Bean & Cheese Enchilada's

I love this recipe because it is so easy! You can also add meat if you'd like :)

Bean & Cheese Enchilada's

2 cans refried beans (unless your ambitious and want to make your own refried beans, which I do...recipe will be below)
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (click on this for my recipe of taco seasoning)
1/2 cup salsa
1-2 cups Mexican cheese mix
12 tortillas
1 small can mild enchilada sauce (red)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix refried beans, taco seasoning and salsa, warm through. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spray with nonstick cooking spray or put a couple of spoonfuls of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Fill each tortillas with a spoonful or two of beans and a sprinkle cheese over it. Fold tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with each tortilla. When finished pour enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas (down the middle). Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with sour cream, salsa, and sprouts (my fav!) Enjoy!

Refried Beans

3 cups chicken, beef, vegetable stock (for more flavor) OR water
3/4 cup pinto bean flour (add more flour if you want thicker beans)
2-3 tablespoons taco seasoning
Salsa (optional)

Bring water or broth to a boil, quickly whisk in bean flour. It doesn't matter if it is clumpy, the clumps will cook out and it just adds to the refried bean texture! Turn heat off or on low, add seasoning and cook for a few minutes until thick. You may add salsa as well!

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Ever since I took a class about beans/bread/grains at a local health food store called Kitchen Kneads, I feel so much more confident in using my food storage! I am now on a serious budget with my husband looking for work that I've pulled out all of these recipes and am now a cooking machine! I have modified the recipe that they use and they turned out beautifully!

Homemade Flour Tortillas

2 cups whole wheat flour (If using your own grinder, grind it very fine. If you do not have your own grinder, do not worry about making the flour fine, regular whole wheat flour will work. Also, you can use spelt.)

2 cups white flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup cooking oil (I used canola oil)

Mix all dry ingredients in a mixer. Combine oil and warm water in a large cup, pour into mixer while mixing on a low speed. Mix 1 minute. Rest 5 minutes. Form into 18 balls or so, roll very thin. In a large fry pan, spray with nonstick spray and cook on both sides. They cook quickly. Do not brown them as then will be too crispy to fold.

I have a tortilla press and it is uh-mazingly easy! Doing this by hand is not bad, but if you like them and ever want to invest in one of these, you will have loads of fun! Enjoy!

Oat Groats or Oats; the Versatile Grain

I remember growing up with oatmeal almost every morning of my life. I was so grateful when I moved out that I could enjoy something other than oats. Now that it's been many years since I've lived at home, I am now beginning to appreciate this amazing grain! Not only is it very inexpensive, it is also packed with nutrition that will help keep you satisfied for hours. Oats are very rich in potassium! They are also a wonderful carbohydrate that will give you energy over a long period of time. Oats are also a good source of protein, calcium, iron, B vitamins, riboflavin, thiamine, & phosphorous. Oats are very easily digested and will help fight infection and aide in protecting you from getting sick. It isn't any wonder that this is one of the first grains introduced to babies!

Oats are actually made from a grain called oat groats. The grain is rolled in a special machine called an oat flaker/roller. You can buy attachments for your Bosch or Kitchenaide's or just buy them separately at your local health food store, if you desire rolling them yourself. There is a higher source of nutrition when you take a whole grain like oat groats and roll them and immediately eat them versus storing them. Most grains will lose a portion of their nutrition after the grain is cracked, or processed in any way within 24 hours. Don't get me wrong, they are still VERY nutritious! Oat groats are also very yummy if cooked whole. It is a very chewy and delicious way to get all that nutrition without breaking the grain. I cook my oat groats just like I do brown rice; 2 cups water to 1 cup of oat groats. Bring water to boil, add in oat groats and simmer on low for 30-45 minutes or until the grain is soft.

Now, how to fix this grain on regular basis without it getting BORING? Well, I've got a few recipe's to share, if you have any to add, please feel free to share them in my comments!

Oat Groats

2 cups water

1 cup oat groats

Bring water to boil, add in oat groats and simmer on low for 30-45 minutes.

Rolled Oats

1 1/2 cup water

3/4 to 1 cup rolled oats

Pinch of Salt (optional)

1 teaspoon butter (optional)

Bring water to boil, add in rolled oats. I add more oats for a thicker cereal.

Microwave Oats (my kids make this themselves)

2/3 cup rolled oats

1 cup water

Combine in a large bowl (so it doesn't boil over in the microwave), cook on high for 2 minutes.

TOPPINGS

Sweeteners

Stevia

Xagave or agave Syrup

Brown Sugar

Honey

Apple Juice Concentrate (frozen is my favorite, only 100% fruit juice varieties)

Fruits, Nuts & Seeds

mashed banana's (my favorite, I don't add any sweeteners when using mashed banana)

raisins

mashed or chopped prunes

apples (grated or chopped and cooked with the oats or oat groats)

peaches

strawberries (all berries are yummy)

mango

dates

chopped almonds

walnuts

sunflower seeds

sesame seeds

Milk

Soy Milk

Rice Milk

Almond Milk

Canned Evaporated Milk (very rich and yummy)

Regular cows milk

Cream or half n' half

Enjoy!!!

Chocolate (and yes MORE) Chocolate Cookies

Who says something sweet can't be sort of healthy. You can take any recipe and change parts of it to make it healthier! The problems comes with so many substitutions that the recipe doesn't work. I remember making Pumpkin Pie one year and substituting Apple Juice Concentrate (I use this in my muffins) and it obviously was the most disgusting ever! My husband still makes fun of me about that...but hey, I like to make things healthier?! It will take some failures to make something successful. I love this recipe and it is actually is adapted from another recipe I found in a Chocolate cookbook given to me from a compilation made by women in my Mother-in-Law's ward. I hope you enjoy...these are my husbands favorites!

Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

2 cubes butter

2 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. soda

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. white flour

1/2 c. Hershey's cocoa

1/3 c. dark chocolate chips

1/3 c. milk chocolate chips

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Sift flour and cocoa gradually. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll into 1" balls. Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes. Better slightly undercooked (they are very soft).