White Bean, Sausage, & Sweet Potato Cassoulet

This recipe came from a Prep Dish menu and I really enjoyed it. Every time I make it, I have to search back through my Prep Dish menus, so I'm finally putting it here for easy access. :)









Ingredients:
Approx 2 medium sweet potatoes
1-2 cans cannellini beans (rinsed & drained)
Beef or Chicken sausage (2-4 links) sliced
1/2 C Bread Crumbs (panko or GF, etc)
Diced onion
Minced garlic
Parmesan cheese
s&p
poultry seasoning

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Peel & microwave sweet potatoes to soften them a little. Allow to cool then dice into chunks.
3. Saute diced onions & garlic in a little oil until soft. Throw sliced sausage into skillet and heat through for approx 5 minutes.
4. In a medium casserole dish combine the diced sweet potatoes, onion/garlic & sausage mixture. Add in the cannellini beans (1-2 cans according to your liking). Season everything with s&p and a little poultry seasoning. Mix gently to combine.
5. In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, approx 2 TBS parmesan cheese, and 1/2 T olive oil. Sprinkle evenly over cassoulet. Cover & bake for 30-40 minutes until sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
6. Remove cover and add a little more parmesan cheese if needed, bake for an additional 10 minutes until the topping is browned.
7. Pairs well with sauteed spinach as a side and/or garlic toast. Enjoy!

MFP Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

I still use this blog! It's an easy way for me to find old favorites and share recipes. :) So I'm adding this one bc I make it all the time and wanted it to be typed up in neater fashion than my current chicken scratch paper! lol! Hope some of you can enjoy this recipe too! xoxo, B


Ingredients:

• 2 sweet medium potatoes
• 2 cans black beans (drain & rinse)
• fresh spinach, chopped up
• salsa (optional)
• 1-2 cans mild red enchilada sauce
• shredded cheddar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Peel & dice sweet potato (I microwave mine after I peel it to soften it up too)
• Mix the diced sweet potato, chopped spinach & black beans all together. 
• Season the mixture with cumin, garlic powder, s&p to your liking (add in the salsa if using)
• Divide mixture evenly between tortillas & add a little shredded cheese (half corn/ half flour kind work well)
• Place roll ups seam down, in a pan and pour enchilada sauce over them. Top with more shredded cheese.
• Bake until heated through and cheese is melted about 20 min.

Enjoy! These enchiladas are also in My Fitness Pal for easy tracking (if you're into that kinda thing ;))!

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

Got these off Pinterest. They have become a staple in our home! So easy, yummy, & healthyish!;)

Ingredients:
2 C black beans (I just use one can, drained. Would use 2 cans if wanting to make more...one can makes about a dozen)
1/2 C red onion, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp garlic powder
shredded cheese (Monterey jack or whatever you prefer)
chopped cilantro (eyeball it to your preference)
olive oil
corn tortillas
toppings (sour cream, salsa, avocado, etc.)

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro & spices. Lightly mash all ingredients together (sometimes I forget to mash & it works fine anyway)
2. In a large non-stick skillet, add a few TBS of oil & heat on med-high heat.
3. Add one corn tortilla at a time & let it get hot in the oil (I flip tortilla over a couple of times to oil it up on both sides)
4. Spoon your bean mixture to one half of the tortilla & top with shredded cheese.
5. Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.
6. As the first tortilla cooks, slide it to the side & do a second one (I can usually do about 3 at a time...if you had a griddle you could do even more at once).
7.  Cook each taco for several minutes on each side until they are nicely browned and crispy.
8. I place a paper towel over a plate & as I finish a batch, I set them on the paper towel to the side until all are cooked.

Serve with your favorite toppings & sides!
Enjoy!

Oven Baked Tacos

Found this recipe on pinterest and have made it several times--we really enjoy it, so thought I'd share it here!

Ingredients:
1lb ground Beef
1 can refried beans
8oz can tomato sauce
diced onion
diced green chiles
taco seasoning
shredded cheese
(sour cream, lettuce, tomato, etc. for optional toppings)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In large skillet brown ground beef and onion
3. Add refried beans, tomato sauce, taco seasoning, green chiles to the pan and mix together
4. Spoon taco meat mixture into taco shells and place in 9x13" baking dish standing up
5. Sprinkle cheese over top of taco meat in each shell and place in oven
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and tacos are heated through.

Vegetarian Enchilada Bake

Found this recipe on Taste of Home website (via Pinterest :) I tweaked original recipe slightly). Made it tonight and wished I had doubled it! This was healthy, easy & we loved it--I will definitely make it again!

Ingredients:
1 C shredded zucchini
1 finely chopped red bell pepper
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp olive oil
minced garlic
3/4C frozen corn
3/4C black beans (rinsed & drained)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cumin
3/4C salsa
fresh chopped cilantro
corn tortillas
shredded cheddar
sour cream (optional)

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, saute zucchini, bell pepper, & onion until soft. Add garlic & seasonings (use more or less of those seasonings to your liking). Add corn, beans, salsa, cilantro & mix together.
2. Place corn tortillas on the bottom of your baking dish (coated with cooking spray). Spread 2/3C vegetable mixture; sprinkle with cheese, repeat layers twice.
3. Bake, uncovered @ 350degrees for 20-25minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Let stand for 10minutes before serving.

Italian Pasta & Bean Soup

I found this recipe for Italian Pasta & Bean Soup in a magazine I picked up the other day--I have since made it several times and have moved it to my "make frequently" list. It's easy & very flavorful. I made it tonight along with a salad and the whole family enjoyed it...next time I may add breadsticks--it's soo good! Hope you'll give it a try!

Italian Pasta & Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 ounces pancetta chopped

1 TBS olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes(try italian diced tomatoes!)

4 C chicken broth

1 C water

3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving 

1 Sprig fresh rosmary (fresh is best!)

1 C ditalini

1 (16 oz) can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed

S&P to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat chopped pancetta and oil in large saucepan over med-high heat until fat renders & pancetta is browned, about 5 min. Add onion & cook until onion is softened, about 3 min. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, broth, water, Parmesan, and rosemary and bring to a boil.

2. Add pasta & beans to pot and cook until pasta is al dente*. Discard rosemary sprig. Season with S&P. Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with more parmesan cheese.

Serve--goes great with Pepperidge Farm 4 Cheese Bread and a caesar salad

*I think it is almost easier to cook your pasta separately and then add it to the soup when ready. I keep finding that my cheese is sticking to the bottom of my pan b/c I am having to boil the soup mixture long enough for the pasta to get soft...

Beans & Rice, Rice & Beans...

With today's economy nothing like a cheap & easy recipe!
I got this literally off the back of a can of Westbrae Organic Chili Beans (found at SuperTarget) and now it is a staple meal in our home--it's cheap, easy, and pretty darn healthy.
(Sometimes I double this recipe) Hope you'll enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 C uncooked rice (white, brown, basmati, or jasmine, etc.)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C onion chopped
1/2 C green pepper, chopped
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tsp (or less) chili powder
1 can Westbrae Organic Chili beans, drained (it's a pinto, kidney & black beans mix)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 C grated cheese

Instructions:
1. Cook rice according to pkg directions, set aside.
2. Saute garlic, onion, green pepper and spices in olive oil until onion is translucent, about 5 min.
3. Add remaining ingredients & heat
4. Serve over cooked rice
5. Top with grated cheese
6. Salt & Pepper to taste (it's also good topped with Louisiana type hot sauce)

Toasted Bean Burritos

I don't mean to insult anyone's intelligence with posting something that is this simple, but one of the reasons we're doing this is to get ideas, right?!
So anything goes! Plus, Trent is the one who taught me to make these when we were first married. Enough rambling--here's how I make them:

Ingredients:
flour tortillas
refried beans
shredded cheese
chopped onions
taco sauce
or add in sour cream or anything else you love in a burrito!

Steps:
1. Butter one side of your tortilla, then toast it (flipping it a couple of times) on a hot skillet or a griddle. The toasting is what makes these taste great.
2. Add your refried beans--I add them while the tortilla is toasting (you may want to warm the beans a little first.
3. Add in chopped onions and shredded cheese--close the burrito and plate it up!

I serve the Knorr Spanish Rice (it comes in a package and makes in 7 min) as a side.
I buy the Taco Bell mild sauce--it's great added in or used for dipping. Guacamole & chips go well with it too.

I know this is a simple recipe, but we love it! Probably I love it because it's fast to fix, doesn't cost much and is a no brainer! :)