Beef stew is one of those dishes that is hard to mess up (if you use the right about of salt.) Onions and garlic can give plenty of flavor on there own. Once you taste a stew with just the right blend of herbs, it changes everything. Read more
Let’s Go Visiting
I’m guesting posting at Sidetracked Sarah today with a deliciously easy Slow Cooker recipe for you including a video :).
What’s in Your Chimmichanga?
This week, we made Shredded beef sandwiches from the Slow and Savory Cookbook and had leftovers. A few days later I put on a pot of Slow Cooker Refried beans. I also found some hot poblano pepper turkey sausage ($.75 a package, short date sale) in the freezer that needed to be used. Chimmichangas seemed like the perfect tie up loose leftovers plan.
I thawed a package of burrito size tortillas. Then combined the shredded beef, refried beans and cooked and crumbled sausage in a saucepan on medium high heat. I topped each tortilla with a slap of meat mixture and a sprinkling of cheese and folded it burrito style. Then baked them at 375 for 30 minutes until the shells were crunchy. It had the effect of a fried chimmichanga without the expense and extra calories of a bottle of oil.
We topped ours with ranch dressing, salsa, and fresh cilantro.
Chimmichangas can be stuffed with other things too. Shredded chicken and pork are other traditional fillings. Rice and corn or black beans would add an interesting twist too. If you try it, let me know what you put in yours and how you liked it.
Homemade Refried Beans: Frugal and Fabulous
These refried beans are fat free, delicious and super easy!
2 lbs pinto beans, sorted (remove dirt clods and stones) and rinsed
12 cups water
1 Tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons of garlic powder (Or 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic.)
Place all ingredients in a large crock pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Or cut recipe in half and place in a pressure cooker for 25 minutes on high pressure. If your pressure cooker can hold the whole thing without being more than 3/4 full, do the full recipe. Use a ladle to scoop half the cooked beans and liquid into a blender. Puree until smooth. Transfer beans to another dish and process the other half. This freezes well, works great as a dip, is delicious just with a spoon, and great for any recipe calling for refried beans. This makes about 15 cups of refried beans.
I ate mine with chips and with a spoon, then rolled some up with rice and cheese in flour tortillas and topped with hamburger mixed with salsa with a final layer of cheese for dinner. These rice and bean enchiladas were delicious! And so easy. You could easily make them vegetarian by leaving the hamburger out of the topping. You could also substitute tomato sauce with chili powder, canned tomatoes with green chilies, or enchilada sauce for the topping.