Refried Bean Tostadas

There's something about corn tortillas that I don't like, at least not while they're uncooked or plain. That's why I can't use them for wraps for sandwiches and stuff like that. But I do like them if they're cooked until crisp or used in tortilla casseroles! And I absolutely LOVE refried beans (just the store-bought, fat-free canned type). So tonight I decided to make something that would use both.

Hubby wasn't home for dinner so I was free to make whatever I wanted, even a meal without meat! Imagine that. He would never consider a meatless meal to be dinner. 

Anyway, I decided to make Refried Bean Tostadas tonight and they turned out very yummy if I do say so myself! I'm sure they would also be awesome with some taco seasoned chicken or ground beef instead of, or in addition to the refried beans (note to self for future hubby-approved carnivorous dinners).  :)

Refried Bean Tostadas

Refried Bean Tostadas

Yield:  2 servings

4 6" corn tortillas

1 cup refried beans
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Optional Toppings:
 - lettuce
 - tomatoes
 - onions
 - olives
 - sour cream
 - guacamole
 - salsa

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook the tortillas in a single layer on a cooking sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and top the tortillas with 1/4 cup refried beans and 1/8 cup of shredded cheese.  
4. Bake for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and top with any or all of the optional toppings.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Baked Chicken Breasts

I  bought a package of cream cheese and sun-dried tomato pesto pasta sauce because I was going to make an appetizer dip for a Bunco party I went to last weekend...  but I ended up making something else instead. (I made cute mini antipasto skewers which were toothpicks with salami, cheese and olives on them). I'll have to post a picture.

Anyway, I wanted to use the sun-dried tomato pesto for something else and came up with this scrumptious baked chicken breast recipe!  I served it with rice and a red pepper/celery side dish.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Baked Chicken Breasts

 


Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Baked Chicken Breasts

Yield:  4 servings

4 chicken breasts, boneless skinless (I cut each breast in half to make thinner pieces)

1 pkg (170g) sun-dried tomato pesto (I use Western Family fresh pasta sauce)

2 Tbs parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded cheese (mozza or cheddar)

Directions:

1. Arrange chicken in a baking dish and spread evenly with half the sun-dried tomato pesto, then flip chicken over and spread the remaining sun-dried tomato pesto on top of the chicken. Cover the baking dish and cook at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
2. Remove cover and sprinkle the chicken with the parmesan cheese and shredded mozza or cheddar and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes uncovered.

Broccoli Chicken Divan (using cream soup)

Broccoli Chicken Divan

Broccoli Chicken Divan

Yield:  6 servings

1 lb cooked, cubed chicken breast (about 3 cups)

1.5 lbs steamed, fresh broccoli (about 6 cups)

2 cans cream of chicken soup (I found a store brand that has no gluten)

1/5 cup milk

1 tsp mustard

salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded aged cheddar 

1 cup breadcrumbs *see note below

* For these breadcrumbs, I lightly toast 2 slices Udi's GF bread then whirl in my mini chopper along with a few shakes of parmesan cheese and about 1 Tbs butter until it's a fine crumbly mixture.

Directions:

1. Arrange chicken and broccoli in a 9"x13"baking dish and top with cheddar cheese.
2. Whisk together the cream of chicken soup, milk, mustard and salt & pepper.
3. Pour the the soup mixture over top of the broccoli, chicken and cheese and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (make sure crumbs don't get to brown).

Flourless Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin Coconut Cookies

Long title huh?  Well, I wanted to make sure all the key ingredients were listed! Oh and I didn't even have room to mention that these are a breakfast cookie. Not that they have to be breakfast cookies, they can be anytime cookies, but I was specifically trying to make these a low fat and healthy muffin alternative. 

I'm not brave enough to venture into baking with gluten free flours yet (mostly because I hate baking), so instead of a breakfast muffin, I decided to go with a flourless cookie instead.

This recipe is still a work-in-progress. I've made these twice so far, adjusting the ingredients slightly each time and plan to change things just a little more next time too by substituting coconut oil for the butter. The recipe is great as is, but just a tad crumbly.

These pictures are from the first batch I made...

Before Baking

Fresh out of the Oven

Flourless Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin Coconut Cookies

 

Flourless Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin Coconut Cookies

Yield: 18 cookies

1.5 cups quick cooking oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

2 Tbs brown sugar

2 Tbs raisins

2 Tbs coconut

2 Tbs chocolate chips

1 egg

1 Tbs honey

2 Tbs butter, melted (update: I used coconut oil with good results!)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a mini food processor. Pulse to combine and lightly grind up the oatmeal. 
2. Transfer the dry mixture to a mixing bowl, then add the raisins, coconut and chocolate chips.
3. In the mini food processor, combine the egg, honey, butter and vanilla, then pour into the dry mixture and stir to combine.
4. Measure heaping Tbs of the dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment. (you should get 15 cookies)
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Honey Cinnamon Coconut Oil (Frozen Treat!)

I started taking coconut oil recently because I keep hearing about all the health benefits and that it can help with weight loss. Today I tried something new with it and wanted to share, because it was so good! 

The first time I tried coconut oil I ate it plain off a spoon. It's kinda solid so it has a strange but oddly fun texture as it melts in your mouth. I don't think I can eat it like that every day though, so I've been trying to come up with other ways to take it. 

I'm going to start using it for cooking instead of olive oil, and baking too... (not that I bake much, I hate baking!) But I'm going to try it instead of butter in my flourless oatmeal chocolate chip coconut cookies. And I think it might taste good drizzled on popcorn with a little salt (as a healthy alternative to butter), but I haven't tried that yet either. I've heard that a lot of people mix it in their coffee or tea, but that sounds like it would be really greasy to me. blech. But you never know, maybe it would be surprisingly good?!?

Honey Cinnamon Coconut Oil (Frozen Treat!)

Yield:  1 serving

I didn't measure my ingredients, so this is just an estimation which you can adjust to your tastes accordingly.

2 tsp Organic virgin coconut oil

1 tsp Honey (next time I might try using Agave Nectar, which I show in the photo)

dash of Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Stir ingredients together in a little bowl or cup (I used a little ramekin).
2. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes (it goes hard really fast). Enjoy!!! :)

Balsamic Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

This is my absolute favorite salad dressing! I've been making it for years and I still love it. Normally if I order a salad at a restaurant, my dressing of choice is more creamy, like  Thousand Island and Ranch, then I put them both on my salad, mixed together. But when I'm in the mood for a vinaigrette, or if I'm serving a salad to company, this Balsamic Honey Mustard Dressing is definitely my go to recipe. And as a bonus, it's fat-free,quick and easy to mix together, and only has 3 ingredients!

You can use this dressing on any salad, but here's a typical idea of a salad I might make. 

• chopped Romaine lettuce or Spinach
• chopped green onions
• shredded carrots
• chopped bell peppers
• shredded aged cheddar cheese or crumbled feta
• craisins or raisins
• slivered nuts or sunflower seeds
• Sometimes: tuna, chicken, beets, celery, tomatoes, cottage cheese, avocado...

Balsamic Honey Mustard Dressing

Yield: 2 servings

1 Tbs Honey (I spray the measuring spoon with cooking spray so the honey slides out easily)

1 Tbs Dijon Mustard

3 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar

Combine ingredients with a whisk or shake it up in a container with a tight fitting lid.

For work I often mix the ingredients in a little tupperware container to bring with me, then shake it up before putting it on my salad, two days in a row.

Gluten Free Stir Fry

This stir fry recipe is very versatile because you can really change up the ingredients depending on your tastes or what you have on-hand. I'll post the recipe as I made it this time, with some notes in brackets on ways you can change it up.

Ingredients, all prepped!

Gluten Free Stir Fry

Stir Fry

Yield: 4 servings

1 lb beef sirloin steak or pork tenderloin or chicken breasts cut into thin strips

Meat Marinade

2 Tbs gluten free soy sauce

1 Tbs vinegar

1 Tbs brown sugar

1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder (or ginger)

1 garlic clove, minced

Stir Fry Sauce

3 Tbs corn starch

1.5 cups beef broth

1/3 cup gluten free soy sauce

2 Tbs sugar

pepper to taste

Stir Fry Veggies (approx. 6 cups, chopped)

bell peppers

carrots

onion

cabbage (I use coleslaw mix)

bok choi

celery
zucchini 

any veggies you want!

Final Additions (optional)

1 small can of sliced water chestnuts
1 small can pineapple tidbits

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tsp sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together and marinate the meat for 30 minutes.
2. whisk the stir fry sauce ingredients together and set aside.
3. Cook the meat in a large pot or wok over medium-high for about 2 minutes. Remove meat from the pot and set aside.
4. Add 1 Tbs oil to the pot and cook the veggies for about 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Add the meat back into the pot.
5. Whisk the stir fry sauce again and then add to the pot along with the water chestnuts and pineapple (if using). Cook until mixture boils and thickens, while stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.
6. Add in the green onions and sesame seeds. Give it a good stir. Put on a lid, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
7. Serve over rice.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I'm kind of embarrassed that almost all the recipes I've posted are for one-dish or casserole type meals. I guess I never really realized how often I make those kind of dinners. Well, just to add to the list, here's one more! The other night I made a gluten free Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole and it was awesome! Even hubby liked it reheated for lunch the next day (a rare feat!). 

Rice on the Bottom

Chicken Layer

Ham Layer

Cheese layer

Cream of Chicken Soup Sauce Layer

Breadcrumb Layer

Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole

Yield:  6 servings

4 cups cooked rice
3 cups (approx) of cubed, cooked chicken

1-2 cups chopped ham (I used deli ham)

2 cups shredded cheese (I used mozza)

Cream of Chicken Soup Sauce

3 cups milk

2 Tbs cornstarch

4 tsp chicken bouillon granules

1 tsp mustard (not that I measure, 1 squirt!)

Breadcrumb Topping

2 slices of gluten free bread (lightly toasted)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp butter

Directions:

1. Put cooked rice in bottom of a lightly greased 9x11 baking dish.
2. Place chicken and ham evenly on top of rice.
3. sprinkle shredded cheese evenly on top.
4. Bring milk, cornstarch, chicken bouillon granules and mustard to a boil while whisking frequently. Once boiling, turn off heat and continue whisking for 1 minute. Pour over top of everything.
5. In a mini chopper, combine all crumb topping ingredients and whirl until it forms a fine crumb mixture. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over top of the casserole.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes (or until hot and bubbly). Cover with foil if crumbs start to get too brown. Mine was fine without covering but I just want to throw that out there in case your oven works differently than mine! :)