Vegetable Soup

 Thankful for vegetable soup! 

chicken broth or vegetable broth
Basil, pepper,
salsa,
minced garlic,
 and
 all the low cal veggies you have on hand

like:
Carrots, onions, green peppers, celery, green beans, zucchini, tomatoes
(those are the ones I always use!)
Just put in the crockpot until all veggies are tender!

ZERO WEIGHT WATCHER POINTS!

Black Bean Veggie Salad

Black Bean Veggie Salad

2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can of green beans

cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (a bunch)

a cucumber diced

1 can corn (I used white corn here), drained

Avocado, sliced, chopped into bite size pieces

Sliced Black Olives, leftover from Taco night...

Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing of your choice,

I used a tomato vinaigrette

YUMMY!

Bean Counter Chowder

Bean Counter Chowder

Chopped Onion

2 Garlic Cloves (I used minced)

1 Tbsp oil

14 oz Stewed or chopped Tomatoes

(I used Petite Diced)

2 -14 oz cans chicken broth

1 3/4 cups water

1/2 tsp each:

basil

Oregano

Celery Flakes

1/4 tsp Pepper

3 cans Great Northern Beans or Pinto Beans

(I always use whatever I have on hand--kidney is fine)

1 cup uncooked Elbow Macaroni

1 Tbsp Parsley

You can either make this on the stove or in the crockpot.

I put it all together except the noodles, in the crockpot, 

then, about 1/2 hour before eating, add the noodles.
This is the original recipe, but I am not exact on the beans or broth when I make it!

It's a great, easy, Friday crockpot meal!

Spinach Tortellini Salad

This was my aunt's recipe and she had no exact measurements,

so make it the way you like!

I made a large salad for a large homeschool gathering, so doubled everything!

Spinach

Cheese tortellini (cooked and cooled)

Coleslaw (pre-packaged)

Large black olives

Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Dressing:

Ranch dressing season packet

Mayonnaise (I use light Mayo)

Milk

Fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

Mix all together and add the dressing.

This salad was a big hit!

Recipe Swap Thursday

Therese hosts Recipe Swap Thursday and I'm going to try to join in when I can, so no promises of every week, but I thought I'd do it here on my abandoned cooking blog!! Tomatoes and Cucumbers Now this is probably a no-brainer, but when I think of my favorite summer recipe, it's these veggies! I make them a few different ways, together, apart, it doesn't matter!

1. Cut up tomatoes and/or cucumbers and add Balsamic vinegar, oil and salt and pepper
2. Cut up tomatoes and/or cucumbers and only add salt and pepper, the juices flow once you add that salt, I prefer course sea salt.
3. Cut up tomatoes and/or cucumbers and add mayo and salt and pepper
4. Cut up tomatoes and/or cucumbers and add Ranch dressing and salt and pepper
5. Cut up Cucumbers or zucchini and dip in your favorite veggie dip, we like to take this one on picnics!

Cheesy Fiesta Pie

Another great meatless recipe from my friend Brenda. This was also brought to our family when I broke my leg last year and has become a favorite.

Cheesy Fiesta Pie

1 pkg hash brown potatoes

4 cups very hot water

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 egg slightly beaten

Cover potatoes with hot water. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly and mix with melted butter and egg. Press potato mixture on bottom and sides of a ungreased pie plate.

Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

2 cups shredded Colby-jack cheese

1 can diced green chilies

2 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

Sprinkle cheese on potato crust. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over cheese.

Bake 35 minutes at 375 degrees.

Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Top each slice with sour cream and shredded lettuce.

Cheese Tortellini Soup

Last year, when I broke my leg, my friend Brenda, who is a vegetarian, made my Friday meals. I was excited about that, as I knew she would come up with some great meatless ideas.

She did not disappoint.

Cheese Tortellini Soup

Saute: 1 chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Then add to the crockpot along with these ingredients:

42 oz vegetable or beef broth

14 oz stewed tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes with green chilies--this made the soup very hot, which hubby loved!)

1/2 cup mild picante sauce

1 tsp Basil

1 green pepper, diced

Simmer for hours, then 15 minutes before eating add

7 oz dried tortellini

The picture is shown before the soup is done, but it becomes a very red, salsa-looking soup.

New Year's Cheese Ball

This recipe I got from my MIL and it is actually called "Terry's Cheese Ball". I have no idea who Terry is and my husband has no idea, so I'm going to call it "New Year's Cheese Ball" because we make it every New Years Eve! It tastes great and has so few ingredients that it is SO easy to make!

New Year's Cheese Ball

2- 8 oz pkg cream cheese

1/2 cup black olives (sliced or chopped)

Mix above well, form into a ball and roll in a mixture of

1/3 cup chopped walnuts and

1 Tbsp parsley flakes

*This tastes great with Triscuits!

Scalloped Corn

This corn dish, I make every year on Christmas day. It is a favorite in our home.

Scalloped Corn

4 cans of corn, drained

4 eggs

2 cups milk

6 Tbsp butter

2Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp finely chopped onion

Salt and pepper

Put in blender (I do half and then the other half, otherwise it's too much) Put in 13x9 greased baking dish. Add 40 crushed saltine crackers and 2 cups cheddar cheese. Crush 20 more saltine crackers for the top.

Bake 1 hour 350-375 degrees until knife comes out clean.

Company Salad

Sorry no picture for this one, I hope to update this with a picture after the holidays! This recipe is actually all about the dressing, the salad can be anything you like, although I will tell you what I almost always use. My sister in law gave me this recipe and she said her mother always made this dressing when they had company so it was called "Company Salad". Now, every year at my husband's Christmas party, his employees request this salad, so it has become our own "Company Salad"!

Company Salad Dressing

3 to one oil/lemon juice

(I usually make 3/4 cup oil/1/4 cup lemon juice)

1 tsp mint

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp parsley

pepper to taste

Mix together.

I toss this with red leaf/green leaf lettuce or Romaine mix with lettuce added.

Top with large black olives and croutons. (I use homemade bread crumbs/croutons)

Homemade Croutons

12-15 slices bread (whole wheat is best but it doesn't matter)

1/2 cup butter (or more)

garlic salt

Remove crusts, brush both sides with butter, sprinkle with garlic salt and cut into chunks.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Spaghetti with Zucchini and Yellow Squash

Whole grain spaghetti

1 medium onion, diced

1/3 cup olive oil

1 minced garlic clove

2 cups yellow squash, diced

2 cups zucchini, diced

10 medium leaves fresh basil, chopped

Black pepper and salt to taste

1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (at least)

cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, saute onion in olive oil in a skillet over medium heat for 6 minutes, Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add yellow squash and zucchini and cook for an additional 6 minutes. Stir in basil and pepper and salt. Toss sauce over pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

I really, really liked this dish. I did need to add quite a bit of pepper and salt for more flavor and lots of Parmesan cheese.

Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter

You will need: 25 oz bag frozen Cheese ravioli 4 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup toasted chopped walnuts (I like to add a little more) 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Bring pot of water to boil, add ravioli and cook 4-5 minutes until floating on the top like this. Drain.

Meanwhile, cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides, and the butter begins to turn a golden brown, like this, turn off the heat. Let cool for about 1 minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Transfer the ravioli to the pan with the balsamic brown butter, fold into the sauce. Sprinkle walnuts and Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.

*I found this recipe from the Food Network, Giada De Laurentiis, but tweaked it a little by adding less butter and a little more ravioli and walnuts.