It's Tasty Tuesday!

This is the first Tasty Tuesday on the new Abundant Empress blog.  I love food; I am a true foodie.  I love to try new recipes, and I love my old-standby recipe collection.  Cooking and enjoying food (especially with friends) is part of my concept of living an abundant life. 

My goal with Tasty Tuesday is to provide recipes and ideas that have some nutritional value, that are fairly easy to make, and that do not require a long list of ingredients.  I don't like making fussy meals, and I am not a gourmet by any means.  I like fixing tasty, simple, and hearty meals, so those are the types of recipes I will share here.

If I have a recipe or if I come across a recipe that I enjoy that is also a specifically "healthy" recipe, I will share it.  I generally try to cook dishes that are on the fairly healthy side, but I am NOT all about the sprouts, the kale, the gluten-free, the fat-free options (and humans need a certain amount of fat in their diet anyway).  

I also share recipes on my Facebook page (Abundant Empress, LLC on Facebook) every Thursday, so if you want more recipe options, you can check that out as well.

Of course, if you have ideas for altering recipes to your taste,by all means go ahead.  These recipes can be followed to the letter or you can play around with them according to your preference. 

Today's Recipe is Chili Beef Pasta

Ingredients:

3 cups uncooked rotini (spiral) pasta

1 pound of ground beef (or you can use ground turkey if you prefer)

1 can of spicy chili beans (such as Bush's or Kuner's)

1 can (about 14 or 15 ounces) diced peeled tomatoes (do not drain)

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1)  Cook pasta according to package directions,  Drain.

2)  While pasta is cooking, brown ground beef or turkey in large sauce pan or Dutch oven (medium-high heat).  Drain.

3)  Add cooked pasta, beans, tomatoes, and chili powder.

4)  Cook and stir for about 3 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated.

5)  Top each serving with cheese while hot.

Serves 6

Additional topping options:

Small dollop of sour cream on each serving
chopped oniion
cooked bacon bits
broken-up corn chips

Enjoy!

Sharing a Couple of Recipes

Every Thursday I share recipes on my Abundant Empress Facebook page.  Today I shared two recipes, so I thought I would post them on my blog as well.   In the future, I will try to post a different recipe here on my blog every Tuesday.   The blog recipes will be different from the Facebook recipes.  But because today was a bonus day of two recipes, I wanted to post both of them here.  They are tasty. 

Hi Everyone! It was a golden day here in Minnesota, and the air is getting chilly. I love days like this because I feel energized to get a lot accomplished. And, let us not forget...

It's THursday -- Thyme to Share a Recipe!

I declare it a bonus day today, so I am going to share with you TWO super simple recipes: One is for a lovely spread that you can serve with crackers or veggies at a party (or a Friday movie night, curled up on the couch with your honey, your kids, or your pets, or all of them).

One is for a vegetable side dish that will add nutrition and flavor to many types of lunch or supper meals.

RECIPE 1:

BACON SMOKEY SPREAD

Ingredients:
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled into bits
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Sliced green onion (optional)

Instructions:
1) Combine cheddar cheese and cream cheese.

2) Mix until well blended.

3) Add remaining ingredients.. Mix well.

4) Top with a few crumbles of bacon if desired, also top with small slices of green onion if desired.

5) Chill for about 1 hour.

6) Serve with crusty bread rounds, crackers, or fresh-cut veggies.

RECIPE 2:

ITALIAN STYLE BROCCOLI

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 pounds of broccoli, cut into flowerets
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh lemon will taste better than the jar lemon juice for this)

Instructions:
1) Steam broccoli in large skillet for 5 minutes until crispy-tender.

2) Remove broccoli from skillet, and drain.

3) Pour oil into skillet and add garlic.

4) Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until garlic is LIGHTLY golden -- do not let the garlic brown too much, or it will be bitter.

5) Add broccoli and lemon juice to skillet, Toss gently.

6) Cover skillet and cook for 1 additional minute.

Those are the two recipes for this week. Thanks for checking in.