Vegetarian Taco Soup

I am not sure where I got this recipe, but I can tell you I made it on Friday and it was AWESOME! It is more like a vegetarian chili to me, and this particular recipe makes a ton of soup. So, I think the next time I make it, I might freeze most of it. I made it for a get together at my parents house, ummm 6 adults ate some and well there was still a ton in the pot for everyone to take some home.

Vegetarian Taco Soup (aka Vegetarian Chili, LOL)

Ingredients:

2 large cans Bush's Chili Beans or 4 small regular cans
1 can Ro-Tel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg Ranch dressing
1 pkg Morning Star Grillers Crumbles
1 can black beans
1 small onion, diced

Put diced onion in saute pan and stir frequently and then add the Grillers and cook thru.

Put all ingredients and the onions and Grillers in a pot and bring to a boil.

Then turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

You don't want to drain any of the beans or the tomatoes. Drain only the can of corn.

This is soooooooo yummy! I shared this with a bloggy friend of mine and then decided to make it myself. I am sure you could substitute the Grillers (aka soy meat) for real hamburger meat.

Enjoy!

Zucchini, Corn and Potato Tacos

I know I have not posted in a long time...my bad! I have had a ton of other things on my mind lately, but this morning, I am hungry! So, I thought it was time I posted a new recipe and maybe actually cook it myself!

Doesn't this look yummy??

I got this from Yahoo Recipes a long time ago, submitted by Better Homes and Garden Magazine.

Zucchini, Corn and Potato Tacos

Ingredients

1 medium potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (1 cup)

2 medium carrots, chopped (1 cup)

12 taco shells

1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small zucchini, (about 6 oz) cut into matchstick sticks (about 1 1/4 cup)

1 cup fresh or frozen whole-kernel corn

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

8 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup shredded cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)

salsa (optional)

sliced green onions (optional)

sour cream and/or peeled avocado slices (optional)

Directions:

1. In med saucepan, cook potato and carrots, covered in a small amount of boiling water until just tender, about 7-8 minutes; drain and set aside. If desired, heat taco shells according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil; cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil over med heat for 2 minutes.

3. Add zucchini and corn, cook 3 minutes more. Add chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 more minute. Add potato and carrot mixture and tofu. Stir gently and heat thru.

4. Fill taco shells with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. If desired, serve with salsa, green onion , sour cream and avocado.

This makes 6 servings, 2 tacos per person.

I think I will make this! I am so hungry now! My husband is vegetarian now and I think I need to change up our boring menu!

Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Lemon Cookies

This recipe is from my Aunt Elly. Here is what she had to say about it when I asked her if she has made them:

"yes, I made them and everyone liked them.

Maybe you should add to keep the dough refrigerated. It gets very sticky, but I put a little water on my hands when I rolled them out and then rolled them right away in powdered sugar and put them on the baking sheet and flattened them out a little with a spoon.
And keep it to about 1 teaspoon or they get too big"

So, there you have it! Now for the recipe! Thanks Aunt Elly!

Lemon Cookies

Ingredients:

1 box lemon cake mix
1 egg
2 cups cool whip (chilled)
powdered sugar (to roll them in before baking)

1. Mix all ingredients.
2. Roll into balls.
3. Roll into powdered sugar
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes
5. Do not over bake

Enjoy!

Cole Slaw Variation

I got this recipe from my Aunt Elly. I have not made it.....yet! But, I plan to soon! I had something like this at a party one year, many moons ago, yummy!

Cole Slaw Variation

Ingredients

1 package shredded cabbage
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1 package Ramon Noodles (Chicken flavor)

Dressing:

2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup Canola oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Accent
Seasoning packet from Ramon Noodles

Mix dressing well and pour over cabbage shortly before serving along with the noodles and sunflower seeds.

Optional: add toasted slivered almonds

I should e-mail her and ask what Accent is. I am pretty sure it is a spice. Also, you don't cook the noodles you leave them raw and crunchy.

This sounds like a yummy dish! I so need to try it and soon!

Enjoy!

Dee's Bacon-Cheddar Potato Casserole

I got this recipe from my Aunt Elly. She is from German decent and she is an awesome cook! From what I can remember anyways! She lives in North Dakota and here is what she said about this recipe:

"Found some really nice bacon :) It turned out real good. I had to make myself stop eating......"

Dee's Bacon-Cheddar Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
16 0z Dean's Bacon and Horseradish Dip (Bacon and Cheddar dip may be substituted if need be)
2 lbs chunk style frozen hash browns slightly thawed (Brand: Lyndon Farms Hash Brown Potatoes or Southern Style)
1 package of your favorite bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
5 cups Special K Cereal
1 stick melted margarine

1. Mix soups, bacon and horseradish dip, potatoes, bacon and 1 cup shredded cheese together in a 9X13 pan.
2. Put remaining cheese on top.
3. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or 325 for 2 hours.
4. Take the Special K Cereal and mix with the stick of melted margarine for the topping.
5. Put topping on after it cooks and put back in the oven for 5-7 minutes.

I have not made this, yet! She also sent me two other recipes with no mean, since 90% of my family is vegetarian, LOL I will have to try them and soon so I can post them on here.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment or sent me an e-mail and I will direct the questions to Aunt Elly.

Enjoy!

Recipe From My One Follower! Mrs. 4444!

This recipe is from my loyal follower, Mrs 4444!

It is from her cooking blog: Mrs. 4444 Cooks:

http://mrs4444cooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/taco-soup.html

The recipe is Taco Soup and it looks wonderful!

Thanks for the contribution! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them here and I will either get the answer or forward it on to Mrs 4444!

Tacos

Ok, this is a recipe my husband came up with. Since becoming a vegetarian, my husband has come up with some yummy stuff to eat and this is one of his favorites.

Tacos

Ingredients

4 corn tortillas
1/2 can re fried beans (I use the vegetarian kind)
shredded cabbage
4 Morning Star Buffalo Wings (these are a soy based chicken nugg and they are spicy)
hot sauce (optional)
green sauce (optional)

1. Heat corn tortillas on tortilla pan or on stove, until cooked completely. Not hard, but they should be soft enough to make tacos.
2. Heat beans on stove until hot.
3. Microwave the buffalo wings for 1 minute then turn over and 1 more minute.
4. Assemble your taco: put a buffalo wing cut up in the center of the tortilla, then a spoonful of the beans, then a hand full of the cabbage and then the hot sauce or green sauce if you so desire more heat!

You could add shredded cheese, too! But this particular recipe my husband came up with and he was diagnosed with high cholesterol a few weeks ago and has not had any meat, chicken or cheese since he was diagnosed. You can change up the fake buffalo wings for real ones, or go with fake chicken nuggs or real ones, the possibilities are endless!

Enjoy!

Grilled Mozzarella Tomato Sammy

I don't know where I got this recipe, but it rocks! I call sandwiches sammy's...even my kids call them sammy's! LOL

Grilled Mozzarella Tomato Sammy

Ingredients

4 slices whole wheat bread
1/2 cup shredded fat-free Mozzarella cheese
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
fresh basil leaves, finly shredded
black pepper
butter or margarine to spread on bread slices

1. Spread butter or margarine on one side of each slice of bread.
2. Heat skillet, place one slice of bread, butter side down and top with cheese, tomato, basil and more cheese and then top with another slice of bread butter side up.
3. Flip sammy so both sides can cook and melt the cheese.

This sammy is soooooo yummy! I never knew I liked or rather love fresh basil! The fat-free Mozzarella cheese sounds gross, but it is actually not bad. I am sure you can change up the cheese if you wanted to, but the basil and tomato is a must!

This recipe will make 2 sammy's!

Enjoy!

Marinated Turkey Breast

I honestly can't remember where I got this one. I have made it several times for the family and they really do like it.

Marinated Turkey Breast

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Pommery Mustard (I could not find this in any store here, so I used yellow spicy mustard, like Gray Poupon)
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 turkey breast (I think I used more then just one)

1. Combine all ingredients except turkey breast in a large bowl.
2. Add the turkey breast and marinate for at least 6 hours. (I didn't marinate it that long and it was still wonderful)
3. Cook 20-25 minutes on low- heat in skillet until cooked through.

You can serve this with white rice and a vegetable.

Banana Bread

I don't know where I found this recipe, but I have made it and it was awesome!

Banana Bread

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter (I used margarine)
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. With wooden spoon mix: butter into mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix in sugar, egg and vanilla.
4. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over mixture and mix in.
5. Add the flour last.
6. Pour into a bread pan (I have a glass one)
7. Bake 1 hour and cool on a rack, remove, slice and serve!

Crowd Pleasing Vegetable Casserole

I got this yummy recipe from the Campbell's Soup website. I need to get better at paying attention to how many servings something makes...hahahah

Crowd Pleasing Vegetable Casserole

Ingredients

1 can Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (of you can change it up and use shredded cheddar)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 bags (16 oz each) frozen vegetable combo (broccoli, carrots and cauliflower is what I used) cooked and drained
2 cans (8 oz each) French's French Fried Onions

1. Stir soup and 1 cup cheese, black pepper and veggies and 1 can of the onions in a baking dish.
2. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
3. Stir and sprinkle with remaining cheese and the other can of onions.
4. Bake 5 more minutes.

This seemed like a lot to me, so I cut the 2 bags of veggies into 1 and I used only 1 can of the onions. You can also use fresh veggies, steamed or just frozen and thawed veggies, which is what I used. This is so yummy, especially if you like the French's French Fried Onions!

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

I got this recipe from Food Network. It is Giada De Laurentiis recipe and it is a great way to get your serving of vegetables for the day. I have made this for my family and everyone eats it. This is not an easy thing to accomplish in my house, LOL Some are meat eaters (and there is NO meat in this!) and some are vegetarian. This recipe rocks!

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients

2 red bell peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide stripes (I dice them)
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cremini mushrooms, halved (I use 1/2 a package of the plain mushrooms, but you can use whatever kind you want)
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch stripes (I dice it)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix
1 pound penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade) I use store bought
1 cup grated fontina cheese (I use shredded Mexican blend)
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella (I use shredded mozzarella)
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1/3 cup for topping
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces (I use margarine)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. On a baking sheet, toss the bell peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and Italian herb mix. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.
4. In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix until all the pasta is coated and the ingredients are combined.
5. Pour the pasta in a greased 9X13 inch pan. Top with remaining 1/3 cup of Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

By placing the Parm cheese on top and then the dollops of butter or margarine, it makes the pasta crunchy and yummy! This particular recipe makes a ton! 6 servings, so feel free to cut the ingredients in half if you like. This is a wonderful left over dish!
Enjoy!

Scary Eye Ball Cookies

Here is the finished eye ball

Here is what they look like, before dipping into the white chocolate

these are a no-bake cookie, they go in the freezer

This is the Butter Finger Candy Bar chopped, yummy!


I got this recipe from somewhere online. I made them for Halloween last year and posted it on my other blog, you can see that post here. I thought I had gotten all the pics, but I missed a few!

These are so yummy, just check out the ingredients and they are so easy, easy peasy if I do say so myself!

Scary Eyeball Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons salted butter (I used margarine)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Butter Finger Candy Bar-chopped
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 pkg Butter Finger BB's Candies (these are for the eye color, I used M&M Minis)
1 small tube red decorator icing

1. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.
2. In a large bowl, with mixer, beat peanut butter and butter until creamy.
3. Beat in powdered sugar until mixture is moistened and hold together.
4. Stir in Butter Finger bar.
5. Shape into 1-inch size balls (I think ours were a lot bigger then this!) and place on prepared cookie sheet.
6. Freeze 1 hour.
7. Melt white chocolate chips in microwave until creamy.
8. Remove cookies from freezer. Using a toothpick, dip eyeballs into chocolate.
9. Let excess drip off and put back on cookie sheet.
10. Press one Butter Finger BB on top of each eyeball (again, I used M&M minis)
11. Refrigerate eye balls until chocolate is set.
12. Use tube of red icing to pipe lines to create bloodshot markings.
13. Store covered in fridge, serve cold.

These are awesome! I wanted to make them for Thanksgiving and instead of making them eyeballs, I was going to color the white chocolate chips Fall colors, like orange, yellow and red. Then, I thought of making Christmas Balls! Same thing as before, but not eyeballs, just red and green balls, like those on a Christmas tree. You can really make these all year, for all the different holidays, just not eyeballs, ya know? For 4th of July, make them red, white and blue! Get creative, let me know if you make them and how they turn out. This recipe is supposed to make 30 eyeballs, but like I said before, I think ours were a lot bigger then the 1-inch size the recipe suggests.

Enjoy!

Tex Mex

This is a recipe that has been in my family for years. My mom would always make it for any party she was going to that was pot-luck. She would always make it when having people or family over. Now I make this whenever we entertain, which is hardly ever, LOL. It is a great vegetarian dip, although I have added a layer of ground beef with taco seasoning for my in-laws (they loved it!)

Tex Mex Dip (or sometimes known as a 7-layer dip)

Ingredients

2 cans of re fried beans (I use the vegetarian type)
1 16 oz container of sour cream
1 taco seasoning packet
2 ripe avocados, mashed
4 tomatoes, diced
3 cans sliced black olives
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded cheese (any kind you like, I use a Mexican blend)
chips to dip (I use tortilla chips, but you can use any kind you like)

1. In a 13X9 dish, put the re fried beans as the first layer.
2. Mix the taco seasoning packet with the sour cream and then spread over the beans for your second layer.
3. Avocados will be your third layer, over the sour cream/taco seasoning packet.
4. Tomatoes are next, then the black olives and onions.
5. Top with the shredded cheese.
6. Put in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before serving with chips.

I like to have thick layers, so I use more of the ingredients. You can use more or less, depending on how you like your layers to be. I have made this from memory most of the time. I like to have the top be complete with only cheese, so I use a ton of cheese. But again, you can use more or less depending on you.

Enjoy!

Avocado Melon Salad & Picante Honey Dressing

I think I got this one from a Campbell's Soup website. LOL This is yummy, I love it!

Ingredients

1/2 cup Pace Picante Sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups fresh spinach leaves, torn into bite size pieces
2 cups cubed cantaloupe ( I used my mellon baller for this)
1 large avocado cut into cubes
1/4 cup toasted slivered, blanched almonds (I accidentally left this out, oops)

1. Beat picante sauce, honey, lime juice and oil in a large bowl with fork or whisk.
2. Add spinach, cantaloupe and avocado, toss to coat.
3. Sprinkle with almonds.

Enjoy!

Hearty Vegetable Soup

I got this particular recipe from a Campbell's Soup website.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

5 1/4 cups Swanson's Vegetable Broth
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups zucchini, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced (about 2 medium)
1 package (about 10 oz) frozen cut green beans
3 medium carrots, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 celery stalks, sliced (I don't like celery so I omitted these)
1/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain rice

1. Stir the broth, basil, cabbage, zucchini, green beans, carrots and celery in 4 qt sauce pan.
2. Over medium-high heat, heat to boil.
3. Stir in rice.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 20 minutes or until rice is done.

I really liked this soup and I think it made about 6 servings. Enjoy!

If you have any questions, please leave it in the comments section. If you have anything to add to this recipe, leave it in the comments section and I will revise the recipe and re-post.