Vegetarian Goulash

Summer offers so many yummy, fresh veggies that are begging to be put into delicious recipes. In my efforts to eat healthy, while being frugal, I threw together a vegetarian goulash.  It could also be called a summer vegetarian stew, if you prefer. The recipe is crazy simple to make and tastes like summer in a bowl. Pure yummy for the tummy -- and nice for your waistline since it's low cal and low sodium! Green and yellow summer squash, peppers and onion make for a colorful, vitamin-rich dish. What makes this dish different from traditional goulashes is the use of  pinto beans as the protein of the meal, instead of meat. Whole-wheat macaroni noodles add the whole grains and round out the meal.

I cook with different beans often since they're so much cheaper than meats and pack a nutritional punch in each tiny bean. I stock up on the big bags of beans when they're a good price, since the canned ones tend to have more sodium and don't taste quite as good to me. Cooking the bagged beans may seem intimidating, but when you get down to it, all that's involved is some soaking and boiling. Pinto beans don't even need to be soaked, throw them in a pot and boil away until they're soft. Mixed with the other ingredients, the vegetarian goulash yields 8 generous, low-cal servings for under $1 a serving.

If you want to lower the calories even more, skip the macaroni. It's still as tasty without them and is how I ate mine. The noddles are more for the benefit of M2, B and A, since the kids love their pasta and A isn't watching calories as closely as I am.

Finish off the meal with a nice slice of my signature amazing lemon cake. Another great summer recipe filled with veggies (that's perfect in a slow cooker) is summer Mexican chicken soup.

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I make sure to keep a stock pot on hand for recipes like this. The goulash could also be made in a slow cooker if you'd like. The slow cooker below is the one I use and LOVE. It has plenty of settings to adjust temperature and cook time, is digital and has a warm setting it clicks over too once it's done. (Affiliate links)

Vegetarian Goulash

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours with dry beans, 1 hour

Keywords: boil slow-cooker entree low-sodium low calorie vegetarian vegan noodles peppers squash pinto beans American spring summer

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Ingredients (8 servings)

• 1 lb. dry pinto beans or 2 cans of pinto beans
• 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, no salt added
• 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, no salt added
• 2 large green peppers, diced
• 3 green summer squashes, peeled and sliced
• 3 yellow summer squashes, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 bag of frozen diced onions or 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• Chopped fresh chives, to taste
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 16 oz package of whole-wheat macaroni noodles
• Salt to taste (I use no-sodium salt)

Instructions

Boil pinto beans until firm but not soft, about 2 hours

Add in all other ingredients

Boil until veggies are soft, about 1 hour

Prepare noodles

Drain any excess liquid from goulash

Serve over the noodles

Can also be made using a slow cooker

Summer Mexican Chicken Soup

Light, summery soups are a staple of my summer menu. Combining broth, herbs, chicken and fresh veggies creates a delightful dish that is isn't too heavy for the hot days. My current favorite is Mexican chicken soup. I throw everything together in the slow cooker in about 20 minutes (depending how fast I chop and peel the veggies), then let is simmer in there all day. It keeps the house cooler since I don't have to get the oven or stove heated up. I stay cooler, too, since I'm not standing over that stove roasting myself. Any leftovers I send with A for his lunches or freeze for even quicker meals.

This light, fresh soup has green and yellow squash, cilantro, chicken, green beans, potatoes and carrots. The cilantro is what really brings out that Mexican-inspired flavor. It's not a heavily flavored soup, the cilantro and veggies are really the star.

If you're looking for an awesome slow cooker, I totally recommend the CrockPot 6-quart programmable cook and carry. I love mine. It is big enough to fit a big batch of soup, chili, a large piece of meat or a whole chicken. Even if you don't plan on travelling with it (I don't) it's a great gadget to have in the kitchen. I've found it cooks things quickly and evenly. The controls are all programmable, you can select high or low heat and for what time, then it'll switch over to warm once it's done. It's easy to clean, too. I went through so many options when searching for a new slow cooker and am thrilled I got this one. The price is great, too. Many others cost much, much more for the same or similar features. My last CrockPot slow cooker is still working great, the only problem was it's too small now that I have more people to cook for. It was a pre-kid purchase. I look forward to using this new one for many years, too. You can check it out via the affiliate link below.


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Summer Mexican Chicken Soup

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours on high

Keywords: slow-cooker entree soup/stew low calorie low-carb low-sodium chicken squash cilantro American Mexican fall spring summer winter

Ingredients (8 generous servings)

• 8 cups chicken broth, unsalted
• 2 green squash
• 1 yellow squash
• 4 medium potatoes
• 8 large carrots
• 4 large chicken breasts
• 1 bag green beans (I prefer Italian cut)
• 8 sprigs of cilantro or to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Peel and cut carrots and squash

Cut potatoes

Pull leaves off cilantro sprigs and chop into small pieces

Add all ingredients to slow cooker

Cook on low for 5 hours

Tear apart chicken and cook for 1 hour longer

Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese

It's no secret around here that I am a sucker for a good, homemade comfort food recipe. When you've also got one kid who is picky and one who has food issues due to autism, finding foods everyone loves can be a challenge. With my ultimate macaroni and cheese recipe, everyone ends up happy. I'll warn you up front, this isn't one of my healthy recipes. It fits squarely in the typical comfort food category, boasting cheese, butter and pasta noodles along with plenty of calories.

If you're like me and watch what you eat, a small portion is in order. It is super filling though, so you won't be left hungry even if you don't serve up a giant bowl (though you'll be tempted to, it's so good). Even with the extra calories, this mac and cheese is still healthier than the processed, box kinds you'll find in the store.

As tasty as this dish is, it's also incredibly easy to make. Really, it doesn't take too much more effort than making the box kind. All you need is a few bricks of cheese, shredded (or you can buy pre-shredded cheese if you're ok with spending a bit more), a dab of butter, milk and noodles.

Prepare the noodles. For a twist, I skip the typical macaroni noodles and use something else. While the water comes to a boil and the noodles boil away, shred your cheese. Once the noodles are done, add the milk and butter, stirring well, then stir in the cheese a handful at a time while the noodles are still hot.

Once all the cheese is blended in, stick it all in a 9x13 baking dish, sprinkle another handful or two of cheese on top, then bake until the cheese on the top is all melted in. The extra baking adds a bit of crispness to the noodles and cheese, rather than having them be mushy. Voila! Ultimate macaroni and cheese everyone will be clambering to eat.

My recipe is part of the Ultimate Recipe Challenge, a bi-monthly challenge around a specific ingredient with recipes by your favorite bloggers. Check out all the other yummy recipes at the end of my post. You're going to love them!

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Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (Makes 8 generous servings)

• 16 oz box of noodles
• 16 oz block of colby jack cheese
• 8 oz block of monterey jack cheese
• 2 8 oz block of cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Shred cheese

Prepare noodles according to directions on the box, strain when finished

Combine hot noodles, salt, pepper, milk and butter until butter is melted in noodle pot with the burner on low

Add cheese a small handful at at time, stirring continuously until it is melted and smooth
Stir mixture until all but 1 1/2 cups of cheese is melted and everything is well blended

Spray 9x13 pan with nonstick spray
Dump noodle mixture into the pan then smooth out evenly
Top with the remainining cheese
Bake until top cheese is melted and golden

Enjoy!

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Delicious Potato Soup

Mashed, baked, fried, au gratin, twice baked, roasted -- there are so many ways to cook potatoes, including as the feature in soup. The flavor and texture of potatoes, mixed with spices and cream, make a delectable, yet easy to make, slow-cooker soup.

It's no secret that I love potatoes. 
As a child, there was always a fight over the leftover mashed potatoes each Thanksgiving or Christmas. Whoever sneaked into the fridge and ran off with them, without being caught, would gleefully eat the rest while taunting the losers. We'd eat them cold because if you put them in the microwave, you risked someone realizing it and nabbing them -- or at the very least having to share if the thief decided to be kind.

Now, I make sure to keep potatoes in the house as a staple. They're cheap, have tons of vitamins (did you know potatoes are full of vitamin C?), there are so many ways to cook them and so many varieties exist.

Seriously, what's not to love about potatoes?

Slow-cooker potato soup is a hearty dish that is easily thrown together. A big bowl leaves the whole family satisfied. The ingredients are cheap, making this a frugal  recipe so you can cook up big batch to last a few days without damaging your grocery budget.


I use russet potatoes in my version, though any type of potato works. I'd love to try it using purple potatoes, the color would be beautiful! Peels are optional, it depends whether or not you want to take the time to peel each potato.

You can sub real cooked bacon for the bacon bits if you prefer. To make a lighter version, swap out the heavy cream for half and half.

I created this recipe as part of the Ultimate Recipe Challenge. Every other month, 40+ bloggers and I are being challenged to create a recipe around a mystery ingredient. This month, the potato was our must-use ingredient. Scroll down to the end of the post to see all the other yummy recipes being shared. While you're at the end of the post -- Please vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs by clicking the pink banner, then clicking the big ORANGE button on the next page to cast the vote. 

Delicious Potato Soup

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Keywords: slow-cooker soup/stew low-sodium potatoes cream American comfort food fall spring summer winter

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Ingredients (5 quarts)

• 8 medium potatoes, cubed
• 6 Tbsp bacon bits
• 3 Tbsp parsley
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 2 tsp chives
• 6 scallions, sliced
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 2 cups 1% milk
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup flour plus additional 1/3 cup flour
• Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Instructions

Add dry ingredients to slow cooker, except for flour

Add wet ingredients to slow cooker

Add flour slowly, stirring as you go.

Set slow cooker for 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low

Part way through cooking, test to see if you need extra salt or pepper

Place immersion blender into slow cooker with one hour left to cook

Blend until approximately half of the ingredients are creamed

If soup is too thin, slowly stir in additional flour one tablespoon at a time

Let soup finish cooking

Serve with a parsley garnish

Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top (optional)

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Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is one of my favorite fall entrees so it is perfect for the first recipe of Fall Recipe Week here on The SAH Life. It's one of those dishes that bring back memories of childhood and simpler times. I have always loved pot pies. The flaky crust, delicious mix of chicken and vegetables all coated in a yummy gravy. Whenever I make one, I feel like I'm joining June Clever in the kitchen. To me, it's a quintessentially American dish. The Irish have their delicious shepherd's pie (another of my favorites), the English have their meat pasties and over on this side of the pond we have our chicken pot pies.

While it may look complicated to make, it's actually an easy classic meal to make. On brisk, chill autumn evenings or in the cold of winter, this chicken pot pie is sure to warm up the whole family and leave everyone smiling. The Beav might show up for a slice it's so good.

Fall Recipe Week
All week I'm introducing you to easy, tasty recipes that are perfect for fall. Stop by each day so you don't miss out on learning how to make my rosemary and garlic pork chops with cranberry quinoa, best-ever apple crisp, spiced apple cake with cinnamon sugar buttercream frosting, and homemade cinnamon applesauce. I'm also sharing a roundup of yummy autumn recipes.

My chicken pot pie recipe is really incredibly easy to make. I use cubed chicken breasts, refrigerator crusts, cream of chicken soup, veggies, spices and potatoes baked in the microwave. It is pretty quick to throw together, too. The most time is spent with the pot pie baking in the oven until it's crisp and golden.

All together and ready for the top crust.

Crust on and ready to bake.

Ready to eat.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

Keywords: bake entree chicken mixed vegetables potatoes American comfort food fall winter

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Ingredients (8 servings)

• 2 large chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
• 1/3 cup frozen chopped onion
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 3 medium potatoes
• 2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp chives
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 2 9" refrigerator pastry crusts

Instructions

Sprinkle poultry seasoning, onion and garlic powders on chicken

Brown chicken in a pan until completely cooked (I use a cast-iron skillet)

Add both cans of soup

Add the other spices, stirring well as you go

Cook mixed veggies and onion then add them to the chicken mixture

Wash potatoes well then bake in microwave until they're a bit firmer than you'd usually have bake potatoes

Cut potatoes into small pieces

Place on crust in the bottom of a pie plate

Put potatoes in the bottom then evenly spread the chicken/soup/veggie mixture over them

Place the top crust on top, crimping the edges and making 4 slits on top in the middle

Cover with foil and bake in the oven at the temperature indicated on the crust boxes

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until crust is starting to turn golden but is still mushy at the center

Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, until crust is golden brown

Enjoy!

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Low Calorie & Low Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is a great fall and winter staple. Especially when it's healthy for you. The low sodium in this soup promotes heart health while the low calorie count helps to keep your weight under control. The recipe is also great for freezer meals, leftovers for the week and is budget friendly. It's even more budget friendly when you use leftovers from my Healthy Herb and Olive Oil Roasting Chicken recipe. Even if you're not a cook, the soup is simple to make. One bowl is hearty and filling.

Low Calorie & Low Sodium 

Chicken Noodle Soup

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Keywords: boil entree soup/stew low-sodium low calorie chicken noodles fall winter

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Ingredients (16 generous servings)

• 3/4 Leftover Fully Cooked Roasting Chicken ( leftovers from my Healthy Herb and Olive Oil Roasting Chicken recipe are the best )
• 2 large containers low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 7 no-sodium bullion cubes/packets
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp rosemary
• 1 Tbsp salt substitute (or to taste)
• 7 scallions
• 8 carrots
• 6 small or medium potatoes
• 1/2 bag frozen peas
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 box fideo cut spaghetti noodles

Instructions

Pour broth and water into stock pot

Add bullion, salt substitute, rosemary and garlic powder

Peel and cut potatoes into cubes, add to pot and stir well

Dice scallions, carrots and celery, add to pot and stir well

Shred chicken, add to pot and stir well

Bring to boil then let simmer until veggies are almost soft (about 1 hour 45 minutes) stirring periodically

Taste to see if you need more salt substitute, add to taste

Pour in frozen peas and simmer soup until peas and other veggies are soft (about 15 minutes)

When you pour in the peas, cook fideo noodles in another pot just until firm according to directions on the box (they'll get softer when added to the soup)

Drain noodles and add to the soup, stir well

Enjoy!

Cool then freeze leftovers for freezer meals

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Healthy Herb and Olive Oil Roasting Chicken

Whole roasting chickens are a dinner I love to cook because they're easy, smell delicious when cooking, there are so many ways to make them and you end up with plenty of leftovers for other meals or recipes. This version is a healthier take on whole chicken as it doesn't use the butter so many recipes call for. Instead, I use olive oil to keep the meat moist and to add in some healthy fat. The seasonings are simple to keep the chicken light and so the leftovers can easily be used in any other recipe you'd like. When I recently made it, I used the leftovers in chicken noodle soup -- a fall and winter staple in our house that tastes great, is simple to make and freezes great for future meals. The recipe for the soup is here! It's low calorie, low sodium AND easy to make.

Healthy Herb and Olive Oil Roasting Chicken

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Keywords: bake roast entree gluten-free low-carb low-sodium nut-free sugar-free chicken American fall spring summer winter

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Ingredients

• 1 whole roasting chicken
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1.5 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp crushed rosemary
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 large apple
• 2 stalks celery
• 5 scallions

Instructions

Set oven to 350 degrees

Combine olive oil, allspice, rosemary, garlic powder and onion powder in a bowl

Peel and cut apple into chunks, taking out the core

Chop scallions and celery into chunks, mix with apple chunks

Clean chicken and place in roasting pan or metal pan with grate under the chicken

Stuff chicken with apple, celery and scallions

With a basting brush, spread olive oil mix onto chicken covering all of skin then separate skin from breasts and pour some of the mix under the skin, press on the skin to cover meat evenly

Place lid on roasting pan (or foil) and place in oven for 2 hours or until fully cooked

For crisp skin: The last 15 minutes of cooking, take off lid/foil and bake at 450 degrees until done

Let chicken rest for 30 minutes before carving

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Delicious Restaurant-Style Pizza Crust

I've spent years trying to create a homemade pizza crust that is as good as a restaurant's. Usually, I end up with something that is too dry, crumbly, flat, puffy, mushy, tastes funny or some combination of those. Finally, I came up with this recipe and it is perfect! The edge is exactly like restaurant pizza, it has the perfect thickness of chewy edge crust, gets golden on the bottom while not being dry under the toppings and tastes delicious. I add flax seed to make the crust a bit healthier. The flax adds omega 3's, fiber and protein while not changing the taste at all. M2 LOVED the pizza, making it toddler approved.

It can be made in a bread machine if you have one so it's even easier to make. Recipes for making the crust with a bread machine or without are below.

Delicious Restaurant-Style Pizza Crust

Yield: One large pizza crust

Ingredients

1 cup warm water

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp salted butter, melted

2 3/4 cups bread flour (must be bread flour!)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp white sugar

2 Tbsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp ground flax seed (optional)

1 packet fast rising yeast

Directions Using Bread Machine

Add all wet ingredients to bottom of bread machine pan

Add flour over wet ingredients

Pour salt, flax seed, sugar and garlic powder into corners of bread machine pan

Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in yeast

Set bread machine to dough cycle and put in the pan

Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes outside the bread machine once

Preheat oven to 350 while dough rests

Spray non-stick spray on pizza pan, cookie sheet or use a pizza stone  

Spread dough out to desired size and thickness on the pan; make edges thicker so you get a good edge crust

Bake crust for 10 minutes

Slather on sauce and sprinkle on toppings

Bake until crust is golden and cheese is starting to brown slightly, about half an hour depending on thickness of toppings

Cut into 8 slices

Directions Using Stand or Hand Mixer

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water for about 10 minutes

Combine wet ingredients until well blended

Add salt, flax seed, sugar and garlic powder, mixing well

Slowly add in flour, mixing continuously

Pour in yeast mixture, mix well

Knead dough with bread hook or by hand

Cover and let dough rise for an hour in a warm spot

Preheat oven to 350

Spray non-stick spray on pizza pan, cookie sheet or use a pizza stone  

Spread dough out to desired size and thickness on the pan; make edges thicker so you get a good edge crust

Bake crust for 10 minutes

Slather on sauce and sprinkle on toppings

Bake until crust is golden and cheese is starting to brown slightly, about half an hour depending on thickness of toppings

Cut into 8 slices

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Not Your Usual Black Beans and Rice Recipe

Black beans and rice is becoming a staple in our house since it's filling, easy, and relatively cheap. I decided it was time to try it with a twist to amp up the protein and flavor while making it healthier. And thus, this recipe was born.

Rather than just black beans with white rice, there is brown rice, quinoa, turkey, onions, and peppers with added spices. It's great for A's lunches, freezing for future dinners, or dinners for the week. This recipe can also easily be made in a slow cooker.

Not Your Usual Black Beans and Rice Recipe

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Keywords: saute boil slow-cooker entree gluten-free low-sodium nut-free soy-free sugar-free vegan vegetarian Turkey black beans rice quinoa fall spring summer winter

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Ingredients (6 large portions)

• 1 lb. dry black beans
• 1 lb. 93/7 ground turkey (optional)
• 1/2 cup dry brown rice
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa
• 1 cup frozen green peppers
• 1 cup frozen diced onions
• 1 tbsp lemon herb seasoning of your choice
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare black beans according to directions on bag, including boiling
2. Mix onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lemon herb seasoning into turkey meat
3. Brown turkey meat in skillet on the stove
4. Prepare rice according to directions on package
5. Prepare quinoa according to directions on package
6. Heat green peppers and onions on stove or in microwave until hot
7. Mix beans, turkey, rice, quinoa, peppers, and onions together in a large pan and heat until ready to eat

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Three Cheese Turkey Lasagna

One thing A always makes is ziti. For a change, I had him try out lasagna recently. It was so tasty and easy to make. His recipe makes enough for us all to have dinner, A to have lunch for four days, and for me or M2 to have it for lunch once. We had mixed greens salad and French bread on the side. A perfect, filling, dinner of comfort food.

A's Three Cheese Turkey Lasagna

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 T each of garlic and onion powder
• 1 large jar spaghetti sauce or two regular size jars
• 1 can tomato paste
• Half box whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 small container low-fat ricotta cheese
• 4 cups mozzarella cheese
• 8 slices provolone cheese
• 9x13 glass pan, sprayed with non-stick spray

Mix garlic and onion power into ground turkey

Brown ground turkey

Stir together ground turkey, spaghetti sauce, and tomato paste

Cook lasagna noodles per instructions on box

Place 1/4 of the lasagna noodles in bottom of 9x13 glass pan

Layer 1/3 sauce mixture, then provolone (end to end across pan)

Layer 1/4 of the noodles, then 1/3 sauce mixture, then ricotta

Layer 1/4 of the noodles then remaining sauce mixture

Layer remaining noodles and finish with mozzarella on top

Bake at 375 degrees until cheese is melted and golden, about 45 minutes

Enjoy!

Turkey and Three Bean Chili

I love making chili on a cold winter's day. It's warming, hearty, healthy, and there's always plenty of leftovers. This bath made enough for two dinners for three of us and five of A's lunches. Three he had right after it's made, two I froze. Those are for when we don't have anything handy for his lunch. They are huge servings, too. Enough for him to have lunch and a bit for a snack later. My special ingredient in chili is cinnamon for a Cincinnati chili-like twist. This recipe can easily be made in a slow cooker as well.

Turkey and Three Bean Chili

• 2 lbs. ground turkey 85% lean
• 2 16 oz. cans of light or dark kidney beans, drained
• 2 16 oz. cans of chili beans or other beans of your choice, drained if not chili beans
• 2 16 oz. cans of pinto or other beans of your choice, drained
• 1 16 oz. bag of frozen chopped onion and green peppers
• 2 large cans of diced tomatoes
• 2 large cans of tomato sauce
• 6 T ground cinnamon (or to taste)
• 4 T chili powder (or to taste)
• 2 T sugar
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• If you like spicy foods, add hot sauce to taste

Brown ground turkey in skillet until fully cooked
Drain grease from meat
Combine all beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, spices, and cooked turkey into a large pot
Cook on medium-low heat until beans are soft, at least three hours
Stir every half hour to keep ingredients from sticking and burning to bottom
Add shredded cheddar cheese to top of individual bowls before serving
Cool leftover chili before refrigerating and/or freezing
Freeze chili in individual portions for easy serving later