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Healthy Crock Pot Refried Beans

I have always loved Mexican-ish foods: tacos, nachos, burritos, oh my! So becoming a vegetarian wasn’t that difficult for me because you can substitute beans for meat in tons of dishes!

Last year, I was so sick of opening cans of refried beans. Is it actually vegetarian or is it made with lard? Which brand tastes the best? And then I would always add things to the beans to make them taste better. There had to be a better way and this is totally it!

When I first started making refried beans in the Crock Pot, I knew we would never go back. Yes, it does take more time and planning than simply opening a can, but it is so worth it!

I know exactly what is in the beans and can tweak it for my taste! This recipe can be made with just pinto, but I do like to mix black beans and pinto beans. It does make the color a little darker, but it is so delicious!

The beans can easily be frozen in freezer bags to keep on hand. The most important part of this recipe is removing extra liquid from the beans when they are done. If you leave to much liquid, the beans will be really runny. If you like it like that, perfect! If you like it a little thicker, make sure you pull off as much liquid as possible. You can always add it back in later if the beans are too thick or it is also a perfect base for soup!

Healthy Crock Pot Refried Beans

Ingredients:

3 c Pinto beans (I usually use half black beans and half Pinto beans)

5 c water

4 c vegetable broth

1 onion, quartered

3 cloves garlic

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp black pepper

Optional: 1 fresh jalapeno, sliced

Directions:

  1. Rinse the beans in a strainer.
  2. Add all ingredients in crock pot, stir to until well combined.
  3. Cook on HIGH for 8 hours or until beans are soft. Add more water if needed. (I did not need to)
  4. When beans have opened and are soft, they are done.
  5. If there is a lot of liquid, remove as much liquid as possible. (The more liquid, the runnier the beans)
  6. Use an immersion blender to blend beans until desired consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a potato masher to mash the beans. If beans are too dry, add liquid back into the beans or more water as needed. 

*I do like to save some of the whole beans, instead of pureeing them. They are so good to just eat plain or in burritos!

 
To freeze: Wait until cool, then put in a Ziploc freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer for easy storage.

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Broccoli Cheese Soup

Once upon a time, in the not-so-distant past, I made broccoli cheese soup.

It was a disaster.

I’m not sure what went wrong, but it was inedible. Usually, even if dishes don’t turn out that great, we still suffer through so we don’t waste food. But this… this abomination of broccoli cheese soup will probably go down in history as the worst thing that I have ever made.

Since that day, I have stayed away from making broccoli cheese soup. Even though I love it so and my heart pines for it, I refused to try to make it ever again.

…Until now. As I’m entering my last few weeks of pregnancy, I’m trying to prepare for bringing the baby home. One way I’m prepping is to make a bunch freezer meals so I won’t have to worry about cooking for a while.

I came across this recipe for a healthy broccoli cheese soup and decided to overcome my fear and go for it!

It came out fantastic! In fact, it was so good that we ate all of it before I could get it into the freezer! So then I made a double batch so we could eat it and freeze it!

I am so happy with this soup. It’s so easy and it is so good! Hope you enjoy it as much as me!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, dice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c of butter

1/4 c of All-Purpose flour

1 c milk (I used Almond Cashew)

3 c vegetable broth

3 c broccoli (apxr 1 head), chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 c carrots, diced (I used pre sliced carrots and roughly chopped them)

½ tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 c cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, heat the butter until it starts to melt.
  2. Add the flour and whisk constantly for about 2 minutes.
  3. Slowly add the vegetable broth and milk, continuing to whisk the mixture.
  4. Once combined, turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 min.
  5. Meanwhile, add olive oil to saucepan for medium heat.
  6. Add onion and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Remove from heat if finished before flour/butter mixture is done simmering.
  7. Once the flour/butter mixture is done simmering, add broccoli, carrots, and cooked onion/garlic.
  8. Add salt and pepper.
  9. Simmer for another 20-25 minutes, until vegetables are soft.
  10. Using a handheld immersion blender, puree about half of the soup. (If you don’t have a handheld blender, blend half the soup in a blender). You can also blend more or less depending on how chunky you like your soup.
  11. Add the cheese and stir until combined.
  12. Serve and enjoy! You can add some shredded cheese on top if desired!

 

To freeze: Once cooled place in the either a freezer ready plastic container or freezer bag.

To serve: Place in fridge to thaw about 24 hours before eating. Reheat either on stovetop or in a microwavable container in microwave until heated through.

 

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Sweet Potato Bean Stew

My husband has had a sore throat and just generally been feeling icky for the past few days. I’ve been trying to stuff him (and myself) with tons of vitamins and fluids hoping that he quickly gets through this and that I don’t get sick.

Normally, I would really dread my husband having a Man Cold, but he has been a champ this time. He even managed to drag himself to our eight-hour birthing class over the weekend.

I decided this would be a perfect time to try out this new recipe that I actually found on the side of a veggie broth container.

It is so good! It’s so healthy and is super filling.

Usually, my husband hates eating food (especially soup) for days, so I had planned to freeze half of this soup for after our baby arrives, but he has been requesting it every night for dinner! I think we have had this three nights in a row and have one more meal left.

I love the sweet and spicy mix of this soup! I do have to warn you, the longer it sits in the fridge, the spicier it is getting! However, I am still able to eat it without drinking a ton of water, so it’s not too spicy and I wouldn’t change anything for next time.

I usually like to add “toppings” to my soup like avocado, green onion or cheese. But this soup doesn’t need anything. It’s delicious! It is also very easy to edit, so if you like a different kind of bean or more beans, you can surely add them too! I thought I might need to add more beans or quinoa to make this soup a meal, but it didn’t need it.

Sweet Potato Bean Stew

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 c onion (about 1 medium onion), chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped (I used both a yellow and an orange pepper because they were starting to go bad)

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 c sweet potato, cut into 1 in pieces (about 1 large sweet potato)

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

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp ground cinnamon

4 c vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in large saucepan. Saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic until tender.
  2. Stir in cumin, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon; add broth, beans, and sweet potato.
  3. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer 1 to 1.5 hours until potatoes are tender.
  4. Puree 2 cups of stew in blender or food processor until smooth (or you could use an immersion blender). Stir back into stew.
  5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms, Broccoli, and Parmesan

A food that has always intrigued me is spaghetti squash. How do you get noodles from a squash?! It’s almost mind boggling.

I love to try recipes with spaghetti squash because pasta is one my favorite things and if I can replace something that’s not so healthy with something super healthy, awesome!

This recipe is very earthy and hearty. It is a combination of delicious mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, and spaghetti squash. I also added broccoli for more veggies. I’m not a huge fan of broccoli, but I know how good it is for you, so I try to throw it in a lot of my recipes whenever possible.

One of the most difficult things about this recipe is cooking the spaghetti squash. There are many different ways to prepare it. You can actually microwave the entire squash or cut it in half and cook it in a Crock Pot. My favorite way is to slice the squash into rings and then roast it. The squash comes apart in longer strings than if cutting it in half, so it is more like a spaghetti noodle.

I discovered this method from Eat Within Your Means and have never looked back. You can read and see the difference between roasting slices and roasting half the squash here.

For the sake of this recipe, I will be using the slicing method, but if you are comfortable with another way to cook spaghetti squash, do it that way. I will say that slicing the squash is quite a task because it is such a hard squash, so I usually have my husband cut it. 🙂

Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms, Broccoli, and Parmesan

Ingredients:

1 small spaghetti squash (about 2lbs)

Olive oil

8 oz mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas, but button would work too)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 head broccoli, chopped to bite size

1 tbsp thyme

¼ c Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

(If using a different method to cook squash, skip to step 3)

  1. Slice squash into 1 inch rings (try to keep them all relatively the same size). Use a knife or spoon to scoop out seeds. Place rings onto a baking sheet lined with paper towel or on a cooling rack over baking sheet. Salt both sides of squash and allow to sit for about 20 minutes to draw out water. After 20 minutes, wipe water and salt from rings.
  2. Place rings onto a baking sheet and cook in oven preheated to 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
  3. While squash is roasting, place olive oil, garlic and thyme in a deep skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes and add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are golden brown (7 to 8 minutes) and then add broccoli. Cook for another 2 – 3 minutes, until broccoli is bright green. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Once squash is cooked, allow to cool for 15 minutes and then peel the skin away and separate into long “noodles.”
  5. Add the squash with the mushrooms and broccoli, season with salt and pepper, turn the heat to high and quickly fry with mushrooms and broccoli until hot. Sprinkle Parmesan on top while sauteing for about a minute.
  6. Serve hot.
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Best Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce

You know how there are those dishes that take you straight back to being a child? It’s spaghetti for me.

My mom made the best homemade spaghetti sauce. I would refuse to eat any other sauce but her’s.

I remember when I would come home on Sunday afternoons after spending the weekend at my dad’s house and as soon as I stepped out of the car, the delicious smell would bring me running into the house.

She always made huge batches of spaghetti sauce and chili. The kitchen would be a disaster. Cans everywhere, sink full of dishes, sauce splattered all of the stove.

Everything she made in the kitchen created chaos. And I loved it.

I would usually make a “spaghetti sandwich” with two pieces of buttered bread and a heaping scoop of noodles and sauce in the middle. I loved to eat for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner.

I was that kid that brought a thermos to school with cold spaghetti to eat for lunch.

When we became vegetarian, I gave up on my mom’s sauce because I didn’t think it could ever be the same without ground beef.

After my mom passed away, I decided to pick up her recipe book and explore vegetarian options for her sauce. Below is how I make her sauce now and it’s almost as good as the way she used to make it!

In place of the ground beef, I use mushrooms and lentils to give it a “meaty” feel and to add protein. Its delicious and filling! The recipe below is enough to use for multiple meals or to freeze (which is what I usually do).

Whatever you do to make the sauce your own, do NOT skip the simmering! I know it makes the recipe an all day affair, but I promise this is what makes it so good!

Oh, and also, we had a tradition in my family: whoever gets the first bay leaf does the dishes. I hated this rule as a kid! You get a bay leaf in your mouth AND have do the dishes! Not cool. So if you don’t want this to happen to you, pull out the bay leafs before serving.

Best Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce

Yields about 8 cups of sauce

Ingredients:

2 c chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz can of whole tomatoes

18 oz tomato paste

4 bay leaves

3 tsp oregano

3 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

16 oz sliced mushrooms (if you don’t love mushrooms, omit)

water, if needed

Optional:

1.5 c cooked Lentils

2 lbs ground beef/turkey

Directions:

  1. In a large sauce pot over medium heat, cook onions until soft, about 5 minutes. (If using meat, brown with onions and drain off fat)
  2. Add mushrooms and garlic, cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, oregano, Lawry’s, Parmesan cheese. Stir until mixed well.
  4. Add water 1/4 cup at a time if sauce is too thick.
  5. Simmer for 2-3 hours (THIS is the key!!).
  6. Serve with your favorite dishes!
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Secrets for an Amazing Grilled Cheese

A few years ago, my husband and I went to Florida. We were going to be staying in a friend’s condo for free, which was an amazing deal!

However, when we arrived, it wasn’t everything we expected. Apparently there had been some miscommunication between the owner and family members about who was caring for the condo.

It was… a disappointment to say the least. It was so dirty and disorganized. I don’t know if you have ever been to Florida, but they have these bugs called Palmetto bugs. They are similar to cockroaches and crawl out of the drains and toilets. Blech. When we walked into the condo, there were Palmetto bugs squished all over the floor! And it looked like someone had been living there because there were blankets and clothes thrown everywhere!

We were so excited to have saved a ton of money by staying at this free place on our vacation, so we tried to make it work. We spent three hours cleaning the entire condo which included my husband spending 20 minutes trapped in a bathroom with a giant, angry spider and a game of hide-and-seek with a lizard in the living room.

When I went to vacuum the bedroom, I discovered the entire wall behind the bed was covered in mold (It turned out that the condo next door had a giant leak and was soaking the walls with water to this condo, creating mold)! We gave up after that. Since it was so late, we did stay one night in the condo, but we left for a few hours to get something to eat.

I was dirty and tired and hated the vacation so far.

We found this cute little diner to grab some food and I spotted my meal immediately: the GrownUp Grilled Cheese.

It was everything I needed. Ooey, gooey, cheesy perfection. They took a simple grilled cheese and just took it to a whole new level.

I knew that when I got home, my usual grilled cheese needed an upgrade.

Here are my secret tips to make an amazing grilled cheese!

The ingredients and bread type don’t really have an effect on what I’m about to share with you.

Obviously the harder the bread and the better cheese quality (don’t use American, please) will give you a better grilled cheese. I usually stick with whole wheat bread, sharp cheddar cheese, and a slice of tomato. Sometimes I throw in avocado or a black bean burger. In the sandwich above, I have used mozzarella cheese, tomato slices, and a veggie burger for extra protein.

Steps for an Amazing Grilled Cheese:

Step 1: Butter one side of the bread. Sprinkle powdered garlic powder and grated parmesan cheese onto the butter. Put butter side down in a skillet heated on medium heat.

Step 2: Add your cheese to the bread. If adding other fillings, like tomato, make sure you add cheese on both sides of the filling so the bread will stick. So it will go bread, cheese, tomato, cheese, bread.

Step 3: Put a lid on the pan to allow the cheese to melt without burning the bread.

Step 4: Once the cheese is starting to melt, add the second piece of bread with butter, garlic powder, and grated parmesan. When the piece of bread in touching the pan is a nice golden brown, carefully flip your sandwich and cover again until the bottom piece of bread is a golden brown and cheese is melted.

Enjoy! Guaranteed this will take your grilled cheese to a whole new level and you’ll never go back!

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Easy and Healthy Enchilada Soup

Winter is finally here in Michigan. Sad face.

I have really enjoyed the mild, 40 degree, no jacket days. I didn’t miss the snow or the car doors freezing shut or not being able to breath when you walk outside.

But I knew it couldn’t last forever. Now we are at highs of 15 degrees and snow every day.

The good news? It’s soup weather!

I love making soup because it is so easy. I love when you can throw a bunch of stuff into a pot (or Crock Pot) and walk away. It is also very healthy and filling!

I had some beans and some tomatoes, so I figured I would throw together this delicious soup! One issue that I did have is that this recipe calls for a can of enchilada sauce. I usually always buy mild sauce, but for some reason, I bought hot enchilada sauce! So my soup came out extra spicy! If you like spice, get it hot, if not, stick with mild.

Adding yogurt/sour cream and avocado really help chill out the heat though.

And that is one thing I really love about this soup… There are so many ways to dress it up! You can add cheese, yogurt/sour cream, tortilla strips or avocado! Personally, I do them all! It makes for a really hearty, delicious meal. Sometimes I will serve a side salad, but this soup is filling enough to stand alone.

Enchilada Soup

Ingredients:

1 tbl olive oil

1 med onion

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 14.5 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 14.5 oz  can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)

1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

1 10 oz can of enchilada sauce

6 oz frozen corn

2-3 c vegetable broth

1 tbl cumin

1 tsp red pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Optional for topping:

Plain yogurt/sour cream

Cheese

Tortilla strips

Avocado

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in large stock pot over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until soft/translucent. About 5 minutes.
  2. Add rest of ingredients to pot. Start with 2 cups of vegetable broth. If soup is too thick, add additional broth. Bring to boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for an additional 20-25 minutes.
  3. Serve hot and garnish with your choice of toppings. I prefer all of them. 🙂
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Easy Cheesy Spanish Rice

I have thing for rice. Or noodles. Whichever. I love them.

Or bread. Or potatoes. Maybe I actually just  have thing for carbs?

My husband thinks I am such a weirdo, but I could literally sit down and eat a whole bowl of rice/noodles and butter. Super unhealthy, but super delicious!

So anytime I can add rice to a meal, I’m all for it! A yummy, easy Spanish rice recipe is perfect for Mexican dishes! This dish is so easy and I almost always have all of the ingredients just sitting in my pantry!

This could probably be made into a complete dish with some beans… hmmm… Maybe that recipe will be coming soon!

Anyway, this dish can be made in about 30 minutes. The most difficult part of this recipe is adding the rice straight to the skillet. I had never done that to rice before and the first time I made this I was really nervous!

But don’t be nervous! It will be okay! Just let the rice cook in the skillet until it is becoming translucent or a little brown, but not burned. It is better to add the vegetable broth early than burn the rice.

You can also choose to make this rice as spicy or mild as you want! I usually prefer on the more mild side, so I usually have mild salsa. But if you like it spicy, add some hot salsa to kick up the flavor!

Quick Cheesy Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp chopped onion

1 ½ c uncooked white rice

2 c vegetable broth

1 c chunky salsa

½ c shredded cheese

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cooked until tender, about 5 minutes.
  2. Mix rice into skillet, stirring often.
  3. When rice begins to brown/become translucent (but not burned), stir in vegetable broth and salsa.
  4. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until liquid has been absorbed and rice is fluffy.
  5. Turn off heat and add cheese. Cover until cheese is melted.
  6. Serve!

 

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Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

I’m just going to say it. I hate cauliflower. I don’t like the smell or the taste or the texture. I don’t even really like the color. I don’t know why, but I’ve always had an aversion to cauliflower.

But my husband loves it. He is a really good vegetarian because he loves all vegetables. Me? I’m like a child… I have to hide vegetables in the food I make so I will eat them. Fruit I could eat all day, but vegetables… I’m pretty picky.

So to ensure I am getting enough veggies and to please my husband, I make recipes that I love and replace unhealthy items with veggies. Like this lovely Cauliflower Mac and Cheese!

Truthfully, when I first started making this recipe, I thought I was going to hate it… Because, I mean, how could you replace cauliflower with delicious macaroni and it taste good?

I will tell you that I honestly can’t even tell that the cauliflower is there. This dish is so good that it has really opened my eyes (and mouth) to other cauliflower dishes like cauliflower mashed potatoes and cauliflower alfredo sauce.

I have made this as a side for regular dinners as well as Thanksgiving dinner.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

cauliflower mac and cheese in dish

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

1 c milk (can use cow milk, but I use almond or cashew milk)

1/4 c cream cheese

1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c plain Greek yogurt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp melted butter

2/3 c Panko bread crumbs

1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Cut cauliflower into small pieces (florets and stems) and place in a casserole dish.
  3. Roast cauliflower 15-20 minutes, until the edges are turning brown and it is easily pierced with a fork.
  4. While cauliflower is roasting, put the milk, cream cheese and shredded cheddar into a saucepan on medium high.
  5. Slowly whisk cheese as it melts until well mixed. Add yogurt to thicken.
  6. Stir in garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  7. Remove roasted cauliflower from oven and pour cheese sauce over cauliflower.
  8. Combine melted butter, breadcrumbs and parmesan. Spread on top of the cauliflower.
  9. Roast uncovered for 15-20 minutes until crumbs and golden brown and cheese is bubbling.
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Ranch Roasted Potatoes

I love potatoes and I love ranch. So this recipe is one of my favorites. Maybe even THE favorite.

You take some delicious red skin potatoes and throw a little Ranch seasoning on them and boom! Party in your mouth!

My husband and I lived with his mom for a few years before we got married and bought our own house. I would make dinner quite often because she worked until late at night. I’ve never been a fancy cook. I’ve always been about dishes that are quick, simple and easy to throw together.

So I was always a little nervous cooking dinner for my mother-in-law because she is Persian. When she (or any other Persian) makes dinner, it is an elaborate feast. There will be 10 plates and bowls spread out across the table to choose from. Rice, meat, sides, salad. Tons and tons food that takes a long time to prepare.

However, she went crazy when I made these potatoes (and a lot of other quick and easy dishes too)! I was so excited that I could make something that impressed her. Now, okay, these aren’t THAT impressive. They don’t require much skill or prep, but they are SO good!

Even though we haven’t lived with her for years, she still asks that I make these and bring them over… In addition to her full Persian dinner!

P.S. They are really good as leftovers too! Make sure you reheat them in the oven or toaster oven to maintain the crispiness!

Ranch Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 Hidden Valley Ranch dressing and seasoning mix

2 lbs of small red skin potatoes

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
  2. Cut potatoes into small cubes (I like to do bite size)
  3. Put potatoes in a container with lid or large baggie
  4. Add oil and Ranch powder
  5. Toss until coated
  6. Spread potatoes evenly onto a foil lined baking sheet (You do not have to foil line the pan, but I hate scrubbing the pan after making these potatoes)
  7. Bake for 30-35 minutes (We like for the potatoes to be a little burned on the edges, so I will them in until about 40-45 minutes)
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