Taco Tator Tot Casserole-Candace

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 small onion (diced)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 small can black olives (sliced)
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen corn
1 (4 ounce) can green chilies (diced and drained)
1 (12 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (16 ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 (16 ounce) package frozen tater tots
1 (10.5 ounce fluid ounce) can enchilada sauce
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Add ground beef, garlic, and onion and cook while breaking the meat apart with a spoon or spatula until the ground beef is completely browned. Drain off any excess fat. Add taco seasoning mix, green chilies, frozen corn, and black beans to the ground beef. Cook until heated through.
Step 2: In a large bowl combine ground beef mixture, ¾ of the Mexican cheese blend, and all of the tater tots. Stir well to combine.
Step 3: Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish and lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tots.
Step 4: Place into the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. During the last few minutes of baking, top the casserole with the remaining Mexican cheese blend and the sliced black olives. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
(Makes 6 Servings)

Cheesy Chicken Wild Rice Casserole-Candace

Cheesy Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole
This looks like an easy and tasty kid pleasing meal. No mayo, no cream soup.

Serves 8-10

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 white onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 cup white rice
16 ounces wild rice
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup vegetable broth
4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Garlic salt
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil, onion, celery, garlic, and carrots in a pan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Prepare wild rice and white rice according to package instructions.
Stir in chicken, rices, and a dash of salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Reduce heat to low.
In a medium pan over high heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour, vegetable broth, and a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Continue to whisk until boiling. Add 2 cups of the shredded cheddar and continue to stir until melted. Transfer chicken and rice mixture to a greased 9×13 baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over rices and top with remaining cheddar. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Asian Lettuces Wraps-Candace

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

YIELD: Serves 4 (3 wraps each)
INGREDIENTS:
12 leaves lettuce (iceberg, romaine, Boston or green leaf)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 lb. ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1-2 Tbsp. chili sauce (such as Sambal Oelek*)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/2 Tablespoon honey

4 green onions, chopped

*Note* I didn't use the hoisin sauce or the rice wine vinegar and they came out great. :)

DIRECTIONS:
Gently rinse lettuce leaves and pat dry, careful not to tear them. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add bell pepper and onion, cook 3 minutes. Add ground beef and cook 5 minutes, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Drain grease and return pan to stovetop; reduce heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic, soy sauce, hoisin and chili sauces, ginger, rice wine vinegar and honey. Cook until sauce has thickened, 3-4 minutes. Stir in green onions.

Spoon meat mixture into a medium bowl and place on a large serving platter. Arrange lettuce leaves around the bowl and serve.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Olive Garden Pasta Soup-Candace

Crock pot Olive Garden pasta soup

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, shredded
1 c. celery, chopped
2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16 oz.) can white kidney beans, drained
4 cups beef stock
3 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. pepper
5 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. tabasco sauce (I didn't use this)
1 (20 oz.) jar Prego traditional spaghetti sauce
8 oz. pasta (I like using ditali pasta)
Instructions

Brown ground beef in large skillet. Drain fat. Add beef and all ingredients except the pasta into a large crock pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
Before serving, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to soup.