CROCKPOT STACKED ENCHILADAS

My friend, Kim made these for a potluck one time and our family loved the recipe, so I added it to my list of favorites.  It is easy and great for nights your children have a ball game at 5:00 p.m. and you come home at 7 p.m. starving!  The enchiladas are waiting in the crock pot for you, and if you did the clean up right away when you put them together, you won't be doing dishes at 9 p.m.

You can find the enchilada recipe here on Recipezaar.  I use venison hamburger, which is very lean and I always use the light cream cheese.  I usually cut down on the amount of cheddar I use, but if you used the fat free cheddar, you could use more for the same amount of calories.  I usually use canned enchilada sauce, but yesterday I discovered I was completely out!  So, I googled "homemade enchilada sauce" thinking it would be a less-than-perfect substitute for the store bought stuff.  Boy was I ever wrong!  I have found a new, easy homemade sauce that we all like 100 times better.  In fact, when Ty was woofing down the remainder of what was left in the crockpot, he said, "what did you do different - these are so much better than you've ever made" (I did not have the heart to correct his English from 'different' to 'differently' - hey, a compliment is a compliment!).

The sauce is from an Emeril Lagasse recipe and it could not be easier!
Heat 3 T. oil in a pan and add 1 T. flour.  Cook for about 1 minute.
Add 1/4 cup chili powder and mix around.
Then add:  2 cups chicken broth (whisking as you add), a can of tomato paste, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. cumin and salt to taste.
Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes.

CHICKEN RANCH NACHOS

I found this recipe here on Recipezaar quite awhile ago.  I was not sure I would like it, but I've found with a few adaptions, it is one of our favorites.   First, let me say that I make my own taco seasonings.  I have all the ingredients readily available in my cabinet, and I do not add any preservatives or salt, so it is healthier and tastier.   I also make my own ranch dressing, which I also found of Recipezaar.  You can find that here.
I turned them into more of a nacho recipe rather than tacos just because I don't like biting into tacos-they crumble and break and end up as nachos anyway, so why not save the trouble and start off with chips.

I

I would like to show off some of my pottery.  This is a triple server made by a great friend of mine, Marie.   I originally put this on my pottery wish list many years ago because I thought it was cute - I just love the handle.  I had no idea how often I would really use this. It is great for "Mexican nights" and is great for serving different kinds of salad dressings, or even for your salad toppings. 

This is a bowl of my homemade salsa - or I should say the Pioneer Woman's salsa - sorry.  I make it so often I sort of think of it as my own.  You can find that simple easy recipe here.  

Ole' 

CHILI SAUCE STEAK

I have used this recipe for years and I honestly don't have the recipe book anymore and I have no idea what the actual recipe is called.  I may not even be following it correctly, but the final result is good, so that's all the counts in my mind.

Round steak, when on sale, is relatively cheap.  I buy the leanest looking cuts I can find and trim the rest of the fat off.  I pound the meat with a bit of flour on top then, I sear the meat on both sides.  I transfer it to my stoneware pot, add some sauteed peppers and onions on top, some salt and pepper.  I use a bottle of chili sauce mixed with about 1/4 of the bottle of water.  Mix that up and dump on top.  I also throw in a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce.  Then I cook it on a low heat for 3 or more hours, depending on the thickness.  I comes out tender and very flavorful.

Any suggestions on how you cook round steak????

CABBAGE AND BEEF CASSEROLE

I never realized how much I enjoy cooking until I started doing this blog.  I look forward to making a good dish that I can share on here - whether you all are interested or not - it makes me happy.   I get bored easily with meals, so I like to make different things all the time.

My good friend, Shari, makes an ethnic dish that she shared with me many, many moons ago - haloopkis (hal-oop-keys), which is basically ground beef "meatballs" with cabbage leaves wrapped around them and baked in tomato sauce.  Now, I know I did not spell this correctly and probably am not even saying it correctly, but even my spell check could not help me here, so please forgive!  Shari and her family made these on Christmas Eve because I saw her pictures on face book, and it reminded me of the day that she gave me and some of our other wonderful friends a lesson on the way to properly make these.  Oh I miss those days!  ~sigh~

This is kind of my own rendition of this dish made simple for a mother of toddlers and a woman with a short attention span :-).

Here's what I did:

Cook 1/2 head of cabbage (chopped up in bite sized pieces) until tender.
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 cup dry brown rice (cooked in 2 cups water)
      cook until water is just absorbed
1 small onion
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup beef broth - maybe more
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 T. Italian seasonings
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper
I also chopped up in small pieces some carrots for color and added veggies.


I cooked the beef, garlic,and onion together, then added the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and beef broth with all the spices.  After the cabbage was tender, I added it all together with the "al dente" rice in a 9x13 pan with the beef mixture. (If you have extra water left with the cabbage, add it in the dish - it gives you the extra nutrients from the cabbage).  If it is a bit dry, add some more beef broth. Give it a good stir and bake for about 45 minutes at 350.  You want it kind of "soupy" because the rice will continue to absorb the liquid.

I added all this into my WW online calculator and listed it as 8 servings.  It came up as only 4 points per serving!!!!  Wow-it was so satisfying that I actually feel guilty only counting 4 points!  


I served this with some homemade bread and some cooked carrots.


If you know how to correctly spell "haloopkis", please let me know

Haddock with bacon

This is one of those rare fish recipes that I like.  I got this from a Rachael Ray long long ago and as usual, I've adapted it to my tastes.

First, I put the haddock (or any white fish) in a pan/dish that has a bit of olive oil spread on it.

Then, I sprinkle some salt and pepper and some lemon juice.  Put it in a 400 degree oven.

Then, I cut up about 4 pcs. of bacon - I use thick cut bacon - for about 2 lbs. of fish.  I cook it up until it is nice and crispy.  Then I drain the fat and put the bacon on a napkin to soak up the extra grease.  Grease is bad!  Sautee up a small onion in the pan until translucent.  

Flip your fish over - it should be about done.

Once you're fish is almost done, I top it off with the onion and bacon, and finish baking it.

It is so good, I don't use any tartar sauce/mayo/ketchup!  Of course, the guys do, but what do they know? :-)

I figure one fillet w/ bacon is about 6 points.

POPPY SEED CHICKEN CASSEROLE

I've really been on a roll with finding new recipes lately - and, actually, I expect my creativity to crash any day now, but I wanted to share this recipe with you.  It would be a great meal for working women because you can make it the day or night before, and then just heat it up when you get home.  ALL of the men in my house loved it (Levi and Noah are not men yet, so we won't count their votes).   Tyler liked it so much he actually asked me what the recipe was called.  I would love to show you what it looks like when it's cooked, but it was gobbled up before I got a photo of it - sorry!

Here's the recipe:

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
1-8 oz. carton low-fat sour cream
1-10 oz. can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
butter flavored cooking spray
10 reduced fat Ritz crackers

Combine all ingredients, except crackers and spray.  put in your casserole dish and if you need to, cover it and refrigerate up to 24 hours.  
Heat over to 350.
Crush crackers and sprinkle on top of casserole.  Spray top with butter spray.  Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.

4 servings (3/4 cup) = 7 points

Salisbury Steak

I found this recipe in my Weight Watchers cookbook.  I don't know why I've never tried it before, because it was really good!

Here is the recipe straight from the book:

1-14 oz. can beef broth
3 T. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup picante sauce, divided
12 oz. extra lean ground beef
3 T. breadcrumbs
1 large egg white
cooking spray
1/2-8 oz. package presliced mushrooms

Combine broth, flour and 1/4 cup picante sauce in bowl.  Wisk and set aside.
Combine beef, breadcumbs, egg white and picante sauce in bowl.  Divide into 4 equal parts and shape into patty.
Heat skillet with non stick spray and brown patties on each side for about 5 minutes.  Remove and keep warm.
Add mushrooms and saute until browned.  Add broth mixture.  Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes until thick.  Add patties back to pan and finish cooking through.

It is 5 points per patty.


What I did: 
I did not have picante sauce, so I added some of the Salsa Verde I had left over in the fridge.  It added a little kick :-).   My ground beef was not as lean as I usually like, so I had to drain off a bit of fat and squeeze it out of the patty.  I also only ate about 1/2 of a patty.


I made the mashed potatoes (w/o butter - use fat free milk and ff sour cream), and also added some cooked cauliflower in the potatoes and mashed it together.  I figure it gives us an extra added veggie and not one single person knew!


I served it with cooked carrots (with a touch of honey and cinnamon), and a side salad.  It was a great meal!