Spanish Rice Bake

Adapted from Allrecipes

I don't know about you, but sometimes I get into a cooking rut. I get comfortable with a few recipes and after a month or so I stop and realize I have been eating the same 3 things for weeks! Anyway, I wanted something new and easy, with not too many strange ingredients that I would have to hunt around for. This was just the ticket. Familiar flavors, hearty and with a little hot sauce it really sings.

Plus, I imagine you could add all sorts of beans and veggies to this and even make it vegetarian if you so desired.

Makes enough for 4-6 people

1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion
2-3 bell peppers
1 can (14 oz or 400g) canned tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can kidney beans
1 cup water
1 cup rice
1/2 cup chile sauce (or salsa)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C)
Brown the meat and onion in a large skillet. Drain excess fat and stir in peppers, tomatoes, water, rice, chilie sauce, salt, sugar, and spices.
Let simmer for about 30 minutes covered, stirring occasionally. Check to see that the rice is cooked through, and if it is pour entire contents into a large casserole dish. (if not, wait a little longer, add water if needed and then pour it into the dish) Press down firmly and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
Bake at for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Meat and Potato Pie

Adapted from Have Spork Will Travel

This is serious comfort food. Like a chicken pot pie made for a mountain man. I would love to try it with chunks of beef rather than mincemeat, but for the time being it will have to do.

1 lb beef

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

2 cups diced potatoes

2 cups carrots

1 cup peas

1 cup corn

1 can mushrooms

1 can cream mushroom soup + 1 can of water

1/2 cup milk

pie crust (two, for top and bottom)

Preheat the oven to 350 (176 C). Saute beef onion, garlic, spices, carrots in a large pot until soft. Drain excess fat. Then add potatoes, soup, peas, corn, mushrooms and milk. Simmer on low for 30 min until the liquid is reduced. Then spoon the mixture into the crust, seal edges and bake 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden.

Tuna Casserole

Adapted from Imperrfections

This is one of those cheap and easy dinners that everyone should know how to throw together. I am usually not a huge fan, but this recipe was great and even better the next day. You could easily substitute the tuna with chicken or have no meat at all and it would still be good.

8 oz (225 grams) pasta

5 Tbsp butter

3 cloves garlic

1 medium onion

3-4 stalks celery

3-4 carrots

2 cups cream of mushroom soup

(or)

1 cup diced mushrooms

1/4 cup flour

2 1/2 cup milk

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cans tuna

1 cup peas

1/2 cup bread crumbs

3/4 cup parmesan

Boil water, cook the noodles, drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350

In a large pan saute onion, garlic, carrots, celery in butter until soft. Then add mushroom soup (or saute mushrooms and butter, whisk in flour then slowly add the milk) and add salt, pepper, tuna, and peas. Add in the noodles and pour into a large casserole dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese and bake 15-20 minutes

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Adapted from Mom

Enchiladas are one of my favorite meals. It reminds me of mom and living in my childhood home, and it is great comfort food. I have changed her original recipe over the years to add more spice and heat, but it still has the same elements and tastes great.

Serves 4

1 Tbsp butter

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

2 tsp chili powder

1 Tbsp dried cilantro (or 1 bunch of fresh), divided

1 can green chilies

2 cups cubed chicken

1 can of Cream of Chicken soup *

16 tortillas

1 cup cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 can green enchilada sauce

1 bell pepper, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 (176 C)

Saute onion, garlic, chili and half of your cilantro in butter until clear and fragrant. Add chicken pieces, cook through. Add cream of chicken soup, can of green chilies and sour cream, stir until smooth.

Pour 1/2 the can of green enchilada sauce on the bottom of your baking dish (I ended up using one 9x13 inch casserole pan). Take one tortilla at a time, add a scoop of creamy chicken filling and roll it up inside of the tortilla. Start lining up the filled and rolled tortillas in the casserole dish and keep squeezing them in until they are packed tight and you are out of sauce. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top of the dish and sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese, the rest of your cilantro and diced bell pepper.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with fresh salsa.

*if you need to make your own cream of chicken soup like I do in Finland, here are the ingredients:

4 Tbsp flour

4 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 cup chicken stock

Melt butter in a sauce pan and whisk in flour. Then add salt, milk and broth slowly and heat until liquid is smooth.

Lasagna Tart

adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Ok, so this didn't photograph all to well, but I have to say it was one of the better meals I've made in a while and Ben ate the whole thing in one sitting. Be sure to drain the zucchini for as long as possible, they emit a lot of moisture in the cooking process and I was left with quite a bit of liquid at the top. All in all this was a great dinner and one I will be trying again soon!

Filling

2 medium zucchini, sliced into very thin coins

1 tsp salt

2 cups ricotta cheese (this is hard to find in Finland, so we used cottage cheese)

3 cups spaghetti sauce (about 800 grams or 28 ounces)

Tart Crust

2 cups flour (1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat)

1 tsp salt

zest from one lemon or 1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/3 cup cold butter (75 grams)

scant 1/2 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 375 (190 C) and place a rack in the middle.

Start by tossing the sliced zucchini with salt in a medium bowl. Transfer to a colander and let it drain as much fluid as possible while you make the tart crust.

To make the tart dough, mix together flour, salt, lemon zest, basil and oregano in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until it forms little pea sized balls and slowly add the cold water a little at a time until the dough just comes together. Knead once or twice, and on a lightly floured surface roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick (1/2 centimeter) and large enough for your 9-inch tart pan.

Ease the pastry into your pan and press it in so it is snug around the edges. Trim away excess dough and place the dough in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.

In the meantime, heat up the spaghetti sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes, letting some of the moisture evaporate.

Once the dough is done resting, prick the crust with a fork a few times. Line the dough with parchment paper and fill the tart with pie weights (dry beans or dry rice works as well). Bake for 15 minutes and carefully remove the paper and weights, then toast the tart crust in the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool for a few minutes and turn the heat down to 350. This step is to avoid having a soggy bottom crust.

Use the spatula and spread about 1/2 of the ricotta cheese at the bottom of the tart, then a layer of zucchini. Then spread 1/2 of the spaghetti sauce, with another layer of zucchini, then the other half of the cheese, another layer of zucchini and top it off with the rest of the sauce. You want the filling to nearly reach the top.

Place the tart on a rimmed baking sheet (in case of overflow) and bake for abou 40 minutes or until the tart is cooked through. Remove, sprinkle the top with parmesan and cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Biscuit Crust

A healthier alternative to the All Butter Pie Crust

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup milk

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until it looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and form the dough into a ball, adding a bit more flour if too sticky. Roll out the dough to the size where it will fit the top of your baking dish.

Chicken Pot Pie

adapted from my mom

My mom used to make the best chicken pot pies, and they were always so good that there were never any leftovers. The secret, she would always say, is the homemade pie crust. I was all ready to roll out the dough when I looked up the calories in a pot pie with homemade crust. It was a little disheartening. So this time I did an experiment with one pot pie with the double pie crust, and one with a low fat biscuit crust (topping only).

I can't lie, the pie crust is better. It is sinfully good. But the biscuit crust wasn't bad at all, and I would have to admit that it is less time consuming than the flaky butter crust.

This is, sadly, the best picture I could get of our wonderful dinner.

So I suppose you can try out both and see what you think. Maybe use the calorie laden crust for special occasions, and the lower calorie one for more frequent use?
Either way, this dinner is a keeper.

4 pie crusts to make 2 pies (top and bottom)
* or you can try out the biscuit crust for lower calories

1 lb chicken chunks
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup peas
1 cup corn
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup potatoes, diced
1/3 cup butter
1 medium onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp parsley
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cup milk

In a large pot, combine chicken, carrots, peas, celery, potatoes, and corn. Add enough water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat cook onions and garlic in butter until soft. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and parsley. Then slowly add the chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium/low heat until thick. Remove from heat and add in the chicken/vegetable mixture.

Pour the chicken mixture in the bottom pie crust. Cover with top crust and seal edges. Make several small slits in the top to allow the steam to escape.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving - the insides will be very hot!

*Tips: Prebake the bottom pie crust to keep it from getting soggy. To do this, place a piece of parchment paper on top of the bottom crust and fill it with beans or rice so it will keep its shape. Bake for about five minutes.

Shepards Pie

from mom

This is a cheap and easy dish, and very filling.

Filling:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 c beef broth
1 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp wine vinegar
carrots (sliced)
peas
corn
salt and pepper to taste

Topping: (mashed potatoes)
6-8 large potatoes
1/3 c butter
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 packet of ranch (optional)
cheese to sprinkle on top (optional)

First, boil the potatoes until they are soft enough to mash. Also, boil all vegetables until just softened. Saute onion, garlic and brown meat, then drain the grease. Add broth and flour until thickened. Add vegetables, seasonings and vinegar to the meat mixture. Pour meat mix into a baking dish and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350. Mash the potatoes until soft, add butter, milk and seasonings until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Plop the mashed potatoes on top and spread out until meat mixture is covered completely. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until mashed potatoes are golden brown.

Serves 8