Easy Weeknight Casserole- Just Like Mom Used to Make

Casseroles are definitely a Mom's best friend- they are easy to make, most can be made ahead of time, and kids seem to love them. The challenge is finding dairy free casserole recipes.  I used to make several- but they all contained some form of cheese, creamed soup or sauce, or milk.  Then one night my Mom had us over for dinner and made this dish that she used to make at least once a week when I was a kid.  Of course back then she used cheese, but for me she has omitted the cheese.  It has since become my 3 daughters' favorite meal, both at Mom's house and at mine.  We call it American Chop Suey and I have absolutely no idea why (Maybe you can answer that one for me, Mom?)
My oldest daughter has been asking me to share this recipe on the blog for about a year now, but I haven't had the chance.   Usually I make it on nights when we are running around and I don't have time to take pictures while I cook.  The other night I started it early enough and remembered to take pictures as I went along.  So here you go, my girls' absolute favorite meal:

American Chop Suey

Ingredients:

1lb lean ground beef

1 pepper (of any color) chopped

1 medium white onion chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

1-2 cans tomato sauce

dried oregano (you can use fresh if you have some)

1-2 teaspoons dried basil

1-2 teaspoons dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

noodles of choice- Penne or Rotini work best


Directions:

1. Chop all your veggies and mince your garlic and set aside

2. Preheat a large skillet, drizzle in about a tablespoon of olive oil, and add your ground beef.

3. Once your meat is mostly browned, add your onion, peppers, and garlic.  If you use a high fat content beef, drain the fat off first.  We use extra lean, organic beef so I don't have to drain mine.

4. Once the beef is cooked through and the veggies have softened a bit, add your canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and your spices.   Let simmer for as long as you want on low ( I will let this go for an hour or more on very low heat). Or if you want it sooner, simmer on medium heat until the sauce thickens slightly.  

5. While your sauce is simmering, cook up your noodles according to the package.  Preheat your oven to 350F.

6. Drain your pasta and combine with the sauce in a large casserole dish. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes.

If you want to make it ahead of time you can put the casserole in the fridge and cook it later. 

This is such an easy and kid friendly dinner. This time around we paired it with a green salad and my homemade Strawberry Merlot Vinaigrette .  And it makes so much we always have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Do you have a favorite meal from your childhood that you still make as an adult?

Weekend Recap

I don't normally do weekend recap posts but we had such a fun weekend that I couldn't resist!  We started the weekend with our first harvest from our early spring garden.  We were very pleasantly surprised with what we got.  The red cabbage and broccoli obviously isn't ready yet, but I got quite a lot of leaf lettuce and kale. I know it looks a bit crowded but we are doing the square foot gardening method and it's working beautifully.

We didn't get a large amount of kale this time, but just enough to make some spicy kale chips to go with dinner the other night.  Those will definitely be shared soon!

The lettuce we used on burgers one night, and then used the rest in a salad.  I don't know why but lettuce out of my own garden just tastes so much better than lettuce bought at the store!  

Saturday we got up bright and early, ok maybe not bright, but definitely early, and headed out to the Lacrosse field for a game.  I love that my daughter has found a sport she enjoys so much! I just wish this spring had been a tad warmer!  It's been so cold and windy at most of her games this year. The rest of the day was spent surrounded by kids, watching movies, and dodging rain drops.


Sunday we made up a big family- Belgian waffles, bacon, and fresh fruit- and then we packed up our  kids and headed out to go strawberry picking. We did this last year for Mother's Day and the girls loved it so much we couldn't wait to do it again this year!

   Half the fun of where we go to pick is getting there.  We have to take a ferry across the river. It was a bit chilly this year, but the girls all had a great time anyway.

 

We let the girls do most of it on their own this year since the were old pros from last year.  My Middle Daughter got her own basket and quickly got to work finding the prettiest berries she could. She was so very proud of herself!

 The Little One enjoyed picking berries too, but along the way she got distracted by a new little friend- a Ladybug.

 We were a bit nervous that the rain the previous day, the lack of sunshine, and the cooler temperatures would mean there wouldn't be a lot of berries ready to be picked.  That was not at all the case!  There were tons of gorgeous berries- so many it was hard to convince the girls to stop picking!  The cooler temperatures also kept the bees away, which is very helpful!

I think the Littlest One's favorite part was the ferry ride!  Both going over and coming back she was all smiles and giggles.  Of course as soon as we got back in the car for the drive home she was out!

We have already used a lot of these berries- we topped pancakes with them this morning, I made a vinaigrette out of them yesterday (recipe coming tomorrow!) and today we plan to freeze some and make some into ice cream.

This is definitely one of my favorite activities of the year, and we already can't wait to go back!

Have you entered the GoodBelly Giveaway yet?  

Flatbread Pizza

In case you have not noticed from other posts I love pizza.  It was probably one of the hardest things to give up when I went dairy free. But now that I have found two great dairy free cheese options- Daiya and Veggie Shreds- we make pizza, and variations of pizza,  quite often.  Last night was one of those cool, rainy nights and the kids wanted something fun for dinner. What's more fun for kids than getting to make their own pizzas?  On my recent trip to the grocery store I picked up a pack of flat bread that I thought would make a good pizza crust.

I love veggies on my pizza and so I loaded it up with spinach, yellow peppers, tomatoes, and onion:

My oldest daughter even added some spinach and peppers to hers.  

First things first: Get the bread a little crispy before adding the toppings. I put it in a 350F oven for about 5 minutes. 1 flat bread will feed one adult.

Then I added all my toppings and used Veggie Shreds*

I made the Little One's pizza with Daiya cheese. She LOVES Daiya!

 The Dairy Free Little One's dinner- dairy free pizza with mixed veggies.  She cleaned her plate!

Mine before it was cooked:

Fresh out of the oven:

I have found that Veggie Shreds melt better when they are covered, so I tented a piece of aluminum foil over my pizza.  Daiya melts great without being covered.

This was much quicker than making my own crust, and took half the time.  I think next time we will do these on the grill!  

If you don't like cheese alternatives, try it with hummus.  When heated, hummus gets creamy and has a cheese like consistency.

Other Pizza Posts:

Pizza and a Movie Night

Cooking with the Kids: Bagel Pizzas 

Stromboli

Pepperoni Rolls

*remember Veggie Shreds contain Casein.  They are great for Lactose Intolerant people, but not if you have a milk protein allergy.

What is your favorite kind of pizza?

Belgian Waffles

I'm not sure how this happened, but my kids are all huge fans of breakfast.  Me-not so much.  Especially when I was a kid. I guess my girls take after their Daddy in that way.  As soon as their feet hit the floor in the morning they are wanting to eat breakfast.  Their favorites include Cheerios, Life, Rice Krispies (or Kripsies as my 5 year old calls them), or Corn Pops.  They do like oatmeal, especially overnight oats.  But their favorite breakfast is Belgian waffles or pancakes with syrup.  We have tried several waffle and pancake recipes and my favorite is a very simple recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

I have found that most waffle and pancake recipes call for some sort of dairy product- buttermilk, cream, sour cream, etc.  But, contrary to popular belief you do not need dairy to make a delicious, light waffle. These are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. 

Belgian Waffles:

1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar ( raw cane sugar)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 and 3/4 cup vanilla soy milk

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat your waffle maker while you are preparing the batter.

1.In a medium bowl mix together your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Make a well in the center.

2.In another bowl add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until moistened. 

My helper for the morning, in her brand new feetsie pajamas that she had to  have.

3. Pour 1 to 1 and 1/4 cups batter on the grids.  Follow your waffle makers directions for use.

We turn these into "dippers" for the two littlest ones. 

If I have time I will usually make a double batch so I have plenty to get through the week.  They reheat wonderfully in a toaster. They also freeze well.

And I just had to add this picture of my other little "Helper".  Bruin was so hopeful he would get a waffle too.  And of course he did.

Recipe adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Simply Homemade~ Beef Stew

This is one of my family's absolute favorite winter time meals and one I grew up on as a kid.  It's so easy, requires few ingredients, and the best part- it is a slow cooker meal that require no attention all day until about 30 minutes before you are ready for dinner.  It takes about 4 hours on high or 6 on low. I make this on nights we have sports, Scouts, or drama classes.  Last night I made it for my husband and daughters so they could eat while I was at my Brownie meeting.  I made a bowl for myself when I got home and it was perfect for warming me up after being out in the cold.

Ingredients:

1lb stew beef

1 medium onion diced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4-6 carrots, sliced

4 stalks celery, sliced

3-4 medium potatoes, chopped.  

1/4 cup flour 

water

Salt and pepper to taste

I didn't include a picture of the raw stew beef because raw stew beef is unappetizing.

Directions:

1. Heat about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet.  Add your diced onions and your stew  beef.  Season with salt and pepper and let cook until the meat is browned on the outside and the onions are translucent.

2. While the meat and onions are browning, prepare your carrots and celery and place them in the bottom of your slow cooker.  Don't cut the potatoes- those get added later in the cooking process.

3. Once the meat is browned, cover with water.  This will help to de-glaze the pan, and to make a a broth for the stew.  Let cook until it starts to simmer.  

4. Pour the stew beef, onions, and water into the slow cooker.  Add additional water if needed to make sure all the meat and veggies are covered.  Season with additional salt and pepper.  Let cook  for 4 hours to 6 hours.

5. About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, add in your peeled and diced potatoes.  The smaller the pieces, the faster they will cook.  Once you can break them up with a fork, they are done.  

6.  Thicken the stew by combining flour and water to make a paste and adding that to your stew.  You can make this as thick or as thin as you like.  We prefer ours thicker than soup so I usually use about a 1/4 cup flour mixed with roughly 1/2 cup water and whisked into a smooth consistency.  Make sure there are no lumps in your paste. (You could also use cornstarch instead of flour, I have  used it for this before)

  Add it to your stew and stir well.

You will need to add more salt, especially since you do not use a premade broth.  Potatoes absorb salt, and every time I make this we have to add more salt. Just be careful not to add too much.

We serve this with crusty bread and salad.  It feeds a family of 5 easily with leftovers for the next day. I can't wait for lunch today!

What is one of your favorite winter time soups?