Toss & Cook Ideas from Vanessa

My friend Vanessa has an amazing cooking blog: Feed my Monkeys. Here are few recipes from it that she's shared with me.


Broccoli-rice-chicken Casserole

Easy Chicken Dinner

Pasta Salad

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Burrito Bowl

Burrito Bowl
From the Kitchen of Bethany Plumb


Try jasmine rice, veggies (cooked with coconut oil is delicious!), and black beans.
The beans will give you protein too, so you don't miss the meat. Like a yummy burrito bowl!

Add toppings such as shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, corn, etc

Layered Cheese Enchilada Casserole

Layered Cheese Enchilada Casserole
From the Kitchen of Erin Hamilton


layer corn tortillas
black beans with sour cream and put that on the tortillas,
then add enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.
Put on a second layer and bake at 350 for 35-40 min.
Yummy.

A Potato "Quiche"

A Potato "Quiche"
From the Kitchen of Amy Day


Another one I love is to slice potatoes really thin and layer them in a baking dish with your favorite cheeses and veggies (broccoli, peppers, onions, asparagus, and lots and lots of spinach for the baby) and then pour in a mixture of egg and a little milk or cream. Lots of salt and pepper and bake until quiche-like consistency - but there's no crust. This one settles the morning sickness if you have it!

I am going to guess that you bake this at 375 until done (see above)

Chicken, Veggies and Penne Pasta

Chicken, Veggies and Penne Pasta
From the Kitchen of Amy Day

Rotisserie Chicken
Penne Pasta
White Sauce
Asparagus
Broccoli
Mozzarella
Romano


Buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and throw the meat into penne pasta with a white sauce, asparagus and broccoli, and a few handfuls of shredded mozzarella and romano cheese. It freezes well too - you can get a few lunches and dinners made all at the same time! Good for you to get a little protein...

Variation on Salad with Chicken

Variation on Salad with Chicken
From the kitchen of Vicki Lawhorn

Shredded lettuce, mix chicken strips (since you don't want to cook them, just buy them in the deli section) and mix up with poppyseed dressing (enough to cover). Spoon chicken over lettuce. Top with sliced strawberries, mandarin oranges, slivered almonds, and more poppyseed dressing. I added avocados, because a salad isn't a salad without them. It's really yummy!

Mexican Choc Crunch Brownies

Mexican Brownies
From the Kitchen of Carolyn Schroder

Ingredients:
1 box (12.8) cinnamon toast crunch cereal
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 table spoon corn syrup
1 box brownie mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cups choc chips
3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar (mix cinn and sugar together to create)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray. Place cereal in food processor bowl with metal blade (crush cereal in 2 batches if necessary). Cover; process until finely crushed (about 4 cups).

2. In large bowl, stir butter and corn syrup until well blended. Add crushed cereal; mix thoroughly. Press evenly into pan.

3. In large bowl, make brownie mix as directed on box, using oil, water and eggs and adding cinnamon. (OPTIONAL- Stir in 2/3 cup choc chips.) Pour brownie batter over cereal mixture. (OPTIONAL- sprinkle remaining 2/3 cup choc chips evenly over batter.)

4. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar evenly over brownies. Bake 14-18 minutes longer or until brownies are set when lightly touched in the center. Cool 10 minutes; Loosen edges but do not cut. Cool completely, about 2 hours. For brownies, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

Gingerbread Spice Cake

Gingerbread Spice Cake
from the kitchen of Hannah Reed

Nonstick cooking spray
1 C whole wheat flour, 1 C flour
1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp all spice, 1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C firmly packed br. sugar
1/4 C canola oil
1 egg
1 C broc puree (or zucchini), 1/2 C carrot puree (I used a cup of this also)
1/2 C nonfat plain yogurt (I used sour cream)
1/4 C molasses
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBLS orange zest
*I also added raisins and walnuts

Preheat oven to 375, coat 9x5 loaf pan with spray

Combine dry ingredients. Combine sugar, oil, eggs and mix until smooth. Add in veggies, yogurt, molasses, vanilla, and orange zest. Add flour mixture until smooth.

Bake 45-50 minutes.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread
From the kitchen of Hannah Reed

This is my grandmother's recipe...it's the best, in my opinion. ;)

1/2 C soft marg
1 1/3 C sugar
2 eggs
1/4 C sour cream
2 TBLS rum
1 tsp almond extract (this is the ingredient that makes it awesome)
2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 C bananas

Combine butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream, rum, and almond.
Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add to creamy mixture alternating with bananas.

Pour into greased loaf pan
Bake at 350 for 1 hr 10 minute. Cool out of pan.

HOT CHICKEN SALAD

HOT CHICKEN SALAD (it's kind of a lot of work; so make 2!)
Shared be Renee Hill
From the Kitchen of Sarah Frenzel

2 cups diced chk (or I put it in crock pot, with chk broth and shred it (3-4 breasts)
1-2 diced green onions
1 1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3 diced hard boiled eggs
2 1/2 tsp. lemon or lime juice
1 1/2 cans creamy chk and much soup
1/2- 3/4 cups mayo
1 1/2- 2 cups cooked rice
nature seasons (or salt, pepper, garlic salt, etc.)
Potato chips

mix all in a large bowl
put in casserole dish
sprinkle crushed potato chips on top

bake uncovered- 375 for 30 min.