Best Tater Tot Hotdish

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

15oz can peas

15oz can whole kernel corn

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 lb bag frozen tater tots

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.

Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat.

Add the onions to the skillet and cook until translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in worcestershire and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer ground beef mixture to the baking dish and spread evenly.

Top with cream of mushroom soup and spread evenly.

Add peas and corn, followed by the cheese.

Top with tater tots.

Bake for 40 minutes or until tater tots are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Allison's Go-To Slow Cooker Chili

2 Tbsp oil 

2 yellow onions, chopped

2 red peppers, chopped

4-6 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp cumin

1/4 cup chili powder

2 lbs lean ground beef

1.5 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce

2 cans beans, rinsed (light red kidney, dark red kidney, pinto beans)

4 oz can mild green chiles

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and bell pepper, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, 2 Tbsp chili powder, and 1/2 Tbsp cumin, stir to coat the vegetables, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer veggies to slow cooker.

Add the ground beef to the hot pan, plus remaining 2 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 Tbsp cumin, and measured salt and cook, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the beef is no longer pink, about 7 minutes.

Transfer beef to the slow cooker, add the diced tomatoes and their juices, tomato sauce, beans, and sugar, and stir to combine. Cover and cook until the chili thickens and the flavors meld, about 8 hours on low or 6 hours on high.

Stir in the green chiles and serve topped with your favorite toppings, like cheese, greek yogurt, and fritos.

Serves 6-8.

Lemon Couscous with Veggies and Chicken

1 lb chicken breast
1 10-oz package plain couscous
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp olive oil
4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
2 medium zucchini and/or yellow summer squash, quartered lengthwise and sliced
6 green onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup lemon juice (or lime juice)
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1) Preheat oven to 375. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Remove and chop into bite-sized pieces.

2) Prepare couscous according to package directions.

3) Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and stir carrots in 1 Tbsp oil for 2 minutes. Add zucchini and green onion and cook and stir for 6 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

4) Transfer couscous to a bowl and fluff with a fork. Add veggie mixture and chopped, cooked chicken.

5) In a bowl or screw-top jar combine lemon (or lime) juice, 1/4 cup oil, honey, salt, and black pepper; whisk/shake well. Pour over couscous mixture, toss to combine.

Makes about 8-10 cups. Serves 4-6 as a main course.

You can use quinoa or rice instead of couscous to make this gluten-free (or healthier!). I used 2 cups of dry quinoa last time I made it - it tastes great but isn't quite as fluffy as couscous. Can be served hot or cold, but I prefer room temperature. Excellent topped with sriracha.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter (or ghee)

2 lbs ground chicken (or ground turkey)

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 red, orange, or yellow peppers, seeded and chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 ribs of celery, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp paprika

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

4 cups chicken stock

1/4 to 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce (or other hot sauce)

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 15oz can crushed tomatoes

Place a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted, add the ground chicken and brown it, about 5-10 minutes. Add the carrots, peppers, onion, celery, garlic, paprika, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. (If the pot seems too full you can remove the chicken and cook the veggies  alone for a few minutes, then add the chicken back in.) Add the chicken stock, hot sauce, tomato sauce, and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a bubble, then simmer for 10 more minutes.

* To make this paleo or Whole 30 approved, use ghee instead of butter and use Frank's Red Hot brand hot sauce.

Serves 6.

{Adapted from Rachel Ray}

Corn Pudding

1 egg
1 14 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 14 oz can cream style corn
Handful of Saltine crackers
Milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Crush Saltines into a bowl. Add enough milk to soften. Add egg, corn, and seasoning. Pour into a greased Pyrex dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour until set.

Tips:

To tell if it's done, jiggle the dish. It should look stable around the edges and move just a little in the middle.

The top part of the baked corn is the best, so use a wider, shallower dish for baking so there is more good stuff to go around.

Hilary's Potatoes

2 lbs potatoes
1 packet onion soup mix
1/2 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 450. Cut potatoes into 1" cubes. Mix with olive oil and onion soup mix. Dump into a 9x13 pan. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

For Potatoes:
3 medium sweet potatoes
1/4 cup low fat milk
1 Tbsp butter
salt & pepper

For Filling:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 93% lean
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 cup corn
1 cup peas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain in a colander and return to the saucepan. Mash potatoes, then add butter and milk and stir to combine. Set aside.

While potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the oil into a large saute pan and set over medium high heat. Add the onion and carrots and saute 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the beef, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through. Add the tomato sauce, rosemary, and thyme, and stir to combine. Stir in corn and peas and cook until heated through.

Add the beef mixture to a glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Top with the mashed sweet potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Nutritional info:
Calories: 335
Fat: 13
Carbs: 28
Protein: 27
Fiber: 5

Mushroom Turkey Barley Soup

1 Tbsp butter
1/2 c onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
5 c chicken broth
1/3 c pearl barley
1 T soy sauce
4 carrots, sliced
2 tsp dried dill weed
pepper to taste
8 oz mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 lb turkey breast, cubed

Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until onions are tender but not brown. Add mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

 Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Add stock, barley, soy sauce, and turkey. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Add carrots, dill, and pepper. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until barley and vegetables are tender.

Slow-Roasted Orange Pork

1 (6-7 pound) boneless pork shoulder or Boston butt, well marbles
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp  ground allspice
1 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbs salt
6 cloves garlic, thinnly sliced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-1/3 cups orange juice, divided
1.5 cups dry red wine, divided

2 Tbs fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs olive oil
2 thin-skinned oranges, thinly sliced

Three days before cooking, make deep cuts into the roast. Combine cloves, allspice, coriander, pepper, cinnamon, salt, garlic, oil, 2/3 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup of wine. Smear mixture all over roast, stuffing spices and garlic into the cuts. Put in a bag or container with extra marinade and refrigerate for 3 days, turning several times.

Day of cooking:
Remove meat from fridge and preheat oven to 400 F. Puree rosemary, onion, oil and salt. Spread over meat, stuffing into cuts. Put the roast into a shalow pan (such as a 9x13x2 or a half sheet pan) with the fat side up and scrape any remaining marinade over the meat. Lay orange slices over the roast and roast for 30 min.

Pour the remaining wine and orange juice over the roast, reduce temp to 325 F and roast 90 min, basting over 20-30 min. Once meat reaches 145-150 F, reduce heat to 200 F for another 30 min, or until internal temperature is 155-160 F. Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 min before slicing.

Thinly slice pork and drizzle with pan juices. Serve along side roasted potatoes and salad.