Fall Recipe Round Up

Fall is the time that I like comfort food and to use easy, quick recipes as much as possible. I also like to cook reasonably healthy in an effort to not get too "fluffy" since I feel like hibernating when it starts to get dark and cold. I thought I'd share some easy recipes that are perfect for the fall weather.

Kielbasa and Roasted Vegetable  

Real Life Dinner 

Smoky Black Bean Soup 

Smells Like Home 

Pumpkin Kodiak Cakes   

Kim's Cravings

Pumpkin Pie Protein Smoothie  

Sally's Baking Addiction 

Pumpkin Granola  

Cooking Classy 

Dark Chocolate Cherry Granola  

With Salt and Wit 

Caramel Apple Sangria 

 A Night Owl Blog

Chicken, corn, and black bean enchiladas

This is a week night dinner that can really fill you up and doesn't take too long to make at all! I don't make it too often, but I like the change up from making tacos. 

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 cup Mexican cheese blend 

12 corn tortillas 

2 10 oz cans enchilada sauce

2 Tbs taco season 

1/2 cup salsa 

1/2 cup Southwest Blend Corn (mixture of corn, black beans, peppers and onions) 

This is the Southwest Blend Corn I use-- I find it in the freezer department.

1. Warm oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Mix shredded chicken, southwest corn blend, taco season, and salsa in pan and warm through. 

3. Warm tortillas according to package directions- I wrap mine in saran wrap and warm in microwave for 60 seconds. 

4. Pour 3/4 can of enchilada sauce into 9x11 cake pan 

5. Take a spoonful of chicken mixture, place in tortilla, and roll. Make sure not to roll too tight or the tortilla may rip. Place in sauced pan. Continue to roll and place in pan. 

6. Once done rolling, pour the rest of the enchilada sauce onto rolled enchiladas- this is where I used the 2nd can of sauce. 

7. Cover with cheese, wrap with foil and bake for 15 minutes at 350. 

8. After baked for 15 minutes, uncover and bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 
9. Serve with salsa, guacamole, or anything else you might like! 

What do you like to put in your enchiladas? 

Edamame and Bacon Succotash Recipe

Women's Day Edamame & Bacon Succotash

For the 4th of July BBQ at my Uncle's house, I brought the BEST side dish, which I got from Women's Day Magazine. I did tweak a few things, since nobody ever follows a recipe exactly, or at least I don't. 

Edamame & Bacon Succotash 

4 slices bacon
4 c. fresh corn kernels (from about 4 ears)
1 1/2 c. frozen shelled edamame
2 roasted red peppers, cut into 1/4 in. pieces
3 scallions, thinly sliced
kosher salt
black pepper
3/4 c. fresh basil, roughly chopped

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, and break into pieces when cool. 

2.  Drop the edamame into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes; drain and run under cold water to cool.

3. Do a quick sauté of the corn in the bacon fat left in the skillet. 

4. In a large bowl, combine the corn, edamame, roasted red peppers, scallions,  3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold in the basil and bacon just before serving.

Celebrating the 4th in Style {{Food}}

I love food at an outdoor BBQ! There is always a huge variety and you can try out new recipes with no shame. Last year, I did a round up of 4th of July themed eats here that you might enjoy and I also have a Lemon Berry Trifle recipe that would be amaze, which you can find here. 

Couscous Fruit Salad by Noble Pig

Red, White, and Blue Summer Salad by Real Mom Kitchen- add chicken and you have a main dish! 

Blueberry, Strawberry, Jicama Salsa by Two Peas and Their Pod- I've also seen this done as a fruit salad without all the spiciness. Just sub the jicama for apple, cilantro for basil and take out all the spicy elements. 

Red, White, and Bleu Slaw by Taste of Home 

Easy Flag Fruit Dessert by Family Fresh Meals - you could also sub cheese (brie, swiss, white cheddar, etc.) on here for the white component. 

Patriotic Oreo Pops by Makoodle 

Red, White, and Blue Rice Krispy Sparkler by 5 Minutes for Mom 

Red Velvet 4th of July Cupcakes by Your Cup of Cake 

Linking up with Emily for Tuesday's Recipe Swap! Go check out some of these awesome recipes being shared! 

What do you love to eat at a BBQ? 

Celebrating the 4th in Style {{Drinks}}

June is flown by, dang quick. If you haven't realized yet, the 4th of July is rapidly approaching and is also on a Saturday this year! I rounded up some of my favorite drink recipes to share with you all, so you can go out and get white girl wasted. Have fun and be safe this 4th!

Pop Rocks Shooter by the decorated cookie

Red, White, and Blue Jello Shots by Can't Google Everything 

Red, White, and Blue Margarita by Gimme Some Oven

Wine Sparklers by The Kitchn

Red, White, and Blue Sangria by Home is Where the Boat is

I am linking up with Kristin for Thursty Thursday this week! Go check out some other amazing drink recipes! 

What are some of your favorite 4th of July refreshments?

Grilled Pork Chop with Pineapple & Veggie Skewers

I mentioned yesterday that I adapted a recipe from a magazine and it turned out really well, so I thought I'd share the Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple & Veggie Skewers we got down on Sunday night. This recipe is adapted from Women's Day April 2015 magazine. 

This recipe reminds me a little of sweet and sour pork, it has similar flavors, but with an added kick form the chili powder! It is super easy to make and can be done with any veggies or sauce you like. We love to take veggie skewers like this to tailgate, they are so easy and simple to make. 

This recipe serves 2, so double amount as needed

Ingredients:

1 bell pepper, cut into chunks

1/2 medium red onion, cut into chunks

1/4 pineapple, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks 

8 oz whole mushrooms, cleaned and halved (for me this was 5 baby bella) 

6 oz carrot slices (I buy the pre-sliced bag)

1/2 cup ketchup 

2 Tbsp honey 

1 Lime

1/2 cup Cilantro, torn plus a little for garnish 

1/2 tsp smoked chili powder (or chipotle chili powder)

1 lbs Pork Chops 

Skewers, if using wood soak first 

steps 2-4 can be completed ahead of time, so that the veg/pineapple can marinate in the fridge. 

1. Preheat grill

2. In a tupperwear container or bowl with lid, put bell pepper chunks, red onion chunks, pineapple chunks, mushrooms, and carrots. 

3. Next, in a small bowl mix together ketchup, honey, chili powder, and zest and juice the lime into the ketchup/honey mixture. Add in the torn cilantro and mix well. 

4. Pour half the ketchup mixture over the pineapple and veggie chunks. Put lid on tupperwear and toss to coat. 

5.Skewer mixture in whatever pattern you desire. The mushroom are the most delicate, so you may want to put them into the middle of your pattern (i.e. mine went bell pepper, pineapple, carrots, mushroom, red onion). 

6. Salt and pepper pork chops. 

7. Take everything outside and place on grill 

8. Slather your ketchup/honey mixture on your pork chops once on the grill. 

9. Cook until everything is done, turning regularly and adding more ketchup/honey mixture to your hearts content! Our chops were thick, bone out so they took about 15 minutes total at 450 degrees. 

The 2-3 veggies on the very end always get black-- I just plan for that and make sure to have enough veg so that no one goes hungry :) 

Let me know if you try this! What are some of your fave grilling recipes?

Tasty Tuesday: Pinterest Recipes I'm Loving

I am a certified pinterest addict. I love to find recipes and tweak and twist them to fit my and my boo thang's taste. Without further ado, here are some of my all time favorite pinterest recipes.

One Spoon Dry Rub from Self Proclaimed Foodie.  I love to make my own rubs and seasonings, so this is right up my alley! I can put as much or as little as I want, which is perfect since we eat a LOW sodium diet in my house.

Grilled Porkchops with Peach, Bourbon, Mustard Sauce from Bobbie's Kozi Kitchen. Ya'll this was my first time cooking pork chops on my own and they were amazeballs. This is more of a marinade/glaze than a sauce and anything with bourbon is going to be good. For me, this is also the perfect transition to fall grilling recipe.

Grilled Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers from Skinnytaste. I love the idea of this recipe, but I use ground turkey and canned pineapple. I love that she incorporates carrots into the burgers, they help keep the moistness and add a little veggie crunch.

20 Minute Shrimp Sausage Skillet from Paleo Newbie. Again, the simplicity of this recipe is what I love the most about it. I am allergic to a few of the ingredients, but I can swap out zucchini or squash for sweet potato and leeks. The possibility of combos is endless!

Apple Turkey Burger with Caramelized Onions and Brie from Once Upon a Cutting Board. OMG! This recipe is to die for. The melted brie and the crisp, tart granny smith-- YUM! This was a recipe where Hungry Man ate all the burgers before I could even sit down at the table. Just because I am me, I also love to add a little bit of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce to my bun.

What are some of your fave pinterest recipes right now?

My Big Fat Greek Turkey Burger

 



This is a pretty easy peasy recipe that you will for sure enjoy! It usually takes me no time at all and is a huge hit with my meat and more meat guy.

Big Fat Greek Turkey Burgers

For the Feta-Yogurt Sauce

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (I used tomato basil flavor)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt, pepper to taste

For the Greek Turkey Burgers

• 1 lb lean turkey
• 1 cup baby spinach, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon kalamata olives, chopped
• ½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
• red onion, chopped, to taste (we like lots)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

 

Garnishes:

• 4 fresh hamburger buns, sandwich thins, or pitas
• Tomatoes
• Spinach
• Pepperoncini
• Roasted Red Peppers

Directions

1. Combine all of the Feta-Yogurt Sauce ingredients in bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the turkey, spinach, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, red onion, garlic, olives, bell, pepper, salt and pepper. Mix well until everything is evenly dispersed throughout the meat. Place the mixture into the fridge for at least 20 minutes (I frequently skip this due to being hangry).
3. Remove the meat mixture from the fridge and divide it into 4 equal parts. Roll the meat into balls and then use your palm to flatten them out. (I usually do 2 HUGE patties for my man thang and 2 small for me).
4. Place the burger patties on a grill set to high heat or in the oven set to broil. Cook the patties for about 12 minutes total, flipping them half way through
5. Serve the burgers with a generous amount of the Feta-Yogurt Sauce and whatever toppings you prefer.
6. Take your small leftover patty for lunch the next day, if your caveman hasn’t already gotten to it.

 

I am not a good food photographer. Bite me. hahahah, get it?

 

 

 

When you try this, let me know what you think!

 

Do you have any must try recipes? I would love to have them!

 

 

 

 

 

The Best Sauce To Ever Go In Your Mouth

This is my go to quick and healthy recipe. I use it at least once a week and The Mister loves it so much that I usually make a double batch. You can use whatever vegetables and proteins you would like. I've used this sauce with everything-- shrimp, beef, chicken, peppers, snow peas, water chestnuts, broccoli, carrots.... The list goes on and on. This recipe is just for the sauce, so that you can make the stir fry to your own preference. I usually gravitate to chicken with bell peppers, red onion, carrots, broccoli, and water chestnuts since we keep those items prepped in the house at all times. I also like mine way spicier, so I add cock sauce (i.e. sriracha). I would show you a picture of the awesomeness that is this sauce, but lets be real here-- I suck at taking food pictures. I admire others ability to make food porn, as I cannot. A skill I definitely must learn.

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

1 jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch.

In a skillet over medium high heat, cook your protein. Remove protein and cook veggies of your choice. Remove veggies from skillet.

In the same skillet over medium high heat, add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add the soy sauce mixture, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

Return the protein and veg to the pan and stir to coat in the sauce.  If you choose to, serve immediately over white or brown rice.


Do you have a healthy go to recipe? I would love to know it!

Yummy Dessert Recipe

I don't know about you, but I like to eat my way through holidays. It can be Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day.... Or the Fourth of July and I will eat the entire day. So, I thought I'd share my recipe for a wonderful, pseudo-healthy Lemon Berry Trifle. It is so yum!

Lemon Berry Trifle

16oz angel food cake 

1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 small (6-8oz) yogurt (vanilla or lemon)

1/2-1 cup lemon curd 

2 cups fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries)

Cut angel food cake in to 1-2 inch cubes. Place a third in the bottom of a trifle dish.

Combine thawed whipped topping with yogurt and lemon curd. Mix well until the lemon curd is completely incorporated into the yogurt mixture. Spread a third of the recipe evenly over the angel food cake.

Layer some berries around the side of the triflel dish, so that people can see them. 

Continue to layer angel food pieces, whipped topping mixture, and berries. 

On the top layer, make sure it looks pretty! You can add some lemon zest so that people know it's a lemon berry trifle. 

Proceed to eat!

*** I make mine with a boxed angel food cake mix, fat free whipped topping, and a 100 calorie lemon greek yogurt***
**recipe adapted from Around My Family Table

Don't worry I put it in the dishwasher after 

I took my beautiful Lemon Berry Trifle over to my uncle's house for his pre-Fourth of July BBQ. The fireworks in his city go off on the 3rd, so he has people over to eat, drink, and be merry then. It is always a lot of fun. And food. It makes you feel slightly guilty the next day, but only slightly. 

Let me know if you try the trifle and how you like it! It's one of my favorite go to recipes that can be made quickly and easily (especially if you use store bought cake). 

The Pops and I