Mexican Lasagna

On July 4th, we had friends over for dinner and I tried out a recipe I had found online a few days earlier.  I made a regular version, which is vegetarian, and a vegan version for one of our friends.  I thought they both turned out really good, so I thought I would share the recipe.  If you prefer to make the vegan version, just substitute the cheese and sour cream.  You could probably add meat to this as well.  I love recipes that can be tailored to suit everyone's tastes!

I forgot to take photos, so this is what it looks like reheated the next day!

Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna

• 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes with chilies
• 1 10oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 can of black beans
• 1c frozen corn
• 2Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2c textured vegetable protein (I had to ask my vegetarian friend what this was!)
• 1tsp taco seasoning -I make my own.  You can find a recipe here.
• 1c sour cream
• 2c shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend, but feel free to mix it up!)
• 8 corn tortillas, cut into wedges 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine everything in a large bowl, reserving 1/2c of the cheese.  Coat a baking dish with oil or cooking spray.  The original recipe calls for an 11 x 7 dish, but I'm pretty sure mine were slightly larger.  Layer half of the tortilla wedges in the bottom of the pan, overlapping them slightly.  Top with half of the mixture, using the back of a spoon or spatula to evenly spread it.  Layer the rest of the tortilla wedges and then top with the remaining mixture and reserved cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Easy, right?  Original recipe found here.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

I love summertime meals!  I feel like I eat so much healthier in the warmer months.  I tend to go with lighter meals and lots of fruits and veggies.  We've been trying our best to eat less processed foods and have cut out meat, except for seafood.  This salad fits perfectly with summer meals and makes enough to last a few days!  You can find the recipe here, although it could be definitely be tailored to fit personal tastes.  I think I will use feta the next time, instead of mozzarella, and a balsamic vinaigrette for some extra flavor.  Enjoy!

Easy Chocolate Cake

I found this recipe a few months ago here, while looking for a vegan dessert to take to dinner at a friend's house.  Her husband is vegan, so I wanted to bring something he could enjoy too.  It was pretty good and really moist.  I had intended on making an icing for it that time around, but ended up with a tub of store bought icing instead.  In the end, I didn't even have time to ice the cake, so I just took the icing along.  The cake was good without evening adding the icing!  This time around, I had Oscar helping and he wanted to add some extra goodies to the cake mix.  We added peanut butter and milk chocolate chips and marshmallows, which ended up getting all toasty and crispy on the top of the cake.  It was seriously delicious!!  Here's the basic recipe, but feel free to mix it up and add something extra!

• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1 c sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 c cocoa powder (I have added a bit more the two times I've made this.)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
• 1/3 c vegetable oil
• 1 c water

Sift together the dry ingredients.  Add in the wet ingredients and stir until everything is mixed together and the batter is smooth.  Pour batter into a lightly greased loaf or small cake pan and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Look at those toasty gooey marshmallows!!!

Cannoli Pie

So here is the other pie recipe I said I would share.  This one is super easy too and although you could definitely make your own pie crusts for this one, I went with store bought graham cracker crusts.  Honestly, I don't even think you really need crusts.  Just eat this right out of the bowl!  Well, okay, you may want to pour this filling into crusts of your choice, but don't judge me if you spot me eating it this right out of the mixing bowl with a giant spoon!  This recipe makes enough filling for two pies, so share with a friend!

Cannoli Pie

• 1 box of instant vanilla pudding mix
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 c milk
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 c chocolate chips (I used mini chips.)
• 1/4 c sliced almonds
• 1 pt whipping cream, whipped

Blend pudding mix, cream cheese, milk, and almond extract using a mixer.  Stir in the chocolate chips and sliced almonds.  Divide into two pie shells.   Top each pie with whipped cream and garnish with more chocolate chips.  The original recipe, found here, calls for cherries, but I left those out.  As I type this, though, I'm thinking cherries sound good.  Let me know if you try it out!

Crustless Spinach Pie

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I made two pies for the December crafternoon.  They were really simple to make, but were both pretty tasty.  I actually made the spinach pie for dinner on Monday night and have been enjoying the reheated leftovers.  The preparation is next to nothing and I think that this is one of those dishes to which you could easily add some extra ingredients to switch things up.  I added some garlic powder to it this last time that just added a bit of extra flavor.  Enjoy!

Crustless Spinach Pie

• 12 oz bag frozen spinach, thawed and drained (I use paper towels to squeeze out the excess liquid.)
• 2 c fat free cottage cheese
• 8 oz shredded cheese (I used a cheddar blend.)
• 4 eggs
• 6 tbsp flour

Combine the spinach, cottage cheese, and shredded cheese.  Combine the eggs and flour in a separate bowl.  Combine both mixtures and pour into a lightly oiled dish.  I found that this was too much to fit in my pie plates, so I used a round casserole dish.  Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  I like to keep mine in a little longer than 45 minutes, so the top and edges get brown, like in the picture below.  How simple is that?!  Let it cool a bit and then dig in!!

original recipe found here

Taco Chicken Chili

I seriously love my slow cooker.  It's so easy and I'm certain that it makes everything taste better.  Chili is one of my favorite things to eat and this recipe is especially delicious and easy.  It's in pretty heavy rotation here.  With the colder weather arriving, I have a feeling I will be making it more often!  What I love about this dish is that you can switch up ingredients and just use what you have on hand.  I can't remember where I first found this recipe, but it's originally from Skinny Taste.  If you haven't been to this site, you're missing out!  Gina posts delicious healthy recipes and she includes the Weight Watchers points for those of you who are counting.  I've tried quite a few of her recipes and have never been disappointed.  Enough babbling already!!  Find the original recipe here.  This is my adaptation-

• 3 large chicken breasts
• 1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 can of kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 bag of frozen corn (or you can use a can of corn, drained)
• 1 chopped onion (I often use half a bag of frozen chopped onions) 
• 2 large cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies
• chili powder (I'll be honest, I don't ever actually measure this!)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• your favorite chili toppings (I prefer sour cream and shredded cheese!)

I think the original directions say to put the chicken on top of everything else, but I usually put it in first and then dump everything else on top of it.  I cook the whole thing on low for about 10 hours, but you could cook it on high for probably about 5 or 6 hours.  I then remove the chicken, shred it with a fork and knife, and then mix it back into the remaining ingredients.  Easy, right?  This makes a pretty big portion of food and it tastes just as good reheated.  Enjoy!!