Empanadas

I am really trying to be good about using up things in the fridge, and it's actually kind of fun to have things we don't normally eat. We had some left over ground beef from burgers the other night, and some pie crusts from a baking experiment I had done. Voila: easy empanadas.




Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Prepare ground beef with taco seasoning, according to package. I added about 1/3 cup of chopped red onion.


Cut prepared pie crusts into 12 rounds (6 from each crust - most packages have two). Spoon a heaping portion of meat onto each round.



Cover with a second round. Use the tines of a fork to seal around the edges and poke holes in the top to release steam.





Bake for 20 minutes and serve with black beans, salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!

Chicken Chili & Cheesy Corn Cake

I've never used ground chicken, but this seemed like a good way to test it out. Yum!

1 lb ground chicken

your favorite chili mix (I use Shelby Carolll's)

8 oz tomato sauce

1 bottle of beer

1 can black beans, slightly drained

shredded cheddar, sour cream & chopped red onion to garnish

chichi's corn cake mix (1/4 cup water, 1 can creamed corn, 1/4 cup melted butter)

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/3 cup shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 375.

In a bowl, mix corn cake mix, water, creamed corn and melted butter. Add green onion and cheese. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes.

In the meantime, brown ground chicken in a hot pot.

Drain fat and add tomato sauce and beer. Simmer for five minutes.

Add chili seasoning, salt and cayenne pepper from chili kit according to taste. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add black beans and masa powder (mix powder with 1/3 cup water) into chili and mix in. Let simmer for another five minutes. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and red onion. Serve with piece of corn cake.

Holy Guacamole!

Honestly, I'm not the biggest guac fan. There was one restaurant in Boca (whose name eludes me) that used to prepare it tableside, and honestly, it was about the only guac I ate. However, the avocados at the farmer's market were too good to be believed, so I thought I would give it a shot to serve with leftover hummus and flatbread.

1 avocado, pitted
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 chopped tomato
juice of one lime
2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried cilantro
dash of paprika

Mash the avocado with salt and lime juice. Add onion, garlic, tomato, cilantro and paprika. Chill for several hours before serving.

Corn Cake Fiesta

DH named this one and I guess it fits. It's a spin on traditional tacos and we both enjoyed it.

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

2/3 cup water

1 pkg corn muffin mix

1 egg

2 tbsp melted butter or shortening

3/4 cup water

1 can black beans

1/3 cup medium salsa

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 lime, sliced

1/3 cup fat free sour cream

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

In a medium bowl, combine corn muffin mix, melted butter, egg and 3/4 cup water. Set aside.

In a small pot, combine drained black beans and salsa. Leave on low while preparing remainder of meal.

Saute ground beef or turkey in a hot skillet, until cooked through. Drain fat. Add taco seasoning mix and 2/3 cup water. Let simmer.

Heat a griddle or pan and spray with nonstick butter spray. Ladle corn mixture onto hot skillet as you would pancake batter (2-3 per pan). Allow to cook to golden on one side and flip. As they finish arrange on a platter, until all are completed.

Spoon black beans over corn cakes. Spread taco meat over black beans. Sprinkle cheese on top. Put sour cream in a plastic bag, snip the corner and pipe over cheese. Garnish with red onion and limes.