OK, friends. I have some stuff in my pantry that just isn’t moving, and I want your help.
These are some items that I didn’t buy, so they don’t fit my typical meal plans. What would you do with them? Extra points for emphasis on low/slow carb meals, meatless/low cost, and for using more than one item below in the same meal.
- vermicelli (2 small bags)
- pasta stars (1 small bag)
- crunchy Chinese noodles – We often do fried rice or stir fry over rice, so we could easily use these under or over. Would you do something more creative?
- corn bread stuffing mix (3 largish bags)
- french fried onions – I’ve only ever used these in Thanksgiving green bean casserole, but surely there are other options.
- croutons – We’re big on salads, so we could do the obvious. But again, maybe you have a better idea?
- oyster crackers – Soup weather is just around the corner, but do you have an idea that is appealing during hot weather?
- stove-top stuffing (3 bags of the store brand)
- quinoa (3 cups) – I tried this for the first time ever a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it, but most went bad in the fridge waiting for inspiration on what to actually do with it.
- taco shells – Tacos, of course. Maybe lentil or bean?
I tried this crockpot recipe for quinoa once. It’s meatless and pretty tasty! http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/07/crockpot-quinoa-casserole.html
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,chinese_noodle_cookies,FF.html
Chinese noodles and chocolate! Cookies!
I would put the pasta stars in soup. Easiest to see that way.
French fried onions on top of easy chicken cordon bleu. Okay, so I’m gonna have to give up all the extra points, but this dish is amazing. Serve with rice as a side. Some people put the rice in the bottom of the pan, but I’ve never mastered that one yet. The rice is always under-done when I try it.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
1) flatten chicken breasts (6 cover a 9×13) (I’ve begun not flattening them, and it works just as well)
2) cover with ham
3) cover with pliable bacon (This can be omitted, but I like bacon too much to leave it out!)
4) cover with 2 layers sliced swiss cheese
5) spread over top: 1 can cream of mushroom soup mixed with 16 oz sour cream or
plain yogurt
6) bake uncovered at 350 for an hour
7) after 1 hour sprinkle a mixture of bread crumbs, dry stuffing mix
or some Durkee french fried onions. Bake until browned and crisp-
just a few minutes. (The french fried onions are amazing on it!)
Enjoy!
April, my family would go crazy over chicken cordon bleu and I actually have both ham and chicken breast in the freezer. I’m going out today…maybe I should add bacon and swiss cheese to my list.
I use quinoa in all sorts, casseroles, soups etc. It is a great way to add protein to things. You could add it to a bean mix to go in the taco shells!
I do a roasted veg salad (cold from the roast before) with lentils, quinoa and buckwheat, and stir in some pesto. It is very tasty and filling.
I use little pasta (I am presuming the stars are little) in lumpy (not blended) soups. And then you could put the croutons on the top.
I live in England. It is cold and wet and so we eat a lot soup and casseroles. Can you tell?
Amy, thanks for mentioning pesto. I have a jar of that too! I bought it because Perry loves it, but I haven’t decided what to do with it.
My kids would eat pesto every week if I let them. We love it. That’s a good idea to add it to the quinoa!! I haven’t tried that yet, and since my kids aren’t too keen (get it?) on quinoa yet, I think adding pesto just might be the golden ticket!
Follow this link for a simple, meatless vermicelli recipe: http://jeroxie.com/addiction/meatless-mondays-24-simple-vermicelli.
Pasta Stars – Save for Thanksgiving, use with leftover turkey to make soup.
Follow this link for a recipe for Chinese Noodle Candy: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1618,146177-225198,00.html I have made this with white chocolate instead of butterscotch.
French Fried Onions – Use as a breading for Chicken. Mmm Mmm Good! You can find the recipe on the French’s website.
Stove Top – Bake with Pork Chops & serve with green beans – good stuff!
Taco Shells – Break up and serve sprinkled on Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Now I’m hungry and it’s only 7am!
this is my go to recipe for quinoa. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/01/quinoa-chicken-crockpot-stewhtml.html
Have you ever heard of Supercook.com? You just type in the ingredients that you have and it will give you recipes using those ingredients.
Vermicelli and pasta stars I would save for soup weather. Crunchy Chinese noodles are great in salad, or over stir fry like you said.
For the stuffing mixes: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1850,146160-240199,00.html or http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,178,159181-231199,00.html
Quinoa–basically use in place of rice. I like it as a side dish, with meat and veggie.
With the croutons, I would throw them in the processor with a garlic clove or two and some parmesan. Pulse until fine. At this point you could save this bread crumb mixture in the fridge until needed. You can use them to coat chicken..and then bake. Or top your favorite casseroles for a crunchy bite.
As far as the Quinoa…I see you got several suggestions already….but I really like The Marathon Mom’s recipe she has on her site. We loved it as a side dish.
We don’t buy Oyster crackers, but I suppose if I had them on hand, and didn’t use them for soup, I would do the same as the Croutons. I would pulse them in the food processor with seasoning and parmesan and use as a casserole topping. Or, throw them in a meatloaf mix.
Sacred Mommyhood,
Great idea for the croutons and oyster crackers – I do have a couple of recipes that call for seasoned bread crumbs, so this would fit right into my normal cooking uses. Why didn’t I think of that?
I never buy breadcrumbs anymore – whizzing up some croutons works so well, and we usually have ‘em on hand for our salad nights. I coat chicken, pork roasts/chops, and fish with processed croutons. Top any kind of casserole with them…They’re so versatile!
Chinese Noodle Candy (http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1618,147177-225198,00.html)
or Haystacks (similar thing except with butterscotch instead of chocolate)
The fried onions are good on salads. I have also heard of some people crushing them and using them to bread chicken.
The oyster crackers recipe:
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 Tbls red pepper flakes
1 packages ranch dip mix
1 bag oyster crackers
Put all the ingredients into a ziplock bag and shake well for a few minutes. Let sit about a hour flipping bag over every 15 minutes. Spread out on a baking sheet to let them dry a little more. Enjoy.
Also most of the time you can call the “Questions and Comments” phone number and they can give you recipes. I hope that helps.
Susan,
My husband would *love* to eat fried onions on his salads! That could be dangerous, though. Once I got him started, we’d have to keep them on hand.
The seasoned oyster crackers sound yummy, especially if we added pretzels, nuts, etc. We love snack mixes! Have you ever tried mixing up the seasonings from scratch instead of using a packet?
Ok, so I have to now. Have you made Ranch seasoning from scratch? If so, I would love the recipe!
I use this one http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/healthy-homemade-salad-dressing-ideas and add a bit of dried dill. I was concerned when I first mixed it up, that it didn’t look as … well rounded…. as some of the more labor/ingredient intensive mix recipes that I’ve seen. It’s delicious though! I mix 2 tablespoons with 1 cup mayo, 1 cup milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice (since I usually don’t have buttermilk on hand). Perfect
I have never made the scratch. I would love the recipe! I do not buy the packages, but my mother-in-law usually gives me some because my son likes ranch so much. I had not thougt about adding other things to it, that sounds good! You will have to post the recipes you decided to use
Acorn Squash Boats 4 side side dish servings
1lb Sausage
1/2 c Shredded Carrot
1/4 c Chopped Onion
1 c Corn Bread Stuffing Mix
3TB Water or Broth
1/4c Shredded Swiss Cheese
2 Acorn Squash (Cooked whole, cut in 1/2, seeds removed)
In medium saucepan cook sausage, carrot, and onion till sausage is cooked through and veggies tender. Stir in stuffing mix and water. Stir in cheese. Spoon filling into squash set in baking dish and bake at 350 for 20min. The flavors of this are really good. To make it easier you can always layer ingredients in a baking dish then bake. Layer: cooked squash (peeled and mashed), stuffing/sausage mix, topped with swiss cheese. Lots of squash is best.
My G’ma uses the vermicilli in tomato soup. You could use the stars for the same thing. Great idea to use the croutons for bread crumbs. I regularly use stuffing mix to bread chicken with. Makes amazing crunchy breading. We use the french fried onions both to bread chicken with and on chef salad. YUMM Makes a fantastic breading.
OH and the ranch seasoned oyster crackers are AMAZING! My friend made them one year for Christmas gifts. Put in mason jars with pretty ribbons. They aere soooo yummy. Much needed when All we got form everyone else was sweets..lol
Croutons are good sprinkled over a bowl of soup right before serving. The oyster crackers can be made into a snack called belly buttons http://www.familyoven.com/offsite?r_id=79261&u=http://www.recipezaar.com/20845
For the quinoa, make tabbouleh (or tabouli–lots of spelling variations.) it’s fabulous. Add chicken chunks to make it heartier. As for the rest, good luck making low carb meals with all that starch and refined flour. . .
Low carb ideas are hard when your list includes lots of carbs! (plus aren’t meals a lot more fun with carbs?
Anyway – I sometimes like to mix croutons or stuffing with a can of cream soup (or just my own white sauce) pour over chicken and bake. For extra great taste I like to add a slice of swiss cheese on each piece of chicken which adds great flavor.
And my 2yo and 4yo could clean those oyster crackers out of your pantry in no time.
I didn’t have time to read all of the comments, so someone else might have said this, but my husband and I LOVE seasoned oyster crackers.
I’ve found recipes with more ingredients, but I just put the oyster crackers in a big bowl and put ranch seasoning in it with some olive oil. Shake until covered, and you’ve got a great snack.
I was going to mention this too…so good! We do dry ranch dressing (our homemade version), some lemon juice, some oil or butter and then bake them, stirring, until very lightly browned. We love these!
Thanks for mentioning the baking part. I bake them too! Minor detail, right?
For the cornbread mix, there’s this fantastic chili cheese dog casserole that I just made last night. It’s chili beans, hot dogs, cornbread, and cheese all in a pan.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chili-Cheese-Dog-Casserole?cpi=2&sort=2
Not sure how that falls under low-carb, but it’s certainly ‘crowd pleaser’.
I like to make a black bean, corn and quinoa salad (made with the aforementioned ingredients, plus chopped tomatoes, red onion, seeded/chopped jalapeño and cilantro, seasoned with a lime juice vinaigrette). It makes a lovely, summery side-dish to grilled chicken or fish!
The crispy chinese noodles would be fantastic in my Chinese Chicken Salad recipe…which I think I forgot to send to you. *gulp* If I did, here it is:
2 head Romaine lettuce, shredded
4 stalk celery, chopped fine
4 sliced green onions
1/2-1 bunch cilantro, chopped fine
1/4 c. sesame seeds, toasted
chinese noodles to taste
leftover shredded chicken from a previous meal (or any cooked chicken)
Combine all ingredients except chicken in a large bowl and toss. Place chicken in an oven-proof casserole and cover with sauce ingredients:
3/4 c. dijon mustard
3/4 c. honey
3/4 c. oyster sauce (Wal-Mart sells this in the Oriental section)
Place in a 350 oven and bake for 20 minutes or so, until the sauce is bubbly and the chicken is hot. (You can also do this in the microwave, if you’re pressed for time). Toss the chicken and sauce over the salad and serve immediately!
Rachel,
Yum and thank you! I even have oyster sauce and very little idea of what to do with it. Perfect!
Do you let the chicken & sauce cool before adding to the salad?
Quinoa (salads) – got some options here for you, with pictures (simple, quick and so yummy):
http://javaline.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/when-the-harvest-is-abundant/
A yummy way to use croutons is by making Egg muffins. You’ll probably need to double the recipe to feed your family though
6 Eggs
1 Cup shredded Cheddar
1 Cup shredded Monterey Jack or Mozzarella
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Cup Croutons (flavoured or not)
Onion flakes, salt & pepper to taste
Mix everything together, spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 350* for 15 minutes.
These are great for breakfast or brunch
http://genievesrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/09/egg-muffins.html
1. Pasta stars are wonderful in chicken soup and if you want to go meatless, just throw them in a vegetable soup and they’ll be very tasty as well. Kind of a variation on minestrone!
2. As for the vermicelli – here is a yummy recipe for vermicelli that I posted a little while ago:
http://makingajoyfulhome.blogspot.com/2011/08/vermicelli-anita.html
It’s meatless(though it does use fish) and it’s very inexpensive to make. My recipe only serves 4-5. but it’s very easily expanded.
Lentil Tacos recipe:
Sautee 1 onion with a clove of garlic in olive oil. Add 1 cup of lentils, 2 Tbsp. chili powder, 2 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp oregano and cook for 1 min. Add 2-21/2 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Cook for 30 mins. Slightly mash the lentils, stir in a cup of salsa. Then use this however you would eat your regular tacos! Very delicious, but I don’t know how much this serves
)
I have a great recipe for meatloaf that uses Stove Top. It’s the best meatloaf ever, and I’m not kidding. See the Stuffing Meatload here: http://notinadequate.com/recipes-2/
I also use a lot of Quinoa. It’s terrific in Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins (and Fall is here! the perfect time for pumpkin!). I use freshly ground whole wheat flour in these and they turn out great. See here: http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_detail.php?rid=1117 They freezer great and are a breakfast staple around here.
Bob’s Red Mill has a lot of great recipes, and you can search by ingredient.
Here’s a way to use the vermicelli AND the croutons (pulsed in a food processor or banged in a bag with a rolling pin).
http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/spaghetti-with-olives-and-bread-crumbs-3075.html or alternately http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/orecchiette-with-toasted-breadcrumbs-recipe/index.html
As with all pasta dishes you can add your favourite things (mushrooms, onions, etc etc).
Best of luck!
Also meant to add for the Oyster Crackers: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ranch-Oyster-Crackers/Detail.aspx (I actually use my homemade ranch mix but you could use the packet stuff too)
http://www.naturallyknockedup.com/recipe-quinoa-and-spinach-stuffed-tomatoes/
This is on my to-try list but it sure does look yummy.
http://www.tammysrecipes.com/romaine_broccoli_salad
http://www.tammysrecipes.com/oriental_chicken_salad
Both of these tasty salads call for crunchy Chinese noodles.
Heh I just keep thinking and more things pop into my head.
When we were younger, my mom used to make mashed potatoes, put them in a casserole and top them with the french fried onions and bake till crispy golden brown.
The crunchy Chinese noodles are also great on salads!
I’ve also used Quinoa as a replacement for cous cous under beef tips and gravy (to get my husband to eat it). I tried making it as a side dish by itself and it was not overly appreciated, but the gravy/beef tips made it go right down and ask for more.
wow… the mashed potato idea sounds wonderful! I’m going to try that one sometime…
http://www.frenchs.com/recipe/frenchs-crunchy-onion-chicken-RE1309
I believe someone above referenced this recipe.
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/bruschetta-chicken-bake-65546.aspx
I like this recipe using stovetop.
Whenever I have an abundance of oyster crackers, I make this snack: http://twowild.blogspot.com/2009/01/favorite.html
If you aren’t up for tacos, crush up the shells and make taco salads or use them as a soup topping or as nachos.
I like the oriental coleslaw with the noodles..yum-O!
RE: the french fried onions. They are very good on sandwiches. I like it with smoked turkey, cranberry sauce or jelly and lettuce on sourdough with mustard, but that’s me.
RE: the quinoa. We used it a lot a few years ago, but I must confess it isn’t my favorite, even though it is the fastest whole grain to cook and is a complete protein. My favorite recipes for it are South American Mudjudarah (I probably made it up), and Quinoa Stir Fry Toss (Trader Joe’s recipe).
South American Mudjudarah
Cook up quinoa according to package directions in vegetable or chicken broth
Caramelize a few diced onions in olive oil
Add 2 tsp salt per 2 c. dry grain
Mix together and enjoy!
Quinoa Stir Fry Toss
1-2 chicken or turkey breasts, cooked and sliced into strips or diced (this can be omitted)
1-2 c. cooked quinoa (in chicken or vegetable broth–it really helps the flavor)
2 bell peppers julienned
1 large red onion, sliced and caramelized in olive oil
1 medium bunch fresh basil, julienned
Parmesan cheese, grated
Cook onion to brown in skillet; remove onions and add peppers. Cook until slightly limp and remove from oil. Toss quinoa, basil, peppers, onion and (optional) chicken or turkey until well mixed and top with cheese. It works as a main or a side dish.
I make quinoa muffins (http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/?s=quinoa+muffins) – I throw just a few chocolate chips in it and even my non-quinoa eating child will devour them!
I use stuffing like breadcrumbs too, crush croutons as bread crumbs, and my son loves fried onions on his salad instead of croutons.
The pasta stars I would throw in some broth with a few frozen veggies for a really quick soup. Even though it’s hot, I still have a kid that would eat broth every meal if I let him!
My favorite way to eat vermicelli is to fry it.
Soak the noodles for a few minutes in warm water like you normally would and drain well. Snip the noodles into smaller pieces (like 1-2 inches…nothing exact….just to break everything up and make it more manageable). Saute/fry in a pan of a couple tablespoons of butter until the noodles aren’t really holding much liquid any more and the butter is soaked up/fries them some. Add some soy sauce (or amino acids) and maybe some hot sauce/paste….fry a bit longer (they’ll start to get crispy around the edges, but not super crispy). I serve this as a side dish or if I want to make it a full meal, I’ll add some browned ground beef/turkey, green onions, etc.
If you’ve only ever had them boiled or in soups, etc, you should really try this. It brings a completely new look and taste to vermicelli. Look around online for some other specific recipes for frying them, if you’re not sure what to expect. Delicious.
With the stuffing mix you can make a yummy chicken dish…we put cut up boneless, skinless chicken in a 9×13 pan, top with some grated mozzerella cheese, dump over the stuffing, put some basil or other Italian seasoning on top and then pour over cans of diced tomatoes with juice. Bake until bubbly and chicken is cooked…so yummy!
And like any frugal gal we improvise…often the tomato part is with fresh tomatoes in the summer, home canned tomatoes in the winter, even leftover tomato sauce has been used. The result has always been yummy and my husband loves our Italian chicken bake!
Heather
Someone may have already said this but I’m not reading all of the comments to find out!
You can use the quinoa in place of rice, like with a stir fry.
Croutons- crush them up for a breading for something like “chicken packets” (cream cheese, cooked chicken, and onions sealed in bread dough rolled in butter rolled in the crouton crumbs)
Oyster crackers- just eat them plain, use them for a snack, and if big enough, put peanut butter on them and sandwich two together.
Put the pasta stars in chicken noodle soup. Stir the quinoa with peanut butter and honey for a yummy breakfast!
Quinoa makes an okay breakfast dish with sultanas, fruit, and yoghurt.
Crunchy noodles and cold quinoa are regular offerings on our Sunday Salad Bar Night. Once in a while we have french fried onions too.
We regularly have quinoa (cooked with some ck bouillon), with grilled chicken, green onions and squash. Sprinkle craisins and almonds over it with a splash of seasones salt. YUM!
I like quinoa with black beans as a taco stuffer.
Meatless and filling (and cheap too!).
Go out and get a turkey ( not expensive) and cook it and make the stove top stuffing up with the cornbread stuffing. With some fresh apples and a green salad you are ready for your next family potluck supper.
Put all the pastas together (break up the vermicelli) and cook them. Add also the chinese noodles. Use the pastas as a base for your favorite pasta salad. Sprinkle the crunchy onions on top.
Eat the croutons for a snack with cheese cubes.
Eat the oyster crackers with the croutons and cheese cubes. Or, come on, save them for the soup season!
Maybe you should put the fried onions in the bowl with the croutons and oyster crackers and have like a snack mix…with apples and cheese…lunch
Taco shells for tacos. Maybe you could have turkey tacos with your left overs from the turkey.
Looks like you have plenty of quinoa suggestions.
Have fun!
We make a recipe very similar to this and put it over whole wheat spaghetti, but vermicelli would be great, too:
http://dailyfillblog.com/blog/ragout-of-cannellini-sausage-clams-and-broccolini.html
Let us know what you decide to make/do with your items! This is a really interesting thread:)!
We make itallian pasta soup with our “odds and ends” dry pasta.
Saute 1 lb breakfast sausage (you can use turkey or ground beef as well) with 1 TB dry basil, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp oregano, 3 cloves garlic and one finely chopped onion. Add 6 cups water or broth, 1 15 oz can tomato sauce and 1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes. Let simmer 20 min, then whir up a red or yellow pepper in a blender, food chopper or just chop it fine if your kids aren’t picky. Add pepper and 3 shredded carrots, then your various pasta shapes to soup. When the pasta is done turn off heat and add 1-2 c shredded zuchinni. I don’t cook from this from an actual recipe, so the spicing is my estimation. This doubles nicely, I made it last week with 1 lb sausage and 1 lb hamburger and then doubled all of the ingredients. It is yummy, full of hidden veggies and my kids and husband love it. Shredding the zucchinni keeps it from being slimy when you reheat the leftovers.
vermicelli (2 small bags)
pasta stars (1 small bag)– My kids like this a a snack with just butter, salt and pepper.
crunchy Chinese noodles – These are also a good alternative to the french fried onions on green bean casserole.
Oooh, oooh! I have a recipe for your Stove Top stuffing, especially if you also have an abundance of zucchini (I don’t know if you do or not!)
This isn’t the most healthy recipe but it sure is tasty! You could substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream to make it more healthy. Homemade cream-of soup would also be more healthy.
I haven’t made it in years because we live overseas and can’t get some of the ingredients here. But I think it’s delicious!
Oh no! While submitting my comment I realized I forgot to include the link for the recipe. Whoops!
Here you go: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chicken-Zucchini-Casserole
http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/quinoa-salad.php
well, i just tried this recipe tonight with quinoa, and it was super delicious: http://retromummy.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-quinoa-burger.html, but quinoa also makes a great breakfast cereal, cooked in milk (any kind, I use almond) then with some sliced almonds and coconut flakes in it.
and the crunchy chinese noodles would be super good in cabbage salad. you just slice up a cabbage really thin, add some shredded carrots then dress it with a mixture of salad oil and soy sauce and little sesame oil, then mix in any kind of nuts (cashews are awesome), crunchy noodles, and if you want some kind of protein (I like it with baked tofu)
I’ve crushed up the french onions, mixed them with chicken, think of it as a substitution and bake. I believe the recipe was from Taste of Home. Not the most low-carb thing, but it will get those moving. Maybe make the vermicelli and mix it with a big vegetable salad. Or make a homemade version of Rice A Roni.
Hello Kim,
My suggestions for the croutons or oyster crackers are to use in soup–homemade tomato is really tasty! For a pot your size, i would say take: 1 large onion, butter and chop onion and saute til limp. Add chicken bullion and water probably about 3 cubes and 4 cups of water. Simmer onion and spices like garlic, oregano, basil etc. for ten minutes. Add say one or two eight ounce cans of tomato paste and whisk into broth and add about 1/4 cp sugar. Heat until almost boiling and then thicken with cornstarch til too thick. Thin with milk until the right consistency is achieved. Yum!!
Add the smal bags of pasta to soups like chicken noodle or vegetable.
For the quinoa, cook a batch to eat for breakfast, then take the leftovers and (assuming it’s about a cup or a cup and a half), put in a blender with 4 eggs, 1 cup sugar or other sweetener, 3/4 cp oil, vanilla, and in a separate bowl, mix up about 3-4 cups all purposed flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt and any spices (cinnamon?) you like. Pour the wet into a mixing bowl and whisk in the flour mix til just mixed. Pour into muffin tins and bake 10-12 minutes til brown. I do this with left over grits, oatmeal, rice, millet and other grains. Sneaky way to use up leftover whole grain.
Here’s my favorite recipe to make with Quinoa: Red Bean Quinoa Salad http://www.the-homestyle.com/2011/08/23/red-bean-quinoa-salad It’s great warm or cold, and the added kidney beans make it very filling. Good luck with all your other ingredients!
I use stuffing mix to make an incredibly easy and tasty meatloaf. Just get a pound of hamburger meat, stir in the entire box of stuffing mix, and one egg all together. Mix it well by hand and then put it into a loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. You won’t believe how yummy and easy this is.
As far as the french fried onions go, we put them in a variety of casseroles that I make. It really adds a nice flavor to them.
Taco shells can be broken up and used in casseroles. I substitute broken taco shells for Doritos in casseroles.
Hope this helps!
I love love quinoa. My favorite is Quinoa Chili. http://feedyourfamily.blogspot.com/2008/06/quinoa-chili.html The cinnamon makes it delish!
I also like this Quinoa and Black Bean recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/quinoa-and-black-beans/detail.aspx. We put this in tortillas, like a burrito. Yum
Finally, I use quinoa to make a pilaf with bulgar wheat. Just toss them in there with some cumin or whatever spices you want and voila, yumminess. GOod luck.
I was going to recommend the same quinoa and black bean recipe as Marlo. It is really good.
Okay here is my contribution. For the croutons, crush them up (my kids love the job of putting in a bag and smashing to bits with meat mallet hammer) then use them to bread, chicken, fish or in tuna patties. For the quionoa make a cold salad, add cucumber, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, coarse salt, pepper, chopped parsley and green onion. Don’t have actual recipe, just season to taste.
For the stuffing, if you cook turkey or chicken up use some to make pasta shells. I do this with leftovers from thanksgiving but you easily just cook up some meat and do it. For the layers, combine gravy, stuffing (cooked), veggies you have, grated cheese and meat that has been diced. Stuff inside cooked noodles, pour more gravy on top topped with cheese. YUM.
Check out my blog and follow if interested…
http://mischeviousmonkeys.blogspot.com/