Mexican Tortilla Bake

My version of Taste of Home's Chili Tortilla Bake, which you can find here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chili-Tortilla-Bake Ingredients: 1lb lean ground beef 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped green chili pepper 2 cans (8oz each) tomato sauce 1 1/4 c corn 1 can black beans 2 T chili powder 1/2 t garlic powder 1 t ground cumin 1/2 t oregano 6 flour tortillas 1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese Crumble beef and brown it with the onion and green chili pepper. When browned add in the tomato sauce, beans, corn, and spices. Heat through. Spray two 9in cake pans. In the bottom place 1 tortilla. Spread 1/6 of the beef mixture over the top and sprinkle with cheese lightly. Layer 3 tortillas in each pan and top each with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350*. Easy, huh? Serves 6. And it's 12 WW+ points for 1/8. (Which I think is a lot..it's 1/4 of one pan.) Not bad if you are good all day. Plus my kids like it... as compared to other "diet" food.

Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:
2lbs ground beef
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 can evaporated milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans fancy cut green beans
8 slices American cheese
1 bag tater tots

Brown hamburger. Spread evenly in bottom of ungreased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle onion soup mix over the top of hamburger. In large bowl mix green beans, evaporated milk, and mushroom soup. Pour over hamburger. Top with american cheese, then tater tots.

If you want to freeze this, cover with seran wrap and a lid, or tin foil. Thaw completely before baking.

Bake at 400* until tater tots are crisp and cheese is bubbly. If the cheese is bubbly, but tater tots need crisped-turn on broil on hi for about 1 minute.

Bar-B-Q Meatballs (over rice)

I promise you will get compliments on these meatballs every single time. It makes a lot (hence the 3lbs of meat!) but I love to make the meatballs (minus the sauce) and freeze half for a later date. (I'm all about only cooking half the time!!!) If you want to turn them to appetizers you can just make them smaller..and they are GREAT even without rice.

Ingredients:
3lbs ground hamburger
2 c quick cooking oats
2 eggs
1 (13oz) can evaporated milk
1 c chopped onion (or 2-3 t onion powder)
1/2 t black pepper
2 t salt
2 t chili powder
1/2 t garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix all ingredients well. Form into 1 1/2 inch balls. (The Pampered Chef Medium Scoop is THE BEST for this job!) Place in large lightly greased pan (or 2 9x13)and bake for 20-30 minutes-until they are no longer pink in the middle. At this point you can freeze half, or choose to make it all.

BBQ Sauce Ingredients:
2 c tomato ketchup
1 c brown sugar
2 t liquid smoke
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 c chopped onion (1 teaspoon onion powder)

Place balls in crockpot and pour sauce over them (make sure to cover them all evenly!) Heat until warm. If you don't want to use a crock pot I have heated the sauce in the micowave (careful with the ketchup so it doesn't burn!) and poured over the meatballs while they are still hot! In that case you would want to start your rice before making the sauce so it will be done when the meatballs are ready.

*For those of you who don't like onion (You know who you are...) I think the onion really adds to the recipe. I highly reccomend subsituting some onion powder in it's place. I promise you won't hate it...I have snuck this past many an onion-hater this way! You onion loves can laugh...but you don't know what else I've snuck past you! (Like wild game, veggies, etc...) I put the amounts next to the onion in the recipe for all you weirdos (uh..I mean...ahh..nevermind.)

I'll add a picture next time I make them!

Gramma's Lasagna

Ingredients:
3/4 lb hamburger
3/4 lb mild italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves minced OR 3/8 t garlic powder
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 cup salsa (medium is what I use)
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
2 t sugar
1 t chili powder
1 t fennel seed (I don't actually put this in, most of the time)
1 t dried oregono
1 t dried basil
12ish lasagna noodles
1 (16oz) carton cottage cheese
4 cups shredded mozerella (I actually do cheddar and mozerella together)
3/4 parmesan cheese

In a large kettle or dutch oven, brown beef, sausage, onion and garlic. Cook until meat is browned and onion is tender; drain excess grease. (I buy really lean meat and don't end up draining it, but do drain if there is a lot of grease!) Stir in the next 9 ingredients (through basil). Cook lasagna noodles according to pkg directions, drain, and rinse in cold water. In a greased 9x13 pan (the taller the better, this is really a deep lasagna!) layer 1/3 of the noodles, 1/3 of the meat sauce, 1/2 of the cottage cheese, 1/3 of the mozarella cheese, and 1/3 of the parmesan. Repeat. Top with remaining 1/3 noodles, meat sauce, mozarella and parmesan. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes; uncover and bake for 20 minutes longer. Let stand 20 minutes before cutting.

This recipe freezes really well. Just spray some tin foil with cooking spray and wrap it tightly around the pan. If you are using a plastic lid I reccomend spraying it or using seran wrap first to help it seal. Freeze for up to 2 months. I usually do 2 of these when I'm going to all the work. Then I have a meal in the freezer for some lazy day, or for when I have company coming over!

Taco Soup

Beats chili any day of the week. And it's easy!

Ingredients:
2lb hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 29oz can tomato sauce
2 14.5 oz cans sliced stewed tomatoes
5 cans kidney beans
2 T (or packages) taco seasoning
6 cups water

Brown the hamburger with the onions. Add tomatoe sauce and stewed tomatoes. (I usually cut the stewed tomato slices into fourths to make the chunks more bite friendly.) Add taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, grated cheese, and corn chips.

Serves 12
Serving size 2 cups
points per serving 4 (without cheese, sour cream, chips)

I ♥ Sweet and Sour Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:
1 medium head of cabbage
1 1/2 medium onions
1 egg
1 cup instant rice
1 cup shredded carrots
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 lb 95% lean ground beef
2 8oz cans tomato sauce (1 15oz would work as well)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c lemon juice.

Directions:

1. Fill a 6qt pot 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil. Add cabbage head and boil rapidly for 3 minutes. Leaves should be falling away from cabbage head. Set aside 10 large leaves and chop the remaining cabbage. Add chopped cabbage to a greased 9X13 pan. Chop the 1/2 onion very coarsely and sprinkle over cabbage.

2. Chop remaining onion fairly small. Combine chopped onion, egg, rice, carrots, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Break apart ground beefo over mixture and mix well. Cut thick part of veins out of the 10 cabbage leaves that were set aside. Add 1/4 cup of meat mixture to each leaf; fold in sides and roll up. Place each roll-seam side down- on top of cabbage in baking dish.


3. Combine tomato sauce, lemon juice and brown sugar and pour over the cabbage rolls and chopped cabbage. Cover and bake at 350* for 1 hour, or until meat thermometer reads 260* in the center of a roll. Uncover; bake for 5-10 minutes longer, or until juice is desired consistancy.

Add cheese for last 5 minutes if desired! Parmesan or mozerella would be excellent!

Makes 10 cabbage rolls
Serves 5
Each serving = 8 points (without cheese)

Antonich Burgers*

This recipe, again, goes out to Rachel Allen and her family. I love when people ask for my recipes and nothing gets me to post a non-diet recipe faster than the compliment of the request! So, Bill Allen-who has complimented my cooking so often- here is our burger recipe. You may be surprised how simple it really is!

*That * has a * by it. Normally a * means the recipe is strictly non-diet. However, if you follow the instructions to the end, it is only a 5 point burger! Not too bad for how filling it is!

Ingredients:
2lb ground beef*
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 egg
1 1/4 t liquid smoke

Mix all ingredients well and form into 8 patties. *I prefer "real" cow, meaning its from a cow I knew personally, however, if you must buy your meat at the store, just try to get 90% lean or more. Also, this recipe is only guaranteed when the burgers are done on the barbeque. We never..EVER..do burgers any other way.

To make this burger diet-friendly I use thin buns (available in the bread aisle at Walmart), mustard, ketchup, pickles, onions, tomato, lettuce and low fat cheese. This makes a 5-6 point burger depending on how lean your meat is. Also, we love to toast the buns until they are JUST barely toasted-amazingly delicious!