Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Our toddlers really enjoy eating these as a snack.

Ingredients:
Seeds from one pumpkin
4 T honey
1/2 t salt (or to taste)
*Dash of Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional), we use little if any.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In collander, rinse fresh pumpkin seeds with hot water to remove pumpkin pulp, set aside to dry.  Lightly grease a large cookie sheet and set aside.  In a small saucepan, heat honey till hot but not boiling, stir in salt to combine.  Place pumpkin seeds in a heat proof bowl and pour hot honey over the top, mixing to fully cover with honey mixture.  Spread seeds in a single layer on cookie sheet and roast for approximately 10 minutes, stiring once about half way through, until seeds are lightly browned.  Enjoy.

Taco Meat

Starting off, I had a hard time deciding how to make taco meat without a taco seasonings packet (which usually contained milk, MSG or other allergen ingredients).  Then I discovered Dora Gonzalez' 'Basic Meat' Recipe.  It helped us decide what worked for us.  It works well in burritos or enchiladas too.

Ingredients:

One pound Basic Make-Ahead Ground Beef
1 T Cumin
3 clove garlic, pressed
1 can Stewed-Diced (or crushed) Tomatoes
A pinch of crushed chili pepper if desired
Salt to taste

Simmer ingredients till hot and serve in corn or flour tortillas topped with fresh diced tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole and salsa.

Basic Make-Ahead Ground Beef

I love the convenience of cooking up a large batch of ground beef in advance and freezing it in 1 pound packages (1 quart size freezer bags),  for quick-meal making later.  This basic recipe is similar to a Pampered Chef  recipe my mother give me.  With a few added ingredients, this basic recipe is great for tacos, spaghetti, sloppy joes, and more!

Ingredients:

6 lbs. 90% lean Ground Beef (or Turkey)
6-12 garlic cloves, pressed
3 medium onions, diced

Cook ground beef with onions and drain off fat.  Add garlic and simmer. 
Use needed portion in dinner recipe and freeze the rest for later.

Honey Hot Chocolate

Variation on Hershey's Cocoa's "Favorite Hot Cocoa"
Yield: 6-8 servings

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
Dash Salt
1/3 cup hot water
6 cups Vanilla flavored Rice Milk (or 6 cups Milk + 3/4 tsp vanilla extract)
Marshmallows, if desired

1.  Mix honey, cocoa and salt in saucepan; stir in water.
2.  Cook and Stir over medium heat until mixture boils; boil and stir 2 minutes.
3.  Stir in Milk and heat.  Do Not Boil. 
4.  Remove from heat; (add vanilla; if using regular milk and vanilla).  Add marshmallows if desired and serve.
     Enjoy the warm yumminess!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

This was a creation I came up with, after one of those "what am I going to make for dinner?" moments, when I found a package of corn tortillas in the freezer. My mom always made great enchiladas, and I loved making them in our dairy-days too....but without sour cream and cheese, could I really achieve a similar result? Yes! These were creamy and delicious and "hit the spot" perfectly!

Preheat to 350 degrees
Yield: 10-12 servings

One package 36 count Corn Tortillas

1/2 c. Flour
1/2 c. Smart Balance
2 c. Rice Milk
2 c. Chicken Broth
One can Green Enchilada Sauce (10 oz)
1 c. Cooked Chicken, shredded
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper or to Taste

1.  Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13 pan.  Set aside.

2.  In medium saucepan, melt Smart Balance over low heat.  Blend in Flour till mixture smooth.  Add Salt and Pepper.  Add Milk all at once.  Cook quickly and stir constantly till mixture smooth.  Add Chicken Broth and stir in till combined and mixture thickens and bubbles.  Add enchilada sauce and Cooked Chicken.  Reduce to low heat and simmer, stirring frequently.

3.  Meanwhile, Cut 2/3 of the tortillas (approximately 24 tortillas) into quarters (or tear into bite sizes). 

4.  Spread approximately 1/2 cup sauce mixture on the bottom of 9x13 pan.  Cover this with a layer of tortilla quarters (overlapping slightly if desired).   Cover this layer with 3/4 to 1 cup sauce and repeat with all the remaining sauce and tortillas.  Reserve enough sauce to fully  cover the top layer so the entire pan of enchilladas will be moist, tender and creamy when done.

5.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  (Uncover during the last 10 minutes of baking if a more crunchy crust is desired).  Serve.

Spanish Rice

Simple. Tasty! Cluff Family Cookbook, p. 33-- Shelly Cluff

Yield:  4 servings

1 T oil

1 c. rice

1/2 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 chopped onion

2 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. crushed cumin (opt.)

In medium saucepan, heat oil.  Add rice.  Brown, stirring constantly unitl golden brown.  Add onion, Stir 2 minutes.  Add tomato sauce; stir 1 minute.  Add water salt, pepper and cumin, if desired.  Bring to a hearty boil; reduce to low heat.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes (until water absorbed and rice cooked).  Remove from heat.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Serve.

Note:  If using all supplies from food storage, approx 1 T dehydrated onions with 1/4 - 1/2 cup water = 1/2 onion.