Mexican Pizza

Original Recipe HERE

 

I've made this recipe several times already, and each time the entire thing is devoured by my family.  It has the convenience of homemade pizza without the post-meal feeling of being weighed-down as one often does after consuming lots of salty sauce, bready crust, and greasy cheese.  Of course, you could easily transform this one to fit that bill.  But the fresh, raw vegetables and screw-with-your-head concept ("But I don't use half a jar of Prego?!") are enough to make me really look forward to making pizza again and know I don't have to anticipate a food coma tinged with regret.

 

Depending on what culture my pizza is supposed to originate from, I add particular seasonings to my crust.  My go-to crust is this one (though the original recipe for this one has its own crust recipe), and for this pizza I add a few shakes of garlic powder, chili powder, and smoked paprika.  I don't like cumin, but I'm sure it would work.  If a premade crust is being used, the same seasonings can be added to the "sauce" instead.

 

Ingredients (NOTE: all are approximations and can be tweaked for personal preference)

pizza crust

1 cup refried beans [I use vegetarian or fatfree]

1/2 cup salsa

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend [or cheese of choice]

toppings: shredded lettuce, sliced avocado, black beans, sliced green onion, chopped tomatoes, etc.

 

Directions

(1) Prepare pizza crust as desired.  It is suggested that the crust be prebaked for a few minutes.

(2) Thoroughly combine refried beans and salsa.  Spread over crust.

(3) Sprinkle cheese evenly over "sauce."

(4) Finish cooking pizza.

(5) Top with vegetables immediately, while cheese is still melty.  Gently press into pizza if necessary.

 

Kid Participation:

* Prepare pizza crust

* Whisk together beans and salsa

* Sprinkle cheese over crust (while you hover, making sure they don't touch the hot pan)

* Spread toppings (see "while you hover" instruction directly above)

 

Slowcooker Corn & Bean Soup

Original Recipe HERE

 

This is a standard, sturdy recipe that doesn't open new culinary horizons, but it's tasty and healthy and light enough that you don't feel like you have five gallons of soup sloshing around in your stomach afterward.

 

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 can (28 oz) diced tomato

2 cans (15 oz each) beans of choice, drained & rinsed [I used black and pinto]

1 bag (1 lb) frozen corn kernels

1 medium zucchini, grated & drained

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 box (32 oz) vegetable stock

accompaniments

 

Directions

(1) Heat oil on medium heat in a large skillet.

(2) Add onions; cook for 3 minutes.

(3) Add garlic, chili powder, and cumin.  Cook 1 minute.

(4) Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker.

(5) Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine.

(6) Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

(7) Serve with accompaniments: sliced green onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.

 

Kid Participation: None.

Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal

Original Recipe HERE

 

We had this as dinner because it was super easy to throw all the ingredients in the stand mixer's bowl, dump the batter in the dish, and toss it in the oven and forget about it until the timer went off.  Notice the verbs used; it was That Kind of Night.  Thank goodness for recipes like this that everyone liked, so at least we ended the day on a positive note.

 

The original recipe called for half a cup of oil, which seemed nasty to me.  Normally I'd substitute apple sauce for the oil, but there already was some.  So I broke out my first ever jar of coconut oil and gave it a whirl.  I was in a rush, so I didn't take the time to fully liquify it, double-boiler style.  I kind of softened it up via the microwave, and as soon as I added it to the cold batter, it solidified again.  So halfway through the baking, I stirred the batter as best I could in the hopes that would distribute it.  Next time I'll have a better technique, but I'll definitely use it again because it gave a slight hint of coconut that added to the final product rather than detracted.

 

The level of sweetness was good, though the amount of brown sugar made me pause a little just because I was serving this as dinner.  Substituting half with honey, or maybe even molasses, could work.  I made bacon and served the oatmeal as-is, but next time I'll made it a more complete meal with yogurt or something.  Or not.  Yeah, probably not.

 

Ingredients

2 eggs

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), melted

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

2-1/4 cups milk [I used skim]

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt [I forgot this]

1/2 cup wheat flour

4 cups quick cooking oats

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9×13" baking dish.

(2) In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, applesauce, butter, oil,  pumpkin, milk, syrup and brown sugar until smooth.

(3) Add spice, baking powder, salt, flour and oats. Beat on low until incorporated.

(4) Pour batter into dish.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through in the center of the dish.

(5) Let cool slightly before serving. Serve with milk, yogurt, Greek yogurt, or as is.

 

Kid Participation:

* Dump ingredients into mixing bowl

* Run mixer

Bulgur with Tomatoes & Honey

 

I came up with this recipe after my mom brought me a big container of bulgur (which we prefer to call "cracked wheat" because for some reason - perhaps because of her time spent in Turkey with the Peace Corps - her particular pronunciation of "bulgur" is offensive to my ears).  I was trying to figure out what to do with it, but all the recipes I was coming across online used ingredients I didn't have or took too long to cook or didn't sound like something my kids would eat.  So I mish-mashed this one together.  Apologies if it's actually a copyrighted recipe.

 

I thought this was great, and *N* and *J* both ate their portions, with *N* asking for more.  No way was I trusting *P* with something like this; the mess would've been of epic proportions.  We've had too many couscous travesties in this house; I know better now.  I doubled the recipe, and it fed us all at dinner plus gave me lunch for the next few days.  I thought it tasted just as good cold as hot.  I might throw in a littel garlic powder next time, but other than that, I liked the unholy trio of onion, honey, and tomato and how they worked well together.

 

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup bulgur

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

1 teaspoon dried basil [I used Italian seasoning]

1-1/2 cups broth

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

salt & pepper

 

Directions

(1) Heat broth until hot.

(2) In a large skillet, heat olive oil.  Add onion; brown until tender.

(3) Add garlic; cook 1 minute.

(4) Add bulghur; allow it to get slightly toasty.

(5) Add tomatoes and Italian basil. Stir until well combined.

(6) Add hot broth.  Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 5 minutes.

(7) Add honey, tomato paste, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir well.

(8) Cook approximately 25 minutes or until broth is completely absorbed.

 

Kid Participation: None...the entire preparation involved shart knives or hot burners.

Roasted & Seasoned Carrots

Original Recipe HERE

 

All three kids gobbled these up and asked for more.  Personally, I didn't think they were anything special and finished my portion simply because I'm supposed to eat my vegetables.  I like how roasting carrots brings out some sweetness, but I probably wouldn't have saved this except that it may be a "oh no, what else can I make for dinner??" staple.  I'll experiment with various seasonings in the future to see if I can hit upon a version that all of us love.

 

Ingredients

2 cups carrot slices [or baby carrots cut in half]

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika [I used smoked]

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 375.

(2) Toss all ingredients together until each carrot piece is well-coated.

(3) Spread on a baking sheet.  Roast 15-30 minutes or until desired softness is reached, stirring several times throughout cooking.

 

Kid Participation:

* Mix ingredients

* Surprise me by devouring them