Potato Fajitas

So randomly, I decided to try an all vegan dinner week.  And let me tell you, it is kicking my trash!  I have to tell you, Em, that I am seriously impressed that you do this all day, everyday.  But hopefully you can use some of these recipes for Lizzy. 

Potato Fajitas

INGREDIENTS

3 medium potatoes

1/2 medium onion

1/2 large green bell pepper

1 TBS garlic

1/2 TBS cumin

1/2 TBS chili powder

Dash of red pepper flakes

2 TBS vegetable oil 

Salt to taste

Honestly, I do all of the spices to taste. 

1. Boil the potatoes whole until nearly tender in the middle. Take off stove and rinse with cold to stop the cooking. When cool, cube potatoes. 

2. Thinly slice the onion and pepper. 

3. Heat oil in pan and then put onion, garlic and peppers in.  After onion and peppers cook 1 minute, add cumin, chili powder, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook on high heat for 7 - 10 minutes. Veggies will be soft looking but not carmelized. 

4. Add potatoes (more salt of needed) and cook another 5 minutes. 

Teriyaki Chicken Stir- fry

Love this Teriyaki Chicken Stir- Fry recipe. Yum and simple. From Melskitchencafe.com

• 20-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained (juice reserved)
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon oil, plus more as needed (I use coconut oil but canola, vegetable or olive oil would work also)
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped or sliced
• 1/4 cup of reserved pineapple juice
Sauce:
• 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic finely minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

DIRECTIONS

1. Thinly slice the chicken breasts and toss them in a medium bowl with the cornstarch and salt and pepper (about a teaspoon of each). Let the chicken sit for about 10-15 minutes while whisking the sauce and prepping vegetables.
2. For the sauce, combine all the ingredients together in a bowl or liquid measuring cup and whisk until smooth.
3. Heat the oil in a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until rippling and hot. Add half of the chicken to the skillet in a single layer without overlapping and let it cook until nicely browned, about 30-45 seconds. Flip the chicken and let it cook through on the other side, 1-2 minutes. If your chicken is sliced super thin, it won't take long to cook through. Remove the chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
4. Add another teaspoon or so of oil to the pan if needed and heat again until hot and rippling. Add all of the vegetables and pineapple to the hot skillet and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are bright in color and barely tender. Add about 1/4 cup of the reserved pineapple juice to the skillet and cover (you can add water here instead of the juice, if desired). Cook, letting the vegetables steam for 2-3 minutes until crisp-tender (add more liquid, if needed, if it dries up).
5. Add the chicken back to the skillet. Whisk the sauce to recombine and then stir the sauce into the skillet and simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Serve immediately over hot, cooked rice, if desired.

Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Cheddar Biscuits

I haven't made these in years because of Lizzie's dairy allergy, but they are SOOO good! They are similar to the biscuits that Red Lobster serves.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Bisquick mix

• 2/3 cup milk

• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Stir Bisquick mix, milk and cheese until soft dough forms. Drop dough by 9 spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Stir together butter and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits.

Crock Pot Taco Soup

Taco soup isn't my favorite meal in the world. (I mean, I like it, but it's just not something that I crave, if that makes sense.) But the big draw of taco soup is that it's just so easy to make--and it's dairy free (as long as you have taco seasoning without whey in it; I just make my own). 

This recipe supposedly makes 8 servings, but I feel like it's more than that. It always fills my crock pot to the very top. We ALWAYS have leftovers. So this is a good, easy meal for when you have the missionaries over. Or like tonight, I'm taking a meal to a single sister, so I'm just going to set aside a couple servings for her. Bottom line: It's good for if you have to feed a bunch of people.

This isn't exactly like Mom's recipe. I think hers has salsa in it and a few other variations. I just like this one because it's crock pot-style, so I can just dump it all together in the morning and not have to think about it till dinner time.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, with liquid
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, with liquid
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 cups water
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes (I like "petite dice" best)
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

Note: I think you can use any kind of beans. I usually get kidney beans and black beans. I think Mom uses pinto beans. So whatever floats your boat. 

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until browned over medium heat. Drain, and set aside.
2. Place the ground beef, onion, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, green chile peppers and taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend, and cook on "LOW" setting for 8 hours.

Serve over tortilla chips, Fritos, Doritos, or cornbread. Toppings can include sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced olives, etc.

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

This is a recipe that I got from LeiLani back in high school / college. They're kind of fun and cute.

• 12 vanilla wafers
• 2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• Cherry pie filling
• Muffin tin and 12 liners

Place one wafer in the bottom of each of the 12 muffin tins. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. Spoon filling into muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. Top with pie filling. Refrigerate one hour.

My Favorite Cookies

These are probably my favorite cookies, so if you ever want to get on my good side... ;)

Peanut Butter Blossoms

• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 c. shortening
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 T. milk
• 1 t. baking soda
• ~42 Hershey's kisses

Combine all the ingredients except for the kisses. Roll into small balls. Bake for 8 minutes at 375 degrees. (I can usually fit 15 on one cookie sheet.) Add one kiss to the top of each cookie, then bake for 2 more minutes. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

Chicken and Rice

This is one of my favorite childhood meals, so it's a comfort food for me. Liz can't have it (TONS of dairy), but maybe once a year I'll make it just to indulge myself. Scott really likes it too. One of the exciting things about Liz being in kindergarten is that now I can make some of my favorite comfort foods for lunch while she's gone during the day. Last week we had stroganoff (yum!) and the week before it was tuna casserole (heaven!). This week I'm making this...

Ingredients:

• 3/4 square of butter
• 1 1/3 c. uncooked rice
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• Chicken (bone-in is best because it's more moist, but I'm not a huge fan of bone-in so I use boneless breasts)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika

(Note: You can use any combination of cream soups.)

Directions:

1. Melt butter in skillet. 
2. Mix in rice.
3. Add the soups, undiluted, and mix everything together.
4. Spread in a greased casserole or dripper pan.
5. Place chicken pieces on top.
6. And salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.
7. Cover with foil.
8. Bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.