Spicy Cashew Nuts

Just made these up right before Christmas and they were a hit!  I originally made them to have around for a snack while family was here.  Then I decided they would be great to place in mason jars, print some cute labels, & give as gifts.  I bought the smaller mason jars and they were perfect for gift giving and were so cute!  I will be adding these to the Pumpkin Bread gifts I make for my children's teachers every year.  The original recipe comes from Vegan in the Freezer.  I only did a small couple differences.

Ingredients
3 regular size cans cashews or 3 cups
2-3 tsp canola oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt

Put the cashews in the crockpot.
Add the oil and stir.
Add the rest of the spices and mix thoroughly.
Cook on low 1 hour.
You can freeze these by putting them in a freezer bag or a freezer safe glass container but they will probably be gone very quickly.
They will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks and in the freezer for 2 months.

I love how the little jars turned out!

Lasagna Bites

A few weeks ago I made these for our annual Ladies Tea event at our church.  The recipe I kept seeing on pinterest was Lasagna Cups using a regular muffin pan but I wanted them for appetizers.  Of course I tweaked some ingredients to get what I wanted and still think I'd change a few things if I made them again.  They turned out really good in taste but I would prefer more crisp texture.  I think if only two layers of phyllo dough was placed in each muffin hole they might be more crisp on bottom.  Overall a good appetizer and good flavor!

Ingredients
10oz ricotta whole
1 egg
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cup six blend Italian cheese
2 garlic cloves minced, & sautéed
1 cup Prego tomato basil sauce
Paula deans seasoning
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 roll phyllo dough
1 stick butter

Peel and mince fresh garlic.  Heat 1 tbsp butter in small pan on medium heat.  Add garlic, sprinkle with Paula deans and sauté about 5 minutes.
In large bowl mix ricotta, egg, Italian seasoning, garlic, cheese, & tomato basil.  Place bowl in fridge.
Melt remaining butter in dish.  Brush a mini muffin pan with butter.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Unroll phyllo dough and cut one row of two inch squares.  You'll want to keep other dough covered with cling wrap or it will dry out.  Place three layers of two inch squares over mini muffin hole, turning each layer slightly to not have a complete three layered square.  Push squares down in hole.  Brush outer edges and inside with butter.  Repeat until all muffin holes are filled with dough.
Remove Italian mixture from fridge and scoop spoonfuls into dough.  Using remaining cheese place just enough over each mixture to cover.  Sprinkle with crushed red pepper.
Bake 18-22 minutes on bottom rack of oven.

These can be made ahead and frozen.  Simply prepare as directed above and allow to cool. Place in freezer zip lock bags and store in freezer.  Remove from freezer and lightly cover with foil.  Bake @ 425 degrees 15-20 minutes on bottom rack.  Uncover and bake about 5 more minutes.

Baked Chimichangas

Tonight ended up being one of those meals that were made on a whim.  I had originally planned to make Mexican Cornbread but we had regular cornbread with our dinner last night.  So of course I began the look on pinterest and trying to decide what I wanted to do with the ground beef I had thawed out.  I decided to try some baked chimichangas and in the midst of looking at different recipes I decided I'm just going to do my own thing because I didn't have all the ingredients to follow any of the recipes I looked at.  I really liked how these tasted fresh with the tomato, avocado, and spinach in them.  Not too much work and they turned out good!

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning (I use 3 Tbsp of homemade to 2/3 cup water)
3/4 cup sour creme
1 can Jalapeno refried beans
1 large avocado chopped
3 Roma tomatoes chopped
1 cup baby spinach chopped
2 cups fresh grated Monterrey Jack
2 cups fresh grated Pepperjack
12 medium size tortillas (not the small size ones)
Olive Oil

Preheat oven 450 degrees
1)  Line baking pan with foil and spread olive oil over it.
2)  Cook ground beef and mix taco seasoning according to directions.
3)  Mix in refried beans, sour creme, avocados, tomatoes, and spinach.
4)  Spoon meat mixture into center of tortilla and place some of both cheeses on top.  Fold ends of tortilla towards inside and other two edges over middle, and place seem side down on baking pan.  You want to be sure it is closed up with no gaps left open.  Do this until all tortillas or mixture has been used.
5)  Brush olive oil on top of all the chimichangas.
6)  Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven, flip chimichangas over, brush with a little olive oil if needed, and place back in oven and bake 10 more minutes.
7)  Remove from oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving as they are extremely hot inside.

Love fresh tomato and avocado!