

These are so simply and so YUMMY!



For this yummy snack I threw a piece of tin foil on a cookie sheet and grabbed a Pyrex bowl

Empty two opened bags of semi-sweet choc chips into bowl and melted

Then, throw in the following:
~ 1/3 bag of sweetened coconut
~ 2 big handfuls of roasted, salted pumpkin seeds
~ 3 handfuls of raisins

Mix

Scoop into ping pong ball-sized mounds onto tinfoil
Place cookie sheet in refrigerator for 5 minutes for chocolate to set

Enjoy!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

VEGGIE HEAVEN Skillet Hashbrowns



Spray pan with non-stick spray or use 2-4 T margarine

Shred two large potatoes into pan as margarine melts

Add your favorite veggies and spices

*spinach
*tomato
*onion
*mushroom

Cook until potatoes are crispy!
Enjoy!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
SUPER SIMPLE Black Bean Gourmet Burger


This is sooo easy and soooo yummy!

Drain and rinse two cans of black beans
Place beans in a bowl and mash with potato masher
(using food processor will make this more of a paste which will NOT result in a "burger" texture)

Add anything you would add to a burger to the bowl and mix
*onions
*green pepper
*salt & pepper
*bread crumbs
*shredded carrot
*left over rice, couscous, tofu, etc

Form into patty and  place in greased pan
Cook like you would a burger

Place burger on multi-grain, hearty bun/roll
Top with rice cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato
I used ketchup, mustard and vegannaise, too

Left overs keep well for days!
Enjoy!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Easy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
I don't know if I have ever seen my kids go back for so many helpings of this super easy dinner! I was thrilled and so were their tummies!



This is actually a mostly-crock pot meal! Which makes it even better for us busy moms. Obviously NOT a vegan treat but could easily be gluten free. I have never tried the vegan crumbled "meat" because I don't like meat so I don't need to substitute it, but that may be an option for some, too.

Prepare crockpot around lunchtime with:
1 can italian diced tomatoes
3 frozen chicken breasts
1/2 cup water
1 packet taco seasoning
Let cook for 4-5 hours or until cooked through

25 minutes before meal time:
Pull cooked chicken breasts out and chop finely
Put back in taco/tomato mix in crock pot
Add 3/4 cup light sour cream
Mix well
Top with 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (taco blend would be good, too)
Let cook for 10 minutes

15 minutes before meal time:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Grease a 9 x 13" dish
Scoop crock pot mixture into center of open tortilla and roll
Fill 9 x 13" dish with rolled tortillas
Pour excess mixture from crock pot over tortillas so they are covered
Top with more shredded cheese
One "plop" of sour cream per enchilada

Put in oven for 10 minutes
Serve over rice, tortilla chips or corn
ENJOY!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Vegan Granola
(easy to make gluten free as per your dietary needs)


This is one of those recipes that you can adjust and tweak based on what you have in your pantry when you make it. Sometimes mine has dark chocolate pieces in it and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes there is coconut and sometimes not. But if you follow the base recipe, you can add whatever you like to plump it up to fit YOUR taste.

Basics:
Pour out old fashioned oats onto a sprayed baking sheet
Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees

Syrup:
Melt the following in saucepan and bring to a boil while oats are toasting
3 tablespoons of margarine
2/3 cup maple syrup (you can use honey but then it technically is not "vegan")
1/4 cup brown sugar
11/2  teaspoon vanilla (or other extract, I like almond)
1/4 teaspoon salt

After oats are toasted, reduce overn to 300 degrees.

Mix the following (or any variety of goodies) to the oats on the tray

1 cup almonds (can be added to the original oats and be toasted)
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup chopped apricots
1/2 cup cranberries

Pour syrup mixture over granola and mix.

Bake at 300 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool. Enjoy!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Cinn-fully Sweet Apples

For this dessert, I quartered an apple and sprinkled it with cinnamon and raw sugar. Then, just for fun, I plopped a piece of organic dark chocolate flavored with dried cherries and hot chilis.