Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed small (about 3­-4 cups)
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 red pepper, diced small
1 small red onion, diced small (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drain
1/4 ­to 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (depending on your taste)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6­-8 burrito-size tortillas (whole wheat, white or other favorite variety)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss together the sweet potatoes, jalapeno, red pepper and red onion with the olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Dump the coated veggies onto a large rimmed baking sheet and roast for 18­-20 minutes, tossing halfway through. The vegetables should be tender but not mushy at the end of cooking time.
2. Let the vegetable mixture cool. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and toss with the black beans, cilantro and lime juice. Taste the mixture and add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Refrigerate the mixture until ready to assemble the burritos or use immediately.
3. Place 3-­4 tortillas on a microwave-­safe plat and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 15-­20 seconds until the tortillas are pliable. Place 1/4 cup or so of the vegetable mixture in the center of the tortilla and top with a sprinkle with shredded cheese, a little of each kind. Fold in the sides of the tortilla and roll up. Place seam-­side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until you have all the burritos you need (the filling can be refrigerated and used for 3-­4 days).
4. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for about 10-­15 minutes, until heated through and the top of the tortilla is golden brown. Adjust the baking time as needed depending on if the filling has been refrigerated or not. For a softer tortilla, wrap each burrito in tin foil and heat through. Serve immediately.

Notes: I really liked these. I think they are much better than the Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos recipe we tried before.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Beef Empanadas

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, finely diced
2 jalapenos, minced
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 batch empanada dough (see below)
1 egg, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. To make the filling, warm the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the beef, onion, jalapenos, salt, and cumin; cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is cooked through (safe internal temperature of 160 degrees F) and the onions have softened, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off heat, add the tomatoes and cilantro, and mix well to combine.
2. To form the empanadas, divide the dough into 12 equal balls. On a well-floured surface, flatten each to a disk and then roll with a rolling pin into 4 1/2-inch circles. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling into the circle, and brush the edges of the circle with the egg. Fold the dough around the filling to make a half-moon shape, and press the edges firmly to seal. cut two small slits in the top of each empanada, and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Refrigerate any leftovers.

----------------------
Empanada Dough
----------------------

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chilled shortening, cut into cubes
4 Tbsp. chilled butter, cut into cubes
1 egg, 1/3 cup cold water
1 Tbsp white vinegar

Directions

1. In the work bowl of a food processor or a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, salt, shortening, and butter. Pulse in the food processor, or use a pastry cutter if working by hand, until the mixture looks sandy and there are roughly pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. In another mixing bowl, combine the egg, water, and vinegar; whisk to blend well. Drizzle over the flour-butter mixture and stir with a fork until a shaggy dough comes together. Knead on a well-floured surface just enough to bring the dough together. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill overnight. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Notes: We fried ours instead of baking, mostly because I wanted to see if this dough recipe was closer to what I remembered eating in Paraguay than the Pumpkin Parmesan Empanadas we tried a few months ago. These empanadas are more traditional and I enjoyed them, but making them is a lot of work so this probably isn't something we will have very often.

Source: Kroger mymagazine sent to us in the mail.

German Pancakes

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions
Place butter in 8" x 8" cake pan and put in oven to melt. (Don't let it burn!) Beat eggs. Stir in milk, flour, and salt. Mix well. Pour batter over melted butter. Bake at 450 for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Notes: Brittany usually doubles this recipe and makes it in a 9x13 pan. With two adults and two kids eating we usually don't have any leftovers.

Source: Cooking for Two

Italian Style Meatballs

Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound italian sausage
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tsp minced garlic
2 eggs
2 tsp finely chopped (fresh) flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, add each of the ingredients into the bowl and mix well after each addition.
3. Make slightly larger than golf ball sized meatballs and place them into a muffin tin that has been coated with non stick cooking spray. (Make sure not to overpack meatballs as you want them to cook evenly and all the way through.)
4. Place in the oven and cook for 40 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
5. Serve with noodles and sauce for meatballs and spaghetti, or on a hoagie for a meatball sub. 

Notes: Tasty. We obviously when with the meatball sub suggestion and had these on toasted buns.

Source: Pink When

Stovetop Italian Macaroni

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups water
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, water, soup mix, Italian seasoning and, if desired, pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Stir in macaroni. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-9 minutes or until macaroni is tender.
2. Remove from the heat; stir in Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 5 servings.

Notes: We've had similar macaroni casseroles in the past, but I think I liked the seasonings on this one more than any other we've had in the past.

Source: Taste of Home

Garlic Cheddar Chicken Strips

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, and saute the garlic until tender.
3. In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper, and salt.
4. Cut Chicken Breast into strips (optional).
5. Dip each chicken strip in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.
6. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink.

Source: The Idea Room

Baked Pumpkin French Toast

Ingredients:
1 loaf French Bread
6 large eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
3/4 cups granulated sugar (we reduced to 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Directions:

1. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Tear French bread into chunks, or cut into cubes, and evenly place in the pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour evenly over bread. Cover pan with saran wrap and store in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add butter pieces and cut into the dry mixture using a fork or your hands. Combine until the mixture resembles sand with a few pea sized chunks. Cover and store mixture in the refrigerator.
4. When you’re ready to bake the French toast, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove French toast from refrigerator and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the French toast is set and golden brown.
5. Serve warm with syrup, if desired.

Notes: AMAZING. Brittany and I both really enjoyed this when we had it for breakfast, and it may have been even better when we had it cold the next day. In my opinion it was plenty sweet without adding syrup. This is our 5th baked French Toast recipe we've posted (after Baked Apple w/ Caramel, Baked French Toast, Baked Praline, and Cinnamon Toast French Toast), and we've tried a couple that never made it to the blog. I think Pumpkin has become my favorite.

Source: Two Peas and Their Pod (Thanks to Melanie for sharing the link)