Have you ever been to Recipe Zaar to look for recipes?  It’s a great site and has a cool feature where you can put in the ingredients that you have on hand and it will spit out a recipe for you.

I had a few cans of chick peas that I wanted to use up (originally bought to make hummus that never came to fruition)  and the Recipe Zaar came back with Curried Chickpeas Over Rice.

I had all of the ingredients and we love curry dishes, so it worked!  I used coconut milk  I added some broccoli as well.  The recipe suggested serving it with mild flavored veggies, but I just mixed the broccoli right in.

It was very nice and my hubby loved it.  And it’s one I would have never thought of by myself.  I will definitely make it again as it falls into my qualifications of “yummy, healthy, quick and easy” for dinner recipes.

I made a double batch of it because this week I’m going to be making extra of everything in an effort to stock up my freezer with meals.  I love being able to just get something out of the freezer when I’m tired or running short on time.

I will be making double batches of the following this week.

• Spaghetti
  
• Thai Carrot Soup
• Chili (with parsnips…yum!)
  
• Quiche (will make two)
  
• Mexican casserole
• Homemade pizza (only one of these though)
  

I will also be making more bread and sweet potato oatmeal squares.

This post is linking to Menu Plan Monday at I’m An Organizing Junkie.

Do you love chocolate?  And cheesecake?  Met too!  Then you need to try this recipe!  I made this  Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Pie yesterday.  First time I’ve ever made a cheesecake and it was damn good if I do say so myself!  And it was super easy.

Here are some more recipes I thought I’d share with you.

Sangria Punch at Cooking Tip of the Day – YUM…as the weather gets warm, don’t you long for drinks like this as you’re sitting in the sun on your patio?  This one is definitely on my Spring want list!  No more winter!

Buttermilk Banana Bread at Educate Empower Enjoy – Who doesn’t love a good banana bread recipe?  I have never tried one with buttermilk….going to have to give this one a try.  And it freezes well!

Red Beans and Rice – this is one of the best looking recipes I’ve seen for red beans, suggested by Simple Mom.  This one is definitely going going on the list for maybe even next week.

Pasta Meatball Soup – ooh, this looks yum.  Highlighted as super tasty and easy over at Org Junkie.  This kind of recipe is just my style.  This one might be going on the list too.  Don’t you love easy recipes, Moms?!

Chilaquiles Casserole at Delish – because who can pass up a good lookin’ Mexican dish?  I do love some good Mexican!  Plus, it’s always nice to have a good Mexican casserole type dish too for potlucks and parties…can’t wait to try it out!

Have you tried a new easy and tasty recipe lately, that is worthy of sharing?  Leave a comment wth a link so we can all check it out.

Since I always feel like baking on the weekend, I thought I’d share a fun recipe.  Well, it’s healthy(er), so I guess it’s not fun to everyone.

I have a mega sweet tooth.  Often I crave brownies.  I am reluctant to make them as they are usually gone by the next day.  I have no self control when it comes to things like this in my house.

So, I was having another ‘need‘ for brownies the other day and started looking for a healthier version.

This is what I found.  They were pretty tasty…and gone by the next day.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup grade B maple syrup (I only had Grade A so I used it)
• 6 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

• Beat eggs, honey, syrup, vanilla and mix well
• Melt butter over low heat, remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder until well blended
• Blend in egg mixture
• Sift together flour, baking powder and salt
• Stir flour mixture and chocolate mixture together
• Pour/spread into greased 8x8x2 baking pan
• Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean
• Cool, enjoy!

These were more ‘cake like’ than I prefer brownies to be, but they still were pretty tasty.

I’m still on the lookout for a healthy, goo-ey, brownie recipe though.  If you have one, let me know!

This is one of the dinners on my Menu Planning Monday plan for this week.  I love the combo of sweet potatoes and black beans.  This meal is so easy and very tasty.  It’s a good, quick meal to make when I just don’t have a lot of time, ideas or ingredients.  I usually use brown rice, but ran out of time, so I used white this time.

This makes enough for my husband, son and I, with some leftover, so I imagine it would feed 4 people.  Some salad with it would be nice too.

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 can (or equivalent) of black beans*
• 1 cup rice

Directions

• Cut sweet potatoes, coat with olive oil, spread into a roasting pan
• Roast potatoes on 375 F for 30 – 40 minutes or so, or until tender
• Cook 1 cup worth of rice according to directions
• Once sweet potatoes are roasted, combine with black beans to heat through
• Serve on top of rice

* I like to use Trader Joe’s Cuban Black Beans

I love this recipe because it’s quick and usually a good ‘fridge foraging’ recipe for me.  It a one pan meal, which I always love too.  Super easy.  I think I got this recipe from the Tightwad Gazette, but I can’t really remember.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• one small onion (diced)
• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1 can (or equivalent) cooked beans -white, red, black, chickpeas, whatever!
• 1/2 cup veggies*
• seasoning (salt, pepper, etc)

* I use more than 1/2 cup veggies.  I usually use 1.5 to 2 cups.

Directions

1. Heat oil in skillet.  Add garlic & onion and cook until golden, translucent.
2. Add beans and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add rice and cook a few more minutes.
4. Add veggie broth and bring to a boil.
5. Add veggies and seasoning of your choice.
6. Return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.
7. Cook for about 40 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

A one-pan wonder and super yummy!