Crockpot Taco Soup

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) cans beans in tomato sauce (don't drain)
• 2 (16 ounce) cans tomato sauce1-2  cups water (make it as thick or as thin as you like it!)
• 1 cup frozen niblet corn
• 1 1/2 cups salsa
• 1  envelope taco seasoning mix
• 1  envelope Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix
• 1 lb shredded chicken, ground beef or 1 lb any meat (I usually use leftover shredded pork)

Directions

1. Cook meat and drain.
2. Shred if needed.
3. Add all ingredients to crock pot.
4. Stir.
5. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.
6. Keep on low until serving to keep hot.
7. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped green onions, or tortilla chips.

Pasta Primavera

(adapted from this recipe)

900g of pasta (I used Penne) 
1/4 cup butter
1 envelope Knorr's vegetable soup mix
1 1/2 teaspoons all purpose flour

1 pkg frozen veggies (I used the California mix-broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots)

2 cups milk
2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta.  Cook till al dente, and drain.

2. In a saucepan melt butter.  Blend Knorr soup mix with flour and milk, and then add to saucepan.  Stir.  Add in frozen veggies. Bring to a soft boil, and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 7-10 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken.  Stir in grated cheese.

3. Toss with cooked pasta and serve.

Super Easy Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:
your favourite Chicken Fingers (I like M&M meatshop chicken fingers)
1 slice of mozzarella or provolone cheese for each chicken finger
your favourite pasta sauce, enough to cover
grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

*Bake chicken fingers until cooked through on a baking sheet.

*Transfer baked chicken to another baking dish (trust me, don't pour cold sauce on top of a hot baking pan...not that I have any experience with what happens if you do!)

*Top each chicken finger with a slice of cheese and pour sauce on top.

*Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese and bake until sauce bubbles.

*Serve with your favourite pasta. 

Thai Peanut and Chicken Flatbread

Ingredients

For flatbread:

Use Naan bread or your own homemade pizza dough.

• (you can also use store-bought pizza dough if you'd like)

For Toppings:

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 large chicken breast half (I used leftover chicken)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 2 green onions, chopped
• ½ cup white bean sprouts
• ¼ cup carrots, shredded
• 1 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (optional)

For Peanut Sauce:

• ½ cup peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp thai red chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• Salt to taste

Instructions

Make flatbread:

1. Preheat oven to 475F. Heat grill pan. Bake flat bread or pizza crust until golden.

Make Chicken.

1. Lightly pound chicken breast to about ¼ inch thick. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. When grill is hot, add the chicken and cook until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let sit for a few minutes. Dice chicken. (or skip this step and use leftovers like I did!)

Make sauce

1. Combine all ingredients for peanut sauce in a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a gently boil for one minute. Use ¼ cup peanut sauce and mix with chicken.

Assemble flatbread.

1. Cover flatbread with peanut sauce, leaving a little left to drizzle at the end. Add half the cheese, then chicken, grated carrots, and green onions. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the flatbread then top it with the chopped peanuts.
2. Bake in oven until crisp and cheese is bubbly and golden, about 12-15 minutes.
3. When flatbread is finished, top with bean sprouts, drizzle with remaining peanut sauce and then sprinkle with cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately.

Jen's Savoury Pumpkin Dip

Everyone will love this delicious and simple savory pumpkin dip -- perfect for all kinds of dipping!

PREP: 5 MINS TOTAL: 5 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (8 oz.) brick cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat cream cheese)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 4-6 slices of bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3 Tablespoons Chili Sauce
• 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Stir all ingredients together using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until combined.  Serve garnished with extra bacon and green onions if desired, or cover and refrigerate until use. It was definitely better the next day, and even better the day after that. 

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza Pie

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 cups warm water
• 3 tsp. yeast
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 cup golden crisco
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 - 4 1/2 cups flour

Toppings

• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups pizza sauce
• 300 grams thinly sliced pepperoni
• 4 cups grated mozzarella cheese or more if you like it cheesy
• your favourite additional toppings (mushrooms, peppers, sausage, etc.)

In a kitchen aid mixer, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar and let sit until frothy. Add in butter, butter flavoured Crisco and salt and mix until combined. Add in flour, a small amount at a time, and mix with a dough hook until dough is well mixed. Let rise slightly and mix again. Roll out dough into one large pan or two 9X12 greased baking pans. Let rise again slightly and then roll out thin and stretch to create an edge up the side of the pan. Bake until crust begins to brown.

Add salt and pepper to ricotta and then add eggs. Mix to combine. Spread mixture out onto browned crust. Top with pizza sauce. Add pepperoni and other toppings. Top with cheese. 

Bake until done. Let sit 10-15 minutes before serving. 

Super Easy Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 package your favourite pasta (I used tri-colour pasta shapes)

1 cup of your favourite veggies (I used julienned carrots and diced green peppers)

2 tablespoons oil (I used basil olive oil)

1/2 cup - 1 cup of mayo or Ranch dressing or a mixture of both

1 tsp sugar

milk to thin

Instructions:

Cook pasta as directed. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with oil (this will help the dressing not to absorb into the pasta and keeps the salad creamy. Mix mayo/ranch dressing with sugar and milk (should be a pourable consistency). Pour over salad. Can be refrigerated to blend flavours before serving.