Berry Vanilla Overnight Oats

Overnight oats are a delicious and healthy way to start the day.  They are very versatile, and once you learn the method, you can customize them any way you choose.  Another benefit:  they come together in less than five minutes. I actually prefer this style of oats to regular, cooked, hot oatmeal now.  Overnight oats are creamy, and instead of being mushy, these are more...chewy...or something.

Note:  This recipe makes one large serving.  If you'd like to make more or less, you can customize easily.  Just keep the 1:1 oats to milk ratio.

Berry Vanilla Overnight Oats

Ingredients:
2/3 cup Old Fashioned Oats (don't use quick cooking)
2/3 cup almond milk
1/2 Tbsp chia seeds
dash of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries, thawed (or fresh)
1 Tbsp brown sugar or other sweetener (optional)

The night before...

In a resealable bowl with a lid combine the oats, chia seeds, and salt.

Now add in almond milk and vanilla.  Stir to combine.

Cover and refrigerate over night.

Good night, little oaties!

The next morning at breakfast time, you'll see the mixture has thickened up considerably.  The oats have absorbed all the liquid, and the chia seeds give it a creamy and thick consistency.

You can definitely go ahead and eat it like this, but it's just a little thick for my preference.  I like to add some brown sugar at this point to sweeten the mix, and also another splash of almond milk.

Stir in the milk and sugar.  Now spoon your berries on top.

Yummy!  There you have it.  Berry Vanilla Overnight Oats!

Enjoy!

Smothered Burritos Con Carne

I like Taco Bell.  I do.  I admit it.  I can't help it.  I know it's Grade D meat, I've heard the stories about all the nastiness people have found in their tacos, and all of that stuff.  But drive to your nearest Taco Bell right now, order a Mexican Pizza,  take a bite, and tell me that it's not delicious.  Seriously, I challenge someone to honestly say a Mexican Pizza is not delicious.  Impossible.

With all that being said, I do try to avoid it.  I don't remember the last time I've eaten Taco Bell, but I'm sure it's gotta be over a year ago (maybe two).  The most recent commercials have been killing me though.  Every time I see that smothered burrito, I think, dang!  that has got to be the most delectable food on the planet.  So, being who I am and doing what I do, I decided to try to recreate this at home with quality ingredients that I can control.  And here is what I came up with.  I have never tried the original so I can't really say how close the taste is, but this did turn out really, really good.  And I don't have to be afraid of finding a Band-Aid in my meal!  It's a win-win!

Smothered Burritos Con Carne

Ingredients:

2 lb chuck roast
1/2 cup salsa
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
2 10 oz cans red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese (I used reduced fat)
7 large burrito size tortillas
Rice and Black Beans, prepared according to package directions (optional)
Optional Garnish:  Jalapeno slices, sour cream, more salsa

In your large slow cooker, combine salsa, taco seasoning, and 1.5-2 cups of water.

Now place roast into slow cooker.  If it's not totally covered, just add more water.  Now cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4 hours.  At this point you can prepare your rice and beans, if you'd like to add that to the burrito.  Just set aside til ready to assemble burritos.

To check the roast to make sure it's done, kind of poke it with a fork or spoon.  It should easily flake apart.  Mine looked like this:

Once it's done, remove the roast to a large cutting board.  Allow to cool at least 20 minutes so you can easily handle without burning yourself (like I do every time because I am that impatient).

When it's cool enough, pull roast apart.  I just used a wooden spoon and it easily fell apart.

At this point, remove any pieces of fat.  This roast did not have much, but I did remove all I saw.  Now take a large knife and chop into small pieces.  Remember, this is going to be the filling of your burritos, so you don't want huge pieces.

Looks like the pieces are all pretty small and uniform, which is what you want.  Now, you're almost ready to roll.  Preheat your oven to 325.  Spray 13x9 pan with cooking spray.  Set up your counter top so that you can easily scoop the burrito ingredients into shells and place in the pan.

From left to right, I have my meat, rice + beans (already cooked), tortilla rolling station, and pan.  Now scoop some meat onto your shell.  Remember you're making seven burritos, so try to keep that in mind when determining amount to scoop into each shell.

Now add the rice and beans.  Same ratio, about 1/7th of what you have.

Now tuck in the ends, and roll one side up, then then other.

Place seam side down in your dish.

Repeat with each burrito til you've got all seven in your baking dish.

Now pour the two cans of enchilada sauce over the burritos, allowing it to spill over the sides into the baking dish.

Now top with cheese.

Now bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  It would be best to cover to keep everything soft and prevent browning, but make sure you use the non-stick foil so it doesn't pull your cheese off.  Top with some jalapenos if you like.

I have a shadow.  A furry, begging shadow.

Here is what the final product looks like after baking:

Yum!  Now dig in!

Top with sour cream and salsa.  Enjoy!

Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

This is a delicious and unique dinner that comes together surprisingly fast.  It's even pretty enough to entertain with, and takes only about 20 minutes to put together.  Here's a tip:  find jarred roasted red peppers on the cheap at TJ Maxx or similar discount stores.  They often have gourmet food sections where you can get these items for about half of what they would be in the grocery store.  

Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil (plus a few drops for the pasta water)

1/2 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jar roasted red peppers (13-15 oz), drained

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup skim milk

1 cup chicken broth (not pictured)

1 package refrigerated Ravioli (I used Buitoni spicy beef and sausage)

Salt, pepper, and fresh basil to taste

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Fill a large pot with water, and put on stove to boil.  Add salt and olive oil, to flavor and prevent pasta from sticking.  When the water boils, add pasta, and cook according to package directions.

In a large skillet over medium heat, drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil.

After the oil has heated for a couple minutes, add the onions and garlic.  I also added a pinch of crushed red pepper for a little heat (totally optional).

Stir occasionally, cooking for about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, grab your peppers.

They are usually packaged in vinegar, oil, or a combination of the two.  You'll need to drain them well.

Then place them on your cutting board and give them a rough chop.  No need to dice; everything is about to get pulverized anyway.

Now add the peppers to the skillet.

Stir and cook another five minutes.  Then transfer the pepper/onion mixture to your food processor.

Give them a spin.  I let mine go about ten seconds.  You want it to be smooth.

Now, transfer the puree back to your skillet, over low heat.  Add your butter.

Add the chicken broth.  

And add the milk.  Stir everything to combine.

Now season to taste.  I added some salt, black pepper, and some fresh basil.  Now get your sauce back up to a simmer, and it's ready to top your pasta!

Once your pasta is cooked and drained, place each serving in a shallow bowl.

Now top with the sauce, shred some fresh Parmesan on top, and there you have it!

Yes, it is as good as it looks!  Enjoy!

Shredded Mexican Chicken

Every time I make this, I am always surprised all over again at how delicious this chicken is.  It truly is maximum flavor with minimal effort.  I mean, like, five minutes of effort.  The crock pot does all the work for you.

If you want to have Mexican for dinner, this chicken is a super short cut.  This can be the filling for your tacos or burritos, or the topping for your nachos.  Add this to a bed of lettuce for a Mexican salad, or add some cheese and this can be the filling for a delicious quesadilla.  You could even put this on a bun and have a Mexican chicken sandwich.  Last night, I had this for dinner mixed with Spanish rice and black beans.  The options are endless!

Ingredients:

1.5 - 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

20 oz salsa of your choice
Optional:  Taco Seasoning

Pour enough salsa into your slow cooker to cover the bottom.

Now place your chickens on top of the salsa...

Then add more salsa and stir around til chicken is covered.

Now allow the chicken to cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4.  Here's what it looks like after it's done:

Can't really tell much, but wait!  Get a couple of forks and start pulling the chicken apart.  It should shred very easily, and will look like THIS:

Perfect-o!  At this point, give it a taste. You can sprinkle in some taco seasoning if you'd like - totally up to you.  And now you're ready to use this chicken any way you want.  It really is super easy and good.  I hope you'll try it!