If you were with me yesterday and you reserved some of the taco filling, then skip the filling recipe and go straight to the chili recipe.

Vegetarian Chorizo Taco Filling

* 2 TB olive oil
* 1 onion, diced, about 1 cup
* 4 oz can diced green chilis
* 1 package Soy Chorizo
* 16 oz can of Kidney beans, can substitute black or pinto beans
* 1/2 cup water

1. Heat olive over medium high heat.
2. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes.
3. Add canned green chili to pan, stir.
4. Open chorizo and add to the pan. Break it up with a wooden spoon.
5. Add the water and stir.
6. When water is cooked off, the filling is ready.

Soy Chorizo Vegetarian Chili

* 2-4 cups of Soy Chorizo Taco filling (using 4 cups gives you a “meatier” chili)
* 32 oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato puree, or one 16 can each of chopped tomato and tomato sauce
* 1 Tablespoon Cumin
* 1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1. Put all ingredients into a slow cooker, stir.
2. Put the lid on and cook on low setting for 4-5 hours.

Serve topped with grated cheese, sour cream, chopped black olives, and chopped green onion.

Image credit: Michelle Smith

Post from: Blisstree

Soy Chorizo Slow Cooker Chili

I picked up some Soy Chorizo from Trader Joes today with the idea to turn it into two different dishes – a taco filling and a vegetarian chili. Here’s my recipe for the taco filling, which I turned into a taco salad. If you are interested in making the chili, then reserve half of the filling and keep it in the refrigerator until tomorrow. I’ll give you that recipe tomorrow. It’s easy and simmers in the crockpot all day.

Vegetarian Chorizo Taco Filling

* 2 TB olive oil
* 1 onion, diced, about 1 cup
* 4 oz can diced green chilis
* 1 package Soy Chorizo
* 16 oz can of Kidney beans, can substitute black or pinto beans
* 1/2 cup water

1. Heat olive over medium high heat.
2. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes.
3. Add canned green chili to pan, stir.
4. Open chorizo and add to the pan. Break it up with a wooden spoon.
5. Add the water and stir.
6. When water is cooked off, the filling is ready.

Serve as a taco or burrito filling. Also makes a great taco salad.

Image credit: Michelle Smith

Post from: Blisstree

Soy Chorizo Taco Filling

For example, a whole apple – they are extremely pitch-able and make a satisfying “thud” when they hit the bottom of the garbage can. If you slice the apple, then put it back in the shape of a whole apple, then a piece of fruit becomes fun. Send some sort of dip and there’s no way that apple is getting thrown away.

Here are a couple of dips that go great with fruit. Try a variety of fruit. Apple slices, peach slices, dried apricot slices, nectarines, or grapes are a great place to start.

Yogurt Dip

*1 cup vanilla or your favorite flavor yogurt
*1 Tablespoon honey
*Granola cereal
*Fruit slices

1 Mix honey and yogurt.
2 Pack 1/4 cup of the honey-yogurt into an individual container with a lid. (Pack a frozen cold pack to keep yogurt cold).
3 Pack an equal amount of granola into a seperate container.
4 To serve, dip fruit into yogurt, then into granola.

Chocolate Cheesecake Dip

*2 Tablespoons Nutella
*2 Tablespoons Spreadable Cream Cheese
*Fruit Slices

1 Mix cream cheese and Nutella together.
2 Pack into small container with lid. (Pack in lunch bag with a frozen cold pack)
 
Image credit: Michelle Smith

Post from: Blisstree

Make Lunch More Fun With Dip

It’s simple and I throw it together with those inexpensive little packets of Chili, Cumin, and Oregano that you find in the Mexican foodsection of the supermarket. It’s got the addition of cocoa and masa harina for flavor and to thicken it a bit.

I use it as dry rub on beef before grilling or for taco meat on the stove top. I add it a little to a vinaigrette for taco salad. It’s very versatile. 

The school year starts early for my family. I started back to school shopping yesterday (great buys at Old Navy, if you are interested). It’s time to dust of some of my busy-time recipes. 

 One of the easiest dishes I make is a Crockpot Chicken dish. It gives me enough cooked chicken for tacos or taquitos, with leftovers for taco salad or quesadillas. One big pot yields enough chicken for my family of 3 to eat 3 meals a piece.

Mexican Crockpot Chicken

1 bag of frozen chicken breasts or tenders
3 -4 cups of water (Use more water is cooking for a longer period of time)
1 onion, diced
2 Tablespoons Mexican Seasoning Blend

Place the onions in the crockpot, followed by the chicken. Stir the Mexican Seasoning into the water, then pour over chicken. Place cover on pot and cook at high for 3-4 hours or cook on low setting for 5-6 hours.

Dice or shred chicken.

Image credit: Michelle Smith

Post from: Blisstree

Easy-Peasy Mexican Crockpot Chicken

“Jenny Craig 30 Meals in 30 Minutes“

When it said “30 minutes” it really was! I just had it for a week and haven’t tried everything, but the dishes I cooked were delicious and I knew exactly how much calories I was eating, which is good for postpartum health.

The cookbook is a spiral-bound collection of menus, not just recipes. Each facing page includes a full menu – entree and side/desert; shopping and kitchen staple lists; “quick meal countdown” to coordinate every dish; and of course, nutrition information.

So here’s something for you. I’ll be giving away five (5) copies of “Jenny Craig 30 meals in 30 minutes” cookbook!

How to join:

1. Share your tip(s) for creating fast, delicious and nutritious meals for the family.
2. Blogger or not, you get additional entries when you (1) share a 30-minute recipe; (2) share a link to the recipe on YOUR own blog; (3) link this contest back to your blog.
3. Eligibility – one entry per person per email daily (so you get more entries if you come back tomorrow, but rules 1 and 2 above apply for each entry).
4. Contest is open to residents of the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. If you have a blog, do post your URL as well, as I love to visit my readers’ sites and catch a conversation.

The contest ends 12:00 midnight EST May 10, 2008 in time for Mother’s day the next day. Five (5) winners will be randomly drawn.

I have 4 other contests for Mother’s Day. Check them out, and join, HERE.

image: Ebay

Post from: Blisstree

Kids Health Notes Give-away: "Jenny Craig 30 Meals in 30 Minutes" cookbook