Cottage Pie

6 potatoes peeled and cut
2 TBSP butter
1 C. milk/cream
2 C. pepper jack cheese
1 tsp salt

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion diced
1 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cans black beans
1 can corn
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can green chilies
1 C. pepper jack cheese/cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350. Spray baking dish with oil.

Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain and mash until smooth. Add butter and milk until desired consistency. Stir in cheese and salt.

In a skillet over medium heat add onion, beef and salt until slightly cooked. Add garlic, cumin, paprika and cinnamon. Complete cooking until browned. Add beans, corn, green chilies and tomatoes.  Mix well.

Transfer mixture to baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 the pepper jack/cheddar cheese. Top with mashed potatoes. Cover with remaining 1/2 of cheese.

Bake 30 min until golden on top.

Turkey/Beef/Pork - Crock Pot

Turkey - 2 dry onion soup mix or 2 pkg dry turkey gravy mix

Beef - 2 pkg dry brown gravy mix or SEE Vegetable Roast

Pork - Sweet Pork Rub 

Grandma & Papa Fishies Hamburger Soup

In a big pot brown:

2-3 lbs hamburger meat
1 onion chopped

Add and bring to boil:

2+ quarts beef stock
(1) 28 oz can diced tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil

Add:

1 1/2 C. celery diced (about 4 stocks)
2 potatoes peeled and diced
2 cans green beans
1 can or 1/2 bag frozen corn
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Simmer until potatoes are done. About 30 min.

Add before serving:

2 C. cooked macaroni noodles

Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Serves about 10-12

Asian Beef Stew

Cubed beef
1 Onion
2 Bell pepper

sauté in olive oil

add:

chopped zucchini
chopped Cremini mushrooms
1 can tomato sauce

season with:
garlic
Worcestershire sauce
salt/pepper
Asian seasoning

Meat Ball Alfredo Pasta with Spinach

1 bag Rainbow Pasta
2  lbs beef
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
1 bag Cremini mushrooms
1 cup fresh parmesan cheese
1 large bag fresh baby spinach

In a large bowl add beef, salt, pepper, tomato sauce and basil. Mix well and form balls.  Put meatballs in cupcake pan and bake 350 about 20 min. or golden on top.  Start making the Alfredo sauce.  (http://addthelove.blogspot.com/2012/01/alfredo-sauce.html) Add cooked meatballs to the Alfredo Sauce and simmer 10 min.  Start cooking pasta.  While pasta is cooking steam mushrooms. In a very large pot add cooked pasta and fold in fresh spinach, mushrooms and parmesan cheese.  Poor sauce and meatballs over the top..  Mix.

Meatball Soup

*Meat

2 lbs beef
1 tsp Parsley
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
3 garlic
1 tsp sage
Make into BASEBALL SIZED balls and place on a cookie sheet, bake in oven. 375 for 30 min.

* Soup

8 cups beef broth

6 cups water

Big carrots

Big sweet potato chunks

Big cut up cabbage purple and green  

2  yellow onion

Bring to boil then simmer for 30 min.  Add meat balls and simmer for 15 min. 

Tamale Pie

  

Serves 12+

Filling:
2 onions
4 garlic cloves
3 TBSP olive oil
1 1/2 tsp Cumin
2 cans black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
(or 4 cups worth of any beans you like)
4+ TBSP tomato paste
2 cans olives cut in half
1 green pepper
5 celery stocks
1 pkg mushrooms
1 lge zucchini
1 bag baby spinach
1-2 lbs ground beef
1 can corn (optional, I do not)

Saute onion and garlic 5 min.  Add cumin.  Mash beans and add to onion and garlic.  Add tomato paste and rest of veggies and beef.

Corn Meal: (this is optional if you are on a low carb diet, I make half with half w/out)
6 cups boiling water
3 cups corn meal
1 tsp salt

Boil water and SLOWLY add cornmeal and salt stirring constantly until thick.   Grease 2 lge deep dishes and spread cornmeal on bottom.  Pour bean mixture over top.  Bake 350.  30 min.  Cover top with cheese (optional).  Bake additional 10 min. 

Veggie Heaven

Serves 8+

2 TBSP olive oil
2 Yellow onion
4 garlic
4 zucchini
4 yellow squash
3 sweet potato (I use sweet because regular potatoes are way too starchy, up to you)
4 tomato
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1 lb lean beef cooked (optional)
salt and pepper
Italian cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Saute both in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about five minutes).

While the onion and garlic are sauteing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.

Spray the inside of a baking dish with non-stick spray. Layer beef and softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and thyme.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

 

 

Ratatouille Protein Style (2 versions)

PRETTY VERSION:

SAUCE:
2 red bell peppers
1 yellow onion
4 tomatoes seeded
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp marjoram, thyme, basil
1 bay leaf

Boil until looks like a nice sauce.

FIXINS'
1 lb lean ground beef cooked (optional)
4+ zucchini
4+ yellow squash
Japanese eggplant (1 large eggplant)
4+ roma/plum tomatoes seeded

Slice all veggies 1/4" thick or as desired.  Place cooked ground beef as a layer on bottom of dish.  Pour sauce over top.  Arrange by alternating veggies UPRIGHT. Cover with parchment paper.  Bake 350 until tender. 

BIG POT VERSION:
*** to keep each individual veggies flavor, you can cook them separately then mix together before serving.

1 yellow onion sliced
4 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 large eggplant 1/2" pieces
4 zucchini cut in half and then in 1/2" pieces
4 yellow squash cut the same
1 red, yellow, orange bell peppers cut into chunks
4 plum tomatoes BIG chunks
1/2 tsp marjoram, thyme
1 lb lean beef cooked (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/2 c. fresh basil
1/2 tsp. pepper

In a large pot add 3 TBSP olive oil, onion, garlic, bay leaf and eggplant.  Cook 8 min.  Add zucchini, squash, peppers, tomatoes, marjoram and thyme.  Cook another 7 min or until tender.  Stir in salt, basil and pepper.

***LEFTOVERS CAN BE USED AS A PIZZA TOPPING***

Vegetable Roast

3-4 lb rump/arm roast (I just got the Trader Joes Roast it was almost 3lbs)
2 cups Carrots diced small
4-6 White Potatoes diced small
2 Yellow Onions diced small
3 Garlic Cloves chopped
1 green/red bell pepper or 1 Anaheim chile diced small
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 tsp Brown gravy mix
3 TBSP flour
1/4 c. cold water

 Place roast in crock pot, mix the flour, water and brown gravy mix into a thick sauce like paste.  Pour over the meat.  Sprinkle the salt, pepper and garlic over the top of meat and sauce.  Place carrots, potatoes, bell pepper and onion around and on top of meat.

Cook in crock pot over LOW heat for 10 hours.  Once meat is tender about 8 hours, you can shred the meat and stir.  Continue to cook remaining time.

There is NO water or broth in this.  That is OKAY.  The fat from the meat and fluid from the veggies will make this PERFECT!

.

PINTO!

Sort, rinse and soak desired amount of pinto beans in a very large pot covered with water 4-5" above beans overnight. 

When you are ready to cook (plan on about 3 hours) Drain water and refill with fresh water 2" above beans.  Cover and bring to boil.  Lover heat to LOW and cook covered 3 hours or until beans are tender.

Add 1 large can green chilies.  (or fresh chilies cut with seeds removed)

Add 1 lb COOKED ground beef seasoned with:
1 tsp garlic salt (3 cloves minced)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper 
1 tsp parsley

Serve with cubed cheddar cheese on top (optional), tortillas or rolls.

Easy Spanish Rice - with BROWN rice

Serves 6-8 adults.

2 cups uncooked rice -brown/white
(I used Trader Joes Brown Rice Medley and it was FABULOUS!!!)
1 chopped onion
4 TBSP olive oil
5 cups water
2 cloves garlic
1 8oz can tomato sauce (or small can of tomato paste)
1 chopped green bell pepper (or 1/2 cup freeze fried bell pepper mix)
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 lb. ground beef COOKED
cheddar cheese (of course this is a Basham recipe ;P)

Cook rice and onion in oil in a large high-side skillet over medium heat about 3 minutes.  Stirring occasionally until rice is golden brown.

Stir in remaining ingredients (NOT the cheddar cheese) Heat to boiling, reduce heat and cover.  Simmer for about 45 minutes stirring occasionally until rice is tender! That's all she wrote folks! Serve and top with cheddar cheese!!!

Meat Loaf with Cucumber Sauce

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (less fat % the better)
1 cup oats
1 small onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup tomato juice or sauce or V8
1 egg beaten
2 garlic cloves

Mix all together and place in a loaf pan.  Bake 350 for 1 hour 15 min.  Let set 5 min. before slicing.

Here is a sauce you can add to the top of your meat loaf if you are looking for a way to jazz it up, I found it when I had a million cucumbers in my garden! Or you can just add ketchup....

Cucumber Sauce:
2 cucumbers seeded, peeled and diced very small
1/2 tsp. salt.
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp dill

Add diced cucumber to a strainer and sprinkle salt over it and fold.  Let drain for 10 min.  Mix rest of ingredients together in a bowl and add cucumber, mix in well.  Serve over meat loaf.

Bean soup!

In a big pot COOK 1 pound ground beef, adding seasoning as you wish (onions, salt, pepper, fresh basil and Parsley, fresh garlic)

ADD: (I use organic) JUICE AND ALL
1 can White Beans
1 can Black Beans
1 can Pinto Beans
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Sweet Corn
1 can diced tomatoes/6+ fresh tomatoes diced

While you are heating that up, dice some CHEDDAR CHEESE to put on the top. Optional.

FROM SCRATCH:

Soak over night 1 cup of each bean rinse and drain then add water to cover the beans about 2" above them and cook till tender. Add the rest of the ingredients. You may need to add more water as the beans cook but when they are done you will want some water left in, just enough to cover the top of the beans for the soup part.  So you may need to take some water out after cooking them, then add your other ingredients.

Wild Rice Stuffed Beef Peppers

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 3 – 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2/3 cup tomato juice
• 10 grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 4 bell peppers of choice
• 4 slices of Munster cheese
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

One: Cook rice accordingly.

Two: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add oil and onions to a large sauté pan and cook over medium high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the beef, tomato juice and seasoning. Cook until the beef is done all the way through, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and black pepper, cook covered for another 5 minutes.

Seth, our food critic of the house.... thumbs up!!!

Three: Add cooked rice to beef mixture and stir. In a glass baking dish stand peppers and fill with rice and beef mixture. Top the pepper with a slice of Munster cheese and place the top on pepper. You can also choose not to put the top on, and the cheese wont stick to the pepper top. Bake for 15 minutes.

Fresh Salsa

2 cucumbers diced

4-5 tomato

1 red bell pepper diced

1 orange bell pepper diced

1 yellow bell pepper diced

1 green bell pepper diced

1 small onion diced VERY SMALL

4 cloves of garlic minced/chopped up good

2-3 small limes juiced

1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

3/4 tsp. dry dill

3/4 tsp. salt

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed

1 can corn drained (or I used 2 cups of my cannery corn soaked and drained YUM!)

Cook 1lb Ground Beef and drain.  Cool and add to salsa.

avocado (on the side because they turn brown)