Lime Creamsicles

Original Recipe HERE

 

These were great popsicles...and there isn't anything besides that to say.  They were both tart and sweet - actually, almost too sweet.  Next time I will add a few more ounces of regular milk and cut some of the condensed milk.

 

Ingredients

1-2/3 cups nonfat milk [I used 1%]

1/2 cup fresh lime juice [I used 5 limes]

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

 

Directions

(1) Whisk all ingredients together until well combined.

(2) Pour into popsicle molds; freeze 6-8 hours or until solid.

 

Kid Participation:

* Whisk ingredients

* Pour into molds (if you don't mind half of it ending up on the counter)

Stovetop Black Beans

Original Recipe HERE

 

I was looking for a side dish that I could whip together and was in the mood for something salty and slightly spicy.  This recipe came up in my Googling.  Super easy to make, can be abandoned until dinner is ready (I made it ahead of time and just let it sit on the stove), and easy to tweak the spices to suit your taste.

 

I thought it was fantastic, and everyone at the table had at least one helping.  There were six of us eating, and only about half a cup was remaining at the conclusion of dinner.  I would double the recipe next time to get decent leftovers.

 

Ingredients

2 cans (14 oz each) black beans, drained & rinsed

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

2/3 cup diced onion

2 or 3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced

2/3 cup broth or water

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 lime [or bottled lime juice]

 

Directions

(1) In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

(2) Add onions; saute several minutes until becoming translucent.

(3) Add garlic; saute 30 seconds more.

(4) Add beans, broth, and seasonings.

(5) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low simmer; cook about 7 minutes.

(6) Remove from heat.  Add several squirts of lime juice.

(7) Use the back of a spoon, potato masher, or spatula to smush beans to desired consistency.  Beans will thicken more upon standing.

 

Kid Participation: None.

White Chicken Chili

Original Recipe HERE

 

I simplified the original recipe a lot, both for convenience (I didn't feel like hunting down a variety of peppers) and the sake of hoping my kids would eat it (because they don't like super spicy things).  So it's really just a basic white chicken chili recipe now.  But that's OK, because everyone loved it.  Even my picky *J* said he, "LOVED it!"

 

My kids aren't big meat eaters, and they turn their noses up to chicken most of the time.  I knew I'd have better luck getting them to eat it if I incorporated it into the dish better than cubing it would.  So I cooked the chicken that afternoon and shredded it with the KitchenAid paddle.  No one complained at mealtime.

 

I ran out of cumin and couldn't find my chili powder, so I added a few shakes of Cuban seasoning to make up for it.  It was still pretty mild, but I could taste a hint of the jalapenos so it wasn't too bland.  Spices and seasonings and heat factor can be easily tweaked.  As expected, the kids added plenty of sour cream and cheese on top. 

 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 Tablespoon ground cumin
1½ teaspoons chili powder
¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups broth
3 cans (15 oz) cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups chopped cooked chicken [I used shredded]
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ cup heavy cream [optional; I forgot it]

garnishes: lime wedges, shredded cheese, cilantro, sour cream

rice [optional]

 

Ingredients

(1) Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

(2) Add onions, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt.  Cook until vegetables have softened, about 7 minutes.

(3) Meanwhile, drain and rinse one can of beans.  Mash thoroughly.

(3) Add garlic.  Cook an additional minute (do not allow garlic to brown).

(4) Add flour; stir in thoroughly.  Cook for about 1 minute.

(5) Add mashed beans.

(6) Stir in remaining 2 cans of beans, chicken, and lime juice.  Bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low; cook about 20 minutes.

(7) Add heavy cream.  Serve with garnishes and by itself or over rice.

 

Kid Participation: None, other than require me to grate several rounds of cheese for toppings.  Kids like them some cheese.

Chicken, Black Bean, & Green Chile Skillet

Original Recipe HERE

 

I thought this was just going to be a run-of-the-mill, easy one-pot meal that we'd all eat and then forget about (unless I put it on here and filed it away for a weeknight clean-out-the-pantry type meal).  But my kids LOVED it.  Yes, worthy of capital letters.  *N* and *P* each asked for three helpings, and *J* asked for two (which is big, considering he's going through a picky phase right now).  The four of us polished off almost the entire thing, so I thought the leftovers would be a hearty lunch for me.  No luck, since at breakfast *N* asked if we were having the same thing for dinner again.  This sort of question is rare, and usually I'd assume it would be followed by a, "...because I don't want it!" (they are usually very leftover-averse).  But she actually asked to eat it again!  Well, knock me over with a can of black beans! (actually, don't, because that would hurt).  I felt especially vindicated because *J* said several times how gross it looked before actually tasting it.

I was going to poach the chicken but realized I had a better chance of getting the kids to eat it if I made it more interesting (because they are also meat-averse lately).  So I followed the basic steps for the lime chicken that is linked to in the original recipe.  I sliced up the chicken breasts into "tenders"-sized pieces, marinated them for about 15 minutes (all I had time for), and then browned them until cooked through in a separate skillet.  I do think it helped the flavor of the dish.

 

I eyeballed most of the ingredients, so the amounts I used aren't exact...it's an easy recipe to play with to suit personal tastes. Also, since I had no hot sauce in the house, I bought the Cholula brand used in the original recipe (sorry, Tabasco...I'm just not that into you). I assume it was good, though I used it sparingly since my kids aren't fans of hot-and-spicy things.

 

I served it with sour cream and salsa mix-ins, and green onions would've been a nice touch.  In the future, I may use this as a taco, burrito, or enchilada filling.

 

The only thing I didn't like was that the cheese congealed on top once it cooled, so maybe mixing it into the main dish before putting it in the oven - or just waiting until serving and sprinkling it on then - would work better.

 

(sidenote: I think I set a personal record for number of parentheses and hyphens in one post)

 

Ingredients

2 to 3 cups cooked brown rice

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup white onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chiles

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

additional seasonings of choice [I used about 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning mix]

1 to 2 Tablespoons lime juice

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

(2) Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat.  When hot, add onion.  Saute several minutes, stirring occasionally.

(3) Add garlic to skillet.  Cook another two minutes.

(4) Add rice, chiles, beans, cumin, seasonings, lime juice, chicken, and hot sauce.  Stir until thoroughly combined.

(5) Sprinkle cheeses on top.  Bake skillet about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

 

Kid Participation: None, other than eating multiple portions.

Southwestern Black Bean Salad

Original Recipe HERE

I picked this as a last-minute addition to dinner because I needed a side dish.  It turned out to be tastier than the entree.  This was enthusiastically gobbled up by my husband, my 3-year old, and my 1-year old.  Since I was in a rush, I added the avocado along with everything else and didn't have time to refrigerate it for 30 minutes.  It still tasted great, and it was even better the next day after the dressing had had time to really permeate the vegetables.  See helpful information on how to cut an avocado without making a massacre of it here.

This is similar to my standard homemade salsa recipe: same ingredients as well as finely chopped mango and a few spoonfuls of store-bought pineapple or peach salsa, as well as some minced jalapeno and garlic if I want it spicy.

Ingredients

1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

9 oz frozen corn, thawed

1 tomato, chopped

1 small hass avocado, diced

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 scallion, chopped

3 Tbsps lime juice [or juice of one lime]

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp cilantro [optional]

salt and pepper

Directions

1) Combine beans, corn, tomato, onion, scallion, cilantro, salt and pepper in metal or ceramic bowl.

2) In separate bowl, whisk together lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, and sugar.

3) Add dressing to vegetables.  Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Add avocado before serving.

Notes: None.

Kid Participation: Just mixing everything together.

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

Original Recipe HERE

I had this on my "to try" list for a long time, but it kept getting bumped because I thought it might be just another banana bread recipe and nothing to get excited about.  But I had another case of Browning Bananas, and since I always have all the ingredients for this on hand, I decided to go for it one night.  So glad I did.

I considered skipping the glaze, because I'm not always a fan of lime flavoring, but luckily I didn't.  It brings the bread "to another level" (for lack of a better way to say it).  I think this would be even better as muffins, since you'd get a hint of lime in almost every bite, as well as some of the toasted coconut (because the coconut flavor of the bread wasn't very pronounced - all I tasted was banana).  The bread was moist without being gummy or having that combination of slightly-undercooked texture in the middle and a little too browned on the edges.  Definitely a do-again.

Update: These turned out fabulously as muffins.  I baked them for 22 minutes and got 18 muffins.  I made extra glaze and used it all.  Also, since the coconut flavor in the bread wasn't easily detectable the first time, I added half a teaspoon of coconut extract to the batter when making muffins.  I don't know how much it changed the taste, but it certainly didn't harm it.

Ingredients

* For Bread:
2 cups white flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large bananas)

1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt [I used light sour cream]

3 Tablespoons apple juice or milk [I used 2% milk]

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup shredded coconut

2 Tablespoons shredded coconut (for topping)

* For Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice (fresh preferred)

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease 9x5" loaf pan (or spray with non-stick spray).  Line bottom with parchment for added ease of bread removal.

2) Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

3) Mash banana.

4) In large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until blended. Add eggs and beat to combine.

5) Add banana, sour cream or yogurt, apple juice or milk, and vanilla. Beat until blended.

6) Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut.

7) Pour batter into loaf pan. Sprinkle additional 2 Tablespoons coconut on top.

8) Bake 60 minutes or until knife or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, but check bread after about 40 minutes. If top has browned and coconut pieces look toasted, cover top of bread lightly with piece of foil. Continue baking until done.

9) Remove loaf pan from oven and place on cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Carefully remove bread from pan and place back on cooling rack with piece of wax paper (or foil, parchment, or paper towel) underneath rack.

10) Thoroughly whisk powdered sugar and lime juice together.  Use a spoon to drizzle glaze over top, letting excess drip below. Cool for another 15 minutes before slicing.

Kid Participation:
* Whisk dry ingredients
* Mash banana
* Crack eggs
* Add coconut to batter and stir
* Sprinkle coconut as topping
* Whisk glaze
* Drizzle glaze (if you don't mind it being very unevenly distributed)