Festive Black Bean Chili

Chili :
black beans
corn
green and red peppers
salsa

With guacamole topping and GF cornbread

airy Hollow House Skillet-Sizzled Buttermilk Cornbread
from: Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon (I'm not kidding, that's her name.)

I cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 cup (this is where I substituted for white flour) garbanzo bean flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1-3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil, such as corn, canola, or peanut
2-4 tablespoons butter

1 Preheat oven to 375 F.
2 In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar. Stir well to combine.
3 In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and oil.
4 Place a 9 to 10 1/4 inch skillet over medium heat, add teh butter, and heat until the butter melts and is sizzling seriously. Tilt the skillet to coat the sides.
5 As the butter's melting, quickly pour the wet ingredients into the dry and, using a wooden spoon, stir the wet and dry together with as few strokes as possible--only as many as are needed to combine the two. Don't beat it; don't smooth it out. Scrape the batter into the hot, buttery skillet--if you've gotten it hot enough it will sizzle as it goes in--and pop it in the oven immediately.
6 Bake until golden brown on top. 25-30 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve hot.

Chicken Gumbo, Brown Rice, Spinach Salad

Gumbo:

meat from 2 chickens
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 large onions
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1/2 cup tomato paste
4 cups chicken stock
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp green peppercorns
2 tomatoes
1 Tbsp file powder

Saute onion and peppers in butter and EVOO. Add tomato paste and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and add chicken and seasonings. Simmer 1 hour uncovered, stirring occasionally. Before serving add tomatoes and season to taste. Remove from heat and stir in file powder.

Basic brown rice

3 cups brown rice

6 cups water

I soaked the rice overnight in the water, with 6 Tbsp whey and salt. When time to cook, I bring it to a boil with the top on, then without removing the top reduce to as low a heat as possible and cook at least 45 minutes to an hour. Then I mix in some butter and some more salt to taste.

Salad:

Spinach, walnuts, craisins, feta cheese

Dressing:

Basic dressing:
1 tsp dijion mustard
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp wine vinegar
1/2 cup EVOO
1 Tbsp lemon juice

10/18 Meal: BBQ Ribs, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Fruit

Ingredients:
-boneless ribs (I got 2 packages, 23 ribs)
-green beans (I just steamed these and added butter and garlic)
-potatoes (boil then mash and add milk and butter)
-cantaloupe, grapes
I ended up spending $30, which included all the ribs. If I hadn't burned the first round of ribs, I would've only spent $17.

Spray oven pan with cooking spray. Put ribs in pan and season both sides with McCormick Grill Mates Steak Rub. I like boneless ribs because it's more meat and less mess. Pour GF Barbecue Sauce on top to coat. Kraft Original is GF. Bake at 225 for 8-10 hours, uncovered. That's it!

Sounds easy, right? Well, this one took two tries for me. The first round of ribs was burned to a crisp! I put the ribs into the oven before I went to bed to bake them for 8 hours like the directions said. I realized in the morning that my oven only goes to 250, not 225, so I guess that's what made them burn. I decided to go get more ribs and try again. I found a recipe online that said to cook them for 4 hours at 350, two covered, two uncovered. Luckily I checked them after 45 minutes because when I checked them, they were done. Maybe my oven is hotter than most, I don't know. Anyway, the ribs turned out fine. If you want to try to make these, just keep checking them to make sure they don't burn! Otherwise, you may get this... Looks yummy, huh?

Chicken Enchilladas with Black Bean and Corn Salad by Jennifer

Ok, this meal has turned out to be waaaayyyy more time consuming and expensive than I planned it to be! It is fun though to experiment and get creative sometimes, so I think I might start doing a fancy week and then alternate in a simple meal week. After all that went into this one, we might be having spaghetti from a jar next week! : )

Ok, Chicken Enchiladas:

meat from 2 whole chickens

2 onions

4 green peppers

2 carrots, peeled and grated

1 cup sprouted seeds (onion or sesame) (I had to leave these out because I couldn't find them anywhere)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp oregano

1 Tbsp cumin

18 corn tortillas

2 cups Colby Jack cheese

8 cups enchilada sauce

avocados for garnish

Dice chicken and mix with onion, pepper, carrot, sprouts and spices. Stir in one cup enchilada sauce. (It then says to fry the tortillas until soft, but I left this part out. I've done it before and it just takes way too long. It is extra delicious though...) place small amount of chicken mixture in tortilla and roll up, place in dish. (Can be made ahead and frozen at this point.) Bake at 325 degrees until steaming.

Red Enchilada sauce: ( I made this times 10)

4 oz whole dried Ancho chilies

1/4 cup olive oil

1 med onion

1 tsp cumin

2 cups stock

2 cloves garlic

2 small cans tomato paste

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Saute onion in oil, add cumin and cook until well combined. Add stock and chilies (cleaned of stems and seeds) and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, add garlic, tomato paste and vinegar. Simmer covered for about 45 mintues, then pass through a food mill (I used a hand mixer instead)

Corn and Black bean salad:

2 cups black beans

2 cups fresh corn

2 jalapeno peppers

1 red onion ( I used yellow)

1 cup basic dressing

Mix all ingredients, chill before serving

Basic dressing:

1 tsp dijion mustard

2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp flax oil (I left this out because we didn't have any)

Mix all together!

Whew, this was an undertaking. I love the idea of cooking by "Nourishing Traditions" all of the time, but I would spend every waking minute in the kitchen! I think a small amount of opening cans and dumping in is quite alright... : )

10/11 Meal: Chicken Parmesan, Sauteed Zucchini, and Corn

Ingredients: flattened chicken breasts, ground flax seed or GF bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, dried oregano, garlic powder, Italian dressing, pasta sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

For the coating, mix about 1/4 C. ground flax seed meal, 1/4 C. Parmesan cheese, 1/2 t. oregano, and 1/2 t. garlic. Dredge the chicken into the Italian Dressing, then the coating, making sure it's all covered. Place into a greased baking pan, and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until chicken is almost done. Take it out of the oven and top with pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese. Put it back into the oven for about 5minutes more until chicken is done and cheese is melted.

Sauteed Zucchini

Slice 2 zucchini and 1 red or orange bell pepper. Chop up 4 cloves of garlic. Add 2 or 3T. of olive oil to a skillet and saute the garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the veggies and saute until soft. Served sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

I got this recipe from my sister's gluten free blog: www.easilyglutenfree.wordpress.com

I baked the chicken in two 9X13 dishes instead of our shared Pyrex so that when I delivered, the dishes wouldn't be too hot. The zucchini took no time at all to chop since it's softer. I used kitchen shears to cut up the bell peppers, which saved time and seemed easier than chopping. I used 9 medium sized zucchini, 2 red and 2 orange bell peppers, and 11 chicken breasts. I thought I was getting 12 chicken breasts, but the package had one less. It was still plenty for everyone. I need to pay more attention to how much I spend on these meals so I can report it here. I'll try to remember next week.

Preparing and cooking this was easier than I was expecting and very good! I wish my sister would have shared this recipe with me sooner!

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole for 10/13

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Roasted Red Potatoes

Salad

I'm going to make the Creamed Chicken the night before. My recipe calls for 1/2 cup of flour, but I'm going to try using 1/4 cup of cornstarch instead. (A blurb on the side of my cornstarch box says this will be an acceptable substitution.)

Creamed Chicken

3 lb skinless chicken breast
4 c. chicken stock
stick of butter (!-I might use less.)
1/4 c. corn starch
3 c. of milk (the recipe calls for whole milk, but I'll try 1%)
lemon juice
pepper
nutmeg

Put the chicken in a dutch oven with chicken stock. (This will be the first time I've ever used my dutch oven.) Pour in just enough water to cover the pieces. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat so the liquid barely bubbles. Cook 8 to 12 minutes (until the chicken releases clear juices.) Cut or shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Whisk in corn starch. Then add chicken stock, then milk. Whisk constantly. Remove pan from heat, scrape inside of the sauce pan with wooden spoon. Return to heat and cook one minute. Stir in chicken with several drops of lemon juice, pepper, and nutmeg.

I think I should probably also roast the potatoes the night before. I might do this in what would have normally been my dinner preparation time on Monday evening.

On Tuesday, I'll prepare the casserole and make a salad. I'll probably try to chop the broccoli in the morning or the night before if I have time.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Creamed Chicken
6 c. chopped broccoli
1 c. Parmesan Cheese

Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 2 13 X 9 baking dishes.

Steam broccoli for 5 minutes. Then rinse it in cold water. Spread the broccoli in the buttered dishes and top with the creamed chicken. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake 25 to 35 minutes.

The cost, not including items I had around the house (Parmesan cheese, butter) was $26.

Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas

Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas with Brown Rice, Baked Sweet Potatoes and Salad

3 lbs. chicken (I used breast and thigh meat)
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 c. chopped onions
3/4 c. scallions
7 cups of cooked chickpeas (1 bag of dry chickpeas)
3 c. of water
3 tbsp. minced garlic
3 tsp. ground ginger
1.5 tsp black pepper
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon

Baked Sweet Potatoes

1 dozen sweet potatoes

Brown Rice

Salad

lettuce
tomato
cucumber
carrots

The night before, I soaked the chickpeas. In the morning, I cooked the chickpeas and chopped the onions and scallions. Around 3:30, I began cooking in earnest by browning the chicken parts. Then I cooked the onions and scallions until they were tender. I stirred in the chickpeas, water, garlic, and spices, and chicken. Once this came to a boil, I turned the heat down to simmer and let it cook for about 45 minutes.

In the meantime, I cooked the brown rice. Scrubbed the sweet potatoes and put them into a pre-heated oven. At about 4:30, I prepared the salad.

The sweet potatoes took a lot longer to bake than I anticipated. I wonder if they cook slower when there are so many of them in the oven.

By 5 PM, I was able to start packing everything in containers, and I was out the door by 5:20.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

Ingredients:
-black beans
-sweet potatoes
-garlic
-salt and pepper

All you do for this is chop up the sweet potatoes, saute them with the garlic until soft, add the beans, and you're done! After I dice the potatoes, I microwave them for about five minutes to soften them up and cut down on the cook time.

Put the bean and potato mixture in some corn tortillas with some salsa and sour cream and enjoy!

- served with fruit or green salad

by Darby

Double Brocolli Quinoa Salad and Grilled Chicken

3 cups cooked quinoa* ($9 for 4 lb bag, used approx half)
5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems ($7.00)

3 medium garlic cloves
2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 big pinches salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream ( I had the rest of these ingredients, so cost was minimal)

Optional toppings: slivered basil, fire oil (optional)**, sliced avocado ($3.75)crumbled feta or goat cheese

Cost: $14.75, plus around $10 for the chicken, a couple dollars for some salad, so about $27 total for 4 families.

Heat the quinoa and set aside.

Now barely cook the broccoli by pouring 3/4 cup water into a large pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for a minute, just long enough to take the raw edge off. Transfer the broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water until it stops cooking. Set aside.

To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, Parmesan, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and cream and pulse until smooth.

Just before serving, toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli florets with about 1/2 of the broccoli pesto. Taste and adjust if needed, you might want to add more of the pest a bit at a time, or you might want a bit more salt or an added squeeze of lemon juice. Turn out onto a serving platter and top with the remaining almonds, a drizzle of the chile oil, and some sliced avocado or any of the other optional toppings.

Serves 4 - 6.

*To cook quinoa: rinse one cup of quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa, two cups of water (or broth if you like), and a few big pinches of salt until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

**To make the red chile oil: You'll need 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes. If you can, make the chile oil a day or so ahead of time by heating the olive oil in a small saucepan for a couple minutes - until it is about as hot as you would need it to saute some onions, but not so hot that it smokes or smells acrid or burned. Turn off the heat and stir in the crushed red pepper flakes. Set aside and let cool, then store in refrigerator. Bring to room temp again before using.

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/double-broccoli-quinoa-recipe.html

Autumn Sausage Casserole

Autumn Sausage Casserole
Ingredients:
--1 pound sausage
--1 large, or 2 small apples, chopped (no need to peel)
--1 yellow onion, chopped
--1/2 cup chopped carrots
--3 cups already cooked long-grain rice
--1/2 cup raisins
--1 T dried parsley flakes
--1 T brown sugar
--1/2 tsp allspice
--1/2 tsp cinnamon
--1/4 tsp black pepper (start with 1/8 if y... more »

Autumn Sausage Casserole
Ingredients:
--1 pound sausage
--1 large, or 2 small apples, chopped (no need to peel)
--1 yellow onion, chopped
--1/2 cup chopped carrots
--3 cups already cooked long-grain rice
--1/2 cup raisins
--1 T dried parsley flakes
--1 T brown sugar
--1/2 tsp allspice
--1/2 tsp cinnamon
--1/4 tsp black pepper (start with 1/8 if your kids don't tolerate a touch of spice)
--1/3 cup chicken broth or water (I used water)

New Dinner Share Blog!

I've started this new blog to keep up with our dinner share recipes... I'm probably going to just be copying and pasting the recipes from the other ladies onto here, but I wanted them to be in a search able place so I can go back and make things again, or my readers can find yummy cheap recipes that can easily be made in bulk. Even before starting this co-op I was pretty big into cooking in bulk and freezing, so now instead we cook in bulk and share with our friends! For anyone who hasn't heard of how this works, here goes:

Sunday: Darby makes dinner for her family and 3 others, puts the dinners in matching sets of Pyrex that we all went in and bought together, and delivers the dinners to the three other families around dinnertime. The three of us who are getting dinner delivered just sit back and wait for our yummy food to arrive!

Monday: Gray does the same thing as Darby

Tuesday: Emily's turn

Wednesday: My turn

So all in all, you spend time cooking one day a week and have a hot fresh homemade (in our case gluten free) dinner delivered to your door 3 more days a week! So that is 4 meals for the effort of 1. Pretty sweet if you ask me.

In case folks aren't home, we have agreed to leave coolers outside the door for dinner to be left in until we return, and if there is some kind of emergency and we can't make dinner on our night, we all swapped our family's pizza preference and can order pizza and have it delivered to each person's house.

So, I'll probably update this once a week or so (hopefully I'll be better at updating this than I am about my personal blog) so check back for yummy weekly dinner ideas!