Smoky Bacon Campfire Beans

 YUM!  I am to provide baked beans for my Dad's birthday dinner.  So, I did a search on Tastefully Simple and found this recipe.  Just took a sample taste and this is fantastic!  Tastes just like baked beans should taste.

I did some modifications to the recipe :

• 99% Ground turkey breast instead of the ground beef
• Turkey bacon instead of regular bacon
• Cannelloni beans instead of lima beans
• low salt/no added sodium on the kidney & black beans
• ran out of chili powder so I used Tastefully Simple's Wahoo! Chili Seasoning
• crock pot instead of the grill/oven - low heat for 5 1/2 hours

Here's the original recipe:

1 lb 85% lean ground beef

8 bacon slices (about 1/2 lb), chopped

1/2 c chopped onion

1 (16 oz) can mild chili beans

1 (15.25 oz) can lima beans, rinsed & drained

1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained

2/3 c firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 c Smoky Bacon BBQ Sauce

1/2 c ketchup

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1.  Prepare grill to medium indirect heat.  Place a cast-iron Dutch oven or oven-safe large saucepan over direct heat side of grill.  Add ground beef, chopped bacon and onions.  Cook and crumble until no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes.  Carefully drain off grease.

2.  Move pan to indirect heat side of grill.  Add remaining ingredients; stir until well combined.

3.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 1-2 hours.

Makes 12 servings.

Bake Option:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare step 1 on stovetop over medium-high heat.  Stir in remaining ingredients, cover and transfer to oven.  Bake 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Crockpot:  Prepare step 1 on stovetop over medium-high heat.  Transfer to crockpot.  Add remaining ingredients; stir until well combined.  Cover and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, 4-6 hours.

Freezer to Oven: Honey Teriyaki Chicken & Rice

 Oh my!  This is a great home-made take-off of Asian Teriyaki Chicken & Rice dishes you get at your favorite Asian restaurants like Panda Express.

I did some slight variations like used a little over 2 pounds of chicken and two 12 ounce packages of frozen stir fry vegetables.  I also used a tri-blend rice instead of jasmine.  Also, I used Avocado Oil instead of olive oil.  And I did the No Freeze Option.  This is supposed to make 6 servings but I ended up with 8.  I froze the leftovers.

Here's the original recipe and directions:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 Tbsp Onion Onion Seasoning

1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt

1 (16 oz) package frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetable blend

4 c cooked and cooled jasmine rice (1 1/3 c uncooked)

1 bottle Honey Teriyaki Sauce

1.  In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, Onion Onion Seasoning and Seasoned Salt.  Sauté until chicken is cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.  Cool.

2.  In a greased freezer to oven-safe 13x9-inch baking dish, combine chicken with remaining ingredients.  Toss to coat.

3.  Cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil.  Seal well, label and freeze.

4.  To bake from frozen, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Remove foil and plastic wrap.  Loosely replace foil.  Bake 1 hour.  Remove foil; stir.  Recover and continue baking 10-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer.

Serve with Asian-style green salad.

No Freeze Option:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Prepare through step 2.  Cover with foil.  Bake 35-40 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Nutrition Per Serving:

Calories: 450

Total Fat: 7g

    Sat. Fat: 1g

Cholest: 85mg

Sodium: 1,550mg

Carbs:  62g

Fiber: 2g

Sugar: 22g

Protein: 35g

Freezer to Oven: Mama's Creamy Chicken Penne Bake

 

It's been awhile since I posted recipes.  Oh was this so delicious!  I did some modifications to the original recipe - used gluten free pasta and did not include the baby spinach leaves nor the optional items.  Actually, I did sprinkle a little bit of grated mozzarella & cheddar cheese.   Also, I didn't use as much of the Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix due to its spiciness.  I did the no-freeze option and dished up the leftovers to put in the freezer.

Here's the original ingredients:

12 oz penne pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 (8 oz) pkg sliced fresh baby bella mushrooms
2 tsp Garlic Garlic Seasoning
1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt
4 c chopped fresh baby spinach leaves
1 (15 oz) jar four cheese Alfredo pasta sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 c Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix
3/4 c plain panko bread crumbs, optional
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese, optional
2 Tbsp butter, melted, optional

1.  Prepare pasta according to package directions, cooking 1 minute less that al dente.  Rinse with cold water and drain well.  Place in a greased freezer to oven-safe 13x9-inch baking dish; set aside.

2.  Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add next 4 ingredients.  Saute until chicken is cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.  Stir in spinach; remove from heat and let spinach wilt.  Cool; add to pasta.

3.  In medium bowl, combine Alfredo, undrained tomatoes and Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix.  Add to pasta; toss to coat.  If desired, in small bowl combine remaining 3 ingredients; sprinkle over pasta.

4.  Cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil.  Seal well, label and freeze.

5.  To bake from frozen, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Remove foil and plastic wrap; loosely replace foil.  Bake 45 minutes.  Remove foil and continue baking 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant read food thermometer.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with green salad.

No Freeze Option:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Prepare through step 3.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Active Time:  30 minutes
Total Time:  1 3/4 hours
Makes 6 servings

Nutrition per Serving (excludes optional toppings):

Calories:  420
Total Fat: 9g
   Sat Fat: 3g
Cholest:  75mg
Sodium: 1,130mg
Carbs: 57g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 9g
Protein: 28g

Enjoy!  Products can be purchased from my website.