Navajo Tacos

I love navajo tacos. But, what I don't love is the canned chili my mom would typically serve on top of the fry bread when I was younger. I am not really a fan of canned chili so I knew I needed to give this dish a little bit of a make over. I know that I probably could have used my homemade chili in place of the canned chili but I wanted something with a bit more mexican type flavor. I checked a book out from the library called "Not you mothers slow cooker cookbook". I have really liked the book and it has lots of different ideas that I have never seen before. The recipe that caught my eye was the "easiest black beans and rice chili" recipe. It got me thinking that I could swap out the canned chili for this black beans and rice chili. The result was a huge success. I even called my mom right after we finished dinner to let her know that I had improved the already yummy navajo taco.

Black bean and brown rice chili:

This chili would be really great on its own too. When everything was done cooking, I did add about 3/4 c. of water to get the thinner consistency I wanted.

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans

1 (14.5 - 16 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 c. brown rice

1 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 -1 whole canned chipotle chili, cut into small pieces (These can be pretty spicy so be aware. Also, you can freeze the remaining chilies for another time.)

Pour the beans and their liquid and the tomatoes into the slow cooker. Add the brown rice and spices. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. (I think this cook time will depend on your slow cooker. I used my smallest slow cooker and the low setting was not high enough so I turned it to high after and few hours and it was fine.)

Here is the recipe for the fry bread. I know that Amy has posted her recipe on here as well so if you have tried that one and like it go ahead and stick with that one. This is the one that I have always made.

3 c. flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 1/2 c. warm milk

1 tsp. salt

Combine ingredients and knead into a smooth ball. Cover and let stand for 30 min. Cook in about 1c.- 1 1/2c. hot oil. I just usually cut off a piece of dough, stretch it out the the size/thickness that I want and drop it into the oil. Cook both sides until lightly browned.

Top Navajo tacos with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, olives, guacamole or salsa. Also, I usually break up the fry bread into smaller pieces before I top it with the chili and the other toppings so that it is easier to eat. The picture shows it in on whole piece because I thought it would look better for the picture. You can eat it however you want I just thought I would suggest it.

Chicken 'n' Garfunkel

Hey Ladies,

First of all, I'm sorry - I tried to post something from YouTube onto my other blog and it kept posting it here, so if you have about 50 notifications in your emails telling you a new post entitled "Lovely Little Listen" was posted, my bad. My very, very bad.

Secondly, here's one of my favorite recipes of all time. My sister gave it to me forever ago and I don't know where it came from originally, but it was before this thing called the internet took over the world.

It takes some time and a little bit of effort, but it's soooo worth it and your family will soooooo love you when they eat it.

It might be a good Valentine's Day dinner, so I'm posting it for your tasty goodness pleasure.

{rest assured it tastes much prettier than it looks}

Chicken 'n' Garfunkel

6 chicken breasts, pounded flat
6 slices mozzerella cheese
salt & pepper to taste
2 c. flour
1 egg, beaten
2 c. bread crumbs {I've used panko crumbs with great results}
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. white grape juice

1 T. parsley
1/2 t. sage
1/2 t. rosemary
1/2 t. thyme

{If you know Simon and Garfunkel's music, those last 4 ingredients are where this dish got it's name.}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, sprinkle salt and pepper onto each breast, place a slice of cheese on each, roll up and secure with a toothpick. Dip in flour, egg, bread crumbs, and place in a baking dish.

In small bowl, mix together butter, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme; drizzle over chicken. Bake for 30 minutes, then pour white grape juice over chicken. Bake 20 more minutes.

Your home will smell of heaven and the angels will dine with you.

Asian Noodle Salad

Here is the link to the salad from playgroup. I have to thank Lynette for introducing me to this recipe. I went over at her house one afternoon right as she had finished making this salad and since it looked so good she was nice enough to send some home with me. I have to admit that I did not share one bit of the salad with anyone in my family. It really was to good to share.

For the salad at playgroup, I didn't stray to far from the original recipe but I did use regular green cabbage vs. napa cabbage, I didn't have any ginger so I left that out of the salad and I used 1 jalapeno instead of 2.

Enjoy!

Wild Rice Vegetable Soup

½ cup butter (you can substitute 1/4 cup olive oil for 1/4 cup of the butter)
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup frozen corn
½ to 1 cup chopped celery
1 cup carrots, sliced
½ pound fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
¾ cup all-purpose flour
6 cups water + 2 tablespoons my favorite vegetable concentrate (0r 6 cups chicken broth)
2 cups cooked wild rice (I use SunWest Rice Pilaf from Costco)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cups nonfat half-and-half (I've also used whole milk and cream with good results)

In a large pot melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, corn, and carrots and saute until vegetables are tender--about 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and saute 3 minutes more. Add flour and stir 1-2 minutes until vegetables are coated and flour taste is cooked out. Gradually pour in broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until soup has thickened slightly about 7 to 10 minutes.

Add cooked rice, spices and almonds. Pour in half and half. Simmer soup over low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Watch that it doesn't come to a rolling boil or milk will curdle.

This is fantastic served in bread bowls.

*This recipe is adapted from Wild Rice and Creamy Chicken Soup on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Granola

I've had a couple of requests for this recipe, so I figured I'd add it to the blog. My family loves this granola, and it's actually the only cereal that graces our table, since I know what goes into it. I'm sure the calorie count is up there, but you can feel good about most of the ingredients (it just wouldn't be the same without a little sugar :).

Granola

6 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 c slivered almonds

3/4 c raw sunflower seeds

1 1/2 c unsweetened coconut

1/4 c flaxseed

1/2+ c coconut oil (yes, it's a little pricey, but the health benefits are well worth it... plus, the flavor is YUMMY)

3/4 c honey (I use raw... again, because of the health benefits)

1/4 c packed brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

dried fruit (optional)

In small pan, combine coconut oil, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt and heat on medium until oil is melts (this doesn't take long - don't overcook it). Combine oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, coconut, and flaxseed in large bowl. Slowly add the oil/sugar mixture and stir well until everything is evenly coated. Divide onto two baking sheets and spread out. Cook at 325 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, stir granola, rotate sheets in oven, then cook for another 10 minutes. Let cool, add dried fruit, break up and store in airtight container.

Mexican Skillet Pasta

So, this is a very simple meal, but I think we are always in need of more last minute meals. It's humble, hearty, and it's something that isn't too hard to get my kids to eat :). I apologize ahead of time for my vagueness in measurements... this is just one of those meals that you throw in whatever until it tastes good to you... oh, and I'm really bad at writing things down.

Half a box of elbow macaroni

1 lb burger (you could use chicken if you prefer)

1 small onion, chopped

1 small bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

+/- 1 c. salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can green chiles

2-3 tsp chili powder

1/2-1 tsp cumin

S & P to taste

2 c shredded cheese

Cook macaroni according to package. Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook burger, onion, peppers, and garlic until burger is browned, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, beans, chiles, and seasonings. Top with cheese, cover and cook until heated through and cheese has melted (5-10 minutes).

Focaccia Bread

I love focaccia bread. But, you know what I love about this focassia bread? It's quick and easy. It dresses up soup nights when I finally decide what I'm making for dinner with only an hour to go (someday I'll be on the ball and try out that "planning ahead" thing). I found this recipe at allrecipes.com and made a few changes. I don't have a picture at the moment, but I wish I did, because it is very pretty... I'll have to take one next time I make it.

Focassia Bread

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 c very warm water

1 Tbl active dry yeast

1 Tbl sugar

2 1/2 - 3 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 Tbl oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 Tbl olive oil

A few sprinkles of course salt

4-ish Tbl grated parmesan cheese

1/2 - 1 c mozzarella

*Pre-note: I do this in my mixer, so the instructions go that route. Obviously, it would be easy to do this by hand - you just don't get to be lazy in the kneading process.

Proof the yeast in your mixing bowl with the water and sugar. Add flour, salt, oil, and seasonings and mix in. Knead with dough hook for about 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add enough flour that it pulls away from bowl, but no more than that. Remove dough from bowl to lightly oil the bowl, then return it to bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place for about 20 minutes or until doubled in size. Punch dough down and place on a greased baking sheet. Pat it into 1/2 inch rectangle (err on the side of thicker, rather than thinner). I bake this on a jelly roll pan, but it does not fill the entire sheet. Brush the top with olive oil, sprinkle with course salt, then sprinkle on the parmesan and mozarella. Cook at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.