Veggie Taco Cornbread Pizza

Veggie Taco Cornbread Pizza (from Kraft Foods, Servings: 8, Total Time: 30 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 pkg. (8-1/2 oz.) corn muffin mix

·         1 red pepper, finely chopped

·         1 cup frozen corn

·         1 can (15-1/2 oz.) reduced sodium black beans or kidney beans, drained, rinsed

·         1 pkg.  (1-1/4 oz.) Taco Seasoning Mix

·         ¾ cup water

·         1 cup shredded taco Cheese, divided

Directions

1.      Heat oven to 400ºF.

2.      Prepare corn muffin batter as directed on package; spread into greased 12-inch pizza pan.

3.      Bake 8 to 10 min. or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, combine peppers, corn and beans in medium saucepan. Add seasoning mix and water; cook 10 min., stirring occasionally.

4.      Sprinkle ½ cup cheese onto crust; top with bean mixture and remaining cheese.

5.      Bake 4 to 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

I did not have any eggs in the refrigerator, so I used applesauce as a replacement in the corn muffin mix – you couldn’t taste the difference.  I also made this dish in a 9x13 dish because I didn’t want the toppings to spill out over the sides of a pizza pan.  I used the black beans instead of kidney and the Hot & Spicy taco mix from the grocery store.  That and the taco cheese gave it an extra spicy kick.  Overall, I find this dish tasty, but it can be a little dry with the cornbread – I recommend topping with a dollop of salsa.  The peppers give it a little crunch, which plays nicely with the softer textures of all the other ingredients.  Although it could be better on the health side, halving the cheese (as I did in the instructions above) and using replacements in the corn muffin mix can help on calories and fat.  It says that it serves 8, but I think it’s more like 5 or 6.  I guess it depends on how hungry you are!

It is a keeper in my book, though not one that I will make too often – I want to just keep eating it. 

Feta Potato Salad

Feta Potato Salad (slightly adapted from KraftFoods, Servings: 12, Total Time: 3 hours, 25 minutes)

Ingredients

·         3 lb.  small red potatoes, quartered

·         1 cup  Zesty Italian Dressing

·         12 oz. Mediterranean Feta Cheese, crumbled

·         1 medium  red pepper, chopped

·         1 medium  cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

·         ½ cup  sliced green onions (green and white parts)

Directions

1.)    Cook potatoes in boiling water 15 min. or just until tender; drain. Place in large bowl.

2.)    Add remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Cover.

3.)    Refrigerate several hours or until chilled. Stir before serving.

I made this for a family picnic and everybody loved it!  I wanted to try a no-mayo potato salad option for both the health and taste benefits (I’m not a huge fan of mayo.)  This fit the bill!  The potatoes soaked up some of the Italian dressing, which made for a nice bite.  They were soft and added a nice contrast to the crispy veggies.  I may use regular feta in the future as I don’t know how much taste the Mediterranean actually added.  Either way, this will be a go-to picnic item for me – easy and tasty!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Chicken Enchilada Pasta (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Total Time: 1 hour, Servings: 8-10)

Ingredients

·         1 12 oz. package dried jumbo shell macaroni

·         2 tsp. olive oil

·         1 large green and 1 large red sweet peppers, chopped

·         1 cup chopped red onion

·         1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped

·         2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

·         2 pkg. Trader Joe’s chickenless Chicken Strips, chopped

·         1 16 oz. can refried beans

·         1 package taco seasoning mix

·         2 10 oz. cans enchilada sauce

·         8 oz. shredded Mexican-style four-cheese blend

·         1 cup sliced green onions

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse; drain and set aside.

2.      In skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Cook sweet peppers, onion, jalapeno, and ¼  tsp. salt for 5 minutes or until tender.

3.      Stir in chicken, beans, taco seasoning mix, and ½ cup enchilada sauce. Cook and stir 5 minutes.

4.      Stir in ½ cup each of the cheese and green onions.

5.      Spread 1 cup of the remaining enchilada sauce in 3-quart rectangular baking dish.

6.      Divide filling among shells.  Arrange shells atop sauce. Drizzle with remaining enchilada sauce.

7.      Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

8.      Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining green onions.

I absolutely love this dish!  My husband thoroughly enjoyed the filling, but not the pasta (apparently, he’s not a fan of shells – never knew that before and I’ll never understand how people can write off one type of pasta, but that’s not for this blog).  They were pretty spicy, but the pasta helped tame that slightly.  The original recipe calls for 3 peppers, but I think that is too many considering the amount of filling that you have.  If you don’t have the Trader Joe’s chickenless Chicken Strips, you could make it without or use some other soy product (i.e. Morning Star Farms Burger Crumbles).  It adds some texture to the dish and some needed protein.  Overall, everything tasted delish and I wouldn’t change a thing to the above recipe.