Quick and Easy Nachos

Made these tonight for dinner, and everyone loved them.  I think it took me all of 15 min. to get dinner on the table.  These would make a great appetizer as well.

1 bag tortilla chips

1 can black beans

1/2 lb ground beef or turkey

taco seasoning

sliced olives

shredded cheese

sour cream

green onions

guacamole

salsa

-spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Cover cookie sheet with tortilla chips. Sprinkle a small amount of cheese on tortilla chips.   Drain and rinse black beans and heat until warmed through.  Brown meat with 3/4 C water and 1/4 C taco seasoning.  Spoon beans, meat, olives and then cheese on chips.  Put in oven on broil for 5-10 min.  Watch carefully and take out when cheese is melted.  serve with sour cream, onions, salsa and guacamole.

White Bean Chicken Chili

I made this last week and everyone in the family thought it was awesome.  There was not a drop left in the pot.  I got the recipe from myfoodstoragedeals.blogspot.com.  I made a few modifications from the original recipe.

1 lb. dried small white beans (soaked overnight)

10 C water

1 jar of salsa

1/4 C salsa verde or 1 can green chilis

2-4 chicken breasts

1/2 onion, diced or use dehydrated

1 C shredded cheese

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2-1 Tbl cumin

1 Tbl dried cilantro

6-7 chicken bouillon cubes

some cayenne pepper (how spicy do you like it?)

-Throw all the ingredients into a pot and cook on low to medium until beans are tender.  Just put the chicken in whole and raw and take out when cooked and cut up.  It will take about 6 hours of simmer time for the beans to get tender.  Serve with tortilla chips, more cheese, sour cream, whatever.

Whole Wheat Pancake Mix

This is all stuff you'd find in your food storage.  The kids and husband thought they were great.  I like them because they are good for you too!

8 C Whole Wheat flour

4 Tbl baking powder

4 tsp salt

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C powdered eggs

1 1/2 C powdered milk

1/2 C flax seed mill (or ground flax seed)

2 C old fashioned oats, ground fine

-Mix all together and store in refrigerator.  When your ready to make pancakes, just scoop some dry mix and add enough water to make the right consistency.

* We like to add cinnamon (1/2-1 tsp) and applesauce (about 1/2 C to a batch of pancakes) to ours when we make them.  We've also tried mashed bananas, chopped pecans and nutmeg which are also great.  You can add pretty much anything you want!  

**These also make great waffles.  Just add 1 Tbl oil to your mix when you are making them.

Lemon Berry Muffins

These were really yummy. My husband said they tasted like store bought muffins. I used my food storage to make these. I was out of eggs so I used my dry egg product, I think it made them a little more crumbly. They were still very good.

Lemon Berry Muffins
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 lemon, zested
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, at room temperature (2 TBS dry egg product & 1/4 cup water)
½ cup milk
1 cup fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, etc)
1 Tbsp flour

Glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 ½ Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt.

Place sugar, lemon zest and butter in the mixer bowl. Using the flat beater set to speed 4 and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Stop mixer to scrape down bowl. Set to speed 4 and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Set to speed 2 and beat in flour mixture alternately with milk, making 3 additions of dry and 2 of wet. Remove the mixer bowl and scrape it down.
In a small bowl, quickly toss berries with the 1 Tbsp flour. Using a large spatula, carefully fold berries into batter.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake in middle of 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool in tin on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pan.

Meanwhile prepare the glaze: In small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Brush on warm muffins.