Tortilla Soup ~ by Sarah

I found this recipe on Pinterest after wanting to find a good soup to take to Mom's for Christmas Eve.  It was definitely delicious!  I did all the prep work that morning, so putting it together was really easy.  It smelled wonderful while it was cooking and tasted even better!

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion
¼ cup diced green bell pepper
¼ cup red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (10 oz. can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
32 ounces, fluid low sodium chicken stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups hot water
2 cans (15 oz. can) black beans, drained
3 tablespoons cornmeal or masa
5 whole corn tortillas, cut into uniform strips around 2 to 3 inches

Garnishes:
sour cream
diced avocado
diced red onion
salsa or pico de gallo
grated Monterey Jack cheese
fresh cilantro

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir. Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered. Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed---add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips. Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese. (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)

(Not my picture...)

Tator Tot Bake ~ by Sarah

A Facebook friend shared this recipe on my news feed and I thought it looked good, so I made it the next day.  It is delicious!  And even better the next day!  Easy, too!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion (diced) (I used green onions, instead.)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 small can black olives (sliced)
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen corn
1 (4 ounce) can green chilies (diced and drained)
1 (12 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (16 ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend (I shredded my own jack and cheddar because I think bagged cheese is just not as good.)
1 (16 ounce) package frozen tater tots
1 (10.5 ounce fluid ounce) can enchilada sauce
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Add ground beef, garlic, and onion and cook while breaking the meat apart with a spoon or spatula until the ground beef is completely browned. Drain off any excess fat. Add taco seasoning mix, green chilies, frozen corn, and black beans to the ground beef. Cook until heated through.
Step 2: In a large bowl combine ground beef mixture, ¾ of the Mexican cheese blend, and all of the tater tots. Stir well to combine.
Step 3: Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish and lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tots.
Step 4: Place into the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. During the last few minutes of baking, top the casserole with the remaining Mexican cheese blend and the sliced black olives. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

(Not my picture...)

Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette~by Kelsey

I found this recipe on onceuponachef.com via Pinterest.  It is really good, fairly easy, and fairly healthy.  I chose to use canned corn, even though it calls for fresh.  I will also cut back on the oil a little next time I make it.  Also, the avocados don't keep very well once you put them in the salad, so make sure you add them just before serving.

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

2 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 ears fresh corn, cooked, cooled and kernels cut off the cob
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced shallots (you'll need one medium shallot)
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I like Colavita)
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest (be sure to zest limes before juicing them)
½ cup chopped cilantro, plus more to garnish
2 Hass avocados, diced

Directions

Combine all ingredients except avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a few springs of freshly chopped cilantro if desired.  Serve at room temperature.

Wendy's Chili ~ by Aunt D

Have you ever eaten Wendy's Chili? From the Wendy's fast food? It is my ABSOLUTE favorite. Corny maybe, but cheap and easy I am. When my friend Megan G. at work posted on her FB that she had the recipe I was salivating! And to make it even better it was 21 degrees out and clear today in beautiful Maple Valley. So off to the market I went in search of the basics I was missing. Side note: I also made a pan of Marie Callendar's Southwest Corn Bread, the variation that adds a can of corn to it. GREAT side dish for this.

*2 lbs of ground beef, browned

*one 29oz can Tomato sauce

*one 29oz can of Kidney beans (drain liquid)

*one 29oz can of Pinto beans (drain liquid)
*one 29oz can of diced tomatoes

*1 cup diced onion

*1/2 cup diced canned green chilies

*1 cup of diced celery

*2 tsps cumin powder

*3 TBSP of chili powder

*1 - 1/2 tsp black pepper

*2 tsps salt

Brown meat and drain off fat. In a large kettle combine beef, celery, onion, and green chilies.  Sweat them for 5-10 min.  Add all other ingredients and simmer over low heat, stirring every 15-20 min for 2-3 hours.

Mouthwatering!

Zucchini and Corn Tacos ~ by Molly

Quick disclaimer: Your husband will notice the lack of meat. Your kids will notice the abundance of onions and vegetables. You will notice that these don't account for a day's worth of Weight Watchers Points (probably).

I based this recipe on one I found on Self.com and it is AMAZING. The picture is from their website, not my kitchen. You'll notice they included tomatoes, which I'm not a fan of, so I left out. They also didn't toast their corn and chopped the zucchini much finer that I like. Honestly, it's plenty filling and flavorful without meat, but you could easily add thinly sliced steak, if you can't go meatless for one meal. The recipe in the link says it feeds 4, but since I live alone, the recipe I wrote below is enough for my dinner and enough leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 zucchini, course chopped
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup canned corn, drained
Oregano, salt and pepper, to taste
Corn or Flour Tortillas
Salsa
Cheese
Sour Cream

Heat olive oil, add onions and cook until caramelized. Add garlic and zucchini and cook until the zucchini is tender. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally until toasted. Add black beans, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook until everything is warm. Heat tortillas and assemble with remaining ingredients. I'm going to assume you all know how to do that part...

Tim's Taco Soup ~ by Kelsey

I got this recipe back when I worked at the Farm Service Agency in La Grande.  Tim, a guy that also worked there, brought this soup to a potluck.  Everyone loved it, and I stole the recipe.  It's very simple, I almost always have the ingredients on-hand, and my kids will eat it.  There are no measurements, and it cooks all together in one pan (less dish-washing!).  I will list the ingredients, you adjust the amounts to suit you.  We always top it with sour cream or shredded cheese, and a side of bread.  And it's even better the second day...

Since this is my first post, let me clarify what I mean by "ground beef".  That means hamburger cut by Gary at the Wasco Market.  Nobody does it better.  In fact, I wouldn't even bother buying hamburger anywhere else.  Gary's is lean, you never have to drain any grease, and it is yummy.  Hopefully it comes from beef cattle that have benefited from growth hormones and antibiotics.  None of that organic stuff.  Since we haven't fattened our own in awhile, we buy 50 pounds at a time from Gary.  Okay, here is the recipe:

Ground Beef (my packages are about 1 1/2 pounds, so that's how much I use)

Taco Seasoning Packet

Ranch Dressing Packet

2-4 Cans of Beans (Kidney or Black, or Both)

Frozen Corn

Canned Diced Tomatoes

Water

Cook the beef, then add the other ingredients and simmer as long as you like.