Spinach and Beef Enchiladas

This is the recipe that I needed that Red Enchilada Sauce for too! ;)

The kids GOBBLED this right up! I am thinking instead of beef, adding some chick-peas or even lentils! Yummy! Then it would be completely meat free, and you could even make your own tortillas so it could even be gluten free! Hmm, the wheels are turning now, guess what I am gonna be trying? ;)

This is really a pretty easy recipe! It doesn't take much to throw together! (But if you don't have any red sauce, it may put you in panic mode for just a few minuets! ;))




Brown your meat and onion

Then once it's browned and you've drained the grease off the meat, add the frozen spinach,


can of diced green chilies, spices,


sour cream and cheese


Stir it all up... Ok, it may not look the greatest right now, but it is soo good!


Put one tablespoon of red enchilada sauce on your flour tortilla



Then add some beef and spinach filling


Roll it up and put seam sound down in baking dish. (you can kinda see that I put a little bit of sauce in the bottom of the pan before adding the enchiladas)


All rolled up and in the pan!


Adding the rest of the red enchilada sauce


And then added the salsa to the top


Then top off with the shredded cheese
Cover with foil and bake!


opps, I forgot to take a picture of it right after coming out of the oven! My kiddos were hungry and so I was trying to get it all on the plate! Opps!


I put a bit of Jasmine rice down, then the enchilada on top!


Here it is cut open! Oh my, if only this was a scratch and sniff, it is sooooo good!!!!





Spinach and Beef Enchiladas

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 box frozen spinach
1 can diced green chilies
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese (you choose what kind, Mexican, cheddar, co-jack, etc...)
1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce
8 flour tortillas
1/2 cup salsa

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In skillet cook beef and onion until beef is brown. Drain the grease.
Place back in skillet and add frozen spinach, cook, stirring frequently, until thawed. Stir in green chilies, cumin, garlic salt, pepper, sour cream and 1 cup of the cheese.
Mix it all together and cook for a few minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Spread about 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce over tortilla. Place your beef mixture on top of the sauce and roll up. Place seam side down in baking dish.
Do this until all your meat mixture is used up. (I used smaller tortillas and I used 10 and could've filled up a few more!)
Once you've got all the tortillas in the pan, take the remaining enchilada sauce and the salsa over the top of your enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.
Cover and bake 40-45 minutes or until heated through.
Serve with rice (we used jasmine rice, yummy!)

Next time I make this, I think I will thaw out my spinach and hand squeeze all the water out! It made my meat mixture a bit watery, but I used a spoon that had small holes in it, so it drained before putting it on my tortilla. (if that made sense?)
Or I may just use fresh spinach, but I would break it up into smaller pieces before placing it in the pan! ;)

Let me know if you try it and how you like it!

Skillet Beef With Lentils

This was very good! I am really lovin the More-with-Less cookbook!!! Super easy and super good, and super healthy! ;) (sorry about all the "supers" in that sentence! ;))

The kiddos gobbled this one down as well. I fixed this with acorn and butternut squash, just to make the plate look a little bit more colorful!



Cooking the lentils in water

Frying up some onions and garlic


Added the browned hamburger (this isn't a full pound of it, but I NEVER use the full amount of meat, I always cut back a bit!)


Add the "broth"


This is how I saved my lentil water. I used the Pampered Chef strainer and bowl set. First time I've used it like this! I always use the bowls of the strainers, but never together! But you can do it however you want, as long as you save the water! :)


The somewhat cooked lentils!


Now I added the spices to the water, beef, and onions


Then I added the lentils... ;)


It's all cooked! Stir it up a bit....


And there ya go!!! :)


Here's the acorn and butternut squash cooked! I probably should've put the acorn squash in another pan, but oh well! ;) (I cut the squash in half, took the seed out, put them in the pan, put about a cup of water in the bottom of the pan, covered it with foil and cooked at 350d for 3 hours. It was done, so I just put the oven down to 200d, depending on how big your squash is, it may take longer. One more hint, I just put one little cut down the middle of the squash and pop it in the microwave for a a minute or two and I can cut it much easier! Makes the skin a bit softer!)


I know, not too yummy looking, but it is really good!


Here is our supper! The lentils and both squashes!



Skillet Beef with Lentils


Bring 1 quart water to boil in saucepan.
Add:
1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed
Cook 20 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid.

In deep skillet saute:
2 tablespoons margarine of butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

Stir in:
1 pound ground beef

Brown well. Dissolve in 2 1/3 cups reserved liquid
2 beef bouillon cubes

Add liquid to meat mixture, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in:
reserved lentils
2 tablespoons long-grain rice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until lentils and rice are tender and liquid is absorbed (add more if necessary). Check seasonings and stir in:
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Top with parsley (dried or fresh)

*A few things I did a bit differently, go figure huh? ;)
I only used about half of the lentil, I wasn't sure how it was going to taste... I wanted to make sure the kids were going to eat it! ;) (I saved the lentils for a recipe I used the next nite!)
I used coconut oil instead of the butter or margarine
I used one onion and 2 gloves of garlic (I also chopped the garlic instead of mincing it)
I didn't use the beef bouillon
I also used 4 tablespoon rice
I also forgot to add the cider vinegar at the end (opps)
I also used the same pot for cooking it all in. My cast iron skillet doesn't have a lid, so I just cooked the lentils, then put them to the side to drain and then did everything else in that pot! (One less pot to add to the dishwasher! ;))

Easy Mac and Cheese Dinner

Yes, I am on a mac and cheese kick! It's easy and fast... Ok, maybe not the most healthy, but I got the whole wheat noodles, so that makes it somewhat healthy, right? And again, I'm gonna say it again, sometimes you need something fast and easy! ;)

For this, I just added a few extra things to make it more, um, filling I guess you could say! ;)

Most of these things you will have on hand... And if you don't have one of something, don't add it, it's ok! It will still turn out!


Ok, I kinda take that back, if you don't have the milk to make the mac and cheese, then that might be a fail! Know what I mean? ;)


(ok, maybe I stop thinking and just start writing out the recipe?)


Make the mac and cheese like it says on the box

Yummy, cheese fried onions!! :) LOVE Aldi's!!! :)

Then regular too!!! :)

No, I didn't open the can upside down! I should get some money from Del Monte!!! heeheee!!! I just added some Italian seasoning to the tomatoes. I am cheap, so I just add my own spices instead of buying the Italian kind! ;)

There is the mac and cheese ready to go....

Add 1 pound ground beef, 1 small onion

I can diced tomatoes with the Italian seasoning

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Stir it all up!

Add 1/2 cup french fried onions, I added the cheese ones first....

Put it in an 8x8 baking dish, cover and bake for 30 minutes


When done, sprinkle regular french fried onions over the top and serve! YUMMY!!!!!!! :)

Easy Mac and Cheese Dinner

2 boxes Mac and Cheese (and ingredients to make it)
1 pound ground beef (or turkey) browned and drained
1 small red onion
1 can diced tomatoes with Italian Seasoning (about 1-2 teaspoons)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
About 1 cup french fried onions (can be cheese or regular or both!), divided

Make mac and cheese according to the box. When done, add the ground beef, onion, diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup french fried onions. Mix all together, place into an 8x8 backing dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350degrees for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Sprinkle with the remaining french fried onions and serve!

*You don't have to add that much meat, or omit it if you want.
You don't need to use 1 cup shredded cheese, you can add half that, or add a different kind of cheese.
Also, I used cheddar friend onions inside the casserole and sprinkled regular ones over the top when done baking.
I served this with green beans. It was a HIT!!! We all loved it!! If you double this, you can place half of it in a freezer safe container and reheat when needed! :)