Dolly's Tostada Bowls

A girl's best friend- Adobo by Goya.  I never knew of this clever little spice til I started learning cooking from Dolly and Sarena (my best friend and her sister- another dear friend).  Sarena introduced me to Adobo in her Beef Stew recipe (which is fantastic).  But this little spice I now use in my mexican cooking and never use the taco seasoning packets that fill my pantry.  It's better for us too, as I can control how much spice I add and how much sodium is in the dish.

To make these delish bowls....here are the ingredients:

Tostada Bowls:

4-5 chicken breasts- boneless, skinless

Adobo seasoning

shredded taco cheese

low fat sour cream

tostada shells

avocado

taco sauce

shredded lettuce- I take lettuce and use my chopper on it

beans- both black and pinto- MUST rinse with water

tomato and onion- chopped

This recipe is easy peasy.  I've modified it from Dolly's making it a bit more healthy.  This is a major request here in our house and my kids' friends come over to eat it too!  Take the chicken breasts and brown in a frying pan..with NO other butter or oil.  You don't need it.  When they are almost done..remove from pan and let cool.  Then shred.  Either with a fork or I use my Food Chopper from Pampered Chef (and no I do not sell it  ).  I return the chicken to the pan to cook through and then add in adobo to taste.  I season it about three times around the pan usually.

I take the beans and rinse them.  Depending on my mood I sometimes throw them in the frying pan to heat through with the meat.  You have to rinse them otherwise it makes the meat gray and gross.

I layer in a bowl:  Tostada shell..Dolly taught me to crush it...so it's easier to eat..we love it that way!

then meat, beans, and top with shredded lettuce, avocado, cheese, taco sauce and sour cream.  That's it.  Very delish.  All of these recipes freeze great too!

Goush Goush

This is the easiest recipe on the planet.  I learned of this when living with a friend as a college student.  It's hearty and filling and was good for poor college students to live off of.  I hate vegetables but I ate this with relish.  I'm no longer in touch with the friend but the recipe sure stuck. In ALL of my recipes when I mention pasta I use only wheat or whole grain pasta.  The trick to using this is to not tell the kids.  The taste truly is not that different.  The other trick is to boil it longer than you would for regular al dente pasta!










Goush Goush
3 cans vegetarian vegetable soup
2 cans tomato soup
1 can diced, new potatoes
1 can lima beans
1/2 can corn (or 1 can succotash and you can eliminate corn/lima beans)
1/2 box wheat or whole grain elbow noodles
1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
Take a large pot and put in the ground beef.  Brown it and then drain (I even rinse sometimes) to get rid of the grease.  I tend to use 80/20 ground chuck or beef.  Put the beef back in the pot and heat through.  At the time time, boil the noodles and drain.  Throw in all the cans of items and then put in the noodles.  Heat through and serve with a nice hearty bread. 

Be sure and tell me how you like this!

Tried an Ellie Kreiger recipe-Pork Piccata

I'm a huge fan of EK.  Her cookbooks saved my life when we started our healthy lifestyle two years ago.  I was complaining that there was no good food that was low fat and trying to tune into my episode of Paula Deen or someone and it taped Ellie Krieger instead.  :)  Great for us since we now get to sample her wonderful food.  I highly recommend either of her two cookbooks.  I have not really found one recipe we didn't like yet.

She recommends a spinach recipe and also mashed potatoes.  I'll share my mashed potatoes in a separate post and also spinach.  You can buy Ellie Krieger's cookbooks at Amazon.  I will share the general idea of the recipe but you need the cookbooks as I extensively use them in my menu. 

Pork Piccata   (paraphrased here by me :)
1/4 c flour
s& fresh pepper
1 1/4 lb pork tenderloin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c dry white wine
1 c chicken broth (low fat, low sodium)
juice of one lemon
3 tbsp drained capers
spinach
mashed potatoes

Take:
1/4 c flour
salt and fresh pepper

Mix the above in a ziploc

Cut 1 1/4 lbs of pork tenderloin crosswise into round medallions
throw into bag and toss to coat.

Meanwhile get about 2 tbsp of olive oil heating in a skillet (not non-stick).  Brown the meat in two batches about 1-2 min each side.  Do not worry about cooking it all the way through. 

Remove from pan and immediately add in 3 cloved of minced garlic and the dry white wine.  Cook til the wine reduces by about 1/2.  Stir up the bits from the bottom of the frying pan.  Add in the broth and the lemon along with the capers and boil til it reduces slightly.  Add in the tenderloin again and cook til the tenderloin is cooked through.  I served it over mashed potatoes and with spinach I steamed in the microwave.  To season the spinach I only add in salt and pepper.  I use a microsteamer from Pampered Chef.

Pasta Pizil

I got this recipe from a friend's grandmother years and years ago.  It's become a staple around here.  I don't eat this anymore though.  Not too healthy for those trying to change their lives.  And that friend- we don't keep in touch anymore..but that's ok because I got the recipe out of it.

A few things you will learn about me.  I am sicilian so I don't measure...I just season to taste.  So bear with me.  I just shake some in.  Don't dump in a ton.  So a bit at a time.  Also I don't skimp.  If I say romano cheese- I mean the good stuff..the imported.  I do NOT use the green bottle of parmesan or the red bottle of romano- EVER.  I also do not have a lot of photos..nor do I have time to TAKE a lot.  I will try.  One of my big projects (as a "great Mom") was to compile our family recipes in three separate scrapbooks that I SCRAPPED for them.  (What was I thinking?) So I am slowly taking photos of the completed items and will share when I can find them.  But I don't want to keep you from the good stuff either    I am also no Ree from Pioneer Woman..she's truly amazing....ranch life, 4 kids and has time to take step by step photos of her recipes.  Ain't gonna happen here folks.  :)


Pasta Pizil
1- 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 onion or 2 - chopped
1 lb of bacon- chopped or use scissors and cut
3 cans of peas - 15 oz is fine, do NOT drain
1/2 lb of elbow noodles cooked and drained.  I use wheat
basil, oregano and garlic
romano cheese
crusty bread

Take a large pot and put the chopped bacon and onion in it..start to brown it.  Do not use oil or butter..you do not need it.  Once it's cooked down- i drain the grease and rinse the bacon off in water.  I cook it until the bacon has cooked most of the fat off but before it's all brown and dried out.  It truly doesn't matter though.  Put the bacon back in pot and cook until hot again.  Then throw in the tomato sauce..heat that through and throw in the spices.  I also then put in the peas with the water.  I throw in a few handfuls of the romano cheese and heat through.  Serve with crusty italian bread.

Enjoy!  And make sure to post back here so I can see if you liked it.

Fee