Easy Tamale Pie

There are recipes for tamale pie where you put the cornbread batter on top of the meat mixture and let it all cook together. That is good too, if you like really soggy bread, which I don't particularly. I prefer to make it this way. I used left-over roast beef this time, I thought it turned out tasty!
Ingredients:
1/2 - 1 pound ground beef (depending how beefy you want it)
1/3 onion, chopped
1 can beans (kidney, pinto, or black), drained and rinsed
2 6 oz cans tomato sauce
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup salsa (more if you like it spicier)
A few dashes of garlic
A few dashes of chili powder
A few squirts of ketchup, if you like it a little sweet
Shredded cheddar cheese
1 package jiffy corn muffins, baked according to directions

Directions:
1. Brown beef and onion until beef is no longer pink. Remove grease.
2. Add next 6 ingredients and heat through until it reaches a low simmer.
3. Serve with cheddar cheese and corn muffin sprinkled on top.

Chili Salmon

Don't be scared by this recipe. It's a bit different, but so easy and yummy. Salmon is not my favorite fish, but this was delicious. Lucy asked for seconds! (on the fish, but not the sweet potatoes since I burned em. Keep your eye on them.) I put just a smidgen less of cumin and chili powder than it called for.
Ingredients

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground ancho chili pepper or chili powder
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 3 5- to 6-oz. skinless salmon fillets

Directions

1. Preheat broiler. Scrub potatoes. Halve lengthwise; cut in 1/4-inch slices. Place on greased rack of unheated broiler pan. In bowl combine sugar, salt, cumin, and chili pepper. Coat potatoes with cooking spray; sprinkle both sides with half the spice mixture. Broil 10 inches from heat 10 minutes or until tender; turn once midway through cooking.

2. Meanwhile, rinse salmon; pat dry. Sprinkle with remaining spice. In skillet cook fish in 1 tablespoon hot olive oil over medium heat 8 to 12 minutes or until fish flakes when tested with fork; turn once midway through cooking.

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/seafood/ancho-glazed-salmon/

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I actually used left-over turkey for this recipe and it worked out great. I wanted to make enchiladas but I didn't have tortillas on hand, so I ended up making this yummy casserole.
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 medium onion, chopped and sauteed
1 can green chiles
dash chili powder
dash garlic powder
1 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
crunched up tortilla chips

Directions:
1. Mix first 7 ingredients in a bowl
2. Place layer of chips on the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish
3. Drop soup mixture on top of chips in dish
4. Sprinkle cheese on top
5. Add another layer of chip pieces
6. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Bake an additional 10 minutes without foil if you want extra crispy chips on top
7. Serve with salsa for a spicier version
8. Yummy served with cooked carrots.

Baked Potato Bar

This is pretty basic, but if you're like me, you often forget about this option. Lucy, who isn't really a potato lover, ate a whole potato for dinner! My hint: salt and pepper the potato before you put the toppings on. The potato needs it, not the bacon. Here are some of the options that you can put on the baked potato:
What we used:
-chopped green onions
-crumbled bacon (not bacon bits, do the real thing)
-shredded cheddar cheese
-chopped tomatoes
-Ranch dressing

Other options:
-sour cream
-sauteed yellow onions
-sauteed garlic mushrooms
-cooked broccoli
-cheese sauce
-chopped ham
-canned chili

Black Bean Soup

This is really really good, even though it doesn't look all that appetizing in this picture I took. That's because I added corn to my soup, which changed the color of it. You can also add corn if you want, the flavor matched well. (However, add the corn after it's blended, just stir it in. I think that would be better.) I also over-chopped my carrots, and it still turned out delicious. I served it with corn bread muffins and salad.
Give it a try! Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
• 1 large (10- to 12-ounce) onion, chopped
• 1 medium (4- to 6-ounce) red pepper, chopped (I used canned)
  
• 2 teaspoon(s) ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper
• Salt
• 2 cup(s) water
• 2 can(s) (15- to 19-ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can(s) (14 to 14.5-ounce) reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup(s) fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, plus sprigs for garnish
• 1 tablespoon(s) fresh lime juice

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Directions

1. In 6-quart saucepot, heat oil on medium until hot. Add carrots, garlic, onion, and pepper; cook 12 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, stirring occasionally. Add cumin, crushed red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute.
2. Stir in water, beans, and broth; heat to boiling on medium-high. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes to blend flavors.
3. Ladle 3 cups soup into blender; cover, with center part of cover removed to allow steam to escape, and blend until pureed. Stir puree into soup in saucepot; heat through on medium. Stir in cilantro and lime juice, and garnish with cilantro sprigs to serve. Makes about 6 1/2 cups.

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/black-bean-soup-recipe

The lazy version of Mexican Sopes

This is basically a tostada, I think. Our Mexican friends had us over for lunch a few weeks ago and served us Sopes (so-pays). They are so delicious, and easy. I had a hard time finding the right corn flour to use, so we made our own version of the dish on Cinco de Mayo using store bought corn tortillas. It was the lazy version, as Brent called it. If you want to make the real version, do it. I'll put the link at the bottom of the blog for the real version. They were a little bit better with the thick chewy tortillas. Otherwise follow the recipe below
Ingredients:
1 package small corn tortillas
1 can black or pinto beans
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/4 pound Queso fresco, grated (very important cheese. Buy it at Mexican markets)
Lettuce, chopped
Your favorite salsa
1 Avocado, diced

Directions.
1. Mash the beans and oil together in a sauce pan with a potato masher. Heat over medium low heat.
2. Warm tortillas in large skillet over medium heat.
3. Spread refried beans over tortillas and top with remaining ingredients.
4. Can add chorizo and chopped baked potato for more variety.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/sopes-recipe/index.html