Black Eyed Peas in the Slow Cooker

one bag of black eyed peas, rinsed and sorted

one can of diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted)

one pkg of cooked, chopped bacon

7 cups of chicken broth

greens (I used kale)

generous sprinkling of cumin

generous pinch of black pepper

generous sprinkling of crushed red pepper

gentle sprinkling of chili powder

salt flakes

one chopped onion

4/5 chopped or minced cloves of garlic

one bay leaf

Mix it all in the slow cooker, run on high for 4 hours, then on low for 2

Coconut Lime Cocktail

 Ingredients

• 4 shots Cruzan vanilla rum

• 4 shots cream of coconut (sweetened coconut cream, such as Coco Lopez)

• 1 shot agave nectar

• ½ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 to 3 limes)

• ¼ fresh lime

• 1 tbsp finely shredded, unsweetened, dehydrated coconut (such as Let's Do...Organic)

• 2 large cups ice (500g by weight)

• Lime wedges, for garnish

 

French 75

Today I made a delightful French 75 cocktail, using a few different recipes to concoct my own!



In a pitcher, I mixed:
 2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
 1 1/2  cup of simple syrup
 4 cups of dry gin

I refrigerated this mixture and before serving, I poured about 1/3 of a glass full of the mixture and then topped off the glass 2/3 of the way with spumante. The recipe really called for champers, but the spumante (or prosecco) does the trick nicely!

This makes about 8 servings.

Hendrick's Gin Garibaldi Sbagliato
1 part Hendrick's Gin
1 part Campari
2 parts Orange Juice
Top with Champagne

Combine all ingredients in a frozen or chilled highball glass with no ice. Garnish with an orange wedge.

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

For this recipe, I used a pre-made, refrigerated 9 inch pie crust and it worked out great!

Ingredients for filling:

• 8 oz button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1/4 of a medium sized red onion, finely chopped
• A couple of handfuls of fresh spinach leaves
• 2 or 3 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 cup milk 
• 2 or 3 oz feta cheese 
• 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• dash of nutmeg
• 1 or 2 TBS of butter or margarine
  
  
  
  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and while my oven was preheating, I popped my pie crust in to brown it up a bit.
  
  Meanwhile, in a large skillet with some cooking spray or a couple of TBs of margarine, brown up the onion and garlic, then add the sliced mushrooms. Cook down for a few minutes and then add the spinach and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted. Drain off additional liquid.
  
  In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, parsley and parmesan cheese. Throw in the salt and pepper and a little nutmeg. (Most of the recipes I looked at called for nutmeg...that's the only reason I put a little in! I kept it very minimal, as I feel nutmeg can be overwhelming in some recipes.)
  
  Into the pie crust, spread the vegetable mixture evenly, then sprinkle the feta around the top of that evenly. Lastly, pour the egg mixture on top. I put my pie tin on a cookie sheet and pop the whole thing into the oven for approximately 50 minutes.
  
  When it's finished, you can test it with a knife. It should be moist, but the knife should come out pretty clean.

Taco Pie

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chuck or ground turkey
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• Taco seasoning OR
  ( 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  1/4 tsp paprika
  1 1/2 tsp cumin
  bit of fresh oregano
  bit of fresh cilantro
  salt and pepper)
• 1  can of chili beans
• 3 flour tortillas
• 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chilis
• 1 cup shredded Mexican Cheese Blend (or more to taste!)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons finely diced jalapeno peppersChopped cilantro for garnish
• Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9" pie plate with cooking spray.
2. Heat a skillet over mid-high heat and brown the onion. When clear, add the ground chuck or turkey. Season with taco seasoning or the homemade mixture of spices.Cook until the meat is browned and drain the excess grease.
3. Spray your pie plate with Pam and place one 10" tortilla in the pie plate allowing the tortilla to cover the bottom of the pie plate and go up the sides. Top with a generous scoop of beans. Spread to cover the tortilla evenly across the bottom of the pie plate. Spoon the meat mixture over the beans and spread evenly. Spoon Rotel and sprinkle with cheese.  Place the 2nd tortilla on top press down around the sides gently.Repeat the layers, and add a third tortilla. Spread some Rotel and cheese on the very top and bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes until slightly browned.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit before cutting.

Yield: 4-6 Servings
Prep Time: 10 mins.

Cook time: 20 mins. 
Total time: 30 mins. 

Tags: Easy Taco Pie Recipe, Mexican, Budget-Friendly, Easy Recipe, Fresh, Vegetables, Beef,Cheese, Dinner, Tortilla

recipe adapted from http://ourlifetastesgood.blogspot.com

Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinegar

This is a Weight Watchers Points Plus recipe, which I have tweaked to my own liking!
Made the original way, it is 3 PP per serving (this recipe serves 6)

3/4 Cup cooked farro...I use the quick cooking farro from TraderJoe's and sometimes I use a little chicken broth to cook it in rather than plain water.

2 diced medium tomatoes...The first time I made this, I had no tomatoes on hand, so I used a can of diced organic tomatoes..it was delicious, so that is how I usually make it! I do chop up a couple of cherry tomatoes to serve.

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley...Because I love this recipe so much, I grew my own this year!

3 TB of chopped red onion

1 TB of balsamic vinegar

1 TB of extra-virgin olive oil

salt to taste

Basically, cook up your farro, and while it is cooling off a bit, mix the rest of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. I use something with a lid. Add the farro and combine well. Let it cool at least a half hour and that is it! So easy, so yummy!

You can add a bit of feta to the top, but make sure you adjust your points accordingly!