Vegetarian Potato and Cauliflower Burritos

1 jar of salsa verde (I liked Trader Joes)
1 Tbs oil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 small onion halved and sliced
3 cups cauliflower florets
1 medium Yukon Gold or russet potato cut into 1/4 inch cubes
3 Tbs chopped cilantro
4 8-inch flour tortillas
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup shredded cheese

Heat oil in skillet. Saute onion and oregano about 2 minutes. Stir in cauliflower, potato and salsa verde. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer 5 minutes more until cauliflower and potato are tender. Stir in cilantro. Divide cauliflower mixture among tortillas. Top with rice and cheese.

Four Cheese Pasta Florentine

3 cups uncooked pasta
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, cubed
1 cup Cottage Cheese
2 eggs
1 pkg (8 oz) Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon salt

Oven at 375ºF.

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, cook spinach as directed on package; drain well. Place in large bowl. Add cream cheese and salt; stir until melted. Stir in cottage cheese and eggs until well blended.

Drain pasta. Add to spinach mixture with mozzarella; mix lightly. Spoon into 8- or 9-inch square baking dish; top with Parmesan.

Bake 25 min. or until center is set.

Creamy Baked Pasta

4 cups pasta, uncooked
1 jar (26 oz.) marinara sauce
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
4 oz (1/2of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, cubed
3/4 cup sour Cream
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/3 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Oven at 375ºF.

Cook pasta as directed on package. Remove from pot; drain. Meanwhile, in a large pan, add marinara sauce, tomatoes and cream cheese; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Return pasta to pan; mix well.

Layer half the pasta mixture in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella and remaining pasta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

Tuscan Squash and Beans over Rice

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 large tomatoes, diced (or one can of diced tomoatoes)
3 cups zucchini, chopped
½ t dried oregano
½ t thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can cannellini beans, drained
1 cup brown rice, cooked

In a sauce pan, heat oil. Add onions and pepper and saute until tender. Mix in tomatoes and zucchini and seasonings. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir beans into veggie mixture; cook about 5 minutes more to warm everything through. Serve over rice.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Artichokes

2 jars artichoke hearts, drained and divided **
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2- 2 pounds chicken**
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/5 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes
2 cups whole wheat cous cous OR 1 cup quinoa**
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a slow cooker, combine one jar of artichoke hearts, the onion, garlic, spices, broth and chicken. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Then place zucchini, tomatoes, and second package of artichokes in the cooker; re-cover and heat for another 15-30 minutes, or until veggies are cooked. (You know it is done when the tomatoes are just about to burst or a few have.) Remove chicken and vegetables with a slotted spoon; cover them with foil to keep warm. Stir the couscous or quinoa into the remaining liquid; add lemon juice. Cover and cook until grain is done and (most of) the liquid is absorbed. Serve chicken and vegetables over couscous or quinoa.

**Note-If you want your artichokes to have a more mild flavor, then add both jars in at the beginning. Adding the second jar the last 30 minutes of cooking makes the artichoke have a stronger taste.
**Note-Use any sort of chicken you have on hand. If you are using bone-in, use about 2lbs. If you are using boneless then 1 1/2 lbs should be fine. When you remove the veggies and chicken, set aside your chicken so you can take the skin off and the bones out and just have the meat in with the veggies. After cooking so long the chicken should fall right off.
**Note-If you are using cous cous, you can add it to the slower cooker and it will cooking in 5-10 minutes. If you are using quinoa, it may take much, much longer, possibly an hour. If you don't have that sort of time, I recommend putting your remaining broth in a pot on the stove and cooking your quinoa according to packaged directions.

Herb Roasted Pork with Mustard Sauce

1 pound pork tenderloin
1/2 cup honey Dijon mustard, divided**
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup frozen pearl onions**

Oven at 400 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil cooking spray; set aside. Rinse tenderloin under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 4 servings. Use a pastry brush to brush 1/4 cup mustard on pork loin. Sprinkle tenderloin pieces with about half the rosemary. Place on prepared baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine chicken broth and pearl onions. Reduce liquid by half and add remaining 1/4 cup mustard and rosemary. Heat thoroughly. Serve roasted tenderloins hot with onions and sauce.

**Note-If you don't have honey dijon just use half honey and half dijon-or a combo to your liking.

**Note-If you don't have pearl onions feel free to substitute regular chopped onions.

3 Bean Vegetarian Chili

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced (1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
2 carrots, diced (1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups water (or broth)
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can of chipotles (or a 4oz can of diced chilis)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and carrots, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, water, chipotle and adobo sauce, oregano and salt and pepper. Cook, partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes. Stir in the beans and continue cooking, partially covered, 20 minutes longer. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Pantry Soup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 small zucchini, sliced
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomato
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can small white beans or cannellini beans
1 (10 ounces) box, cut frozen green beans
Salt and pepper
1 cup fresh basil, torn or shredded
Grated Parmigiano or Romano, to pass at table

Sautee garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, onions, carrots, celery and zucchini in oil. Cook 10 minutes, then add in the stock, tomatoes and beans. Bring soup up to a bubble and season with salt and pepper, to your taste. Simmer 15-30 minutes, until veggies are softened and the taste is where you want it. Turn off the heat and wilt the basil into the soup. Ladle up the soup and serve with grated cheese and bread.

**Note-Feel free to take away what you don't have on hand and add what you do. It's a great clean out your pantry soup!

Baked Felafel

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 scallions, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup parsley leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil

Oven at 425 degrees F. Combine all felafel ingredients except 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 10 seconds. Stop motor and scrape down sides of bowl, then pulse for another 10 seconds, until all ingredients are well incorporated but mixture is still slightly coarse and grainy. Form mixture into 16 felafel balls and brush with remaining tablespoon olive oil. Bake on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes, flip felafel balls and bake an additional 20 minutes, until felafel balls are crisp and browned.

**Note-I have tried at least half a dozen felafel recipes and this is the only one I have found that actually works. An added bonus is it's very healthy as the felafel are baked instead of fried!

**Note-Don't worry if you don't have every ingredient listed here-feel free to substitute what you do have or like-it won't change the flavor too much as long as you included cumin and garlic!

Roasted Chicken

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon dried thyme, divided
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
2-3 potatoes (any variety, including sweet potatoes) cut into very large pieces**
1 large yellow onion, very thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
Olive oil

Oven at 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with 1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and potatoes in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, remaining thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

**Note-Feel free to substitute any root/winter veggies you have on hand.

**Note-this is a pretty easy recipe and although I personally don't think the lemon, garlic and thyme add much taste to the chicken itself, it does make a very yummy sauce/thin gravy for the veggies and chicken.

Italian-Style Pasta and Beans

8-12 ounces uncooked dried pasta twists (thin corkscrew, fusilli or elbow macaroni)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large (1 cup) onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (15-ounce) can low salt garbanzo beans, rinsed, drained (or any other can of white beans)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained**
2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Cook pasta twists according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile while pasta cooks, heat oil in 3-quart saucepan until sizzling; add onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened (4 to 5 minutes).
Add all remaining ingredients. Stir in cooked pasta. Cover; continue cooking for 10 minutes. Sprinkle individual bowls with cheese.

**Note-if you are not using Italian style tomatoes, add to your veggie mixture: 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
**Note-I like my pasta (and other dishes) very saucy. If you are like me, you may want to add an additional can of tomatoes or an 8oz can of tomato sauce. If you do this, you may need to increase the seasoning to taste.

Spinach, Veggie and Cheese Strata

1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 box (9 oz) frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into strips (or any color besides green pepper)
1 cup sliced leeks
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 loaf (9 oz) ciabatta or French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)**
7 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add spinach, bell peppers and leeks; cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender. Remove from heat. In baking dish, spinach mixture, 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese and the bread. In large bowl, beat eggs, milk, mustard and pepper with wire whisk until blended; pour over bread. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar cheese. Cover with foil; refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Oven at 325°F. Bake loosely covered 40 minutes. Uncover; bake about 30 minutes longer or until top is golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean.

**Note-In my family we save the bread ends in the freezer to use later for french toast. They also make a great substitution for the french bread loaf in this recipe.
**Note-You may also add several cups of chopped ham to the spinach mixture for a yummy addition.

Easy Cheesy Bean Tostadas

Premade Tostadas shells
1 teaspoon chili powder, divided
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed
1 onion, diced
1 pepper, chopped
1/2 cup Salsa
3/4 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup shredded romaine lettuce
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 cup sour cream

Saute onions and peppers in a skillet until softened, about 5-7 minutes. As they cook, sprinkled with chili powder and salt and pepper to taste. Add beans and salsa; cook 4 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in half of the cheese.
Spread mixture evenly on tostados; top with remaining cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream.

Roasted Squash and Chard Pasta

4 cups (1/2-inch) peeled cubed butternut squash
1 red onion, sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
12-16oz whole wheat pasta of your choice**
4 cups torn Swiss chard leaves, stems discarded (about 5 ounces)
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 bacon slices, cooked crisp, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

Oven at 450. Toss the squash and onion in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet, and bake 25 minutes, turning until tender and browned.
While pasta is cooking (see next step), cook the bacon, When bacon is cooked, removed with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in your pan. Mix drippings with remaining oil, sage, and garlic. Cook about one minute, to infuse oil with the flavors of the spice and garlic, being careful not to brown garlic. (Note-the oil may be hot enough from the bacon to take it off the heat completely and still cook the garlic.)
Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Place chard in the bottom of the colanders you are going to drain your pasta into. Drain the pasta into the colanders, over the chard; let stand 1 minute. Transfer pasta and chard back to the large pot you cooked the pasta in. Toss with with roasted squash and onion and oil mixture. Top with cheese and bacon and serve.

**Note-I highly recommend using whole wheat pasta. I always recommend it but this dish really stands up to it. This is a very hearty, nearly vegetarian dish, and really needs the bite and sturdiness of a whole wheat pasta.
**Note-You may want to substitute the garlic infused oil for butter to add more flavor.

Sweet and Sour Veggies

1 medium onion, sliced
4 medium carrot, peeled, sliced
2 medium celery stalk, sliced
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup French dressing
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. grated ginger root
1/2-1 cup water**
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained, liquid reserved
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 medium green pepper, sliced
1 medium red pepper, sliced
4-1/2 cups hot cooked rice

Place onions, carrots and celery in slow cooker. Add combined brown sugar, dressing, soy sauce, ginger and water. Cover with lid. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours (or on high for 3-1/2 to 4 hours). During last 30 min. of cooking time, increase to high. Stir cornstarch into reserved pineapple liquid; add to slow cooker along with the pineapple and peppers. Cook 30 min. or until peppers are crisp-tender and sauce is thickened. Serve over the rice.

**Note-add the additional water to the consistency you like. I like a more saucy dish so I use the full cup of water. If you like thicker sauce, use less water. You can always add more water or more cornstarch to adjust the thickness of the sauce.

Vegetarian Biscuit Casserole

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed soup (your choice of flavors)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups (one 15 oz can) white beans
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup shredded cheese (your choice)
1 cup all-purpose baking mix

Oven at 375. Mix soup and sour cream in a large bowl. Stir in beans, vegetables and cheese. Transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish. Mix baking mix according to packaged directions. Spoon into 6 mounds over bean and veggie mixture. Bake 35 min. or until biscuits are golden brown and bean and veggies are hot and bubbly.

Mexican Casserole with Cornbread Topping

1 cup onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons dry taco seasoning mix**
1 (15-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
1 package of cornbread mix, prepared as directed on box.

Saute pepper and onion in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Open can of tomatoes and discard 2 tablespoons of the liquid. Add taco seasoning mix (and salt if using), tomatoes with remaining liquid, and beans. Mix lightly. Let simmer about 5 minutes. If too watery, mix 1 tablespoon of corn starch with one tablespoon of water. Add to mixture and let bubble 1-2 minutes to thicken. Spoon mixture into 9x12-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Pour prepared cornbread mix over the top. Spread to cover. Bake at 375ºF for 18-25 minutes or until cornbread is done.
Serves 4 to 6.

**Note-if using homemade taco seasoning, add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt along with the seasoning.
**Note-this can be made ahead and frozen, except for the cornbread mixture. Thaw completely in the fridge overnight and then cook as directed.

Kitchen Sink Black Bean Burgers

1 15oz can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2-3/4 cup cooked/softened veggies**
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 cup bread crumbs (more or less as needed)
1 egg, beaten

Combine all ingredients, through chili powder, in a food processor. Process until consistency of precooked ground beef hamburgers. Remove mixture from food processor and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add beaten egg to mixture and mix until well Incorporated. Add bread crumbs, about half at a time, until mixture is as dry as you like it.
Form 6 patties** and cook on a skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cook about 4 minutes per side.
Serve on hamburger buns and with traditional hamburger fixin's.

**Note-Part of the reason I call these "kitchen sink black bean burgers" is because it's a great way to use leftovers. If you have some left over rice and veggies from dinner earlier in the week, you can make these burgers. Use whatever veggies you have on hand-carrots, celery, onion, corn, etc. Just make sure the veggies are either cooked or softened. Feel free also to substitute the spices that sound good to you, or you need to use up.
**Note-I make my patties a bit thinner than traditional burgers as I want to insure that the middle gets cooked both to cook the egg and avoid a soggy burger.

Baked Spaghetti Florentine

1 large egg, beaten
2 teaspoons minced dried onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup sour cream
6 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups (16-ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1(10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
12 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Oven at 350*F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine egg, onion, garlic, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Add Monterey Jack cheese; mix well.
Add the spinach and cooked spaghetti and toss to combine well. Place mixture in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.
Bake for 15 minutes covered; remove cover and continue baking for additional 15 minutes.

**Note-this is a great dish to prepare ahead of time. It basically assembling everything and no cooking (you don't even have to cut onions or garlic!). I have made this during my kids' naps then after naps, we play outside, pausing only long enough for me to toss this in the oven. Perfect!

New Baby Spaghettie Casserole

8oz spaghetti, cooked to al dente or just under
1/2 cup each onions, bell pepper, carrots and celery, all in small dice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can tomatoes, undrained
1 can creamed soup
1 can Cheddar Cheese Soup
Approximately 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Oven at 350. Cook spaghetti according to package directions, taking care not to cook past al dente. Saute onions, pepper, carrots and celery about 5 minutes. As they are sauteing sprinkle with chili powder and salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and saute about 5 minutes more to fully soften vegetables. Mix together the two cans of soup and add to the veggie mixture. When pasta is done, add to the vegetables, stirring to combine. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake, covered, about 30 minutes. Take out and sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes more, until cheese is melted.

**Note-this was a dish someone from our church made for us when we had our second child. We had a lot of it, but it was one of our favorite dishes we received. It is a dish we will always associate with the birth of our baby. I have altered it a bit to suit my tastes and cooking style more. Enjoy!
**Note-you could also double this recipe and freeze half of it. In that case, take extra care not to over cook the noodles as they might get a bit more mushy in the freezer. If you are making double, do not use 2 cans of cheddar cheese soup, instead just use 2 additional cans of a creamed soup of your choice.