Crockpot Jambalaya

I made this for dinner on Monday and we are still eating leftovers! I don't know a lot about jambalaya, but in my non-educated opinion, this was pretty darn good- and very healthy!

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 pound cooked turkey sausage, sliced
1 lb. frozen, ready-to-eat shrimp
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (I forgot to buy these at the store we went without this ingredient!)
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. cajun seasoning (we use Tony Chachere's)
1 tsp. hot sauce (I also forgot to buy this!)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 cups cooked rice

Directions:
In a crock pot, combine chicken, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or on high for 3 hours. Stir in thawed shrimp and sausage, cover, and heat until sausage and shrimp are warm. For me it took an extra 20 minutes or so on high. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over rice to serve. If you want a shortcut on the rice, buy the boil in a bag kind. We used one bag of brown rice mixed with one bag of white. It was SO lazy but SO incredibly convenient!

Also, with Scarlett as my inspiration, I'm adding a new label to our blog- "Healthy." I will go back and label some of the recipes.

Hodgson Mill Veggie Rotini Quick and Zesty Pasta Salad

I needed a simple salad recipe for a potluck, so I decided on pasta salad.  When I arrived at the grocery store, I spotted this YUMMY vegetable pasta.  The pasta is comprised of four great veggie colors and flavors which made my pasta salad a lot prettier and tastier that the typical pasta salad.  The recipe is on the back of the bag, but I have also listed it below.  I wish I would have taken a photo of the salad after it was completed, because it was a super gorgeous salad!  Very easy and very yummy!

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (16 oz) Hodgson Mill Veggie Rotini
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
Fresh parsley
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup of your favorite dressing (I think I used more like 3/4 or 1 whole cup)
1 tomato (I used 1 pkg. of grape tomatoes)
Any other favorite fresh vegetables, chopped

Instructions:
Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain.  Rinse under cold water and drain again.

In a large bowl, stir together the pasta, peppers, and onions.

In a small bowl, prepare the dressing by stirring together dressing and parsley.  Toss salad with dressing.

Cover and refrigerate salad for a few hours (or overnight - this is what I did).  Add tomatoes to pasta just before serving.

This recipe says it serves 8 people, but I think it could serve more.

Bacon, Apple Grilled Cheese

I have so many recipes that I need to upload on the blog...so stay tuned. :)

Ingredients:

White Bread
Bacon (3-4 pieces per sandwich)
Granny Smith Apples, sliced (I leave the peels on, but either way works)
Sharp White Cheddar Cheese

Use a good white bread from the bakery. I have also used sourdough. Sometimes I add a good dijon mustard on the bread too. Basically you can play with it as much as you like. Usually one apple will make two sandwiches, but I like to do one apple per sandwich and serve the extra on the side. Assemble all your ingredients and make just as you would a regular grilled cheese. Be careful because this sandwich is addicting!

Beef Brisket w/Sauce in Slow Cooker

This beef brisket is great alone or as a sandwich.  I made the sauce that the recipe describes, but we did not even use it!  The beef was that tasty.  Great for a weekend meal since you make it in a slow cooker.
****The measurements for the ingredients are for a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker.  For a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker (like mine) double the cooking liquid ingredients, reserving still only 1/2 cup for sauce.  Leave all other ingredient amounts the same.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.****

Ingredients:

3/4 cup water
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used apple vinegar b/c I had it left over from a dessert recipe)
1/2 cup beef broth (this is my modification; the recipe called for 1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon granules but I didn't have any in the house)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (I used red pepper flakes, worked fine for flavor but you can see the flakes)
2 cloves garlic, minced
A 2 1/2-pound fresh beef brisket (try to pick the one with the least fat to save time trimming)
1/2 cup catsup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Instructions:

For cooking liquid, in a bowl combine water, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, bouillon granules or beef broth, dry mustard, chili powder, red pepper, and garlic. Reserve 1/2 cup liquid for sauce; set aside in refrigerator.

Trim fat from meat.  If necessary, cut brisket to fit into a 3 1/2- or 4-quart crockery cooker.  Place meat in crock pot.  Pour remaining liquid over brisket.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours.

For sauce, in a small saucepan combine the 1/2 cup reserved liquid, catsup, brown sugar, and butter.  Heat and pass sauce with meat.

Reuben Sandwiches

My mom and I threw these together tonight and they were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Oh my gosh, the best thing I have eaten all week. If you like pastrami, and actually even if you don't, you should try them! So good. Tasted very similar to Chompie's Reuben!

Measurements don't need to be exact.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices marble rye bread (I used fresh bread from the bakery section)
• Butter for spreading
• 1/4 cup thousand island dressing (can also use spicy mustard if you prefer, as did my picky husband)
• 3/4 pound thinly sliced deli pastrami (Boar's head if available)
• 4 slices swiss cheese ( also used Boar's head)
• 1 cup sauerkraut

Instructions:

Heat pastrami in a non-stick skillet on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes until warmed through and sizzling, remove from heat and place in a bowl, cover to keep warm.

In the same skillet heat sauerkraut until warmed through, remove from heat.

Spread each slice of bread with a thin layer if thousand island dressing. Place a pile of pastrami on 1 slice of bread then top with sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and second slice of bread. Thinly spread butter on the outside of each sandwich.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Grill until each side is golden browned and the cheese is melted. Cut in half and enjoy!

My mom made homemade french fries with these. Not the healthiest dinner, but we have to have a little fun sometimes! You would have thought Ben was in heaven =)

White Pizza

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:
3 mini pizza crusts (store-bought or home-made)
1 container of ricotta cheese, smallest available
fresh spinach, raw or sauteed ahead of time
mushrooms, if desired
additional toppings of choice
1 package of low-fat mozzarella cheese
oregano

Directions:
Evenly coat each mini pizza with ricotta cheese. Top with spinach, mushrooms, and/or other toppings. Sprinkle a small handful of mozzarella cheese onto the pizzas. Sprinkle about one teaspoon of oregano onto the pizzas. Bake directly on the oven rack for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Enjoy!

Something that might taste good but I have not tried is topping the pizzas with pine nuts if you are also choosing to use spinach!

before the oven



cooked pizza