{Thrice Favorites} DIY Taco Seasoning

Jana here with a very versatile recipe - Homemade Taco Seasoning!   This is great for several reasons.  It is good make in a pinch if you were planning to use taco seasoning in a packet, but are out.  It is much cheaper to make it yourself, and healthier!  There is less salt than the packaged seasoning, and you know exactly what is in it!  I found this recipe at All Recipes. 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

3 tablespoons chili powder

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon onion powder

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients.  The measurements above will make about 9 tablespoons.  Two or three tablespoons of the mixture will be equal flavoring to a taco seasoning packet.  You can easily make more or less of this, to serve your needs.  I like to make at least this amount, and store it in an air-tight container so I have some on hand! 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Jana here with a very versatile recipe - Homemade Taco Seasoning!   This is great for several reasons.  It is good make in a pinch if you were planning to use taco seasoning in a packet, but are out.  It is much cheaper to make it yourself, and healthier!  There is less salt than the packaged seasoning, and you know exactly what is in it!  I found this recipe at All Recipes. 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

3 tablespoons chili powder

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon onion powder

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients.  The measurements above will make about 9 tablespoons.  Two or three tablespoons of the mixture will be equal flavoring to a taco seasoning packet.  You can easily make more or less of this, to serve your needs.  I like to make at least this amount, and store it in an air-tight container so I have some on hand! 

DIY Cajun Seasoning

Jana here with another DIY Seasoning mix! We also have a DIY Taco Seasoning posted here. There are several reasons I like to make these mixes myself, but the main one is convenience. I don't have to think about if I have a seasoning packet on hand when I decide to make something. I can quickly mix together the spices I already have on hand to have the same effect!  (or better)  It's also more cost effective to mix it yourself, and healthier. Many of the seasoning packets you purchase at the store have high sodium, preservatives, and/or MSGs. I wanted to make a chicken and sausage stew recently, and it called for Cajun seasoning. I didn't have any, so I made this modified version of a recipe I found on All Recipes.

Cajun Seasoning

1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Mix all ingredients together, and store in an air tight container.

*This amount of cayenne will make the seasoning mix mildly spicy. If you don't prefer much spice, I would cut this amount in half.
Enjoy!

Taco Ring

This is something I made a very long time ago but remembered and wanted to post! It is great for a party or get-together because it looks so festive and each guest can cut a piece however big or small they want! I saw this recipe made (if I'm remembering correctly) at one of the Taste of Home cooking schools. If you ever get a chance to attend one of these you should! They're a lot of fun. :) The recipe on the Taste of Home site is called "Taco Meatball Ring", but I didn't put meatballs in the picture above. I just used regular ground beef. I'm sure you could use ground turkey also! This recipe is a bit of a treat because it calls for the canned crescent rolls which aren't healthy.
Taco-Meatball-Ring

• Prep: 30 min. Bake: 15 min.
• Yield: 16 Servings

30 15 45

Ingredients

• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 to 4 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1/2 medium head iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
• 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced
• Sour cream and salsa, optional

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup cheese, water and taco seasoning. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 16 balls.
• Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 12 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Drain meatballs on paper towels. Reduce heat to 375°.
• Arrange crescent rolls on a greased 15-in. pizza pan, forming a ring with pointed ends facing the outer edge of the pan and wide ends overlapping.
• Place a meatball on each roll; fold point over meatball and tuck under wide end of roll (meatball will be visible). Repeat. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.
• Transfer to a serving platter. Fill the center of the ring with lettuce, tomato, onions, olives, jalapenos, remaining cheese, and sour cream and salsa if desired. Yield: 16 servings.

1 serving (calculated without salsa and sour cream) equals 203 calories, 12 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 24 mg cholesterol, 457 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 8 g protein.

enjoy! Sara 

Taco Salad

Jana here with a new idea for Taco Salad!  Last week, we were having some friends over for dinner, and we were making Taco Salad for the meal.  I was using ground turkey for the meat, and had planned to season it myself.  I didn't have any homemade taco seasoning, and I was in a hurry, so I just seasoned the meat with spices.  After taste-testing it, my husband came up with the awesome idea to add some pureed Rotel to it!  We put a can of Rotel in the food chopper/blender, added it to 2 pounds of ground turkey, and we had a delicious, flavorful taco salad meat!  I recommend trying this method for seasoning ground turkey or beef for any mexican meal!

Our Taco Salad consisted of:

Lettuce
Tortilla Chips
Seasoned Ground Turkey
Kidney Beans
Chopped Black Olives
Diced Tomatoes
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream

If we had had any avacadoes on hand, those would have definitely been added also!  This is an inexpensive, healthy, delicious meal that the whole family will enjoy!

Taco Pasta Bake (Makes 2 - Freezer Friendly)

Becca here with a great recipe I saw here and adapted to make it freezer friendly, and make two dinners just as easily as one.  That way you can eat one and have one ready for a meal later, or have a great meal to take to a friend plus dinner for your family as well.  Feel free to serve with traditional taco toppings, such as sour cream, avocado, salsa, or black olives, whatever is your family's favorite & you have on hand.  My whole family really enjoyed this dish; the creamy casserole topped with crunchy chips was a great variety in texture, and the flavor was great too!   Enjoy!!


2 pounds ground beef (or turkey)
1 large onion, chopped
2 packets taco seasoning, or make your own
1 large can (29 oz.) tomato sauce
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
1 teaspoon salt (I use real salt)
16 oz. frozen corn
2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chilies
12 oz. rotini, cooked
4 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I use sharp cheddar)
In a large pan over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink.  Drain, return to the large pan, and add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, rotel tomatoes, tomato sauce, and salt.  Stir well, turn heat down to medium low, and simmer for 10 minutes.  In a separate large saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions.

Drain pasta and return to large saucepan.  Add frozen corn, chopped green chilies, and tomato/beef mixture and gently stir to combine.  Pour mixture into two lightly oiled 8x8 pans, or pans of a similiar size.  I use oval corningware often also. 

If serving immediately:  Bake for 10 minutes at 350.  Top each with 2 cups crushed tortilla chips and 1 cup of cheese, and bake another 10 more minutes. 

If freezing one or both casseroles to serve later:  Tightly cover baking dishes.  Place 2 cups of crushed tortilla chips and 1 cup of shredded cheese per casserole into a zip top bag, and secure to the top (I use a rubber band wrapped around them both, or top with another layer of foil to hold it all together.  Including baking directions:  Defrost overnight in the fridge, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes, top with crushed tortilla chips and cheese, and bake an addition 10 minutes, or until heated through.  Enjoy!

Mini Mexican Pizzas

Jana here with a recipe that is perfect for a snack, a party finger food, or even a main dish!  My family ate them as a main dish at dinner, and they were very filling!  I added sour cream and salsa for toppings, but the possibilities are endless!  If you were serving these at a party, you could add guacamole, queso, black olives, etc!  I found the inspiration here.  The recipe makes 12 mini mexican pizzas, using a mini muffin tin.

Mini Mexican Pizzas

3-4 tortillas (whole wheat or white)
1/2 pound ground turkey or beef, cooked
1/2 cup salsa or Rotel
2 teaspoons dry taco seasoning (see our DIY version here).
1/2 cup refried beans
1/2 cup shredded cheese (we used mexican blend)
any additional toppings you choose

1. Preheat oven to 425 degees.  Prepare a 12 count mini muffin tin by greasing it with non-stick spray or butter.

2. Lay each tortilla out separately on a cutting board, and use a round object (cup, lid, etc) to cut 3-4 medium circles from each.

3. Press each tortilla circle into the bottom of each muffin cup. 

4. In a small bowl, mix the ground meat, salsa, taco seasoning, and beans. 

5. Scoop the mixture into each muffin tin, evenly.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

7. Allow pizzas to cool for a few minutes, and remove from muffin tin with a knife or fork. 

Top with desired toppings, and enjoy!

DIY Nacho Night

So here's a real look at our table recently! Something I love about going out to eat is the presentation. To me-presentation is everything! Most nights I'm doing good enough to get food on the table at home though. This meal is so quick and simple however, you can easily spice up your presentation without too much work! We love nachos, and as you can tell, I prepared quite a lot. I did this intentionally so that we'd have something quick to throw together for lunches the rest of the week. We had a number of toppings to choose from, but you could add even more if you wanted! I love a DIY night because then everyone gets to have what tastes best to them. Also, we tried refried black beans with this meal and liked them! I need to compare the calories and fat with the fat free refried beans, which are what we usually eat.

DIY Nacho Night
1 pound meat of choice (we used deer meat!)
1 packet taco seasoning

Tortilla chips of choice

Nacho toppings:
We used tomato, green onion, white onion, jalapeno, light sour cream, cheese, and salsa.
Additional ingredients you could use are: black olives, beans, corn, avocado, red onion, green chilies, etc.

Cook meat and then follow taco seasoning directions.
Display all toppings in bowl or on platter and dig in !
Happy Eating!
Sara :)

Loaded Baked Sweet Potato

I am so excited to share this delicious recipe with you today!  This has seriously been one of the best meatless meals I've prepared lately.  My dear husband even thought so!  I fixed these with roasted zucchini and chickpeas on the side.  Really though, I don't even think the side was necessary!  These were so filling my husband wasn't even able to finish his potato.  The best part-these are bursting with flavor!  I hope you'll give them a try.  The black bean mixture on the top also tastes great as a nacho topping, which I discovered the next day with the leftovers.
*I modified this recipe!

Loaded Baked Sweet Potato-Serves 2, or cut in half to serve 4 as a side dish
Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt (fat-free)
1 tsp. taco seasoning
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers (I used the jarred kind, found on the olive aisle!)
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can green chilies

Toppings: (use amount you prefer!)
Green onions
Cheese
Verde salsa (green salsa)
Sea Salt

Directions:
1.) Bake sweet potatoes in your microwave.
2.) Heat oil in large saucepan.  Add red bell peppers, onion, spices, black beans, and green chilies.  Cook until heated through and onions begin to soften.
3.)  Mix Greek Yogurt with taco seasoning and stir well!
4.)  Assemble sweet potatoes.  Cut open baked sweet potatoes and top with bean mixture.  Then add cheese, green onions, Greek Yogurt topping, salsa, and a light sprinkle of sea salt on top.

Happy Eating!
Sara

{Instant Pot} Cauliflower Rice

 *This is a great recipe to have children help you make!

Jana here with another really simple, and very versatile recipe you can make in your Instant Pot!  Many people are trying to cut carbs in their diet, and this recipe is an easy way to do just that. Using a head of cauliflower, you can make a rice substitute!  My family ate it this time as a type of 'rice bowl', along with mexican seasoned (DIY taco seasoning here) shredded pork, beans, lettuce, salsa, Greek yogurt (we substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream), etc.  Instead of shredded pork, you could also use shredded chicken, or ground beef. When the cauliflower rice is mixed in with all of these other ingredients, it truly was just as good (or better!) as rice would have been!  My children all enjoyed it a lot!

There are many other uses for cauliflower rice, as well. Most recipes where you would typically reach for rice, give the cauliflower rice a try!  Some ideas include: chicken curry, red beans and rice, or creamy chicken over rice.

{Instant Pot} Cauliflower Rice

1 head cauliflower
1 cup broth or water
salt and pepper

1. Place the trivet in the bottom of the IP, and pour the 1 cup of liquid into the bottom.

2. Cut the head of cauliflower into small florets, and set those on top of the trivet.

3. Secure the lid of the IP (making sure the valve is pointed towards the back- Sealing), and push Manual, Set the timer for 4 minutes.

4. Once it has reached pressure, and cooked the 4 minutes, most the pressure valve to Venting, to do a quick pressure release.

5. When the pressure is released, carefully open the lid, and remove the florets. Put them in a bowl, and use a fork to cut them into rice like pellets. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy! If you make this recipe, leave a comment and let us know!

Crock-pot White Chicken Chili (Cream of Chicken Soup FREE)

 Recently I came across a popular recipe on Pinterest for crock-pot white chicken chili.  Although I was excited to try the recipe because it sounded delicious, I wasn't excited about the cream of chicken soup it called for.  As a personal choice, I don't typically buy "cream of" anything soups.  However, I bought the rest of the soup ingredients anyway, and decided I would figure out an alternative.  After doing some research, I ended up with a soup I was very happy with, and that included NO cream of chicken soup!

On a good dinner prep night (meaning-time and my baby allow for it) I like to make things look pretty or arrange them differently at least, for the table.  This night I fixed onion, green onion, black olives, avocado, sour cream, and cheese to put on top of the chili.  It added such a nice layer of flavor! And for honesty sakes...we also had ranch-flavored Doritoes on the side as well. Let's keep it real folks! These aren't a normal item in our kitchen, no worries.

Crock-pot White Chicken Chili
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 lbs. uncooked chicken breast, cut into chunks
2 (15 oz.) cans of white cannelini beans
1 (15 oz.) can of white corn
1 sweet onion chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 package taco seasoning (Or you could make your own, using this recipe from Thrice the Spice!)
1 (7 oz.) can of chopped green chilies
1 (14 oz.) can of chicken broth
1 batch of homemade cream of chicken soup (recipe below)

Cream of Chicken Soup

2  Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup all purpose flour (you can substitute a gluten free baking mix if needed)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Heat a sauce pan over medium heat and melt butter.  Whisk in flour and continue cooking until thick and golden brown – but not too brown – about 1 minute, whisking constantly.  Slowly pour in milk and chicken stock and whisk again.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until flour has been incorporated and mixture is lightly bubbling.  Add salt, pepper, parsley, and oregano.  Stir, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until thickened.   Then use in place of cream of chicken soup called for in recipe!

Chili directions:
First-prepare homemade cream of chicken soup and set aside. Next, place chicken chunks into the bottom of your crock-pot.  Add beans, corn, and onion.  Mix the next five ingredients and pour over the top.  Cover and cook on low in the crock-pot for 8-10 hours.
Top with items of your choice and enjoy!

Happy Eating,
Sara