Nacho Quiche Recipe

Ingredients:

6 corn tortillas (this is your “crust”)
7 slices of cooked bacon – cut up or chopped.  I used turkey bacon.
8 eggs
1 can nacho cheese
1 can Rotel (drained)
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2-3 green onions - chopped
Sliced jalapeño (I used the canned nacho kind)
The following seasonings are “to taste”.  I only added a little of each because everything already has so much flavor. 
·         Paprika
·         Cumin
·         Salt
·         Pepper
·         Garlic powder
·         Onion powder
·         Oregano

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Spray a deep dish pie pan with nonstick spray.

Lay 5 of the corn tortillas around the edge of pie pan so they hang out the top a bit and overlap each other.  Lay the the 6^th tortilla in the center.
Spread/sprinkle the chopped bacon into the pie pan (on top of your tortillas).
Beat eggs and heavy whipping cream.  Add nacho cheese, rotel, green onions and seasonings to taste.  Mix well.
Pour egg mixture on top of bacon in your pie plate.
Lay several jalapeno slices on top.

Bake 40-45 minutes (until the eggs have cooked).

Moist Almond Meal Banana Muffins

Almond Meal Banana Muffins

If you are looking for a wheat flour and cane sugar alternative, try these easy Almond Meal Banana Muffins. Be creative and try a variety of ingredients with the almond meal as your base.

If you are already used to eating whole grain foods, you will probably enjoy these. These do not have any grains in them, but the almond meal offers the rustic flavor and texture.

This recipe makes 6 small muffins.

Muffin Ingredients:

1 cup Almond Meal/Flour (You can find this at Walmart near the wheat flour and at Trader Joe's)

1/2 tsp cinnamon (Too much cinnamon will give these a bitter taste.)

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt (I used Kosher salt)

2 Eggs

1 Mashed Banana (Use a ripe banana for the best flavor.)

2 Tablespoons Honey (You can also use Agave Nectar)

1/2 stick butter (softened)

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

*Spread for Muffins:

2 - 3 Tablespoons of Honey

1/2 stick of butter (softened)

Mix dry ingredients (Almond Meal, cinnamon, baking soda and salt) in medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, mashed banana, honey, vanilla and butter.

Stir the wet and dry ingredients together.

Pour batter into greased muffin pan as you normally would for muffins.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 17 - 20 minutes. A toothpick should be used to test. The toothpick will come out with a little muffin on it, but it should not be wet batter that is stuck on the toothpick.

*To make the spread for the muffins, mix 2-3 tablespoons of honey with 1/2 stick of butter. Make sure it's blended very well for a smooth spread. You can add more or less honey to suit your preferences.

Almond Meal Raisin Bread: No wheat flour, no yeast, no cane sugar.

Almond Meal Raisin Bread

Want a bread alternative? Try Almond Meal/Flour instead of wheat flour. This bread is easy to make. The preparation time is only a few minutes, with a longer bake time.

This recipe is similar to Irish Soda Bread.

If you like the flavor of whole grain foods and an earthy texture, you will probably enjoy this bread. There are no grains in this recipe, but the almond meal gives it the rustic/earthy flavor and texture.

This recipe is flexible enough to take in any direction. You can make it sweeter for a breakfast or snack. Or, you can can add herbs and cheeses for an appetizer or side dish. Play around with the recipe to create your masterpiece!

(See the Original recipe that I found on elanaspantry.com)
2 ½ cups almond meal/flour (Can be found at Walmart near the flour and Trader Joe's)
½ tsp Celtic sea salt (I used Kosher salt)
½ tsp baking soda
3 eggs
1 tablespoon agave nectar (I substituted with honey)
½ tsp apple cider vinegar

I added the following to the original recipe:
1 handful of raisins
2 tablespoons of butter

Sprinkle a little cinnamon on the top before baking.

Combine almond meal, salt and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the agave (or honey) & vinegar.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
Form the "dough" into a ball. Add a little more almond meal if it's too wet to form a ball. Cut a large "X" on the top - but not too deep. You can carve any shape into the top.

Bake at 300 for 45-55 minutes on bottom rack until a knife comes out clean.

Cool and serve.

Our family liked it with butter and honey on their slice. 

This recipe is a bit crumbly, but the flavor is good. Mine may be a bit crumbly because I added a bit more of the almond meal and raisins.

Recipe for Kale Salad - Sweet and Spicy Superfood

"Kale or borecole is a form of cabbage (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group), green or purple, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms.  Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. Kale, as with broccoli and other brassicas, contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical with potent anti-cancer properties.   Along with other brassica vegetables, kale is also a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells.  Kale is also a good source of carotenoids."  Source: Wikipedia.org

Kale has a stronger flavor than spinach leaves.  You definitely know you are eating a plant.  I like it, but people that do not normally eat many vegetables may not like it.  Kale leaves are dry when you eat them raw compared to lettuce or spinach.

Ingredients

1 bunch of fresh kale (Chopped and rinsed.  Do not cook it.)

1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can of Rotel (drained)

1 - 2 handfuls of walnuts

1 - 2 handfuls of raisins

2 Tablespoons of lime juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and enjoy!  Serve cold.

Variations to try: Dried cranberries, chopped apples, fresh tomatoes, artichoke hearts, other nuts and seeds, balsamic vinegar.

 I do not use salad dressing with this.  There are enough flavorful ingredients. 

Recipe for Arroz con Pollo: Tex-Mex Style Spicy Rice with Chicken

Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken)

This is a Tex-Mex (Texas - Mexican) style dish.  As you may know, Mexican style food varies greatly throughout the United States.  This is a common meal in many homes and some restaurants in Texas.  You will find that there are some variations to this dish.

Serve with refried beans and tortillas. 





Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts cut into pieces/chunks.
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups of water
1 - 10 ounce can Rotel (diced tomatoes with chilies) - Do not drain.
1 - 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 - 15.25 ounce can of corn - Do not drain
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon Cumin powder
1/2 - Tablespoon Garlic powder
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon Onion powder
1/2 -1 Tablespoon Chili powder
2 Teaspoons Salt (or to taste)
Black pepper to taste
2 - 3 Tablespoons of oil

The spices listed above do not need to be exact.  The more you use the stronger the flavor.

Optional Garnish: Chopped green onions, cilantro leaves, shredded cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese.

For this amount of ingredients you need a very large skillet.  You can easily adjust the quantity of ingredients to fit your needs and your cookware. 

Heat 2 - 3 Tablespoons of oil in skillet.
Brown the chicken in the skillet.
Slowly add all other ingredients.
Bring the mixture to a slow boil.  Stir occassionally.
Once your mixture reaches a boil, turn the heat to a very low setting, cover the skillet and let it simmer.
Simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is soft and the chicken is cooked all the way.  Stir occassionally.

The mixture will thicken as it cooks.

 

Up Close Picture of Arroz con Pollo

Recipe for Rosemary Chicken and Smoked Ham with Cheese Fondue Topping

 

My goal for this dish was for something similar to Chicken Cordon Bleu in a skillet.  Although it didn't turn out quite the same, it's still quite good.

The smoked ham helps add a wonderful flavor to this dish, along with the rosemary and cheese fondue.

This entire recipe is flexible enough to alter to your taste preferences and for what you have available to you.


Ingredients:
(The quantity of meat in this recipe can easily be reduced.)
3 pounds of chicken breast (cut into pieces)

1 1/2 pounds smoked ham (cut into pieces)
1 - 2 tablespoons of rosemary
1/2 - 1 tablespoon of black pepper
1/2 - 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1 yellow onion (cut)
4 green onions (cut)
1 package of Cheese Fondue (you can make your own too)


You can use leftovers to make this dish.  I had on-hand a 3 pound bag of frozen chicken breasts.  I also had on-hand a 1.65 pound package of smoked ham that was originally purchased for another dish that I never made.  For this recipe you will need a very large skillet to fit it all in!

The ham in this recipe is already cooked, so start off with the chicken.  Thaw the chicken if it is frozen.  Cut the chicken in half two ways for smaller and thinner pieces.

Add the chicken, rosemary and pepper to your skillet.  Brown the chicken on both sides.

Next, add the ham pieces, red wine vinegar and onions.

Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Melt the cheese fondue according to the package's directions, or you can make your own from scratch.  I place mine in a small pan on the stove to melt.

I did not add the cheese fondue to the meat in the skillet.  Each person simply topped their own so they got the amount they wanted.  Cheese fondue has somewhat of a strong flavor for some people, so not everyone will want it on their chicken and ham. 

This dish was served with cream and honey biscuits and rice.  It would also be great with a crusty bread and couscous.

Recipe for Homemade Dog Treats

Our dogs absolutely love these!

Ingredients - Use organic & whole grain when possible
1 - 15 ounce can of pure pumpkin
3 eggs
2 Tablespoons of honey
6 heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix the wet ingredients together first (pumpkin, eggs, honey and peanut butter).

Add the salt, cinnamon, flour and oats to your wet mixture.
The dough will be thick and sticky.  At this point, I use my hands to blend and knead the dough.

Place the dough on parchment paper and roll to a approximately 1/4 inch thickness.  I have found that if I let the dough rest for about 5 minutes, it will not be as sticky and is easier to work with.

Use a cookie cutter or knife and cut your dough.  Place dog treats on an ungreased cookie sheet.  I line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until hard at 350 degrees.  Turn the dog treats over after the first 15 minutes of baking. 

I have made these several times.  Each time I make them our dogs can smell them and start getting excited while they are still in the oven.  I have given some away to friends and family too.  Everyone is surprise at how much their dog enjoys these treats.  Don't be surprised if your dog lures you to where you keep their treats to get you to give them more!