Easy Delicious Chili!

My mom gave me this recipe when I moved out 11 years ago and it's always been one of my favourites.  It's just so simple to make, especially once I got a crock pot (also from my mom:)).  Ok, I think I say that all of my recipes are easy, but this one really, really is!  And it costs less than $10 to make 4 large bowls of it.  I always make my chili into chili cheese fries, because I think that's the best way to eat it.  My hubby eats his with Tostitos.  We both top it with grated cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onion though.  It's also great with homemade cornbread.  Ok, I'm getting hungry, can't wait to leave work so that I can go home and eat some of this!

Chili

1 lb. ground beef

1 can tomato soup

1 can browned beans in tomato sauce

1 can kidney beans (small or large can, depends on how much you like them)

1 pkg. chili seasoning...or make your own (see below)

1 onion

1 celery stick

1 carrot (optional)

Peel carrot and remove skin from onion.  Finely chop the vegetables by hand or in a food processor.  Add a little bit of oil to a large frying pan and cook them for a few minutes to soften.*  Put them into a crock pot.  Brown the beef in the frying pan, drain, and add to crock pot.  Add all the other ingredients to the crock pot, stir, cover, and cook on low for anywhere from 2-8 hours.  Serve with any combination of sour cream, grated cheddar, sliced green onions, or bacon bits.  

*My crock pot will only cook vegetables fully if it's set to high heat, that's why I pre-cook them. I don't like crunchy pieces in my chili!  If you don't cook them first, you will definitely need to keep them in the crock pot for more than 2 hours.

Homemade chili seasoning:

This seasoning is good, but it does lack the bright red colour that the store-bought stuff has.  I just assume that means it has no dyes and is therefore healthier:)

-1 tsp. paprika

-1 tsp. cayenne pepper

-1 tsp. oregano

-2 tsp. ground cumin

-2 tsp. garlic powder

Super Easy Stuffed Shells!

I used to always buy the frozen cheese and spinach stuffed cannelloni, but for close to $10 I was only getting a little over 2 "servings" ('cause I do love my pasta!) so I thought I should try making it myself.  I have never bought it frozen since!  It's simple to make, and for about the same price I get so much more food out of it.  Plus I can make it much healthier than the store-bought stuff.  This is another one of those recipes that's really easy to change, depending on what you have on hand.  For example, this time I added cauliflower to the filling.  I have also made it many times using only tomato sauce (no Alfredo) or by adding some cream to the tomato sauce.  If you want to make it really healthy, just go with the tomato sauce, and if you want something extra decadent, cover the top with grated Mozzarella and Parmesan.  Mmmm, cheese.  I also usually use a large container of ricotta cheese, but the store was sold out, and so I just used a 300g container.  And it was still amazing!  By the way, I use jumbo pasta shells instead of Cannelloni because I find it way easier to stuff.  But if you have more patience than me, go for the Cannelloni!

Oops, didn't realize how blurry the picture was!

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

1 box Jumbo Pasta Shells

300 g. Ricotta cheese

1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach (300 g.)

1 cup finely chopped cauliflower

1 cup tomato pasta sauce

1 cup Alfredo sauce

Salt and Pepper

Cook pasta according to directions on box, then drain.  While the pasta is cooking thaw spinach in microwave and cook cauliflower.  Mix the vegetables with the ricotta cheese, season with salt and pepper.  Cover the bottom of a 9x9 pan (for 2 layers, if you want one layer use a 9x12) with a thin layer of tomato sauce.  Stuff each shell with about a tablespoon of the filling.  (If you want to swear less than me, wait until the pasta cools down before handling the shells!)  Once you have a layer of stuffed shells put a spoonful of tomato sauce over each one.  Continue stuffing shells and adding them to the pan until you run out of the veggie-cheese mixture.  (I usually have a few left over shells.)  Pour the rest of the tomato sauce on top, and then pour on the Alfredo.  Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan if desired:) 

Mango and Sweet Potato Coconut Curry

A few years ago I was working at a daycare with a child who had quite a few allergies, so his mom used to bring in his own lunch.  Quite frequently she would bring in a delicious-looking curry rice dish, which was the inspiration to this recipe.  I suppose I could have asked her what she put in it, but I just guessed and made  it up.  I love this dish because it's easy, filling, versatile, and best of all, delicious.  When I made it for my mom-in-law she said it was the best lunch she has ever had.  I have made this dish a variety of ways, adding  and omitting some ingredients.  I didn't put chickpeas in it at first, but to make it more filling I have started adding them.  I also sometimes add pineapple or raisins, and sometimes omit the pepper.  It just depends on what I have on hand and what I feel like eating.  I'm going to write the 'basic' recipe here.

Mango and Sweet Potato Coconut Curry

2 cups cooked rice (I prefer brown)

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 mango, peeled and chopped

1 red pepper (or orange, or yellow...) finely chopped

1 540ml can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 400ml can coconut milk

1 tbsp red curry paste (more or less, depending on how spicy you want it)

Over medium-high heat saute the sweet potatoes in a large pan with a tablespoon of cooking oil.  When they are about half-way done add in the red pepper.  Cook for another few minutes and then push the vegetables to the sides of the pan so that there is a space in the middle.  Put the curry paste in that spot and add a little of the coconut milk, mix until it's creamy, then stir into vegetables.  Add the mango, stir.  Add the rest of the coconut milk and the chickpeas.  Bring to a simmer and then add the rice.  Cook over low heat until the sweet potatoes are tender.  Serve and Enjoy!