This is my go-to taco salad recipe. I love to make it and, honestly, I don’t measure the ingredients much anymore. I also use my own taco seasoning mix recipe (click here for the recipe) and make homemade French dressing (recipe below). You, of course, may do whatever you want. (It’s really easy to make your own taco seasoning, though. I’d recommend trying it at least once.)

1 lb. lean hamburger (I use ground buffalo.)

1 package taco seasoning (See recipe here.)

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 small head lettuce, shredded

1/2 C. grated cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, Jack, or marble)

4 tomatoes, cut into small pieces, optional

1 C. Catalina or French dressing (Or make your own with the recipe below!)

1 small bag of tortilla chips (I know. “Small” is a strange measurement. Just put some in and put more on the table. You won’t mess this up.)

In a frying pan, cook the hamburger and add taco seasoning. Cool slightly. (If the hamburger has a lot of visible fat on it, you may want to drain on a paper towel.) In a large bowl, toss the kidney beans, lettuce, cheese and tomatoes. Add the hamburger. Just before serving, add the dressing and chips. Mix and serve. Serves about 6.

Homemade French Dressing

This makes a generous two cups. You may want to halve it.

1/2 medium onion, cut into pieces

1 t. salt

1 T. sugar

1 t. paprika

2 t. Dijon mustard

1/2 t. Worchestershire sauce

1/2 C. ketchup

1/2 C. cider vinegar

1 C. salad oil (I often use half vegetable oil and half olive oil.)

1 clove garlic, pressed (optional)

Puree onion in blender. Add remaining ingredients except oil and garlic; blend thoroughly. With motor running, add oil in a slow stream. If using garlic, stir in.

Cucumber & Black-Eyed Pea Salad

This recipe calls for oregano, fresh or dried. 

2 T. olive oil

2 T. lemon juice

1/4 C. slivered red onion

2 t. chopped fresh oregano or 1 t. dried

freshly ground pepper, to taste

4 C. peeled and diced cucumbers

1 14. oz. can black-eyed peas, rinsed

2/3 C. diced red bell pepper

1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese

2 T. chopped black olives

While you prepare the ingredients, put the onions in your serving bowl and pour the lemon juice over. The acid from the lemon juice will soften the onion, taking away the bitter onion flavor and making them sweet. Once it has softened, add the oil, oregano and herbs, and mix. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serves 6, 1 C. each

Plus, the thing about salad that’s not true about soup is that you (or your children) can pick out the parts you don’t want and give them to someone who does. Like me, for instance. I like to sit next to people who dislike avocado or olives.

Here are the first of three different main-dish salads for you who want to eat more healthful food in the new year. I usually make these in the summer or spring, but thought I’d share them in the bleak mid-winter, so even if you don’t make them now, you can imagine the bright colors and feel instant cheer.

Check out my other recipes for main dish salads including Chicken Salad with Bok Choy, Celery & Peanut Butter Vinaigrette, Shrimp and Corn Pasta Salad, and Butternut Squash Salad.

Avocado, Black Bean & Corn Salad

2 avocados, diced

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans corn, drained (or 2-3 C. fresh or frozen corn, lightly steamed and cooled.)

1 red or green pepper, diced

2 fresh limes, cut in half and seeds removed (or 3 T. lime juice)

2 t. minced garlic

2 T. fresh cilantro, minced

1/2 t. crushed red pepper, optional (or less)

4 oz. Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or Cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2” cubes

In a large bowl, combine the avocados, beans, corn and pepper. In a small bowl combine the juice from the limes, garlic, cilantro, and the crushed red pepper. Pour over the avocado mixture and gently toss. Just before serving, top with cheese. Serves about 6.

1 t. olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1 T. ground cumin

1 1/2 t. chili powder

1 1/4 lb. lean ground beef (I use ground buffalo and I only use 1 lb.)

1 15-oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed

1 16-oz. can diced peeled tomatoes with juice

1/2 C. mild salsa

6 corn tortillas, or 4 whole-wheat tortillas, cut into wedges and divided

1 C. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350. Heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high setting. Add onion and garlic, saute 5 minutes or until soft. Add ground cumin and chili powder and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with the edge of a spoon, until it loses its pink color, 6-7 minutes. Push the meat mixture to the side of the skillet and tilt the skillet so the fat drains to the opposite side. Using a spoon, remove as much fat as possible from the pan. (If you use buffalo or really lean ground beef, you probably won’t need to do this step.) Stir in beans, tomatoes with juice and salsa. Simmer about 6 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

Spread beef mixture in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Arrange half of the tortilla wedges over the beef mixture. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat layers. Bake until cheese melts and pie is heated through, about 30 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes before serving.

I also have a more sophisticated palate now and love homemade pot pies much more ones from the store. However, making the crust takes some time, and so does the filling, so I don’t make them much–especially now that I have to watch my cholesterol!

January is a terrific month to make pot pies and the recipes this week allow you to stop in the middle if you’re interrupted by your children or the phone. Plus, I’ve found some new recipes for pot pies that don’t require a short crust. They don’t require any crust at all–but they still have a delicious topping. These are quite similar; but one has meat in it and the other features butternut squash and canned hominy. (You can find hominy at the Latin section of many grocery stores.)

Bean and Hominy Potpie

Pie:

2 t. olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (optional)

1 T. paprika

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. dried oregano

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

1 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced (about 3 C.)

1 14-oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 C. vegetable broth (or chicken broth)

1 15-oz. can pinto beans, rinsed

1 15-oz. can yellow or white hominy, rinsed

1/4 t. salt

freshly ground pepper, to taste

Topping:

1 T. olive oil

1/4 t. salt

8 corn tortillas, or 6 whole-wheat tortillas

1/2 C. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400. Heat 2 t. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and jalapenos and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Add paprika, cumin, oregano, cinnamon and cloves; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add squash, tomatoes and broth; bring to a simmer. Simmer, covered, until the squash is just tender, 10-12 minutes. Add beans and hominy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to a 2-3 qt. baking dish.

Combine 1 T. oil and 1/4 t. salt in a small bowl. Brush on both sides of tortillas. Cut the tortillas into 3/4” strips and cut the strips in half. Scatter the tortilla strips over the filling.

Bake the potpie in the center of the oven until the filling is bubbling, 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top and return to the oven until melted, 1-3 minutes.

Last year was supposed to be the year of the pie. This year is year of the dragon. Dragons breathe fire, so maybe this is also the year of the grill. I was born in the year of the dragon, so I suppose this will be a more special year for me, though I’m not one to bother much with astrology. (Honestly, though, I kind of like being a dragon. I want to think that it matches parts of my personality, though I don’t do much grilling.)

Last year I’d hoped to blog about pies each Sunday. This hardly ever happened. If I were to go back on my blog and count, I think that perhaps I blogged about pies 3 days and probably two of them weren’t even Sundays.

I realized that I don’t bake enough pies to warrant blogging about them once every seven days. I imagine that if I had made a pie each week, that my cholesterol would be even higher than it already is (and, folks, it’s high), so maybe this is a good thing.

I did, however, make several delicious pumpkin pies over the holiday season and I wanted to share the recipes with you.

Remember: Pumpkin is a vegetable.

Walnut Pumpkin Pie

15-oz. can of pumpkin, or 2 C. home cooked pumpkin or winter squash, pureed and drained in a collander

1 can sweetened condensed milk OR (and I learned this the hard way) 1 can evaporated milk plus 1/2 C. sugar

1 egg

1 t. cinnamon, divided

1/2 t. each ground ginger, nutmeg and salt

1 graham cracker OR gingersnap pie crust (baked)

Topping:

1/2 C. brown sugar

2 T. flour

2 T. cold butter or margarine

1/4 t. cinnamon

3/4 C. chopped walnuts

In a mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, egg, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt; mix well. Set crust on a baking sheet; pour filling into crust. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the topping by mixing the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in walnuts.  Reduce oven temperature to 350. Sprinkle the walnut mixture evenly over pie. Bake 40 minutes longer, or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serves 8.

Pumpkin Pudding Pie

Maybe you don’t like crust. This is an easy-to-make pumpkin pie that is quite healthful (at least for a dessert.) You can alter the spices to suit your taste.

1/2 C. sugar

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

1/3 t. ground ginger, optional

1/4 t. ground cloves, optional

2 large eggs

1 15-oz can pumpkin OR 2 C. home cooked pumpkin or winter squash, pureed and drained in a collander

1 12-oz. can evaporated milk

Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in a small bowl. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the pumpkin and the sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk. Pour into a shallow, oven-proof dish and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Don’t overbake; the center should be slightly wiggly. Cool and enjoy at room temperature or refrigerate for later use. Serves 8.

Homemade Graham Crackers

“What?” I can hear people saying, “Why would you make graham crackers when you can buy perfectly good ones at the store!” Well, these only have 7 ingredients, compared to the 12+ in commercially available crackers. Second, here’s your chance to use those Christmas cookie cutters for something with some nutritional integrity. 

1/2 C. softened butter

2/3 C. brown sugar (I’d recommend reducing the sugar to 1/2 or even 1/3 C. This recipe makes rather sweet crackers.)

1/2 C. water

2 3/4 C. whole wheat flour

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. (or more) cinnamon

1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg

Mix the butter and sugar in the mixer bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Allow to sit for 30-45 minutes. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll to a 1/8” thickness. Cut into squares or long rectangles, or with cookie cutters. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Spiced-Up Grilled Cheese

For the spread, blend together the following:

1 6-oz can tomato paste

3 T. chopped canned chipotle chilies (If you opened a fresh can, put the rest of the can in a zip-lock bag and freeze it for later use.)

1 T. molasses

Spread on 12 slices of bread, sourdough preferred.

On top of half the bread, place the following (divided, of course):

18 oz. extra-sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

4 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4” slices

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 C. fresh cilantro leaves

Top with remaining bread, sauce side down. Spread butter on both sides of the sandwiches and grill on a griddle or non-stick pan until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes per side.

Here’s another recipe that can be served for breakfast or dessert. It’s easy to mix up and it can bake while you spend time with your family. Make this with dried Michigan cherries! (You can get them in big boxes at Meijer.)

1 T. butter, melted, plus more for the pan

3 large eggs, beaten

1/3 C., plus 1 t. granulated sugar

3/4 C. all-purpose flour (or a scant less whole-wheat pastry flour; the final product will not rise as high with whole-wheat flour, though.)

1 1/4 C. whole milk

1/2 C. dried cherries

Heat oven to 375. Butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart baking dish. In a bowl, combine the eggs and 1/3 C. sugar. Whisk in the flour until no lumps remain. Whisk in the milk and melted butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and scatter the cherries over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and bake until puffed and golden, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.

But I love to use my Christmas cookie cutters! And I love to have special foods to serve at this time of celebration!

So, the next few recipes are devoted to simple and (mostly) healthful foods that taste festive without being loaded with fat and sugar. (And, for one of them, you can use your Christmas cookie cutters!)

Harvest Nut Corn Muffins

You can serve these for Christmas breakfast (remember: Christmas is on a Sunday this year!) or frost them as a cupcake with hidden vegetables.

3/4 C. cornmeal, blue or yellow

3/4 C. flour, all-purpose, or whole-wheat pastry

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

2 t. cinnamon

3/4 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/2 C. oil

1/4 C. applesauce

3 large eggs

1 C. packed light brown sugar (You can reduce this to 1/2 or 3/4 C. if you’re making the muffins.)

1 t. vanilla

3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (about 2 C.)

1/2 C. raisins

1/2 C. coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

Heat oven to 350. Line muffin tin with liners. (I really enjoy the silicone liners that have become popular recently; they clean well and you can reuse them over and over.) In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking power and soda, salt, and spices. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, applesauce, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla until just combined. Mix in dry ingredients until combined. Fold in carrots, raisins, and walnuts. Divide batter between muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are springy and tester comes out clean. Cool on rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely or eat warm.