Chicken Corn Chowder (TexMex style)

• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 3 chicken breasts chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 cups medium salsa (I used black bean and corn salsa)
  
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup milk

1. In a large saucepan, saute onions and chicken in margarine. Stir in flour, chili powder, and cumin. Add corn, picante sauce, and broth. Bring to boil; remove from heat.
2. Gradually add 1/4 cup hot mixture to cream cheese in a small bowl. Stir until blended.
3. Add cream cheese mixture and milk to saucepan, stirring until well blended. Heat through but do not boil. Serve immediately.

I served with chips and cheese.

Whole Wheat Bread

Combine in mixer.:
3 cups hot water
1/4 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup sugar (or brown sugar, or honey)
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup oil

Attach dough hook and add:
2 Tbsp. yeast

Allow yeast to foam/dissolve. (about 5 min)

Add:
5 cups whole wheat flour
4 tsp. dough enhancer
1/3 cup gluten

Continue adding another cup of flour. Add flour as needed and knead until ball forms on hook and sides of bowl are clean.

Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size.

Roll out and form loaves. Cover and allow to rise again (about 1 hour in a warm oven). Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and pans to cool. Butter tops while still warm.

Makes 2 LARGE, 3 MEDIUM or 4 SMALL loaves. (I use a basic bread pan and make 3 medium loaves)

You will never buy bread again. This is healthy, yummy and cheap to make!

Sweet Potato Bake

INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup orange juice
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 2 quart casserole dish.
In a large bowl, blend together the sweet potatoes, milk, orange juice, eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt, butter, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
Mix together the 1/4 cup butter, brown sugar, flour and pecans; sprinkle over sweet potato mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Mix:
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 can of pinto beans (drain off juice, refill with water, and puree in blender)

Add:
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Mix. Add 1/2 cup mini choco chips.
Bake at 350 'til done.

Makes 24 muffins.

1 = 3pts
2 = 5pts

This recipe was 100% created by me. I was looking for a WW friendly version of blonde brownies. They turned out quite well although a little higher in points than I was looking for. They are however, very low in fat (the only fat is in the chocolate). They passed the kid test! Let me know if you try to make them, what you think!

Quick Banana Cake

Whip together:
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar

Add:
1 egg
3 ripe bananas (mashed)
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp soda
Nuts if desired

Grease 9” square or round pan. Bake 350 for 40-50 minutes. Glaze if desired.

Glaze:
2 tbls butter
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
A little milk and lemon juice to consistency

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained
2 1/2 cups onions, chopped (I use sweet onions)
1 1/2 cups green peppers
1 cup jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 cubanelle pepper, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 cup canning salt (if you dont have canning salt, you can use sea salt)
1/3 cup vinegar
1 (15 ounce) tomato sauce
1 (12 ounce) tomato paste
1 (15 ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn or canned or fresh

can in prepared hot jars and process via water bath or steam for 10 mins, 5 additional minutes for every 1000 ft above sea level.

i add 2 T of lemon juice and 2 T of sugar to mine... but this is totally optional. i also just throw in what i have as far as pepper go. i just put in a total 6 cups combined onions, peppers and jalapenos, green chilies, etc. i also put it twice the amount of corn and black beans... the first i time i put in what the recipe says and the salsa was yummy but all agreed that it needed more corn and beans.... happy canning!

makes 4-5 quarts or 7-9 pints (depends on how much corn, beans and peppers you use)

Bunny Buns (Orange Rolls) c/o Jill T.

1 pkg. yeast
¼ cup warm water

1 cup scalded milk
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup shortening
1 tsp. salt

5 ½ cups flour

2 eggs beaten

¼ cup orange juice
2 Tbs. grated orange peel

In a little bowl pour yeast into warm water. Meanwhile, blend scalded milk, sugar, shortening, salt. Cool till warm. Stir in about 2 cups flour. Beat well. Mix in eggs and stir in softened yeast. Add orange juice, orange peel, and remaining flour to make a SOFT dough. Let stand 10 minutes. Knead dough 5-10 minutes on lightly floured surface till smooth and elastic. Place in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover, let rise in warm place till doubled in size (about 2 hours). Roll out into rectangle and grease with butter. Roll up and cut like cinnamon rolls.
Let rise again and cook at 350 until they are golden brown (10-15 min). Cook a little longer then you might first think because they then to be a bit doughy.

Frosting:
All the juice from the orange that you used the peel from. I put the orange in a plastic bag and let the kids squish it up and then I drain the juice off. I mix the juice with cream cheese (4 oz) and powder sugar until I reach a consistency that looks right!

**If you're too lazy to scald your milk here is what i do.... mix the milk, shortening, salt and sugar in a pyrex and nuke for 2 mins (shortening does NOT need to melt and the mixture will be warm enough to make bread but not too hot to kill your yeast) i pour this mixture directly into my kitchen aid with the 2 cups flour, with the dough hook and finish it in there, much easier than kneading by hand!

**also, i'm too lazy to use an orange so i just use orange juice from the freezer and dried orange flakes for the peel... turned out wonderful!