Cajun Smoked Sausage and Veggies

This is one serving, at least for me it is.

1/4 cup EVOO
1 tsp minced garlic
5 oz smoked sausage (one link)
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 summer squash
2 slices eqqplant (about 1/2" thick)

(you could use any veggies you have on hand)

Heat olive oil and garlic in saute pan on medium heat. While heating chop up all veggies and sausage. Add and let cook down about 15 minutes. Serve.

Crockpot Mexican Bean Soup

I was trying to copy La Caretta's bean soup. Didn't taste like it but it was pretty good, a little spicy but I modified the recipe so it shouldn't be as spicy next time.

10 cups water
1 3/4 cup dried pinto beans
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 chopped chipotle peppers (I had a can of some in adobo sauce)
12 oz crispy center cut bacon broken up
1 bunch chopped cilantro
1 link andouille sausage (I will use smoked next time)
1 onion, chopped

Turn crockpot on (I cooked mine on high for 4 hours).
Fill crockpot with 10 oz of water. Add rest of ingredients. Mix and cover. Soup should have a good amount of liquid in it once done.

Taco Soup

Another recipe from Spark People, member leighwoman. This was very good, Staci and Jenna even loved it. Here is my version with a few minor changes

2 lb. Lean Ground Beef
1 lg. Yellow Onion, chopped
1/2 cp dry Pinto Beans
1 16 oz. can Kernel Corn
2 28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes
1 can Rotel Chopped Tomatoes
1 pkg. Low Sodium Taco Seasoning (I will use 2 next time)

You can use a can of pinto beans if you don't want to cook your own.

Boil water and cook pinto beans for about an hour or until soft.

Brown ground meat, drain if needed. Add onion and cook down about 10 minutes. Add rest of ingredients and let cook down at least 30 minutes. Can top with sour cream and cheese when served. Freezes well.

Cream Cheese Pancakes

So, I started a diet a couple weeks ago and now I have some catching up to do with posting my new favorite low carb recipes. I joined Spark People and I love it. Easy to keep up with my daily intakes and some great recipes plus message boards.

This morning I made cream cheese pancakes, original recipe by Spark Member mainstreetalto.

2 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 pkts stevia
Dash of cinnamon
1 tbsp Smuckers Simply Fruit

Blend everything together (I didn't blend the fruit in, I used it as a topping instead). Spray a small non stick pan and heat on medium. Pour batter into pan and cover (I didn't have luck flipping mine so I covered and let cook until there wasn't anything left runny on top). Serve, it is good by it self or topped with fruit.

I made cookies!!!!

Steven was told to bring a dessert for his family Christmas Day. I am super busy and didn't have time for anything fancy and didn't want to just bring something from Winn Dixie so I took a stab at cookies.

I am a very bad baker, normally, but I decided to try Land O Lakes recipe for Cinnamon Blossoms. I had everything needed and it sounded pretty easy. Plus, they came out really good!

Here is the recipe from their website. My changes are in bold.

Preparation time: 50 min LOL took me like 20 minutes
Baking time: 8 min

Yield: 5 dozen cookies opps, mine must have been too big, I think I got like 24

1		cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened I used unsalted
3/4		cup sugar
1		egg yolk
1		teaspoon vanilla
2		cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2		teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4		teaspoon salt
60		mini chocolate candy kisses I got the regular size with almonds

Heat oven to 375°F. Combine butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, cinnamon and salt. Beat until well mixed.

Fit cookie press with desired template; fill with dough. Press dough, 1 inch apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. I didn't have a cookie press so I rolled mine into balls (apparently made them too big too)

Immediately place 1 candy in center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf

Okay, so the picture don't make this look very good but it is real easy and yummy!

Preheat oven to 375

1 lb Ground Turkey (I get the 93/7 one)
1/2 cp Italian Bread Crumbs
1 tsp Dried Oregano
3 slices Provolone Cheese
1 egg

Break up one piece of cheese. Mix together ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, oregano, cheese pieces. Divide the turkey into three sections (two about equal and one smaller). Take one of the larger sections and form a ball, flatten it out a big with an indent in the middle about the size of a slice of cheese and lay a piece of cheese in the indent. Cover with smaller section of turkey. Put the 3rd piece of cheese and cover with last section of turkey. Form into a nice round shape and make sure cheese is covered on sides with ground turkey.

Bake for approx 45 minutes.

Banana Bread with Pecans

They had some bananas on clearance at Winn Dixie so I decided to take a stab at Banana Bread. I ended up using aTyler Florence recipe on Food TV. Only difference was I used less butter but it was yummy. Steven is already asking me to make more.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt(I only used a pinch since I had salted butter)
  
• 4 overripe bananas
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I used one stick of salted)
  
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for a good 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to overly blend. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Don't get nervous if the banana bread develops a crack down the center of the loaf; that's no mistake, it's typical. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning.

Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Toast the slices of banana bread, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve.