Healthy Mexican Sweet Potato Skins

 

These are SOOOOOO yummy.  Kinda spicy, but oh so good and FILLING!

3 medium sweet potatoes

1 can corn, rinsed and patted dry 

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2-4 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced or pureed

1 ounce light cream cheese

1/4 cup light sour cream

1 teaspoon salt (+ more to taste)

1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

6 tablespoons shredded cheese (Pepperjack, Cheddar, Colby Jack… anything will work)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes.
2. While
   sweet potatoes are baking, place corn in a heavy cast-iron skillet over
   medium-high heat with no butter or oil. Sprinkle with salt and other
   Mexican seasoning (as much as you want). Do not stir! Let corn roast for
   several minutes before stirring. Let it roast for a few more minutes
   before stirring again. Continue this for about 10 minutes, until corn is
   browned and roasted on the outside. Set aside in a small bowl with the
   black beans.
3. Saute the onion in the butter over medium heat until soft and translucent. Set aside.
4. Remove
   sweet potatoes from the oven when fork-tender. Let cool for 5-10
   minutes. Cut the sweet potatoes in half. Scrape the flesh of the sweet
   potatoes out, leaving the skins intact. Sometimes leaving a thin layer
   of potato inside of the skins helps them hold together better.
5. Mix
   the flesh of the sweet potatoes with the cream cheese, sour cream,
   chipotle peppers, and salt. You can use a mixer or just a spoon,
   depending on how soft the potatoes are. When well-mixed, gently stir in
   the black beans, roasted corn, sauteed onions, and cilantro.
6. Scoop
   the filling into the skins and top each with 1 tablespoon shredded
   cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

One serving size is 1 potato skin.

No Peek Chicken

This is super fast and super easy to get ready... just have to plan ahead a few hours!

1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain Wild Rice (original recipe)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

2 cans water

In a greased 9 x 13 pan, mix the box of rice, cans of celery and mushroom soup and water.  Arrange the raw chicken on top of the rice mixture, cover and seal with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 2 1/2 hours and "Don't Peek!"

Orange Rolls

1 1/2 Cups scalded milk
1 Stick butter
Heat milk and add in butter to melt.  Put in large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients in order.
1/3 Cup sugar
1 tsp salt
Grated rind of 1 Orange
1/4 Cup squeezed orange juice
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp or 1 Pkg Yeast
Stir, then add:
5-6 Cups flour to make sticky dough
Mix/knead well.  Cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.

Roll into rectangle that is about 1/4 to 1/2 in thick and spread with melted butter.  (May add a bit of white sugar and additional orange zest if desired.)
Cut dough into 1 inch wide strips that are about 8-9 inches long.  Tie each strip into a knot (kind of like at the beginning of tying your shoe!)  and tuck in the ends.
Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and let rise until the indent of your little finger into the dough stays in.

Cook about 10 min at 375 or 400.

Make a simple glaze (between a frosting and a runny glaze) in a 2 cup Measure:
Powdered sugar
Orange juice
soft butter
(more orange zest if desired)
Let rolls cool just a bit before topping with glaze.

Potato Soup

4-6 potatoes (leave peels if they're red potatoes)
3/4 Cup chopped ham or bacon (optional)
1/2 C chopped onion
31/2 cups water
2 Tbsp chicken boullion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 C Sour Cream

5 Tbs butter

5 Tbs flour
2  Cups Milk

Boil potatoes until they are soft.  Drain them, setting the water aside.  Cut up the potatoes to desired pieces or mash them completely. (I usually use leftover baked potatoes from Sunday dinner).

Place chopped potatoes, ham, onion, and water into stock pot and bring to boiling on med high heat.  Drop heat to low and boil for 10 minutes.  Add in boullion, salt, paprika, pepper and let slowly boil/simmer until you are finished with the next step.

Make a roux with the butter and flower over med/low heat in a separate sauce pan. When it is smooth slowly add 2 cups milk.  Continue to whisk on med/low heat until the sauce makes a gravy, but not too thick.  Stop before it boils.  Takes about 10 minutes.

Add the sour cream and the milk/gravy to the soup.  Let simmer a few more minutes until ready to serve.

Recipe courtesy of Cheryl Crockett... with a few adjustments from Katie.

Kristi's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Kristi always makes the best cookies, this is her recipe.

3/4 C sugar

3/4 C brown sugar

1 C shortening

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 C flour

1 Cup chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 min