Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Muffins

$2.09 total / $0.26 per muffin

This is a great twist on cornbread muffins. I love the mix of the sweet cornbread with the spicy flavor from the jalapeños. These little muffins are a tasty addition to chili, calico beans or soup.

Nutritional Highlight: Jalapeños. The capsaicin found in chili peppers holds the key to their spiciness and most of their health benefits. Capsaicin can help relieve congestion, maintain weight loss and is a strong anti-inflammatory agent. Jalapeños are also high in Vitamins A and C.

Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Muffins  (serves 8)

Jiffy Mix
1 Egg
1/3 cup Milk
1/3 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Pickled Jalapeño Slices, chopped

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Beat the egg and milk into the jiffy mix. Stir in jalapeños and most of cheese, reserving some for the top of the muffins. Let batter stand for 5 minutes. Briefly mix again.

Grease a muffin tin and fill cups 1/2 full with batter. Sprinkle top of batter with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Nutritional Analysis:

Per muffin: 145 calories, 32g fat, 21g carbohydrates, 3.8g protein

Cowboy Beans a.k.a. Calico Beans

$8.07 total / $0.81 per serving

This meal is VERY filling and packed with protein. If you want to make a 'manly' sort of meal that is a little different, this is it! When I made this for my husband, I started calling it Cowboy Beans instead of its traditional name because it just sounded right. You can find a variation of this dish at potlucks all over the midwest, especially at football team dinners.

Nutritional Highlight: Butter Beans. Beans are high in fiber that can help lower cholesterol as well as regulate blood sugar. Butter beans, also known as lima beans, are large and buttery in texture. This legume is also an amazing source of folate, protein, various vitamins and minerals. 

Cowboy Beans  (serves 8-10)

1 lb. Hamburger, browned and drained
1/2 lb. Bacon, browned and drained
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 medium Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1 cup Frozen Corn *optional
3/4 cup Ketchup
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp Brown Mustard
2 tsp White Vinegar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Mustard
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 can Navy Beans
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Pork & Beans
1 can Butter Beans

Brown hamburger and bacon over medium heat. Drain off all grease. Add all ingredients in a crockpot set to low (include all liquid from canned beans). Cook all day until you are ready for dinner.

You can also bake this in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour. I think it is better, however, slow cooked so the flavors blend.

Serve with Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Muffins.

Nutritional Analysis:

Per serving: 366 calories, 12.3g fat, 50.4g carbohydrates, 17.8g protein and over 15% daily value of Vitamin B-12, Copper, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Phosphorus, Selenium, Thiamin and Zinc

Sliders with Carrot Fries

$4.22 total / $1.05 per serving

I'm definitely no slider expert. I watched a show on the cooking channel about hamburgers across America and sliders were featured in great detail. Man, people are passionate about sliders! Have you ever had a slider? I mean a real slider, not just a mini hamburger. Because apparently there's a difference. The original slider originated from the man behind White Castle. I'm sure you've at least heard of White Castle even if you've never visited one yourself. They have quite a following and sliders have even become a pop culture reference, e.g. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Classic.

There are a few things that distinguish a traditional slider from its hamburger counterpart. First, the portions of the burger itself. While the ingredients are pretty much the same as a regular hamburger, the meat in a slider is typically under 2oz. and flattened into a thin patty, there are always onions, and the bun is a white bread with a light texture. Second (and most important), the method of cooking. Sliders are cooked on a flat top grill to capture the steam. There is no such thing as a grilled slider. Just saying.

Nutritional Highlight: Onion. You can find examples of onions used in the cooking of most cultures. They have a long shelf life and are full of health benefits. Onions have a very high polyphenol count. Polyphenols are antioxidants - a common polyphenol known by many are the tannins found in red wine. Onions also have a high concentration of flavonoids. Both flavonoids and polyphenols are powerful tools for disease prevention but research is still being done to pinpoint different foods helpful for specific diseases.

Sliders with Carrot Fries  (serves 4)

1 lb. hamburger, formed in 2 oz. balls
1 medium Onion, thinly sliced or chopped to preference
Cheddar Cheese, in .5 oz slices
8 Rolls (click for recipe)
2 large Carrots, Peeled

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Place hamburger one ball at a time, squishing the meat with a spatula until very thin. Place a pinch of onions, about 2 Tbsp, on top of each patty of hamburger. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Flip each patty so that the onions are against the pan, top with cheese. Season again if desired with salt and pepper. Now layer bottom bun on top of the cheese with top bun resting upright on the bottom bun. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the carrot into 3 in. pieces and run horizontally through a food processor to get steak fry slices. When sliders are ready, remove the top bun and plate by scooping up all the layers and flipping it over to place the top bun.

Nutritional Analysis:

Per serving (2 sliders and 1/2 carrot): 672 calories, 36.8g fat, 50.6g carbohydrates, 30.1g protein and over 15% daily value of Vitamin A, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin B-6, Phosphorus, Riboflavin, Selenium and Zinc.

Good For Everything Rolls

$1.06 total / $0.06 per roll

These rolls can be used for anything. They are perfect by themselves as a side to dinner or can be used to make mini sandwiches of any kind. They are light yet chewy, my favorite combination!

Nutritional Highlight: Pure Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. There is a lot of controversy about this oil due to its saturated fat content. However, recently coconut oil has become a little bit trendy. It is very popular in natural food circles and among vegans. Coconut oil does indeed have a high saturated fat content but the main source is from lauric acid. Lauric acid is naturally found in breast milk and thought to have antimicrobial properties among other medicinal uses. It is also thought to raise HDL or "good" cholesterol. 

Good For Everything Rolls (makes 16 rolls)

2 cups Bread Flour
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Coconut Oil, melted
1/2 cup Instant Potato Flakes
1/4 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Salt
2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1 1/4 cups Warm Water, ~115 degrees

In a large liquid measuring cup or a small bowl, mix together water and sugar. When the sugar has dissolved, add the yeast. Let bloom for about 5-10 minutes until foamy. Add the oil to the mixture, making sure that it is cooled and not over 120 degrees.

Mix flour, salt and potato flakes in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Slowly add the yeast mixture to the mixing bowl at the slowest speed. Knead until smooth and the dough pulls away from the sides, about 5 minutes. Then knead by hand in the bowl until the dough forms a smooth ball.

Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough, and divide into fourths. Then divide each fourth into another four equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball by rolling between hands. Place each ball of dough about 1in. apart on a greased or lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise again until doubled, about 1 hour.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Nutritional Analysis: 

Per serving: 144 calories, 4.4g fat, 22g carbohydrates, 2.9g protein