Month: September 2021

If you’re stuck with a busy schedule, try slow cooker taco soup! It’s perfect for weeknights and can be easily prepared in a slow cooker. The soup is flavorful and healthy, best served with tortilla chips or cilantro-lime rice. You can brown the meat and onions a day or two ahead and keep refrigerated until ready. Prep time: 10 minsTotal time: 10 minsServings: 4 to 6 servings Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound (450g) lean ground beef 1 1/2 cups (180g) diced yellow or red onions 2 to 3 cups (475ml to 710ml) chicken or beef stock (use more if you want a thinner soup) 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles 1 1/4 cups (135g) corn kernels, fresh or frozen 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon salt To serve: Tortilla chips, lightly crushed, optional Sour cream, optional Chopped cilantro, optional Finely diced or chopped red onion, optional Lime juice Directions Brown the beef with the onions (can be done a day or two ahead): Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add beef and onions and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the ground beef is browned but not completely cooked and the onions are starting to look soft around the edges. Use your spatula to break up the ground beef into smaller pieces as it cooks. Remove from heat and use immediately, or refrigerate for a day or two until needed. Combine and cook: Combine the browned beef, onions and the remaining soup ingredients in a slow cooker and stir. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. It’s fine if the soup cooks a little longer or the slow cooker switches to the “warm” setting. Serve the soup: Serve soup in bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, cilantro, red onion and lime juice.This soup will keep refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months. Source: Simply Recipes

Create a new delicious meal with this chili bowl burrito recipe. You’ll want to double stack layers of chili, cheese and burrito pieces for bites packed with flavor. Use a small enough pan to fit in your air fryer. Feel free to top the bowl with any of your favorite ingredients. This recipe calls for guacamole, sour cream and salsa to match the burrito flavor inside. Ingredients: Burrito Chili Cheese Guacamole Sour Cream Salsa Directions: Air fry a burrito at 400°F for 6 minutes and chop into pieces Layer your pieces of burrito, chili, cheese and repeat with a second layer Top with guacamole, sour cream and salsa Air fry at 350°F for 8 minutes

Bring a mix of cheesy, creamy and earthly favors in this fettuccine alfredo. You can easily prepare it at home with restaurant-worthy flavor. It’s a quick weeknight dinner essential for any home cook. When buying the mushrooms find ones that are on the smaller side as they tend to be more tender. This recipe calls for a mix of shiitake and cremini mushrooms. Prep time: 15 minsCook time: 30 minsTotal time: 45 minsServings: 4 servings Ingredients 8 ounces baby cremini mushrooms, sliced 8 ounces small shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1/4 cup butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups whole milk 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese 1 pound fettuccine, spaghetti, or your favorite pasta 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, to garnish Directions Cook the mushrooms: Melt the butter in a deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until they have released their liquid and become tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the flour: Add the flour to the pot and stir it in to coat the mushrooms. The flour will form a paste on the mushrooms and the pan will look quite dry. Cook for a minute and turn heat down to low. Make the sauce: Slowly add the milk while stirring; the flour will dissolve in the milk. If any lumps of flour form, break them up against the side of the pan with the back of your spoon. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly, and then add Parmesan cheese.Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm until ready to serve, up to 10 minutes. If the sauce thickens too much before you’re ready to serve, add a splash of milk to thin it out again. Make the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. Serve: Divide the pasta between plates and top with a generous serving of the sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve. Source: Simply Recipes

Transform ordinary mushrooms to a new delicious meal with this quick recipe. All you need is mushrooms, cheese, and a few seasonings to make an easy snack. Your air fryer can have these ready in just about 5 minutes! You’ll want to enjoy these right out of the pan. Enjoy them along with your other dinner dishes. Ingredients: Mushrooms 2 Oz. Cream Cheese 1/2 Tsp. Salt 1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning 1 Tbsp. Garlic Cheese Pepper Non-stick Cooking Oil Directions: Remove the stem of the mushrooms In a bowl mix the cream cheese, salt, Italian seasoning and garlic Stuff the mushrooms, then top with cheese and spray with cooking oil. Finish with black pepper Air fry at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes

Tostones are green plantains that have been fried until they are soft, then mashed and refried. They’re a great snack commonly served as an appetizer or accompaniment to a heavier meal. The plantains used for this recipe should be very firm and underripe. Traditionally tostones are pan-fried, but air frying them cuts down the fat and mess but still leaves them crispy. Store any leftovers for 24 hours and reheat them to 350°F in an oven until warmed. Prep time: 20 minsCook time: 25 minsSoaking: 20 minsTotal time: 65 insServings: 20 tostones Ingredients For the dipping sauce: 1 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup ketchup 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder For the tostones: 3 medium green plantains 4 cups water 1 tablespoon kosher salt 3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil (vegetable, peanut, or coconut oil) Coarse salt for sprinkling Directions Prepare dipping sauce: Whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, and garlic powder. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can do this up to 48 hours in advance. Peel and cut the plantains: Remove the ends of the green plantains with a sharp knife. Score the plantain down its back side and use the fleshy part of your thumbs to push the peel up and away from the plantain. Preheat your air fryer to 350°F. Soak the plantains: Combine 4 cups of cold water and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Slice the plantain into 1 1/2-inch-thick chunks and soak them in water for 20 minutes. (Soaking the plantains prevents browning and keeps the air-fried plantains from drying out while cooking. Dry then par-fry the plantains: Remove the plantains from the water and dry each one thoroughly. Toss the plantain slices in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil. Make sure each plantain is coated in a thin layer of the oil.Transfer the plantains to your air fryer’s basket. Organize in a single layer, leaving a 1/2 inch of space on all sides of the slices to allow the air to circulate properly. Fry until the plantain offers no resistance when pierced with the tip of a knife. This can take anywhere from 3 to 6 minutes per side. Mash the plantains: Increase the air fryer’s temperature to 400°F. Carefully remove the plantain slices from the basket and smash each one in a tostonera or place your soft plantain between a piece of parchment paper (or a brown paper bag) and smash it with a coffee mug. The plantain should be a flat 1/4-inch thick disc that holds together. Air fry the smashed plantains: Return the smashed plantains to the air fryer basket (you may have to work in batches depending on the size of your basket).Brush a light layer of oil onto the top side of the tostones and fry for 3 minutes on the first side. Flip the tostones and brush once more with a light layer of oil, then fry for the final time for 4 minutes instead of 3 minutes. Season the tostones: Immediately after removing them from the air fryer. Serve the tostones with the mayo-ketch sauce while still hot. Source: Simply Recipes

Easily prepare pineapple fries with this recipe. All you need is cornstarch, your favorite toppings and of course pineapple. You’ll want to cut the pineapple slices into fry-sized sticks to conveniently fit in your air fryer. Serve these on your own for a quick and tasty snack. Ingredients: Pineapple Corn Starch Cinnamon Powdered Sugar Non-stick Cooking Oil Directions: Chop the pineapple into fry sticks Toss the fries in corn starch Spray pan with non-stick cooking oil and air fry at 350°F for 10 minutes. Flip and air fry for 5 more minutes Serve and top with cinnamon and powdered sugar

These enchiladas are easy to make in just 30 minutes and all you need is a pan. You can swap out the cheese for one you enjoy and have available. This recipe calls for cotija cheese which is a dry, crumbly and salty cheese with more moisture in it. Serve these enchiladas with a classic margarita, refried black beans and spicy citrus beans for a weeknight meal with Friday night appeal. Prep time: 10 minsCook time: 20 minsTotal time: 30 minsServings: 4 servings Ingredients 8 ounces cooked chicken (about 2 cups shredded) 1 teaspoon oil 1/4 yellow onion, minced (about 1/3 cup) 3 cloves garlic 15-ounce can tomato sauce 1/3 cup water 4-ounce can mild green diced chilis 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon cumin 8 taco-sized flour tortillas 8 ounces cotija cheese To serve: Cilantro Radishes, thinly sliced Sour cream Avocado Jalapeño Directions Shred chicken: Shred the leftover chicken so it’s ready when you need it. You should have about 2 cups. Make the sauce: In a large, high-sided skillet set over medium heat, add the oil. Once the oil shimmers, add onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute, just until softened.Add tomato sauce, water, diced green chilis, chili powder, oregano, and cumin. Stir together, then let the sauce simmer on medium to medium-low while you assemble the enchiladas. Assemble the enchiladas: Put about 2 tablespoons of shredded chicken down the center of each tortilla. (You don’t really have to measure the meat. Just divide it evenly among the tortillas!) Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon cotija cheese (just eyeball it) across the chicken, and spoon 1-2 teaspoons sauce over the cheese.Fold in the sides of the tortilla, roll it up, and put it seam side down in the sauce. Nestle them in the pan. Repeat this until the pan is full. Spoon sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with cheese and cover: Sprinkle additional cotija cheese over the top of the enchiladas. Cover with a lid and let them simmer until the cheese is melted and the tortillas look puffy, like they soaked up some sauce. This should take about 5 minutes. Garnish and serve: Lift the lid and sprinkle cilantro and thinly sliced radishes over the top. Serve alongside sliced avocado, jalapeño, and sour cream. Source: Simply Recipes

Prepare a quick and simple snack with this crispy fried cabbage recipe. It takes all the elements of frying such as the egg mix and seasonings, but on healthy cabbage pieces instead. You can have this snack ready in just a few minutes with the help of an air fryer. Ingredients: Cabbage 1/2 Cup Flour 1/2 Cup Corn Starch 1 Tbsp Garlic 1 Tbsp Salt 1 Tbsp Black Pepper Egg Non-stick Cooking Oil Directions: Tear off small pieces from the cabbage In a bowl mix the flour, corn starch, garlic, salt and black pepper Mix in an egg with a spoonful of your dry mix Dip your cabbage in the wet mix then coat in the dry mix Spray with cooking oil and fry at 370°F for 7 minutes on each side

A classic margarita cocktail with a fresh and delicious twist. This peach margarita is made with fresh muddled peaches and peach schnapps to instantly transport you to the beach. An aged tequila adds a caramel and toffee background to complement the fruit. The lime zest brightens up the salt rim for a burst of citrus. Prep time: 5 minsTotal time: 5 minsServing: 1 cocktail Ingredients 1 lime 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 medium ripe to slightly over-ripe peach 2 ounces añjeo tequila 2 ounces peach schnapps Ice Directions Zest and juice the lime: Use a microplane to zest the lime onto a small plate. Halve and juice the lime into a pourable container. A Pyrex measuring cup would work just fine. Make the lime zest salt: Combine 1/4 teaspoon lime zest and salt. Mix it together with your fingers. Rim the rocks glass: Dip your finger into the lime juice and rub it just under the rim of the rocks glass around the glass. Press the rim into the lime salt until it sticks to the glass. Muddle the peach: Halve the peach and remove the pit. Slice the peach into about 8 (1-inch) slices. Add the peach slices into a cocktail shaker. Using a cocktail muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, mash the peach slices until smooth. Add the spirits and lime juice to the shaker: Add the tequila, peach schnapps, and 1 ounce of lime juice to the cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker halfway with ice, and shake to chill, about 20 seconds. Serve the cocktail: Carefully fill the rimmed rocks glass with a handful of ice. Strain the cocktail into the glass, swirling the shaker back and forth a couple of times to make sure all the liquid gets strained through the peach pulp and the strainer doesn’t get clogged. Serve. Source: Simply Recipes

A classic and simple dish, conveniently prepared in your air fryer. Fried asparagus is hassle-free and only requires a few ingredients. You can serve these as a side to your main dinner entrée. Be sure to cut the asparagus into pieces small enough to fit in your air fryer. Give them a good spray with a non-sticking cooking oil to perfectly crisp them. Ingredients: Asparagus Cooking Oil Salt Garlic Italian Seasoning Directions: Cut the asparagus to fit into your air fryer and coat with oil Season with salt, garlic and Italian seasoning. Mix well Load the asparagus in a single row and air fry at 350°F for 6 minutes