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.

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.

Zesty Rice

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice (or brown rice)
2 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon chili seasoning
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 (14.5-ounce) can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro leaves

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium sauce pot. Add garlic, and rice and saute for 2 minutes until rice is toasted. Add 2 1/4 cups water, chili seasoning and season with a pinch of salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer as directed on packaging.

In a large bowl combine onion, yellow pepper, cooled rice, beans, vinegar and cilantro. Mix well.

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.

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.

Crockpot Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 cup instant rice
2 eggs
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup hot water
1 package dry onion soup mix

Mix ingredients, form into a round loaf in a crock pot that has been completely lined with aluminum foil. Cook 6-7 hours on allow. Remove carefully.

**Note-my mother made this recipe quite often as a child, and to be honest I never liked it. I haven't tried it since childhood. I have included it, however, because it is my great-grandmother's recipe. My mother was very close to her grandmother and this is one of the only, if not the only, tangible thing I have of my mother's memories of her grandmother. So I have included it for that reason.

Pepper steak with rice

1 lb round steak, cut 1/2 inch thick
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cup beef broth
2 green peppers, cut into strips
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 large tomatoes, cut into eighths
1/4 cup, each, soy sauce and water
Cooked rice

Cut meat into 1/4 inch slices. Sprinkle meat with paprika. Let sit while you prepare the other ingredients. Brown meat in butter. Add garlic and broth. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in green peppers. Cover and cook 5 more minutes. Blend cornstarch, water, and soy sauce together. Stir into meat mixture. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir gently. Serve over rice.

**Note-this dish tastes just like Chinese takeout!

Meatball Espanol

1 lb ground beef
1 c bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons worchestershire sauce
2 teaspoons pepper
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 1/2 cups zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup beef broth
1/2 teaspoon, each, oregano, basil and sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Cooked rice

Oven at 375. Combine beef, bread crumbs, onion, celery, worcestershire sauce, egg and garlic salt. Form into meatballs. Bake for 20 minutes in a casserole dish. When done, remove from dish and place on paper towels to drain fat. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, zucchini, and remaining seasonings in a small saucepan. Simmer for five minutes. Blend cornstarch into beef broth and stir into tomato mixture. Return meatballs to dish and pour tomatoes over the balls. Bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve over rice.

**Note-this is another recipe compliments of my mother that I am including purely for the ease of the dish and sentimental reasons.

Rice Pudding

3 eggs
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups cooked rice, cooled
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoons salt
Ground cinnamon

Oven at 325. In a bowl combine all ingredients except cinnamon. Bake in a large, greased, baking dish for 25 minutes. Stir. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Return to oven and continue baking 20-25 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Serve warm or cold, with cream or milk, if desired.

**Note-this is another one of my mother's recipes. I remember this rice pudding very clearly from my childhood. I always loved to eat it for breakfast, heated up with cold milk on top.

Easy Spanish Rice

1 1/2 cups rice (preferably brown)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup tomato sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon chili
1 4oz can of diced green chilis (optional)

In a medium sauce pan, heat oil. Add garlic, onions and peppers. Saute until softened. Add rice and chili powder. Stir and saute for 5 minutes, until rice browns a little. Add broth, tomato sauce and chilis, if using. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer according to packaged directions.

Mexican Hotdish Casserole

4-oz can diced green chilies (w/ juice)
2 cups shredded cheese
2 cans (14 oz each) diced tomatoes w/ juice
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
2 cups uncooked rice
2 packages taco seasoning
3 cups chicken (or equivalent in beans, which would be about one can)
2 cups chicken broth

Fritos and 2 cups additional cheese for topping

Oven at 350. Spray a 6 quart pan w/ spray. Combine all ingredients in pan and mix together. Cover w/ foil double thick foil and back for 90 minutes. When done, take it out, sprinkle w/ fritos and additional cheese and return uncovered for 10 minutes. Let sit for 10 more minutes to firm up.

**Note-this is a pretty easy and mindless recipe/meal. This is something you could make on a busy day, stick it in the oven and forget about it til dinner.
**This makes a large amount of food. I would recommend taking half of it and freezing it for use at a later time.

Cheesy Cauliflower and Broccoli Casserole

3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 lbs total of broccoli and cauliflower (or any combination of veggies that you like), steamed until tender
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chicken (or veggie) stock
2 cups shredded cheese (Cheddar or Monterrey Jack blend)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 cups cooked rice

Oven at 425.
Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. In a large pot, melt the butter. Cook onions, garlic, garlic powder, cayenne. Cook until onion is golden. Add flour and cook one minute. Add heavy cream and chicken stock. Cook until mixture starts to thicken, stirring to avoid lumps. Once thickened, take off heat and add one cup of the cheese to make a sauce. Combine sauce with rice and veggies and put in casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake about 20 minutes, until cheese is golden.

My favorite stir-fry sauce

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients and pour over your stir-fry the last few minutes of cooking.

**Note-I love this so much I usually double it so I have extra.

Curried Lentils with Squash

1 cup dried lentils
1 10oz package frozen winter squash, thawed
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Cook lentils until soft-about 30-60 minutes. Drain. Mix cooked lentils with remaining ingredients. Bake in a greased 2-quart baking dish for 20 minutes at 400. Serve over rice.

Salsa Chicken over rice

2 cups cooked rice
1-2 tablespoon oil
1 lb chicken breast, cut into strips
1 onion, chopped
1 pepper, sliced
1 cup salsa
Shredded cheese

Cook chicken, onion and peppers in oil until chicken is cooked through-about 10-12 minutes. Add salsa. Heat through. Remove from heat and cover with cheese. When cheese is melted, serve over rice.

Mexi-Stuffed Peppers

Makes 6 peppers

1 diced onion
1 can black beans
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 cup corn
1 cup rice (cooked)
1 tablespoon taco seasoning

On hand for cooking entree:
6 peppers
Cheese

1. Cook onion and garlic in skillet along with taco seasoning. Stir in rice, corn and beans. Divide among freezer bags as needed (ie, If you want to feed 2 people then divide among 3 bags, etc.)
2. Freeze bags until further use. (If not freezing, skip to step 2 below.)

To cook entree

1. Completely thaw in fridge.
2. Oven at 350.
3. Wash peppers, cut off tops, scoop out insides. Fill each pepper with mixture. Cook on a greased baking sheet 35 minutes or until filling
4. After 35 minutes, top with cheese and put back in oven until cheese is melted-3-5 minutes