A few of my favorite things

It’s Fall! And that means lots of hot tea and soup!!! 

I’m also pregnant, so most of my "favorite things" are food!

 I love meals that taste awesome, are really healthy, very simple, and cheap to make. I wanted to share a couple of my favorite recipes, hope you will have time to enjoy them on a chilly day :-) You’ll notice that many of the ingredients required you probably have on hand already…and if you’re missing something…experiment…these recipes are VERY forgiving.

Pasta e Fagioli (BETTER THAN OLIVE GARDEN!)

·         1 tbsp olive oil

·         1 cup chopped onion

·         2 garlic cloves

·         1 tsp dried, crushed rosemary

·         3-4 chopped carrots

·         4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or you can do 4 cups water+2 bouillon cubes)

·         2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano (do not drain!)

·         1.5 cups mini bow-tie past

·         2 (15 oz) cans white cannellini or white beans, drained and rinsed

·         Grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Heat oil in a large pot, add onion, garlic, rosemary, and carrots. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies soften. Add broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook about 8 minutes (al dente). Add beans and cook about 2 additional minutes. Serve in bowls with as much parmesan cheese as you want! 

I made a half batch of this Rosemary Olive Oil Bread to go with it and I love it. I would suggest chopping the rosemary very fine if you decide to try it…it’s actually really easy!

Crockpot Vegetarian Enchiladas

• 28 oz. Diced tomatoes, undrained
• 14 oz. Chunky salsa
• 6 oz. Tomato paste
• 30 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 oz. Corn, drained
• 4 oz. Diced green chiles
• 2 tsp. Ground cumin
• 2 tsp. Chili powder
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 8-10 Corn tortillas
• 2 oz. Can of sliced black olives, drained
• 1 c. Shredded cheddar cheese

Mix everything together in a bowl except tortillas, cheese and olives. In a large crockpot (5 quarts is perfect!), pour 1/3 of the mixture at the bottom of crockpot. Top with 2-3 tortillas (whatever/however you can get the layer to fit) and sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat twice more (mixture, tortillas, cheese), and sprinkle olives over top. Cover and crock on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 5 hours. (Truthfully….I just say it’s done when it looks done J)

Serve in a bowl with any extras you want! Grated cheese (extra sharp cheddar is BEST!), sour cream, chives, jalapenos, chips, rice, or cornbread...the possibilities are endless!!