La Comida Parte 2

Did you think I was done? Of course not! I told you Pinterest has revolutionized my cooking life. :-)

Beef Stroganoff
This didn't taste like traditional beef stroganoff to me, but I still thought it was really good!

2 lbs. stew meat (okay, I used like 1.2)
2 cans Golden Mushroom soup (yup, I used one Golden and one regular)
1 diced onion
Splash of Worscestershire sauce
1/2 c. water
8 oz. cream cheese
1 T garlic salt
egg noodles

Put all ingredients in the slow cooker except cream cheese and egg noodles. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Add cream cheese 30 minutes prior to serving. Cook and serve egg noodles with stroganoff. 


Black Bean Brownies
I know, they sound gross, right? But they actually are surprisingly normal tasting/feeling. The beans just make the chocolate taste even darker... yum!

1 can black beans
3 Tbsp. oil
1/2 c. cocoa
4 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Drain and rinse beans. Put beans into a food processor to puree. Add in other ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Pour mixture into a greased 9x9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. You may wish to top with extra chocolate chips (who could blame you?) 


Slow Cooker Maple Chicken
It sounds a little weird, but I thought this was really good, and even Eric agreed that it took him by surprise. It would be especially delicious in the fall. :-) 

2-3 chicken breasts or thighs
salt and pepper
3-4 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
2-3 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
8 oz. baby carrots
1 small red onion

Put chicken and veggies in slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and maple syrup. Let cook for 4-6 hours. 


Peanut Butter Dip

1/2 c. yogurt (vanilla or strawberry-banana)
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. powdered sugar
fruit for dipping

Mix first three ingredients together. Then dip that fruit!


Ranch Pork Chops
These were okay... it's not a new fave or anything, but if you're in a hurry,it's a quick 3-ingredient slow cooker meal, and you can't go wrong with that!

1-2 lbs pork (chops, ribs, loin, etc.)
1 package ranch dressing mix
2 cans cream of chicken or mushroom soup
3 Tbsp. water

Put all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. 


Strawberry Yogurt Cake
I would just like to preface this by saying that I LOVE fresh fruit, but all too often, we don't eat it all before it goes bad. It's sad and it's wasteful. So when I bought a big box of strawberries this week, I figured this recipe was the perfect way to use half of them up to ensure we make the most of our purchase... that means strawberry cake=economical, right? (I only made a half-batch).

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. lemon juice  (or orange)
Zest of 1 lemon (I used an orange)
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced

Preheat oven to 325. Grease a bundt pan (or a nice 8x8 if you're halving it). Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and lemon zest and set aside. In a large bowl, mix butte rand sugar until creamy. Add in eggs one at a time, then stir in lemon juice. Alternate adding flour mixture and Greek yogurt. Fold strawberries into mixture and stir gently. Pour batter into bundt pan and bake for 60 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before removing from pan.