Revolution of Love

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Making It Count (Vol 13) & Meatless Meal: Katie’s TJ Chili Cornbread (& Vegetarian Chili)

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Today we have a Making It Count Tuesday (Now known as The RoL Pinterest Party & Link-up) and Meatless Meal Mash-Up! If you are new to Making it Count, you simply start with any one of those fabulous ideas you’ve found online. Then, do it. Make it. Cook it. Create it. Take it from the screen, give it life and let it bless your world. When you’re done, snap a photo, write about it and share it with us. Make your time online count! (*NOTE: This is the last Making It Count I will be hosting. Starting in April I will be doing a new Pinterest Party link-up. Details below.)

I am also linking up with Beth Anne’s Best and Tales from Astoria for Meatless Mondays.

Katie’s Trader Joe Chili Cornbread

A couple weeks ago I went to a Mom’s Night Out at my friend Katie’s house. She made a delicious spread of food and my favorite dish was a chili cornbread. I asked for the recipe with pen and paper in hand ready to write down all the ingredients. I laughed when she said all I needed was a box of Trader Joe Cornbread Mix and a can of Trader Joe Vegetarian Chili. (For the cornbread you will also need milk, oil and an egg.) Wow, it tasted a lot more complicated than that!

 I mixed together the cornbread mix with the milk, egg and oil. I then added the can of chili.

Katie recommended that I use a cast-iron skillet (or stone wear.) I popped it into the oven according to the box directions and about a half hour later this is what I got.

To round out the meal I tried one of my Pinterest chili recipes I had pinned.

Vegetarian Chili from The Curvy Carrot.com

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped fine ( about 1 cup)
  • 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
  • 8 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder (I used 3 tsp so it wouldn’t be too spicy for the kids.)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 3 cups canned beans, drained and rinsed (I used 1 can of red kidney beans and 1 can of pinto beans)
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed (I used fresh corn I had leftover.)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (I ran out of cilantro. Grr.)
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • Cheese, optional
  • Sour cream, optional (I’m not a big sour cream fan so I left it off.)

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until about shimmering.

2. Add the onion and cook until translucent and slightly softened, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the red pepper and cook until it and the onion are soft and slightly browned around the edges, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

5. Push the vegetables to the perimeter of the pot so that the center of the pot is clear.

6.  Sprinkle the cumin seeds (or ground cumin) into the center of pot and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

7. Stir the cumin and vegetables together and let cook until the cumin is fragrant, about 1 minute.

8. Add the chili powder and cayenne pepper and stir to coat the vegetables.  Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

9.  Add 2 cups water and stir well to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

10.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

11.  Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, and brown sugar, and bring back to a simmer.  Simmer until slightly thickened, about 25 minutes.

12. Add the beans and corn and stir gently to incorporate.

13. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in salt, cilantro, and lime juice immediately before serving.

Here is the finished product.

 The photo is not great but the end result was yummy!

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Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose a tutorial, recipe, or idea that has inspired you. Do it and blog a little about it. It doesn’t have to be elaborate — we just want to see what you’ve been up to!
2. In your post, rather than linking to your Pinterest pin, link back the original idea/blogger. We want to be sure that cool idea credit is given to the proper person. 🙂
3. Link back here so others can play along.
4. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address. And please use your own original photo (not someone else’s!) as your thumbnail image. Copyright issues, you know. 😉

Since this is the last Making It Count for March I will leave it up the rest of the month.

Save the date! On April 9 we debut the new RoL Pinterest Party Link-Up where you can showcase a pin you brought to life or link up your own project/creation to inspire others to pin it to their boards. More info coming soon!

Have fun!

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Meatless Meal: Soy Charizo Tostadas with Homemade Refried Beans

I am linking up today with Beth Anne’s Best and Tales from Astoria for Meatless Mondays. Last Friday I made tostadas with soy charizo. I don’t usually eat soy, except for once of twice a year during Lent. You could easily make this meal with a can of refried beans but I wanted to make a fresh batch. The recipe I use is super easy. (Note: Excuse the photos. They were snapped in a hurry, sometimes with my phone, but it will give you the general idea.) 😉

In a large stock pot add the following:

  • 16 oz package of dry pinto beans, sorted through (to remove rocks) and rinsed
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • (You could also add dried chilis but Brian and the kids don’t like things really spicy.)

Cover the beans and ingredients with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Then simmer for about 2 hours. Add more water if needed as you cook.

When the bean were done I opened up the charizo, removed the casing and cooked it in a non stick skillet.

Soy Charizo from Trader Joe’s

Beans are simmering. Charizo is cooking. Grilled cheese going for the boys.

Normally tostada tortillas are fried in oil but I wanted to try a healthier option so I baked some in the oven. I brushed the tortilla with canola oil and placed them in a preheated 400 degree oven. They are supposed to cook in about 5 minutes. Mine were crunchy but still a little chewy. I think I needed to cook them longer to give them more crunch and less chew. I’ll have to experiment on that one more.

While the tortillas were cooking I made the refried beans. In a pan I heated 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. I added beans and some of the bean broth. I mashed them, adding more broth as needed until they were the right consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.

I then added the charizo to the pan and mixed. Then I topped the tortilla with a layer of charizo beans, lettuce, cheese, diced tomatoes and avocados. Yum. 🙂


Making It Count (Vol 12) & Meatless Meals Mash-Up (Vol 2): Minestrone Soup

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Today we have a Making It Count Tuesday (Now known as The RoL Pinterest Party & Link-up) and Meatless Meal Mash-Up!

I am linking up with Beth Anne’s Best and Tales from Astoria for Meatless Mondays.

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I originally got this Minestrone Soup recipe from my sis and pinned in on my Pinterest What’s Cooking board. I’ve made it a couple times before changing a few things to make it perfect for my family. The original recipe is on the thick side and we wanted a little more broth/liquid in our soup without diluting the flavor. Here is what I put in it.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups sliced carrots
4 cups chicken or veggie broth*
1 cup water
4 cups tomato sauce
1 mini bottle of red wine or 1 cup of red wine**
1 cup canned kidney beans, drained
2 handfuls of fresh green beans, cleaned, prepped and blanched***
4 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup small sized wheat pasta (ie. shells, rotini etc)
Grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots, sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce. Bring to boil, stirring frequently. Add red wine. Reduce heat to low. Add kidney beans, green beans, zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, the longer the better.
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until tender. Drain water and set aside.
4. Place a serving spoon of pasta in a bowl. Ladle soup on top of pasta and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!

* Obviously, for a Lenten meatless meal, I used veggie broth and it was still really good!

** We aren’t really wine drinkers so I hate opening a big bottle to cook with because we never finished it. Instead I bought a 4-pack of the mini wine bottles, such as the one below, which is a perfect for various recipes.

*** I always blanch my green beans for 7-8 minutes before adding it to the soup. I have never tried throwing them in raw so I don’t know if they’d be tender enough or still a little tough.

This soup is a huge hit with the family, especially when served with a slice of fresh baked bread or ½ a grilled cheese sandwich.

Revolution of Love Blog - minestrone soup

And, you may ask, is it kid friendly? I’ll let Matthew answer that question. 😉

I think those Popeye arms speak volumes. He likes his veggies and pasta!

His messy smile proves it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose a tutorial, recipe, or idea that has inspired you. Do it and blog a little about it. It doesn’t have to be elaborate — we just want to see what you’ve been up to!
2. In your post, rather than linking to your Pinterest pin, link back the original idea/blogger. We want to be sure that cool idea credit is given to the proper person. 🙂
3. Link back here so others can play along.
4. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address. And please use your own original photo (not someone else’s!) as your thumbnail image. Copyright issues, you know. 😉

You have a week to post your link, so if you can’t get things done by Tuesday, no worries, put it up when you can. We’ll be here. Have fun!

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See other Lenten Meatless Meals here.




Meatless Meals (Vol 1): Quesadillas & Low-Fat Broccoli Slaw

Lenten Fridays are always an exercise in culinary creativity, especially if you don’t want to hear, “Fishsticks again?” Brian usually works the late shift on Fridays so I keep the meals fairly simple. I’ll be sharing with you a few of our favorites and then linking up with Beth Anne’s Best and Tales from Astoria for Meatless Mondays.

Last Friday we ate Quesadillas & Low-Fat Broccoli Slaw. Do I really need to explain how to make a quesadilla? Just in case, here’s what I did.

I sautéed some onions, red peppers and green peppers in a little olive oil. You can also sprinkle them with a little Mexican seasoning or add your own spices like cumin, chili powder, garlic salt etc but keep it light. A little goes a long way.

Take your tortilla (I especially like Trader Joe’s Flame Cooked Tortillas) and fill half of it with the onions, peppers and grated pepper jack cheese. Fold in half. Warm on a griddle until toasty.

For the a veggie side, I made broccoli slaw using the recipe on the back of Trader Joe’s 12 oz pack of Organic Broccoli Slaw. (Can you tell I like shopping at Trader Joe’s?)

 

 You need:

  •  1 12 oz bag of slaw
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries (I added a bit more)
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup diced apple
  • 1 cup of your favorite dressing. (I only used ½ a cup because my dressing was pretty creamy.)

For the dressing, I used Ellie Krieger’s recipe for lower-fat Creamy Broccoli Slaw as my base.

  •  1 cup lowfat Greek yogurt, or strained yogurt
  • ¼ cup lowfat buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

I mixed all the ingredients, using about 1/2 cup of the dressing. (I’ll make another batch of fresh slaw later in the week.) And there you have it. Voila! Or should I say, Ole!

 

Enjoy! And share your own meals here. 🙂

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See more Meatless Meals here.

 

 

 


Making It Count Tuesday (vol 10): Easy Chocolate Cake (Brownie)

Welcome to Making It Count Tuesday (formally Pinning It Down), which is every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. Originally hosted by Sarah and Pam, it’s new home in now here at RoL.

If you are new to Making it Count, you simply start with any one of those fabulous ideas you’ve found online or on Pinterest. Then, do it. Make it. Cook it. Create it. Take it from the screen, give it life and let it bless your world. When you’re done, snap a photo, write about it and share it with us.

Make your time online count!

(See past MIC posts here.)

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Easy Chocolate Cake

With Brian returning home on Friday, I wanted to make him a special dessert. He loves chocolate cake and normally I’d just use a boxed mix but I thought I’d give a homemade version a try. I was looking for a simple one layer chocolate cake recipe and found Easy Chocolate Cake at Martha Stewart.com.

Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for pan
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

(The recipe also called for a chocolate glaze but I made my own chocolate frosting instead.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan; line bottom with wax paper. Butter paper; dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess; set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture alternating with sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Tap pan firmly on countertop several times to force out large air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, Cool 10 minutes in pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely (bottom side up).

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The batter was really thick and I wondered how it would turn out.

 

It looked okay in the oven but when the time was up and I poked a toothpick in it, it seemed to deflate. It became pretty flat and I could hear Ricky Ricardo’s voice saying to Fred, “Maybe you better wait and serve it as a pancake for breakfast.” I knew I was in trouble when I saw Brian look at it on the counter and then look around the kitchen for the other two or three layers that must go with it.

Photo Source: thiswastv.com

Oh we’ll, I had to make the best if it. I whipped up some chocolate frosting and crushed some walnuts for the top. When I cut into the cake I found it very dense and rich. I went back online and looked at the reviews. The reviewers said it was a dense cake and some said it didn’t rise enough. I simply told everyone it was a brownie cake (that’s exactly what it tasted like) and they didn’t care in the least how short it was. They gobbled it up.

So while I wouldn’t say my first homemade cake was a huge success, I wouldn’t say it failed either. We ended up with a tasty dessert and I suppose that’s what matters. 🙂

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose a tutorial, recipe, or idea that has inspired you. Do it and blog a little about it. It doesn’t have to be elaborate — we just want to see what you’ve been up to!
2. In your post, rather than linking to your Pinterest pin, link back the original idea/blogger. We want to be sure that cool idea credit is given to the proper person. 🙂
3. Link back here so others can play along. (Feel free to grab the button.)
4. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address. And please use your own original photo (not someone else’s!) as your thumbnail image. Copyright issues, you know. 😉

You have a week to post your link, so if you can’t get things going by Tuesday, no worries, put it up when you can. We’ll be here. Have fun!