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Quick and Easy Refried Beans (From Canned)

Usually I make refried beans in my Crock Pot using black beans and pinto beans, but it requires a lot of planning and time. Sometimes I just don’t have that! 

So this quick and easy refried beans recipe is awesome if you are in a pinch and need some refried beans! You can easily make yummy refried beans using a couple cans of beans! 

Why not just use a can of refried beans? Sometimes I don’t have that either! Also, my refried beans in the Crock Pot are SO much better than the canned version, that I hardly ever buy cans of refried beans any more. Plus, this easy recipe is probably healthier than the canned version. It certainly tastes fresher! 

However, I always have cans of beans in my pantry just waiting to be used! This recipe is so quick and so easy and really tasty!

This is really good served as a side for Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas for extra protein!

Quick and Easy Refried Beans (From Canned)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans (do not rinse)
½ an onion, diced small (if you prefer your beans smooth, leave this out)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
salt to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat
  2. Add garlic and cook until soft, just a couple of minutes
  3. Add pintos with liquid and all spices to pan and cook until beans are heated thoroughly, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally
  4. Take off heat and mash bean mixture with a potato masher to desired texture

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Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas

Every month my husband’s office assigns someone to bring bi-weekly lunches. Lunch is every other Monday during an office meeting. That person can make lunch, have lunch catered, assign a potluck or ask everyone to bring their own lunch.

January just happened to be my husband’s month. It always fun (and a little nerve wracking) to provide a meal for around 10 people when I’m used to cooking for two. Yes, I always make enough food for leftovers, but feeding 10 people is much different. So we have to be creative!

In the past we have done chili, soup and salad, and tacos. For one of the weeks in January, we decided to make Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas. It’s easy (although there are a lot of ingredients for serving) and people can choose what they like or don’t like to put on their own meals. We try to provide enough food for people to eat all week if they would like. This makes it super easy for me since I don’t have to make lunch all week for my husband. 

Since we were making this for a large group of people to eat several times, I tripled the recipe below. That’s 3 onions and 9 peppers! I wasn’t even sure it would all fit into my Crock Pot, but after an hour or so of cooking, the peppers start to cook down and fit comfortably in the pot. 

I also used a prepackaged fajita seasoning that I have from Costco. I will list how you can make your own fajita seasoning and replace my prepackaged seasoning below.

This was a huge hit by the way! Many people in the office are apprehensive about eating a lunch completely meat free, but they did it and enjoyed it! 🙂 We also served it with easy refried beans and Spanish rice. 

Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 Onion, halved and sliced
3 Peppers, seeded and sliced
1 tbsp oil
1 ½ tbsp fajita seasoning*
½ tsp garlic powder (my fajita seasoning does have garlic, but I like to add a tad more)
salt and pepper to taste

For serving:

6 Small flour tortillas
Shredded cheese
Tomato
Lettuce
Sour Cream or yogurt
Salsa
Avocado
Easy Refried Beans
Easy Cheesy Spanish Rice

Directions:

  1. Spray Crock Pot with nonstick spray.
  2. Place all ingredients into Crock Pot and mix until veggies are coated with oil and spices.
  3. Cook 4 – 6 hours on Low or 2 hours on High.
  4. Serve with warm tortillas and additional/optional ingredients.

*Fajita Seasoning:
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

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Crock Pot Lentil Sloppy Joe

I’ve been a vegetarian for a few years now and one of the things that I really miss is Sloppy Joe.

I know, I know… You’d think I would miss steak or bacon or something really meaty. And I did, at the beginning. But now that it has been so long, I only want those comfort foods that I adored as a child. Like the messy, tomatoey goodness of a Sloppy Joe!

I have tried to make Sloppy Joe in the past with a can or jar of Sloppy Joe mix and fake meat crumbles, but I don’t like to eat a lot of soy or preservatives, so I don’t make them very often. Plus, it just not quite as good as the real deal.

Until I discovered lentil Sloppy Joes! Throw it all in a crock pot and this just makes my day! Oh, and did I mention it’s super easy?!

It’s healthy, hearty and so versatile. My husband concluded that it would be good as a pizza sauce, so we will be trying that with some of the leftovers from this batch.

When I made this, I planned on freezing half right away because recipes usually make way too much food for two people before we are sick of eating it. But it didn’t even make it to the freezer! We ate it all (minus a small amount for pizza) in just two days!

I like to serve on a toasted bun with melted cheese and pickles! YUM!

 

Crock Pot Lentil Sloppy Joe

Ingredients:

1 cup dried brown or green lentils

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 yellow onion, chopped fine

1 green pepper, chopped

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp yellow mustard

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 1/2 tcp smoked paprika

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

dash of black pepper

 

Directions:

  • Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
  • Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
  • Enjoy!
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Health(ier) Spinach Artichoke Dip

Today I bring you a healthier spinach artichoke dip that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating!

You know how everyone has that one signature dish? Okay, maybe some people I have more. But this is mine. I am requested to bring this to every family gathering.

The first time I had this spinach artichoke dip, I fell in love. I was at a party, put a small amount on my plate,and went to sit down. Then I tasted this dip. I’m pretty sure I stayed by the bowl of dip for the rest of the night and told everyone else that they should avoid the dip… And continued to devour it all by myself.

I’m not a huge spinach or artichoke fan, but together, in this dip? Perfection.

However, I often felt terrible about eating so much of this dip. The original recipe was filled with sour cream and mayo, which, while delicious, not good for you. So I tweaked a few of the ingredients and added yogurt as a replacement. You can’t even tell the difference and you won’t feel so bad about eating a gallon of it. 🙂

This dip is best served hot. So if it’s for an appetizer, you can easily heat it in the microwave and serve or if you are having a party, you can use one of those little dipper crock pots to keep it hot.

I like it best served with bread, however, I usually choose the easier route and serve it with chips. Those little multi grain scoops are my favorite.

 

Health(ier) Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

1 c thawed, chopped frozen spinach (I will usually do more, so if you like spinach, add extra)
1 can artichokes
8 oz cream cheese
½ c plain Greek yogurt
⅓ c grated Parmesan
½ tsp red pepper flakes (Do NOT skip this!)
¼ tsp garlic powder

Directions:

  • Drain artichokes and chop into smaller pieces.
  • Boil spinach and artichokes in water until tender and drain water.
  • Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 min or until soft and melted.
  • Stir in rest of ingredients and serve hot.
  • Can be served with bread or chips/crackers.
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Easy Pickled Jalapenos

Currently I am about 6 months pregnant (26 weeks to be exact). I’ve had a really great pregnancy so far and have enjoyed being pregnant for the most part. Who doesn’t want to eat delicious foods all the time?!

Last week, I wanted guacamole. And by wanted, I mean, I NEEDED. There was one issue: I didn’t have any pickled jalapenos in the house! The guacamole I usually make includes a few chopped rings of pickled jalapeno and it really adds a ton of flavor that I NEEDED.

We were already headed out to Trader Joe’s to grab a coupe things, so I figured I would just pick up some pickled jalapenos there.

Then tragedy struck: Trader Joe’s (or at least my location) doesn’t carry them! What?! Oh, how you disappointed me, TJ’s.

So I thought to myself that there has to be an easy way to make them, right? I’ve made pickles before, how hard could it be? Turns out, not hard at all! I grabbed a bunch of jalapenos and gathered a few different recipes.

And it is SO easy! But here’s the thing, pickled things all need time to marry. Sad face. My guacamole didn’t come out quite as good as normal (but I still ate just about all of it… whoops) and now I have this delightful jar just brewing in my fridge for future use!

I’m not a huge spicy fan. I like jalapenos IN other foods, but straight up? No, thank you. So I did keep making my husband try them. The first few days they were still too crunchy and HOT. Even for my husband who has a very high tolerance for spicy foods. After about 7 days, they had become softer and really tasty! I would definitely recommend letting these sit for 7 to 10 days before they are ready.

The longer they sit, the better they get!

Pickled Jalepenos

Pickled Jalapenos

Ingredients:

¾ c water

¾ c white vinegar

3 tbl white sugar

1 tbl minced garlic

½ tsp oregano

8-10 jalapeno peppers, slice into rings

Mason jar (for this recipe, I used 8 jalapenos and one small mason jar)

Directions:

  • Combine water, vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, garlic, and oregano in a saucepan over high heat.
  • Bring mixture to a boil, stir in jalapeno peppers and remove from heat. Let mixture cool for 10 minutes.
  • Pack peppers into jar (I only used one small mason jar for 8 jalapenos).
  • Pour vinegar mixture into jar, seal, and refrigerate when cool.
  • Best if used after 7-10 days. (The longer you wait, the better they get!)
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How I Got Here: The Story of KaliKat Corner

 

I love cooking and I love writing. I started a food blog a few years ago, but I quickly lost interest after I took a new job where I was on the computer all day long. I didn’t want to come home and have to write a blog everyday. Not only that, but taking photos of food is hard. Especially when you work an eight hour day and come home to darkness. Oh, and you’re tired.

I have a B.A. in journalism but too late into my degree, I realized that I didn’t have the drive to be a journalist. I just hate the news. So I really had no idea what to do with my life when I finished college. When I found this new job that had me on the computer all day, I stumbled into something really interesting: social media. I mean, how do you have a job where you are on Facebook all day? But I did. And it was pretty awesome. I quickly realized that’s what I wanted to do.

For the last three years, I have switched companies several times to focus on social media marketing and to allow myself to learn and grow. 

On August 26, 2015 (our three year wedding anniversary), I found out I was pregnant. We weren’t really “trying” persay, but we were planning for a baby… Just maybe a few months down the road. It was still quite a shock to realize the life we had was coming to an end and now we were going to be parents! What?!

The day before Thanksgiving, my contract was terminated with my current employer. I was fired.

This was pretty devastating to say the least. I’ve never been fired from any job ever and to be honest, I HATE failing. Not only that, but I was three months pregnant and it was right before the holidays. I had no clue what I was going to do. Did I try to look for a new job or just try and hold out until after the baby is born? I had been able to work from home, so I hadn’t even thought about any kind of childcare after the baby was born. I was lost.

But then something happened: my husband. He didn’t stress out. He didn’t get upset. He didn’t blame me. He was worried, sure, but he assured me everything was going to be okay.

And then he did something even better…

He encouraged me to do what I really wanted: this. This blog. He spent so many nights after work helping me do all the computery, internety, techy things that would have taken me months to learn.

I have a purpose again. A reason to write and cook and research. A reason to be excited. And I am so excited! I want to share my recipes, food experiments, and new adventure with you!

So stick around, come back often and let’s see where this adventure takes us!

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Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Mash

Hi there!

When I was growing up, my food level was very plain Jane. We didn’t eat a lot of “weird” foods or spices. It was a lot of meat, potatoes, pastas… So when I started dating my husband, his family really opened my eyes to all these amazing foods that I was missing out on! One of those things were sweet potatoes. Can you believe that as a kid I never had sweet potatoes?! I know, it sounds like crazy talk. But it’s the truth. No sweet potatoes. I had never even had sweet potato casserole. I mean, that is seriously nuts. So one of the things I really like to rotate into our meals is sweet potatoes because I mean, hello, you can eat vegetables that taste like candy. Um, yes, please.

One of my favorite recipes is this quick and easy sweet potato mash. It is one of those recipes that you can quickly memorize and one that it is really customizable for specific tastes, meal pairings or group size. And did I mention how easy it is? Seriously, you can make this in about 20 minutes and the leftovers are just as good!

Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Mash

(This recipe yields about 4 servings. I usually estimate 1/2 a sweet potato per person)

Ingredients:

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed (I usually do about bite size. The smaller the pieces, the faster they will soften)

2 tablespoons of milk

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

Optional:

Cinnamon – to taste.

Other – I have also added nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice to change it up.

Directions:

  • Put potato cubes in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until potatoes are soft and can easily be punctured with a fork. 
  • Drain potatoes.
  • Add potoates to large mixing bowl and mash either by hand or with a mixer.  (I usually just mash by hand. I like them a little more “chunky” but if you prefer smooth, you can use a hand mixer)
  • Add milk, butter and maple syrup. (Add cinnamon and/or other spices)
  • Mix until blended. 
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Wacky Cake

Today’s recipe comes from my mom’s recipe book. This recipe has been in my family forever. I really hope it’s not a “secret family recipe” because I’m about to tell all of you!

This is sort of like a mix between a brownie and a cake. It’s not too sweet, there’s no frosting, but it is so light and moist. It’s super easy, can be made all in one pan if you wish, and will get devoured! This cake is so easy that I have been making it since I was a child. 

This is a great recipe because it can be made ahead. If you are making ahead, make sure you sprinkle the powdered sugar just before serving. Otherwise it gets soaked into the cake, which is delicious, but doesn’t look quite as pretty!

Ingredients:

3 c flour
2 c sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla
2 tspn vinegar
3 oz oil (I have used both vegetable oil and olive oil)
2 c cold water

Powdered sugar
Directions:

  • Mix all ingredients
  • Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well
  • Pour into oiled baking pan
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min, until a toothpick comes out clean (or mostly clean)
  • Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool (or just before serving if making ahead)

 

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Parmesan Baked Potato Wedges

Since I’ve been pregnant, I love carbs! Bagels, bread, pasta, and potatoes! I seriously can’t get enough!

I saw this recipe and NEEDED to make these! And they were AH-MAZING. Seriously. So good. We almost ate them all before I could take a photo!

They go perfect with ranch for dipping. My husband also liked them with ketchup and BBQ sauce. He really loves sauces. 🙂

Ingredients:

3 Russet Potatoes

4 tbsp olive oil

½ c. grated parmesan cheese

2 tsp Italian seasoning

2 tsp garlic

2 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Cut potatoes into wedges
  • Coat potatoes in olive
  • Mix dry ingredients separately
  • Add dry ingredients to  potatoes and mix well so potatoes are coated with seasoning
  • Place a single layer of potatoes on foiled baking sheet
  • Bake at 400 degrees for 40 min, until golden brown and crisp
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Trees ‘n Cheese

 

Today I am bringing you a recipe from my mom’s cookbook. Growing up, my mom cooked everything in the microwave. We had this giant microwave that you could literally fit a whole turkey inside… It took up so much space on the counter and sounded like an airplane taking off in our kitchen. My mom claimed it lived to be a ripe age of 25 years old.

This particular recipe can be made in the oven or microwave, but to be honest, I’ve never had it or made it in the oven.

I usually try to stay away from foods that have a lot of preservatives or foods that aren’t “real,” but when you have a recipe like this, sometimes you just have to. Someday I might try and make it more healthy, but for now, when I’m remembering my mom and her Thanksgiving’s, this is the dish.

This was her signature dish. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

 

Trees ‘n Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. jar Cheese Whiz
  • 1 can mushroom soup
  • ½ c. chopped onions
  • ½ c. chopped celery
  • ½ c. melted butter
  • ½ c. Minute Rice
  • 20 oz. chopped frozen broccoli

Directions:

Option 1:

  • Melt butter
  • Mix all ingredients together
  • Spread into a greased baking dish (any size will work)
  • Cover and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes

Option 2: (Easier and my mom’s preferred way)

  • Melt butter in a casserole dish/microwavable dish
  • Add all other ingredients, mix well
  • Cover and microwave on high for 17 minutes
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