Slow-Cooker Tequila Lime Chili

It's been hot all week and today I finally got smart and remembered my slow cooker. I discovered this amazing, summery chili recipe in America's Test Kitchen's Slow Cooker Revolution. With very little prep in the morning, I had a flavorful and nutritious dinner by the heat of the evening. My husband and I topped our bowls with only some shredded cheese—nothing else necessary! Serves 6.

Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce

Lately, this is my go-to, easy spaghetti sauce. It comes together quickly with minimal effort, but tastes like its been simmering on the stove all day! Oh, and the sauce gets even better the next day. For an extra veggie punch, you can put 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree in the sauce when adding the tomatoes. Serves 8-10 (feel free to freeze 1/2 of the sauce for later!).

Spaghetti with Bolognese-Style Sauce

The key to this classic dish is "low and slow." Indeed, the sauce takes a whole three hours from start to finish. Is it worth the time? Yes. Yes it is. The flavors are meaty, satisfying, and downright beautiful. With an easy ingredient list, this recipe is great to prepare all-year-round. This recipe was adapted from Mark Bittman and makes about 4 cups of sauce.

Turkey Chili with Kidney Beans

This chili is absolutely fabulous either on it's own or over a baked potato with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and chives. The flavor of the chili improves with age. Try to make it a day or two before serving. It can also be frozen for a month.

Stuffed Zucchini Casserole

At the Farmer's Markets and in the gardens, the zucchinis are getting HUGE. I bought this particular one and decided to tackle the Italian-American favorite, Stuffed Zucchini. I seem to have very little time these days to cook and it seems we eat out more than eating at home. So, I am attempting to write and find recipes that are simple and don't generate a ton of dishes. Casseroles accomplish this quite well, and they become wonderful lunches for the next day.

Vegetarian Chili

Sometimes you just don't want to eat meat or the fat that comes along with it. This chili is great just topped with fat-free yogurt (or fat-free sour cream) and mozzarella cheese or, for a more decadent comfort-food-dish, top a baked potato with this chili. Yum.

However, if you'd like to add some meat to this, brown 1 pound lean ground turkey. Add one tablespoon, or so, Worcestershire sauce to the meat. Add this meat to the chili after the addition of the water. If adding the meat, you can take out the mushrooms and bulgur, if you like.

Mathew's Cottage Pie

This weekend when I was out of town, my husband shocked the heck out of me by making this cottage pie. Previously, his culinary experience consisted of a blue box of macaroni and a pot of boiling water. He told me how he suffered through the experience, but his suffering made an outstanding dish—most certainly the best shepherd's pie I've ever tasted. This recipe hails from Jane Hornby's What To Cook & How To Cook It. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is not a very confident cook. She has pictures of every single step—perfect for the visual learner!

Farmer's Market Veggie Hashbrowns

This past weekend, we went to the farmer's market and had my favorite breakfast dish—Potatoes O'Jones. Yum. I have vowed to recreate this wonderful dish because it makes such good use of a variety of vegetables.

"Crustless" Quiche Lorraine

Ok, well, it's not quite "crustless." Instead of a heavy pastry crust, I've made a crust from potato slices.  Traditional Quiche Lorraine has a lot of fat from the egg yolks, cheese, and cream. I've cut back to the fat by having only 2 egg yolks, fat-free cottage cheese, and a dab of fat-free milk. After this, you won't miss the crusted version!

No-Boil, Veggie-Tastic Lasagna

This gorgeous and absolutely addictive lasagna is wonderful because you can use any kind of lasagna noodle and not have to boil it first. The secret is just adding more liquid to the sauce and pressing the noodles firmly into the sauce. This recipe was originally a vegetarian entreé, however, my husband demanded a meaty lasagna. Make it vegetarian by taking out the meat and increasing the mushrooms to 3-4 grated mushrooms. Look below the recipe for my solution to garlic bread.

Hidden Veggie Spaghetti

My version of spaghetti sauce is absolutely packed to the brim with nutrients. All of the vegetables are pureed so that it's impossible for even the most picky eaters to identify individual veggie flavors. Note that this could easily be a vegetarian dish by substituting the ground turkey for diced mushrooms. To puree the vegetables, check out my Guide to Purees.

Easter Dinner

On Easter I hosted a small dinner party for our friends. People wanted to eat, so the pictures aren't as good as usual. On the menu was Herb-Roasted Turkey, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Baked Asparagus, Fresh Cranberry Sauce, Cornbread Stuffing, and Sage Gravy.

Turkey Stroganoff

Believe it or not, I get those occasional cravings for Hamburger Helper. I think we've all gone through the Hamburger Helper phase, and some of us may still be there. Well, you can have the convenience of a one-pot-meal-in-a-box without all of the preservatives and extra fat.

"Good Morning" Egg Muffin Sandwich

Instead of picking up breakfast in a drive-thru lane, try this marvelous creation.

Ingredients
1 whole wheat (HFCS-free) English muffin
2 strips nitrite-free turkey bacon
2 egg whites
1 slice of 2% American cheese

1) Toast the English muffin. 2) Place a slice of cheese on one side of the muffin. 3) Fry up the egg whites; keeping them in a "muffin-sized" patty. Place on top of the cheese. 4) Fry up the bacon to your desired doneness. Fold each in half and place on the eggs. 5) Top with the other half of the English muffin. Voila! You have a home-made breakfast sandwich.

1 serving; approx. 237 calories, 6g fat, 28g carb

Sloppy Joes

I like my Sloppy Joes open-faced with a layer of decadent, toasted mozzarella cheese with a side of spinach. This comfort food never fails to make my mouth water. Best yet, it's filled to the brim with hidden veggies.

Turkey-Veggie Meatloaf with Carrot Couscous

I have never really had a taste for meatloaf. I always found it fairly bland and pointless. But I had a taste of a Central Market recipe for meatloaf and found a new love. Of course I have modified it quite a bit from the original, like I do with all my recipes.