Fiesta Pasta Salad

This is one of our most favorite salads of all time. We could live off this stuff. It's nice to have a pasta salad that is flavored with something other than Italian dressing. The dressing is what really makes this recipe.  So yummy! Our family can almost eat the entire bowl in one sitting!

Fiesta Pasta Salad

Dressing:

1 pkg Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch dip mix

1/3 c. olive oil

1/3 c. apple cider vinegar

Salad:
1 bag garden rotini (colored spiral noodles)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can black olives, halved

2 -3 tomatoes, chopped (I like to use small grape tomatoes sliced.)

1 cup frozen corn

Mix dressing mix, oil, and vinegar in small bowl and set aside. Combine cooked pasta, beans, olives, and tomatoes in large bowl. Add dressing (to taste) and frozen corn about 20 minutes before serving. Be sure to toss again just before serving, as the dressing will seep to the bottom. Enjoy eating your little piece of heaven.

Orange Sesame Salad

I decided to try a new salad tonight and it was great! So refreshing and it had a great flavor! The kids all gobbled it up. The dressing is very mild so if you're looking for something with a little more kick you might want to taste it before you put it on the salad and doctor it up if you need to. To make it a little more hearty you could always add some garbanzo beans.

Orange Sesame Salad

1/2 pound vermicelli (or thin spaghetti), broken in half

1 1/2 cups snow peas, cut in half

1 small yellow summer squash, cut into thin strips

1 small zucchini, cut into thin strips

2/3 cup shredded carrots (I used my favorite Broccoli Cole Slaw mix instead)

1 cup shredded Napa cabbage

3 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted if desired

Orange slices to garnish

Citrus-Sesame Dressing

1/4 c. fresh orange juice

2 Tbsp. honey

4 Tbsp. rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil (this added a GREAT flavor! Found with the oriental foods like soy sauce and teriyaki sauce)

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 c. olive oil (I only added half this amount. I'd probably add a little more orange juice next time to make up the difference.)

-Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse pasta under cold running water and drain again.

-In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, snow peas, summer squash, zucchini, carrots, and cabbage.

-Combine the orange juice, honey, vinegar, sesame oil, and salt in blender and mix well. (Or you could whisk the mixture vigorously by hand.) Add the olive oil and blend.

-Pour dressing over the pasta and vegetables to coat them lightly and toss. Just before serving top the salad with orange sections and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Serves 6-8.

Curry Lentils and Rice

Here is another one of our family favorites that I made up a few years ago. Every time I make it the kids go crazy over it! They love it and I love having a different flavor!  Plus it is so easy.  Just get the rice and lentils cooking and the rest is quick to throw together.  This is also a perfect recipe to use leftover cooked brown rice and/or lentils.  Makes it even faster!  

Curry Lentils and Rice

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice (or 3 cups cooked)

1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins (I prefer cranberries)

1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted (350 degrees for 6-8 minutes, stir often)

1/2 cup dry lentils, rinsed and sorted

1-2 cups vegetable broth (or water)

2 tsp. curry (microwave for 30 seconds to release flavor oils)

2 cups (16 oz. package) frozen peas and carrots or frozen peas
2-3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast, optional

salt and pepper to taste

Cook brown rice according to package directions. Cook lentils in separate pan according to directions. In a large skillet, add broth, frozen peas and carrots, and 1-2 tsp. curry (microwave first). Add cooked rice and cooked lentils, and craisins. Salt and pepper as needed. Stir in nutritional yeast if using.  Add more broth or water if rice absorbs too much liquid. Serve with toasted almonds on top.

Aztec Couscous

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Wendy.  It is a great side dish and has wonderful flavor.

Aztec Couscous

1 cup plain couscous

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

Mix together in a heatproof bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over couscous. Cover tightly and let sit until water is absorbed, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Toss In:

1 can black beans, rinsed

1/4 cup purple onion, finely chopped or minced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped or minced

1 jalapeno, minced (I had to reduce this to 1/2 jalapeno so my kids would eat it)

Mix in :

1-2 tbsp olive oil

3-4 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Taco Salad or Taco Filling

This is a vegetarian version of a favorite. The guacamole keeps it creamy even without sour cream. My kids eat this up!  This can easily be placed in tortillas for regular taco filling as well.

Taco Salad or Taco Filling

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (you could also use pinto beans if you prefer)

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 package of Taco Seasoning (I use the 30% less sodium kind by McCormick)

2/3 c. water

Heat beans, water, and taco seasoning in a large skillet. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water if needed.

Serve over mixed salad greens. Top with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, guacamole, salsa, etc. We always add some broccoli slaw as well. Sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips if desired.

Brooke's Jambalaya

You've gotta love those dinners that are so easy to put together and taste great when you're finished. This is one of those recipes. The longest part is waiting for the brown rice to cook but if you had it cooked in advance...wow! This recipe is "Brooke's Jambalaya". I call it that because...well I made it up myself! I felt like something "jambalaya-ish" one night and this is what I came up with. (Whenever I make something up I always write down what I'm doing just in case it's a keeper!) It is one of our favorites. Here goes:

Brooke's Jambalaya

2-3 c. cooked brown rice

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes in juice (I like to use the Italian flavored ones)

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (optional-Worcestershire sauce is not vegan)

1 tsp. liquid smoke ( I like the hickory flavor.)

1/4 tsp. dried leaf thyme

1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (More or less to taste. This is as far as I can go with my kids.)

2-3 whole bay leaves

1 can red beans (or kidney beans), drained and rinsed

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce + 1 can water

salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, celery, garlic, and green pepper in olive oil until tender. Add all ingredients except rice and simmer about 25 min. (I usually simmer it then entire time the rice is cooking.) Add cooked rice. Add more water or tomato sauce while cooking if needed. Can also add a few drops of hot sauce if you want more heat. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Hamburger Corn-Pone Pie...Vegetarian Style

This is a vegetarian version of one of our family favorites.  I have GOT to get a better picture of this!

Hamburger Corn-Pone Pie-Vegetarian

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1/4 c. salsa

2 tsp. cumin

2 tomatoes, diced (or 1 can tomatoes)
1 cup frozen corn
1 can green beans

1 box cornbread muffin mix (like Jiffy) or 1/2 standard cornbread recipe

Heat all ingredients except cornbread in a skillet until heated through. You want this part to be hot so that the cornbread cooks all the way through and isn't doughy. While this is simmering go ahead and make the cornbread topping: I use 1 small package of corn muffin mix or you can use 1/2 of a standard cornbread recipe. Pour hot bean mixture into a 1 or 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Top with corn bread batter, spreading carefully with wet knife or rubber spatula. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20 min.