Smoked Sausage Chicken Gumbo

 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced

2 c. water

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1 onion, chopped

1/2 c. green pepper, chopped

1 c. celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1 16 oz can green beans

Place sausage in slow-cooker; add water. Shake chicken breasts with four in a zip-top bag; put chicken on sausage. Cover with chopped vegetalbes; sprinkle with garlic and spics. cover and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-7 hours. Remove chicken and cut into bite-size chucnks. return chicken to pot. Drain green beans; stir into gumbo. cook on high 30 min. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

 From The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

• ▢1 lb. dried elbow pasta
• ▢1/2 cup unsalted butter
• ▢1/2 cup all purpose flour
• ▢1 1/2 cups whole milk
• ▢2 1/2 cups half and half
• ▢4 cups shredded medium sharp cheddar cheese divided (measured after shredding)
• ▢2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese divided (measured after shredding)
• ▢1/2 Tbsp. salt
• ▢1/2 tsp. black pepper
• ▢1/4 tsp. paprika

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 3 qt baking dish (9x13").  Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  When boiling, add dried pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package directs for al dente.  Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep from sticking.
• While water is coming up to a boil, shred cheeses and toss together to mix, then divide into three piles.  Approximately 3 cups for the sauce, 1 1/2 cups for the inner layer, and 1 1/2 cups for the topping.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over MED heat.  Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine.  Mixture will look like very wet sand.  Cook for approximately 1 minute, whisking often.  Slowly pour in about 2 cups or so of the milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until smooth.  Slowly pour in the remaining milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until combined and smooth.
• Continue to heat over MED heat, whisking very often, until thickened to a very thick consistency.  It should almost be the consistency of a semi thinned out condensed soup.
• Remove from the heat and stir in spices and 1 1/2 cups of the cheeses, stirring to melt and combine.  Stir in another 1 1/2 cups of cheese, and stir until completely melted and smooth.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine drained pasta with cheese sauce, stirring to combine fully.  Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Top with 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheeses, then top that with the remaining pasta mixture.
• Sprinkle the top with the last 1 1/2 cups of cheese and bake for 15 minutes, until cheesy is bubbly and lightly golden brown.  

Lentil Soup with Coriander and Cumin

Cook this rich and fragrant soup in the pressure cooker and have it on the table in about a half hour. But if pressure cooking is not your style, simply cook it in a covered pot over low heat, adding extra water as necessary, until the lentils are tender and then proceed with step #3.

Servings: 8

 

Calories: 228kcal

 

Author: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/11/lentil-soup-with-coriander-and-cumin.html

Ingredients

• 2 cups brown or green lentils uncooked
• 8 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 large carrots thickly sliced
• 1 rib celery chopped
• 2 large gold or red potatoes cut into large cubes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 vegetable bouillon cubes use if water is used instead of broth
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• Additional seasonings: 1/4 teaspoon coriander, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 2 cloves minced garlic
• salt to taste
• 4 ounces fresh spinach chopped if large leaves
• 2 teaspoons Red wine vinegar or lemon juice

Instructions

• Pick over the lentils and rinse well.
• Start the water or broth heating in the pressure cooker while you chop the vegetables. Add all ingredients except the additional seasonings, salt, spinach, and vinegar into the cooker and bring to a boil. Seal the cooker and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before using a quick-release method to release the pressure. (If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can simply cook this on the stove until the lentils are tender, about an hour.)
• Check to make sure the lentils and potatoes are tender; if not, cook, covered but not at pressure, until done, adding water if it seems too thick. Remove the bay leaves, and add the additional seasonings, salt, and spinach. Check the seasonings, adding more cumin and coriander as needed. Cook for just a few minutes to wilt the spinach. Stir in the vinegar or lemon juice and serve.

Southwestern Black Bean Casserole

1 can corn, drained

2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1 cup chunky salsa

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 red bell pepper diced

1 green bell pepper diced

1/2 yellow onion diced

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (about 2  3/4 cups)

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped

Optional toppings:  avocado, fresh tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Mix the vegetable broth, salsa and nutritional yeast together in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

While the liquid is heating up, spread the peppers and onion evenly across a 9x13 pan or casserole dish.  Sprinkle the corn and black beans over the veggies, then add the uncooked rice on top.

Remove the vegetable broth from the heat once it comes to a boil and pour evenly over the casserole dish.  Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake in the middle rack of the oven for 60 minutes.

Remove from the oven and top with fresh cilantro, avocado or tomatoes.  Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to one month.

Black Bean Salad

This easy Black Bean can be made in minutes and is a great appetizer or side dish to any meal. Serve it as a salad or dip with tortilla chips!

PREP TIME   15 minutes

SERVINGS    6

Ingredients

·         1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

·         1 cup corn 1 large ear of sweet corn or 1 cup defrosted frozen corn

·         1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes

·         1 cup chopped red bell pepper

·         1/2 cup chopped red onion

·         1/2 cup chopped cilantro

·         Juice of 1 1/2 limes

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         1 teaspoon kosher salt

·         1/2 teaspoon chili powder

·         1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

·         1 large avocado pitted, peeled, and chopped

Instructions

1.    In a large bowl, combine black beans, corn, tomatoes, red pepper, onion, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, salt, chili powder, and cumin. Stir to combine. Gently stir in the avocado and season with additional salt, if necessary. Serve.

 

Recipe Notes

This salad can be made in advance, up to 1 day, just wait to stir in the avocado until serving time.

For WFPB omit the olive oil

https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/black-bean-salad/

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies

From:   https://shaneandsimple.com/3-ingredient-banana-oatmeal-cookies/

• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 12 cookies 

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Description

Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies are so easy to make and require just 3 simple ingredients. Vegan and easily made gluten-free, these cookies are perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a snack.

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Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas 
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (I prefer Enjoy Life mini chips)

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Peel and place the bananas into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Using a potato masher or fork mash the bananas until they are kind of smooth. If there are a few chunks that’s totally fine.
3. Add the oats and combine them with the bananas using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Fold in the chocolate chips until everything is well combined.
4. Spoon out 1 heaping tablespoon of the mixture using a cookie scoop or a 1 Tbsp measuring spoon and place it onto the baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to flatten the dough out just a bit. Continue until you have made 12 cookies or all of the cookie dough is gone.
5. Place into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. The cookies should be slightly golden.
6. Remove and let cool for a few minutes. Enjoy!

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Notes

3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Place in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.

If you want “flatter” cookies form them with your hands before placing them on the baking. They do not spread like regular cookies.

Be sure and gluten-free oats for a gluten-free version.

Healthy banana oatmeal cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature on the counter. You can also store them in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Place in a freezer-safe container once they’ve cooled and store for up to 3 months in the freezer.

You may use quick oats if that’s all that’s available. But, you may need to add extra the mixture is a little wet. 

Alli's Easy Tangy Southwest Salad

 

2 heads of romaine lettuce

1 large red bell pepper

1 can black beans

1 can whole kernel corn

1-2 avocados

1 can chicken or rotisserie chicken

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 TBSP taco seasoning

¾ cup ranch dressing

¼ cup honey BBQ sauce

1 tsp lime juice

1 bag tortilla chips

Cut up lettuce, bell pepper and avocado

Toss together with beans and corn

Mix taco seasoning with chicken and add to salad

Mix ranch, BBQ sauce and lime juice in separate container for dressing

Enjoy your salad with crushed chips, cheese, yogurt and dressing.

Serves 4-6 people