Mexican Casserole

2 cups cooked rice
1 can diced tomatoes & green chilies
1 can corn, drained
4 cups crushed tortilla chips
1 can chili beans
2-3 cups shredded cheese, divided
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
chili powder, garlic salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

In medium bowl, combine cooked rice, diced tomatoes, and corn. Set aside.

Cover baking dish bottom with tortilla chips, layer half the cheese over the crushed chips, top with chili beans, and then the rice-tomato-corn mixture. Sprinkle with seasonings, top with remaining cheese and green onions.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Asparagus Stuffed Chicken

My friend shared this recipe with me last week. We tried it last night and really liked it! It's super easy, too!

6 chicken breasts

18 asparagus

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

pepper to taste

grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Slice breasts to within about 1/2 inch of the end. Put 3 asparagus inside chicken. Stuff with about 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, place in pan. Sprinkle stuffed breasts with black pepper, remaining mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. Bake until cooked through and juices run clear, about 40 minutes.

Cabbage Salad

1 head of cabbage, shredded
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Toss together in large bowl. Mix marinade:

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. wine vinegar
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
soup mix from 1 pkg chicken ramen noodles (save noodles for later in recipe)

Add marinade to cabbage, cover and refrigerate overnight or for several hours.

Just before serving, add:

1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
1 can of mandarin oranges, drained
1 pkg ramen noodles, crushed

Souped up Noodle Soup

Nothing beats a nice hot bowl of soup when you're not feeling well. But when you're sick, who wants to spend all that time in the kitchen making said soup? It's always good to have some dry soup mix on hand and here's an easy way to "soup" it up a little to make a comforting bowl of soup without much effort.


1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 cups water
2 pkgs dried noodle soup mix or dried chicken noodle soup mix
1 cup elbow noodles, uncooked

Saute vegetables in olive oil until tender. Season with black pepper. Add water and bring to boil. Add soup mix and elbow noodles, cook until noodles are tender.

You could also add cooked chicken to the soup.

Creamy Wild Rice Soup

Acadia had a friend over tonight and they both had seconds of this. The friend says I NEED to give her mom this recipe! lol

1 box wild rice mix, prepared
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup flour
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
4 cups water
1 can (14 oz) vegetable broth
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
2 cups (8 oz) cubed process American cheese (Velveeta)
12 oz bag frozen broccoli and cauliflower, steamed

In a large saucepan, saute onion and celery in butter until tender. Stir in flour and salt. Gradually stir in water and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Stir in wild rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the milk, cheese, and broccoli and cauliflower; cook and stir until heated through and cheese is melted.

Black Bean and Corn Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium carrot, grated
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 ½ cups (4 cans) black beans, rinsed and drained
6 cups vegetable broth
3 cups frozen corn
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Tabasco sauce, to serve

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic. Cook until soft. Stir in cumin and oregano, tomatoes, beans, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Puree about one-third of the soup in the pot with an immersion blender, or in a blender or food processor, then return to the pot. Add the corn, and simmer uncovered, for 10 minutes to heat through and blend flavors.

Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve with hot sauce on the side.

***I didn’t have Tabasco sauce on hand *gasp*, so I just added some cayenne pepper to the soup before serving. We also feel that you MUST serve this soup with saltine crackers. It was delicious!!! And I loved it even more as leftovers the next day – YUM!

Chili Cheddar Penne

1 box whole wheat penne pasta
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
3-4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 taco seasonings package
½ tsp salt
2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, drained

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir constantly for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the cheese, taco seasoning and salt. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Drain pasta; stir into cheese sauce. Add corn, tomatoes, and chilies. Cook and stir until heated through.

** It is spicy but very tasty. Acadia LOVED it!

*** I might try adding black beans to this next time.