BBQ Beans and Biscuts

Ingredients for Beans:

2 cups black beans , drained and rinsed

2 cups pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup BBQ sauce

1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained

several shakes of the chili powder jar

1 T molasses

a hint of mustard to taste

Ingredients for Drop Biscuits:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup milk

Directions for Beans:

Combine all ingredients in a pot on cook over medium heat until hot.

Directions for Biscuits:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir in butter and milk just until moistened. Drop batter on a lightly greased cookie sheet by the tablespoon. Bake in preheated oven until golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes. Serve warm with BBQ beans on top.

This one was an A+!

Stuffed Bell Peppers and Tomatoes

Ingredients:
2 bell peppers
2 large tomatoes
1 avocado
1/4 feta cheese
1/4 c sliced black olives
1 T tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup rice
15 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 cup black beans
1 cup red kidney beans
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions for Peppers:
Cook the rice as directed on the package. Add the diced tomatoes and green chilies, beans, ground cumin and salt and pepper (to taste). Cut out the stem of the top of the green pepper and place the pepper in a pot with boiling salt water for 5 minutes. Remove from water, then stuff it with the filling. Top with a pinch full of shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is bubbly.

Directions for Tomatoes:

Hollow out the tomatoes, removing seeds.

Mix the feta, olives, avocado, lemon juice, ground cumin and salt and pepper and stuff into tomatoes. Grill, broil or eat cold!

Parmesan Tuna Pasta

Ingredients:

8 oz pasta of your choice, cooked according to package directions
minced garlic or garlic powder to taste
2 c. fresh tomatoes
1/8 cup chopped capers
1/4 cup fresh parsely, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
15 oz black olives, drained and sliced
2 small cans water packed tuna, drained
3/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Put all ingredients in serving bowl and stir together. Add salt and pepper or seasonings to taste. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve warm. Try asparagus cooked with parmesan cheese as a side. Delish and plenty of leftovers for lunches!

Orange Chocolate Dream Cookies

One of my favorite combos is chocolate and orange. This recipe did NOT let me down!

Ingredients:

1c. butter
2/3 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1 large egg
1 T. grated orange rind
juice from orange
2 1/4 c. all purpose flour (although I would recommend more if you get more than 1/8 c. juice from your orange)
3/4 t. salt
1 package chocolate chips (I combined milk and dark)

Directions:
beat butter and sugars until creamy. add egg, orange rind, juice and mix. add flour and salt gradually and mix well. stir in chocolate chips. Bake spoonfulls of dough at 350 for 12-15 minutes. The original recipe called for orange extract as well, however since I didn't have it I left it out. The orange flavor was just slight enough to be refreshing. I highly recommend these cookies!