Beef, Bean & Cheese Burritos

Beef, Bean & Cheese Burritos

1.5 lbs ground Beef
1 can Mexican Red sauce
2 Cups shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
10 Burrito Sized Tortillas
1 large can refried Beans
1 onion

Chop/dice onion and toss in pan while you brown your ground beef.  Once beef is browned add in 3/4 can of the Red sauce. Let simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.  If you can't find red sauce use Enchilada sauce.  Then mix together the refried beans and 1.5 cups of the cheddar cheese in a sauce Pan until they are both combine! Spoon meat mixture onto tortillas, then bean mixture and roll into burritos! Lay in baking dish, top with remaining red sauce and then sprinkle with remaining cheese! Bake at 350 for 10 minutes!

I found these from The Pioneer Womans show on Food Network! 

My family LOVED them! Begged to make again and they were so simple! Ya'll know me, I am ALL about simple!

Southwest Chicken Tacos (On The Border Style)

So I set out to recreate one of my favorite recipes from On The Border! Their Southwest Chicken Tacos are Amazing and I wanted to try to make something similar! Here is what I did:

Southwest Chicken Tacos

1 onion cut into thin rings (or use french onion crisps)
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 bag frozen grilled chicken chunks
1 cup shredded Mexican Cheese
1/4 cup Ranch Dressing
1/2 packet taco seasoning
2 tbsp BBQ Sauce
2 tbsps panko crumbs
10 pack Tortillas


I sautéed the onion in a little olive oil and then added a tbsp of BBQ Sauce, toss in the panko crumbs. Then I added in the frozen pre cooked chicken chunks, I think I used Tyson Brand.  Mixed those with the onion and let it all kinda caramelize together.  Then I took the Tortillas, put the chicken/onion mixture in the tortilla, mixed the black beans, topped with cheese and pour ranch mixture on top! To make Ranch cream mixture: mix Ranch dressing, taco seasoning and 1 tbsp of BBQ sauce together.  Then I heated this all in the microwave until the cheese melted... real classy huh? You could put it in the oven but It didn't need that! 30 secs in the microwave got it ready to serve! Yum!

Rich Oven Beef Stew

So my friend Kristin has a vlog channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/kgehmvlogs
and she cooks some fun recipes there! She also has a beauty channel that is awesome too if that is your thing as well! Some of you know I make beauty videos on YouTube, but I do watch some cooking stuff as well!  Here is the link to the Oven Beef Stew if you'd like to see a live cooking session of it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4If5B2l2yk

Oven Beef Stew
2 lbs of beef stew meat or ground beef (seasoned with your choice of spices, i.e. season salt, onion powder, pepper, etc.)

1 onion 
6 carrots
6 celery stalks
3 potatoes cut into bite-size chunks ( I used yukon Gold potatoes & bc they are small I used 6)

Mix together the following:
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp tapioca
1 tbsp sugar
1 ½ cup vegetable juice (If you like it extra juicy, I would add either water or a little more juice, in that case you need to purchase 2 cans of the juice)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Turn into a 9 x 13 pan. Cover with tin foil and bake for at least 4-5 hours at 250 degrees. (Or like me, 3.5 hrs at 275)

 Here is everything mixed together!

 It came out perfection!!

Kristins Video

I love Horseradish, if you don't this is just optional, but I put a few drops of this on mine!! yum!

Trader Joe's Mini Mexican Pizza's

Mexican Pizza Recipe

recipe from(Traderjoerecipes.net)

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound Trader Joe's Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 15-oz can Trader Joe's Traditional Style Fat Free Refried Beans
• 4 9-inch flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Chunky Salsa, or your favorite salsa
• 2 cups Trader Joe's Lite 3 Cheese Blend, or mexican blend cheese
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup Trader Joe's Extra Large Black Pitted Olives, sliced (I omitted Black olives)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place meat, onion and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until beef is evenly browned. Drain off grease. Season the meat with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Coat 2 pie plates with non-stick cooking spray. Place one tortilla in each pie plate and cover with a layer of refried beans. Spread half of the seasoned meat over each tortilla and then cover with a second tortilla. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
4. Spread half of the salsa over the top tortillas. Top each pizza with half of the cheese, tomatoes, green onions, and olives. Return the pizzas to the oven, bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Slice each pizza into 4 pieces and serve.

I pinned this recipe on Pinterest! Loved it and it was even better the next day!

Bacon Cheddar Stuffed Burgers

Bacon Cheddar Stuffed Burgers

Ingredients: 
1 lb of Lean Ground Beef 
6 Slices of Bacon (I used Bacon Pieces)
¾ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese 
Dash of Liquid Smoke 
A few dashes of Season It-All 
4 Hamburger buns 

Directions: Cook bacon on a skillet or in microwave until desired crispness. Crumble or chop bacon into small pieces. 
Place 1 lb of ground beef in a large bowl and add bacon, cheese, season it-all and liquid smoke. Combine with hands until all ingredients are well combined. Divide meat mixture into 4 even patties. Cook on grill or on the stove until desired doneness of burger. 
Remove from heat, place on bun and top with toppings or enjoy plain.

Grilled Balsamic Flank Steak

Grilled Balsamic Flank Steak
 serves 4 ( 5 points + )

• ¼ c. balsamic vinegar
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. dark brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 lb. flank steak
• salt and pepper

Combine first four ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Add steak, turn to coat; marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. Grill until desired doneness. Let stand, covered loosely with foil for 10 minutes, before cutting in thin strips against the grain

 This was more than delicious, served with cheesy potatoes and asparagus!

Skinny Baked Chicken Parmesan

So I got this recipe from www.skinnytaste.com, I pinned it on pinterest! I love this recipe, tastes so delicious, quick, easy and fool proof!

Baked Chicken Parmesan
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 piece • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 6 pts 
Calories: 224.5 • Fat: 8.6 g • Protein: 25.1 g • Carb: 14.2 g • Fiber: 1.3 g    

• 4 (8 oz) chicken breast halves, sliced in half
• 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese (I used HEB brand)
• 1 cup marinara or Filetto di Pomodoro (I used Marinara)
• cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450°. Spray a large baking sheet lightly with spray.

Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Melt the butter in another bowl. Lightly brush the butter onto the chicken, then dip into breadcrumb mixture. Place on baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Lightly spray a little more cooking oil on top and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.Turn chicken over, bake another 5 minutes. Remove from oven, spoon sauce over chicken and top with shredded cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve this over spaghetti and it makes the perfect little meal! I brought this to a friend who started her teaching week and her husband was gone, so she needed something to eat and feed the kids, her daughter ate it and my kids ate it! AND it's figure friendly!

Sorry I forgot to take the pictures of it done! That would've look prettier, but I was in a hurry!

 These were small skinless, boneless cutlets, worked perfectly!

 Sorry I didn't get a picture of the melted cheese!

Creamy Avocado Lime Cilantro Chilled Pasta Salad

I made this and it was so delicious, it has cilantro in it, but if you don't like cilantro you can use very little or leave it out, so very good! :) I would make this again and again and bring it to places I had to bring a dish to pass, I used greek yogurt instead of mayo so it was much lighter!

 while pasta is cooked, drained and cooling, mix all remaining ingredients in food processer

 add into pasta and serve!!

Creamy Avocado Lime Cilantro Chilled Pasta Salad
that name is a tongue twister!
 Ingredients

• 1 1/2cup dry shell pasta or short pasta of your choice
• 1 ripe avocado
• handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2Tbsp lime juice
• 3Tbsp mayonnaise (I used plain greek yogurt)
• 1tsp garlic paste
• salt & pepper
• chopped cilantro and/or jalapeno for garnish

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Drain well, set aside to cool.
2. Peel avocado and remove the pit. Put it in a food processor together with chopped cilantro, lime juice, mayonnaise and garlic paste. Blend it until it’s creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in a refrigerator if you have time.)
3. Transfer the avocado sauce to a medium sized bowl. Add cooked pasta and toss them well. Sprinkle chopped cilantro and/or jalapeno on top.

*Cowboy or Cowgirl Casserole*

First off I wanted to say sorry I have been so MIA lately.  I kind of put my blog and checking other blogs and really reading any blogs on hold for awhile while I concentrated on the Summer with my kids and while I started up my YouTube Beauty Channel.  I have also been on a diet that doesn't allow for pretty much any food but a specific purchased food from the Doctor so cooking is hard for me, but I have gotten back into just cooking for my family and having willpower to eat what I should be eating! So, I'm going to get better at posting.  Here is an old classic Tater tot casserole.  I never had this as a child so I don't know, but everyone tells me this is the same thing.

 Brown the meat, with the already cooked onion and garlic

 lay the tater tots on the greased pan...

 add meat mixture to soup and sour cream, add corn..

 spread over the tater tots

Cowboy Casserole
adapted from a recipe at Taste of Home

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 80/20)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (15.25oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons sour cream(I used plain greek yogurt)
1 bag (30 oz) frozen tater tots 

Before I got ready to make this casserole, I let the tater tots sit on the counter to defrost for an hour or so. The original recipe used still frozen tater tots, but I felt they wouldn't cook as well if they were still frozen solid.

In a large skillet cook the onion until tender and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the beef and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain the mixture and place into a large bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the soup, milk and sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Add to hamburger mixture and stir to combine. Add corn and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Gently mix to combine.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer half of the Crispy Crowns on the bottom, pour the hamburger mixture over the top and then layer with the other half of the Crispy Crowns. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy.

South Of The Border Sandwiches

This Sandwich was so yummy!!

 Cut the french bread and lay it out on the Baking sheet

 Chop olives and green onions

 Mix in sour cream and chili powder & Mayo

 Spread on bread

 top with turkey

 Tomatoes

 top with avocados then cheese!

 Bake until cheese melts! yum!!

South Of The Border Sandwiches

 Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread, cut into 3/4" thick slices

½ cup olives, chopped
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup lite mayonnaise
1/3 cup nonfat sour cream
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
1 pound sliced turkey
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 ripe avocados, sliced
¾ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
¾ cup pepper jack or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine olives, chili powder, cumin, and salt; set aside 2 Tablespoons of this mixture. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, and green onions to the remaining olive mixture. 

Place bread on an ungreased baking sheet and spread 1 Tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture on each slice. Top with slices of turkey and tomatoes. Spread with another Tablespoon of mayonnaise mixture (I didn't add this because I didn't think it needed it). Top with avocados and cheeses. Sprinkle with the reserved 2 Tablespoons of olive mixture. Bake @ 350 for 15 min. Makes 8-10 servings.

Mini Mexican Pizzas

 Cut Tortillas and arrange them...

 put mixed up meat mixture into the cups...

 Top with cheese and green onions and bake...

Mini Mexican Pizza's

1lb of Ground Beef

1 can of Salsa

1 can of Refried Beans

1 Package of Taco Seasoning

2 Cup of Mexican Cheese Blend

6-9 Tortillas (when they are cut smaller you need less to make 12 mini's)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12 count muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

M

Start by laying each tortilla out individually on a flat surface, and use an empty can, glass cup, or cookie cutter to cut 3-4 medium circles out of each wrap. ( I only had an oval cookie cutter, so I used it and it worked fine)

Press each wrap circle into muffin tin using your fingers. (Note: it doesn’t have to cover the entire side of the tin, it should just fit snuggly!)

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ground meat, salsa, taco seasoning, and refried beans. Stir until well combined.

Scoop 1/8th cup of meat mixture into each wrap

Top with shredded cheese, (dividing evenly between each pizza), and olives if desired, (I used green onions instead because I like that better

Bake in pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted

Wait for mini Mexican pizzas to cool, and remove from muffin tin using a fork or knife. Pizza’s should pop out with ease!

Serve with a side of salsa, low fat sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and/or shredded lettuce if desired!