Bean Soup

I bought a package of Goya beans and it had this recipe on the bag (or something like it):

6 cups of water
1 package Goya ham flavor
1 package (1 lb.) of Goya 16 Bean Soup Mix
1 medium onion
2 stalks of chopped celery
1 chopped carrot
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

My husband is a vegetarian, so I substituted the ham flavor for 2 vegetable buillion cubes and threw it in the crockpot for a few hours. When I went to check on it, it had soaked up a lot of water and needed some flavor, so I added:

1 cup of water
1 more buillion cube
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Tabasco

It was better, but still lacked something, so I added some crumbled spicy vegetarian sausage. Much better, but I think next time I will add some chopped kale just before serving it.

Ranch Potato Chips

I've been making homemade potato chips for a few years now. There are a few things I have discovered in that time:

1) You must use fresh potatoes. They slice much nicer and make better chips.
2) Slice the potatoes on a mandolin (the slicer, not the instrument). It slices them evenly and thin enough to be crunchy.
3) Soak the potatoes in vinegar water for at least 15 minutes. It takes out some of the starchiness. Also, rinse the potatoes several times before throwing them in the fryer.
4) Once the potatoes start to crisp up, stir them continuously. It will help them to brown evenly.

So...last week I got a super good batch of chips and a thought occurred to me...
WHAT if I sprinkled the chips with the contents of a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Salad and Seasoning Mix?

Brilliant! Yay, me!
Try it.

Salsa

I thought I would share a recipe for salsa. It originated in my husband's family, but I have altered it over the years. I'm not big on measurements so you will have to decide exactly how much of the jalapeno, onion, cilantro and lime you would like to use. If you are unable to judge this then find another recipe. :)

Dump all of these ingredients into a bowl, then mix it up.
1 lg can Rotel (see notes)
1 sm can chopped olives
1/2 sm onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
Handful of cilantro, chopped
salt to taste

Notes:
*I cook the jalapeno in water in the microwave for 1 minute just to soften it a bit. Then cut it in half and seed it.
*Sometimes I will drain the tomatoes a bit, depending upon how much liquid is in it.

Mediterranean Tuna Quinoa Salad

Every once in awhile my brain thinks up a really yummy recipe. Watching all of those cooking shows on Food Network must pay off. Hubby is on his health kick again, so I'm trying to think up things that will help him meet his goals. I bought a box of Golden Jewel Blend grains at Wegmans. It is "a blend of Israeli Couscous, Tri-colored Orzo Pasta Split Baby Garbanzo Beans and Red Quinoa." I only ever go to Wegmans for specialty foods that I can't get at Walmart, cuz let's face it, we are all on a budget. I was trying to think of a recipe that would use this. My favorite Food Network chef is Giada DeLaurentiis. I love how she keeps recipes really light and simple. I used her as my inspiration for the following recipe. I hope you can follow it. I'm by no means a recipe writer.

1 pkg Wegmans Golden Jewel Blend grains, or 3 cooked cups of your favorite grain.
1/4 c. chopped roasted red pepper
3 tsp. capers
2 cans tuna in water

Viniagrette
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. fresh Italian parsley
black pepper and salt to taste

1. Bring 2 cups water and contents of package to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low.
2. Add roasted red pepper and capers. Cover tightly.
3. Simmer 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered, 2-3 minutes.
4. Prepare viniagrette.
5. Add tuna and viniagrette to grains. Season to taste.
6. Serve over a bed of fresh spinach.

I liked this recipe lukewarm, but you can also eat it hot and maybe cold. Didn't get that far yet. ;)

Vegetarian Enchiladas

Round about last Easter, my husband decided he wanted to be a vegetarian. This from a guy who previously obsessed over cooking the perfect steak and finding the best BBQ spot. I was hoping this phase would pass quickly but, here we are in January and he still eats vegetarian. He has loosened up a little. Mainly he doesn't want other meat-eating men to make fun of him, so he'll eat meat in large manly gatherings. I think it's just an excuse for him to enjoy a big, juicy steak though.
Last night I attempted to make the vegetarian version of a meal I used to make with meat...enchiladas. It turned out pretty well. I started by defrosting vegetarian ground meat aka the stuff they sweep off the floor at the mushroom farm. I cooked it in a pot with 3/4 cup of water and a packet of Ortega Taco Seasoning which I'm not sure is 100% vegetarian, but what hubby doesn't know won't hurt him. I put a scoop of the "meat" on a flour tortilla with some cheddar cheese and refried beans. The beans were actually vegetarian cuz it said it on the can. You would think all beans are vegetarian, but apparently not. Actually I think they usually make refried beans with lard or something gross like that. Anyway, I rolled up the tortillas and put them in a casserole dish that had a little salsa on the bottom to keep they from sticking. I used Great Value medium salsa cuz that's the way we roll in our house, but it you are a real gourmet and prefer something better, you can use that. It would probably actually be good with a brand that had chunks of black bean and corn in it, if such a salsa exists.
After I tranferred all of the enchiladas to the dish I topped it with more salsa, some more refried beans and a little of the remaining meat. Lastly I topped it with cheddar cheese.
I cooked the enchiladas at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.
These enchiladas were extremely eatable. There were a few instances where you could taste the spongey "meat" but I could actually eat these and enjoy them. I will definitely make these again.

Stuffed shells

I hate wasting food, so I'm always looking for ways to use up leftovers. On Mother's Day I grilled some yummy pizzas. One was shrimp, sweet corn and roasted red pepper, and the other was mushroom, spinach and red onion. They were very good, the problem was that I had veggies leftover because I had to buy a big bag of spinach and a whole package of mushrooms, but I only needed a handful of each for my pizza. I started thinking how I could use the leftovers and decided to incorporate them into the stuffed shells I was making for dinner last night. Here's my "recipe":

1/4 large onion
1 clove garlic
handful of spinach
handful of mushrooms
1/2 roasted red pepper
palmful of Parmesan cheese
handful of mozzarella cheese, plus more for topping
pinch of black pepper
1/2 lb ricotta cheese
salt to taste
1 egg
12 large shells, cooked al dente
marinara sauce

Throw veggies in food processor and chop until small. Mix in cheeses and beaten egg. Spoon filling into shells. Spoon marinara into the bottom of a baking dish. Place shells in dish. Spoon more marinara on top of shells. Top with mozzarella. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until sauce bubbles.

DISCLAIMER: If you are thrown off by my obscure measurements or undetailed recipe, then you probably shouldn't try making this dish and should just order a pizza.

Enjoy!

Lip Balm

We are entering the time of year when the air is so dry your feel like you could power a Smart car with all of the static electricity that has built up in your hair, and your skin is so dry you feel like you could easily be added to trail mix and no one would notice. Last year I discovered that you can make your own lip balm right in your kitchen. It is really easy and makes a lot. Once you have the ingredients, you can make enough lip balm to last a lifetime. Last year I used it every night before going to bed and every morning when I woke up and I doubt I had chapped lips one time. You see, as with everything else that is mass produced, the makers of lip balm add fragrances and fillers that dilute the ingredients that your lips need to stay hydrated. The lip balm recipe that I am about to share is the real deal. So here it is:

2 Tbsp. petroleum jelly (Vaseline)
1 tsp. beeswax (I bought mine by the ounce at a health food store or in the candlemaking section of the craft store.)

1) Melt the beeswax and petroleum jelly in a double boiler over low heat. I use a small saucepan with about an inch of boiling water in it, with a small mixing bowl on top (see picture*).

2) Mix ingredients thoroughly with a toothpick. At this point you can add several ingredients to enhance your lip balm. Here are a few examples:
*Essential oils: I like peppermint oil. It makes your lips tingly. Essentials oils can be found at most health food stores (Whole Foods Market).
*Color: You can add a little slice of your lipstick if you want your lip balm
to be colored, but don't expect to be able to notice it on your lips.
*Other stuff I can't categorize: I use a few drops of Vitamin E oil and Aloe Oil because they are supposed to be good for your skin. I don't know if it's true.
3) Pour your lip balm into containers. I found little containers at the craft store that are supposed to be used to hold leftover acrylic paint. They fit about 1 oz. I used 4. Make sure they are clean. I put them in boiling water for a few minutes before I fill them.

Yep, that's it. Pretty much it's just melting stuff. Hopefully this will be the year you don't suffer from chapped lips. If it is, you can thank me. :)

*Ignore the stained cooktop and old pot. I told you I was no Martha Stewart.