Kidney Bean Salad

This recipe was pretty good. My kids picked out the kidney beans, but maybe someday they'll eat it. You can eat this as is, on bread or whole wheat tortillas, all WIC foods.

Kidney Bean Salad

1 can kidney beans*
1 cup cheddar cheese, cut in small chunks*
2 hard cooked eggs, diced*
Mayonnaise to taste

Whole wheat bread or tortillas* (optional)

Combine all. Eat right away or chill.

Mock Miso Salmon

I made a meal the other night. I thought I was just throwing ingredients together for a quick meal and my husband declared it tasted like the Miso Salmon you find at The Cheesecake recipe. I didn't give it the presentation The Cheesecake factory does, but it was good. Even my son, who declares he doesn't like salmon (and hasn't ever eaten it since he was a year old) ate his entire plate.

Mock Miso Salmon

Ingredients

2 pkg boil in a bag brown rice, cooked*
2 Tab butter
1-2 cloves garlic, minced*
1.5 cups milk*
1.5 Tab flour
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese*
1/4 cup dried parmesan cheese (or fresh)
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
1 can salmon, drained*
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed*

Directions

• Cook brown rice as directed. While cooking rice...
  

• Melt butter in a meduim saucepan.
• Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute
• Mix the milk and flour together in a small bowl until smooth
• Add to the garlic
• Increase heat to get a nice simmer and stir until bubbly and thickened about 4-5 minutes
• reduce heat to low
• stir in parmesan cheese, salt and pepper
• cook for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted
• stir in tuna. peas and sour cream
• cook until heated through

Taco Pizza

Yesterday for lunch we had bean dip with corn chips. With the left overs, we made Taco Pizza. It was delicious.

Bean Dip

• 2 cans white beans*
• 1 pkg taco seasoning (can also use 1/8 Cup chili powder, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1 tsp garlic powder or all to taste)
  

Mix Together in food processor. Warm if desired.

Corn Chips

• Corn Tortillas*
• Salt

Cut tortiallas in triangles. Add salt. Bake 350degrees about 12 minutes. Let crisp up further on pan if desired.

Taco Pizza

• Pizza crust (I used this recipe)
• Bean Dip*
• 1/2 pound cooked hamburger
• 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese*
• 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese*
• Tomatoes*
• Lettuce*
• Corn Tortillas*
• Sour Cream
• Salsa or Taco Sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Make pizza crust. Add Bean dip, hamburger, and cheeses. Bake 15-20 minutes. Serve with the rest of the toppings. Adding your own favorites if desired.

Magic Milkshakes

Hillbilly housewife has a magic milkshake recipe that uses powdered milk. I change it using 2 cups of milk instead. It is absolutely delicious. Today I used some frozen bananas instead of half the ice and ovaltine in place of the cocoa powder. It is good. My kids love it, too.

• 2 Cups Milk*
  
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa or drink mix like Ovaltine or Nestle
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 to 1-1/2 trays of ice cubes, as much as you can spare (I have a dispenser on my fridge, I take a 16 oz glass and fill it twice)
  
• 2 tablespoons corn oil plus a 5-second squirt of non-stick spray for emulsification purposes

Variations...

• Add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee for a mocha shake
• Add 1 very ripe banana for a chocolate banana shake*
• Add a big spoonful of peanut butter for a decadent Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake.*
• Add a few broken red and white candy mints for a refreshing Chocolate Mint shake.
• To make Vanilla Milk Shakes, omit the cocoa powder, reduce the sugar to 1/2-cup and add 1 tablespoon (yes a full tablespoon) of vanilla flavoring. For a french vanilla milk shake crack in an egg too.*

Place all in the blender and process a FULL 2 minutes. Make sure you do not forget the oil and the non-stick spray. They are important ingredients to make this creamy.

Cheesy Spinach Bake

Photo from mealmakeovermoms.com.

Found this recipe on http://mealmakeovermoms.com. Looks good to me. Haven't tried it yet, but I love cheese and spinach recipes.

Cheesy Spinach Bake

Makes 8 Servings

• One 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed*
• 2 large eggs*
• ½ cup 1% low-fat milk*
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or melted butter
• ½ cup Italian style seasoned bread crumbs
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)*
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan or dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Drain the spinach very well by pressing in a colander with the back of a large spoon and using paper towels to remove excess moisture. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and olive oil until combined. Whisk in the bread crumbs and baking powder. Stir in the spinach, Cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese until well combined.

4. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until the mixture is set and the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Slice into 2 x 4-inch rectangles and serve. Sprinkle the tops with a few pinches of salt to taste

Homemade Cheesy Rice

Found this recipe on a new blog I started reading. Uses a lot of good wic foods. It may be a site you want to check out. Bulk cooking is a good way to use up any perishable items like milk or cheese you get in abundance.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Broccoli florets (2 cups steamed)*
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 2 cups Milk*
• 3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded*
• 4 cups Rice, cooked (2 cups uncooked)*

Directions:

Steam the broccoli in the microwave, steamer or double boiler. Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside broccoli and rice. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour, being sure to combine it with the butter very well. Let cook, stirring the mixture constantly, for about 2 minutes. Do not let it darken. Gradually add the milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking or stirring vigorously. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until thickened and just starting to boil, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Add in cooked broccoli and rice. Serve.

Freezing Directions:

Prepare as above but instead of serving, scoop into 8 oz freezer containers and freeze. To serve: Warm in microwave until heated through, approximately 1-2 minutes.

Hummus

Trying to figure out what to do with the cans of beans that are piling up in our pantry. I get a little sick of beans and rice, and trying to find a good recipe. Found a hummus recipe and ate it with crackers. It was simple, and good...and the best part, the kids LOVED it. I forgot I was going to add garlic to it, but it was good without. You could also eat it with raw veggies like carrots or celery, which you can get with your fruit and veggie vouchers.

Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans/chickpeas*
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 tablespoon lemon juice*
1 teaspoon cumin
garlic powder to taste (optional)

Raw veggies for dipping*, crackers, or pita bread

Reserving liquid, dump garbanzo beans in food processor. Add rest of ingredients and process until smooth, adding reserved liquid to desired consistency. Serve with pita bread, raw veggies or crackers.

Wic Food Recipe Link

Found this website this morning, with a few recipes and ideas for using WIC Foods. Thought I'd pass it along for those interested.

Peanut Butter Smoothie

Money Saving Mom has a smoothie recipe that is real good. It uses all WIC ingredients and is easy to prepare. My kids love them and it is high in protein.

Peanut Butter Smoothie
3/4 - 1 Cup Frozen Bananas, Sliced*
1 Cup Milk*
1 Tab. Peanut Butter*

Blend in the blender until smooth. The above makes about 13-15 oz.

Orange Banana Julius / Smoothies

My husband and I love to make smoothies. Once you get a basic recipe, you can make any kind of smoothie you want.

Orange Banana Julius
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Milk*
1 Cup Orange Juice*
1/4 Cup sugar
3 tsp vanilla
1 frozen banana, sliced*

Add ingredients to blender. Blend until smooth.

Tip- You can make this with any juice you desire. When adding fruit, you can add any fruits that sound good to you, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries. The trick is to make sure they are frozen. These are used in place of ice, and give you the smoothie texture and taste much better.

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

A good, healthy, hearty breakfast that uses mostly WIC ingredients. Make this overnight and bake in the morning. This lasted my family of 2 adults and 2 small children and an extra teen two breakfasts.

Overnight Breakfast Casserole
6 slices bread, cubed*
1 pound sausage, cooked, drained
1/4 C Green pepper, cooked* (optional) tip...frozen works great
1/4 C Onion, cooked* (optional)
4 ounces fresh mushrooms*
1 C. Cheddar cheese, grated*
2 C. Milk*
6 Eggs*
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Layer in order the bread, sausage, green pepper, onions, mushrooms, and cheese in a 9x13 casserole dish. Beat together milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour over layered ingredients in pan. cover with foil. Refrigerate overnight. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or when knife inserted in casserole comes out clean. (not wet)

Edit for Baby Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Just a note to my readers that I made an error in the muffins recipe. It is changed now, but I omitted the baking powder in the original recipe, and put the wrong amount of salt.. Please take note before making.

My apologies to anyone who may have used this recipe prior and not had them turn out right...

Cheese Pizza

A quick and easy lunch to prepare for you kids. Or to have your kids help prepare. You can add sausage, or pepperoni if you want, but it makes the pizza cost more. I like to cook up a batch of ground sausage and save a little back for pizza. To make it almost 100% WIC food items you can dice a tomato and cook it, then stick it in the food processor with a little olive oil for the pizza sauce.

Pizza

Corn Tortillas*
Cheese, shredded*
Pizza sauce
onions, mushrooms, peppers* (optional)
Sausage, or pepperoni (optional)
Italian seasoning (optional)

Place tortillas on cookie sheet. Spread Pizza sauce, then meat, veggies if desired. Top with cheese. Sprinkle a little Italian Seasoning on top. Bake 400% approx 10 minutes, or until cheese melts and slightly brown.

Split Pea Soup

I was recommended this recipe for my blog. I have yet to try it, but almost all the ingredients are WIC foods.

Split Pea Soup
1 lb dry green split peas*
1 2.5 oz jar chicken & broth/gravy baby food*
some ham, diced
1 small onion, chopped*
1 clove garlic, chopped*
Three 4 oz jars baby food carrots*
6 cups water
salt & pepper to taste

Sort & rinse peas. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the peas turn to mush. Serves ~6 people.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

My three year old helped me make cookies yesterday. He did almost all of it. These peanut butter cookies are made with three ingredients, making them cheap and easy. I got the recipe from Hillbilly Housewife. I love her site, as you will probably see. So many cheap and easy and tasty recipe's.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 Cup Peanut Butter*
1 Cup Sugar
1 Egg*

Mix ingredients together. Take small scoops and place on ungreased pan. With fork press down slightly. Sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Eggs in a Basket

My grandpa made these for me a lot as a child. Now I make them for my kids.

Eggs in a Basket

1 slice bread*
1 egg*
butter
salt and pepper, optional

Butter the bread on both sides. Taking a glass, biscuit cutter, or a knife, cut a hole in the middle of the bread. Place bread on greased medium skillet. Drop egg in the hole. Salt and pepper to taste. Make sure it's well greased in the hole, or you will end up sticking. Turn and brown other side. Serve.

Option: For my young kids, I scramble the egg before placing in the hole. This just makes sure the middle gets done for them.

French Toast with Homemade Syrup

This is a true comfort meal for me. My grandpa made homemade syrup for us when we would come over. He got the recipe from his mom.

French Toast

Bread*
2-3 eggs*
Milk*

I never measure with french toast. I take 2 or 3 eggs and beat them. Then I add the milk until you get a consistency you like, and mix well. Pour into a pie plate. Dip bread slices into egg/milk mixture coating both sides. Cook on med-med high skillet.

Homemade Syrup

1 Cup white sugar
1 Tab Butter
1-2 Tab Flour
1 Cup Milk*
1 teas. vanilla

Mix sugar and flour together in med size pan. Add all but vanilla. Bring to a boil on low heat stirring constantly and cook until thickened. Add vanilla. Serve over french toast.

Corn Chowder

This was the first time making corn chowder, and it was really good. I got the recipe from Hillbilly Housewife. The main ingredients in this chowder are WIC foods, making a great meal for your family.

Corn Chowder

• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 onion, small, minced*
• 1/2 cup celery, minced*
• 1 tablespoon flour, all-purpose
• 2 1/4 cups milk, skim*
• 2 8-10 ounce bags frozen corn*
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, ground
• 1/8 teaspoon thyme, ground
• Paprika

Melt margarine in a heavy 2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in the flour and cook it for 1 minute. Be sure to stir the mixture the whole time or the flour will burn.

Slowly add the milk and keep stirring until the mixture is thick and bubbly. Add the corn, salt, pepper and thyme and simmer the soup for 20 minutes.

Just before serving, puree half the soup in blender or food processor. Or you can use your whisk to mash some of it up right in the pot. Return the mixture to saucepan and mix with remaining soup. Sprinkle some paprika in each bowl of soup when you serve it.

Salmon Soup

One of my comfort foods growing up was my grandma's Salmon Soup. It is an excellent WIC recipe, especially if you are needing to use up some extra milk. I add potatoes to mine, but it is not necessary. One tip on using onion is to use frozen onions. I use onion in so many more recipes now that I don't have to peel, dice and cry about it.

Salmon Soup
1 Stick Butter or Margarine (less if you prefer...)
1 Can or pouch Salmon*
Celery, cut up* (I use celery seed if I don't have fresh celery)
Diced onion*
2-3 Baking potatoes (optional)
Milk* (as desired)
--------------------------------------------------------------

Bake potatoes. Take potato out of skin and smash it or leave in chunks.
Melt butter in pot. Add salmon, onion, and celery. Cook until onion is soft. Add potatoes and milk. Warm through and serve.

Baby Banana Oatmeal Muffins

I made muffins this morning. They turned out pretty good. I did forget the sugar, but they still tasted good to me. This is a great recipe to use if you have an abundance of baby oatmeal cereal and baby food that you get from WIC.



Baby Banana Oatmeal Muffins

1 1/3 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup Baby Oatmeal*
1/3 Cup Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Beaten Egg*
1/2 Cup Milk*
2 - 4 oz jars baby food- bananas*
1/4 cup cooking oil
-------------------------
Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Combine together, mixing just until wet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 12.

Recipe adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

Introduction!

I've been contemplating starting a new blog up with recipes that uses WIC foods. We get so much WIC foods that I would like to start a "recipe book" so to speak that uses a lot of WIC foods, keeping our out of pocket expenses on meals to a minimum.

For future reference, I will asterick (*) the foods that I use that is something you can get with WIC.

Thanks for joining me. If you have any recipes to add, feel free to comment.