Freezer Burritos

I'm always looking for meals I can freeze and keep around for lunches or quick dinners. Freezer burritos are an excellent option for this! When I make a big batch of taco meat for dinner, I use the leftovers to make these burritos and then freeze them. I've also made these using some of the Vigo Beans & Rice packets, as a vegetarian option. I love having these on hand for a quick lunch!

Ingredients:

8-10 Flour tortillas
1-2 lbs Cooked taco meat (I've used carnitas and ground beef, and both worked great)
2 cans black, pinto, or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Shredded cheese (I like to use a mix of cheddar and pepperjack)
3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced
Salsa
Wax paper
Foil

Directions:

1. In flour tortilla, layer taco meat, beans, tomatoes, salsa, and shredded cheese.
2. Roll up burrito and wrap with wax paper and then foil.
3. Freeze until ready to eat.
4. To cook, remove foil and wax paper. Microwave for 3-4 minutes, flipping the burrito once halfway through.

The freezing instructions for these burritos were based on a recipe from Taste of Home.

Bacon Pesto Pasta Bake

We've been making tons of pesto recently, thanks to a large production of basil from our garden. This is one of my favorite dishes we've made so far with our homemade pesto. The recipe I based this on had less bacon and was intended to be a side dish. However, I doubled the bacon and it made a great meal! Very tasty but not too heavy.

Ingredients:

1 lb. rotini pasta, cooked (or use whatever you have on hand)
10 oz. basil pesto
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups cherry or sungold tomatoes, halved
1 lb. cooked and chopped bacon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In the pan where pasta was cooked, mix pasta, pesto, bacon pieces, halved cherry tomatoes, and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella.
3. Spray casserole dish with olive oil spray (or whatever non-stick spray you have on hand). Pour pasta mixture into dish and top with the remaining cheese.
4. Bake casserole for 15-20 minutes. If cheese is not browned enough, broil for 2-4 minutes.

This recipe was adapted from Budget Bytes (http://www.budgetbytes.com/2009/11/bacon-pesto-pasta-bake/).

Indian Chicken Curry

This curry recipe is delicious, and really close to a butter chicken curry you might get in an Indian restaurant. If you like Indian curry, I highly recommend trying this recipe!

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp peanut oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger root (or ground ginger, if you don’t have fresh)
1/2 tsp white sugar
salt to taste
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp chili paste
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Sauté onion until slightly browned.
3. Add chicken, garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, chili powder, garam masala, bay leaf, ginger, sugar and salt. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until chicken is browned, stirring occassionally.
4. Stir in tomato paste, chili paste, yogurt, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaf. Stir in lemon juice, cornstarch, and cayenne pepper. Simmer 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

This recipe was adapted from Allrecipes (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/indian-chicken-curry-ii/detail.aspx).

15-Minute Mac & Cheese

Kraft Mac & Cheese was one of my absolute favorites as a kid, and mac & cheese is still one of my favorite sides today. However, Kraft simply doesn't measure up to macaroni & cheese from scratch. I love a good stovetop mac and cheese because it is the perfect creamy consistency. I have made this many times and highly recommend! Or check out my roasted garlic mac & cheese if you prefer baked mac & cheese.

Ingredients:

8-ounces dry pasta (elbow, shells, bow-tie, etc)
2 eggs
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
4 tablespoons butter
8-ounces cheddar, shredded
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:

1. Cook pasta al-dente according to the package instructions. Drain.
2. Whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, and ground mustard.
3. Add butter to the pasta pot over low heat. Add drained pasta to the pot.
4. Stir in the sauce, then the cheese. Stir the pasta until the cheese has melted and desired texture is achieved.
5. If consistency is too thin, remove a portion of the liquid and combine with cornstarch until dissolved. Recombine with mixture in pot. Stir well.

This recipe was adapted from "Quick and Easy Stove Top Mac & Cheese in 15 Minutes" from PBS (http://www.pbs.org/parents/kitchenexplorers/2013/02/28/quick-and-easy-stove-top-mac-cheese/).

Yumm Bowls

To follow up my copycat of Yumm sauce, here is the basic idea behind Yumm bowls. I love the original Yumm bowl, which is described below. The main difference between the one I make and the original at Cafe Yumm is the rice. Cafe Yumm uses brown rice, but I use white rice. This is mostly just because we keep white rice in the pantry but not brown rice. I don't think it makes that much of a difference in the overall taste. These bowls are delicious and cost a fraction of what they would cost from the restaurant!

As I've said, I like to eat vegetarian when I can. However, I have many friends who cannot conceive of a meal that does not include meat. To make Yumm bowls more appealing to those people, we add some type of cooked chicken to the top. Highly recommend trying Cajun chicken!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked brown or white rice
1 can black beans, warm
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1-2 avocados, sliced
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/2-1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
Yumm Sauce (make your own!)
Salsa
Sour cream
Fresh cilantro
Cooked chicken (optional)

Directions: 

1. In a soup bowl, add 1-2 scoops of cooked rice.
2. On top of rice, add a layer of black beans, and pour desired amount of Yumm Sauce over the top.
3. Add desired amount of tomato and black olives and sprinkle cheese over the top.
4. Top the bowl with sliced avocado, salsa, sour cream, and fresh cilantro.

Copycat Yumm Sauce

If you have ever been to Oregon, you might have been to a local restaurant chain called Cafe Yumm. Most of their food is just rice bowls, but what makes this restaurant really unique is the signature sauce. I wanted to find a good recipe so that I could make the sauce at home, but most of the recipes I found online were not very close to the real thing. I have been tinkering with the recipe for about a year, and now I finally have something that is ridiculously close to the original! This sauce is awesome!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
3/4 cup cooked garbanzo beans (~1/2 15 oz. can)
3/4 cup cooked soybeans (not edamame beans)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
1-2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning (or add a little black pepper and lemon zest)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. In a food processor, blend toasted almonds, garbanzo beans, soybeans, and oil.
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until creamy and smooth.

This recipe was adapted from the recipe at http://www.food.com/recipe/yummy-sauce-297251. I modified this recipe heavily, as the original recipe was not very close to real Yumm sauce.

Avocado, Mozzarella, and Tomato Salad

This salad is a great side that can be made with no use of the oven or stove. It is awesome to make on summer nights, when I don't want to heat up the house.  Totally delicious too!

Ingredients:

1 avocado, cut into small pieces 
1 roma tomato, diced
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed (or use halved balls of marinated mozzarella)
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Mix avocado, mozzarella, and tomato together and season with olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper. 

This recipe was adapted from "Avocado Tomato Mozzarella Salad" from Bearwithmeee (http://www.chefjenny.com/2012/02/avocado-tomato-mozzarella-salad.html).