Hopefully you have leftovertaco soup from last week and by tonight I'm sure you don't want to heat up another bowl. You probably want to try something different, but also want to get rid of the all that extra taco soup? What a dilemma! Well don't worry, I have a plan for you....
Taco Nachos
serves two
14 tortilla chips
1 C. taco soup, drain excess liquid
1/2 C fat-free refried beans
1/2 C reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
-Preheat oven to 375°F -Spray a pan with non-stick spray and arrange chips on the pan. -Next, spread the refried beans on top of the chips and sprinkle cheddar cheese. -Lastly, pour the taco soup evenly over the chips. Bake at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the nachos with lettuce and sour cream.
Combine all ingredients in a crock-pot. Stir until well blended. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or low for 8 hours. Once the soup has cooked, serve it with cheddar cheese and sour cream. Enjoy!
This taco soup is perfect for those days when you come home exhausted from work and don't feel like going to a lot of effort to fix dinner. Just throw it in the crock-pot in the morning before work and when you come home you'll have a stress-free dinner waiting for you. I love crock-pots!
What does this dish, the previous post and the next post have in common?
They are all meals that Brandon has eaten before and according to the rules that he made up, he can't review a meal he's already eaten. Apparently it takes away from the reality of the situation. He does enjoy this dish though, but I'm not sure how because he only enjoys drying it up with about two packages of saltines. So no videos for a while; sorry to disappoint folks.
Don't forget that I'm still taking viewer challengers. Email me at samwilliams929@gmail.com
Stay tuned for next week as I show you leftover ideas for the taco soup...
In a food processor, combine all the ingredients except for the feta cheese. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place the mixture into a mixing bowl and stir in the feta cheese. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Don't forget the Triscuits (they are Scrum-diddly-umptious)! I'm having a hard time putting them down and even typing this up with one hand so that I can finish off the bag of Triscuts with the other :)
This week, I'd like to introduce a viewer challenge...
...that was sent to me by email this week:
"Samantha,
I have a cooking challenge for you. As a lover of Ravioli I am wondering if you can make a healthier cheese ravioli that also tastes good. I hope this does not require you to make your own pasta, but perhaps you could figure out some creative way around that too? I look forward to seeing what you come up with."
I'll see what I can do. Hopefully, I can get this recipe a-cookin' and have it up for all to enjoy soon. If you would like to commission a challenge, send me an email at samwilliams929@gmail.com
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except for 1/2 cup of cheese. Mix until well blended.
3. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and pour the mixture into dish.
4. Bake on 350°F for 1 hour. Next, take the casserole dish out of oven and sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese on top and bake for another 5 minutes.
5. Let cool for a few minutes and serve.
This casserole was extremely easy to prepare but Brandon and I were both very impatient while waiting for that dreaded one hour of baking (so impatient that we both burnt our tongues!).
Here's Brandon's review:
And now......"hold your applause and drop your drawers" it's time for my review! (I'm sorry, Oh Brother Where Art Thou is one of my favorite movies.)
Anywho,
As I said in the video, my aunt makes one of the best Corn Casseroles I've ever had. She introduced me to the dish and I've never had one better or even equal to hers than now. I remember trying to get Sam to cook my aunt's recipe and it never worked out quite right. It never tasted the same. Now, she's created one that is creamier, cheesier and more delicious-er (?) than I would have imagined. I guess she just had to learn how to be creative and make it her own. I give this meal 9.2 smacks. Mmm mmm good!
2. Wash potatoes and then rub them with olive oil and sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper (I like to have a lot of flavor on my potatoes skins). Wrap potatoes in aluminum foil and poke some holes in it. By poking holes, it allows the heat to really get in there and cook that potato. Bake potatoes for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350°F.
3. Boil a pot of water for the cauliflower. Cook the cauliflower until tender and drain the water.
4.Take potatoes out of oven. Let them cool for 5 minutes then cut them in half and scoop up the inside leaving the skin.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients with the cauliflower and scooped out potatoes. Mix until well blended. You will might have some chunks of cauliflower but that is fine.
6. Turn oven to broil (by turning to broil, the potatoes will get a crispy top). Spoon mixture back into potato halves and put an abundant amount in each half. You might have some extra mixture so you can choose to load up the potatoes for tonight or use it as a side dish for tomorrow's dinner. Bake on broil for about 7 to 9 minutes.
On the lighter side,
I used fat free sour cream, lite mayonnaise and I Can't Believe it's not Butter. I thought the potatoes still had plenty of flavor even though I used these healthier choices. Speaking of healthy, here's Brandon:
Ah, we meet again, Internet. While my first reaction was one of disgust; the meal is quite alright. What ruined this review for me is the fact that I've had twice baked potatoes before without previously mentioned healthier choices. But, after the first bite, it begins to sink in and become comfortable and you realize it's not all that bad. Hey, a wife that cooks for me and wants me to be healthy....who could ask for more? Well, maybe I could ask for a little more cheese. I give this meal about 6.7 smacks. It was good and creative but, in the end, I miss my cheese.
