Tater Tot Nachos!

We are always looking for quick, easy meals that taste good, right? And ones that are familiar, but just a little bit different from the "same old, same old" combinations that we eat week after week.

I found a great balance of both those qualities! I really enjoy nachos, taco, burritos, pretty much anything that comes from the Latin culture finds happiness in my belly. Because of that, I literally could make Mexican or Latin inspired food every night of the week. Not everyone in my house would be okay with that... lol.

In an effort to mix things I love with a more American cuisine, I stumbled upon a recipe for Tater Tot Nachos on Half Hour Meals website. As with most dishes, the ability to be flexible and change it to suit your family is always a good option to have. Some dishes lend well to that, while others do not. This one is super flexible!

Tater Tot Nachos (adapted from Half Hour Meals)
Ingredients:

32 oz (or more) bag of frozen tater tots
2 lbs. ground beef
Taco seasoning
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 (or so) black beans (if you're using dried beans, be sure they are cooked first - perfect for leftovers. Or use 1 can, drained)
fresh shredded cheese
chopped tomatoes
lettuce
salsa
sour cream

Cook:
Prepare the tots according to the package directions, though I did cook mine for a bit longer because I wanted them to be nice and crunchy and not soggy under all the toppings. While those are cooking, toss your ground beef and onion into a hot skillet and brown. Of course, add some salt and pepper. Once that's all browned up, drain it. Good job! Almost done. Isn't this easy?! Add the black beans. I would've added some corn too. There are non-corn lovers at my house. Can you believe it?! Now add some taco seasoning - I use about two palmfuls and then I add in some water and mix it all in really good. Return to high heat and let it come to a boil for about 3 minutes, then turn it down to simmer for about 5 or 6 minutes. All done!

By now, the tots should be done. To serve, put the tots on the bottom and take it from there. Just lay out all the ingredients and toppings and everyone can make them however they want to eat them. It really was a simple, enjoyable meal.

Nothing glamorous. Just easy, quick, and good. Enjoy!

Roasted vegetables and Italian sausage

I love anything roasted. Don't you? I mean, it's just so good!

Last night I made a simple roasted veggie and sausage dish. It was so hard to wait for it. I mean, smelling veggies roasting, with garlic and oil, oh mercy.

The inspiration for this dinner came from KayoticKitchen. I think I liked it because of her name for the recipe - Lazy Sunday Casserole. It sounded perfect to me! =]~

I only changed a few things, and of course, I didn't measure a thing. Hate me.

Ingredients:
5 russet potatoes, washed, unpeeled, and cut into chunks
5 carrots, washed, unpeeled, and cut into 1 - 1 1/2 inch sized pieces
1 red pepper, washed and cut into strips
2 onions, cut into wedges
Minced garlic
About 2 pounds Italian sausage
Kosher salt
Fresh ground, black pepper
Balsamic vinegar

Process:
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Throw all the veggies in a deep roasting tray. We have a pretty deep cookie sheet, and that's what I used. It gave all the veggies plenty of room to spread out. Once you lay the veggies out, drizzle a good bit of olive oil over the veggies, add the salt and pepper. Now toss with a set of tongs. I did add a bit of chicken broth into the pan, just so they would have some moisture while they were roasting. You might wanna do that, too! =]

Cover with foil and put the pan in the oven for about 45 minutes.

While that's cooking, heat a large skillet on the stove and sear all sides of the Italian sausage. Remove from heat and cut into 1 inch pieces. They won't be cooked all the way, don't worry! They'll finish off in the oven.

When the timer ends for the veggies, uncover and toss the veggies with a set of tongs. Add the sausage in strategic places all around the pan. Place the pan, uncovered, back in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, turn over the sausage pieces, drizzle the vinegar, and place back in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the sausage is done.

There ya have it!

Roasted Garlic & Herb potato and Black Bean Quesadillas

I saw this recipe originally made with all processed foods, or mostly, but it sounded so yummy! I adapted!

Ingredients:
4 medium size potatoes
Rosemary
Thyme
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
Garlic
4 oz. can green chilies, chopped
about 2 cups black beans (can use one can, but I soaked some dried beans for this)
2 cups shredded cheese (taco shredded or fresh shredded cheddar and monterey jack - however you roll is fine with me)
8 large flour tortillas
Sour cream/salsa (optional)

Warm oven to 450. Dice potatoes and toss with garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a bowl. Place on a baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven, add the can of chilies and the black beans and mash lightly with a potato masher.Return to oven to heat through, about 5-7 minutes.

Heat a skillet over med-high heat and place one tortilla down. On half of the tortilla add a generous amount of the potato/bean mixture, about 1/4 c cheese, and then fold in half. Cook until cheese is all melty and stuff. Top with salsa and/or sour cream, if you like, or just eat it as is! Cut with a pizza slicer and there you have dinner! =]

Slow cookered potatoes!

8 potatoes, sliced
8 oz package of cream cheese, divided into 3 sections
1/4 of a LARGE onion, diced (of course, if you don't have a LARGE onion, use about 1/2 cup or whatever you fancy)
garlic, minced
Salt and Peper

Spray your slow cooker with some non-sticky goodness! Mix the onions and garlic in a small bowl. Throw a layer of potatoes into the slow cooker, then add a handful of the onion/garlic combo, then salt and pepper, and take one section of the cream cheese and separate it into pats over the layers of potatoes. Repeat this process two more times. You should finish with a top layer of the cream cheese. It's OK to be all chunky looking. Set your slow cooker on high for about 3 hours. After the three hours, stir it all together and let it cook for another hour or so until the taters are tender (but not mushy!). Once they are ready, take a hand masher and gently mash them, you don't want mashed potatoes, just smooshed! =] Enjoy!