Arroz con Queso

Nothing says "happy valentines day" like crock pot throw-up! It doesn't look good, but it sure is tasty. It's meant as a side, but we ate it as a main dish with some chopped lettuce and tomatoes and some fruit.
16 ounce can diced tomatoes
16 ounce can refried beans
1 1/2 cups long grain converted rice
1 onion, chopped
1 cup cottage cheese
1 four ounce can green chili peppers
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Lightly grease crockpot and add all ingredients, stirring to mix. Cook on low 6 to 9 hours. The next time we try this we're going to add a second can of tomatoes, some chopped green peppers and some chopped celery.

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Easy vegetarian chili

Thirty-six days and counting. We started our vegetarian experiment on January 1 planning to try remaining meatless for the month of January.  Here we are in February and still eating vegetarian.  There are plans to venture back into the meat world because in Jan's words..."I don't want to be vegetarian!" She doesn't want to be one of those people who when invited out for dinner creates problems for the host as they try to think of something we'll eat.  I'm not opposed to returning to meat every once in a while, but I really think I consider myself a vegetarian now.
Today we tried an easy vegetarian chili and while I was skeptical at first, I found it to be great!  I made a few changes to the recipe that I think improved it.
Easy Vegetarian Chili
1 tsp. canola oil
1 clove garlic
14 ounce stewed tomatoes
15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 ounce can of yellow corn, drained
15 ounce can of tomato sauce
15 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
The original recipe doesn't call for the diced tomatoes, but I added them for extra flavor.  I also added diced onion and green pepper and if you're using tomatoes in a recipe you have to add just a little sugar to bring out the flavor...I added 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Heat the canola oil and saute the garlic, green pepper and onion. Add all the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.  We ate the chili with some homemade corn chips and hommus.  The hommus was bought.
We made the corn chips by taking corn tortillas, cutting them into six pieces, spraying a little olive oil on them, sprinkling a little salt and baking for 10 - 12 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees.  We're going to keep working on the corn chips....they have potential but need some extra seasoning.
We ate the chili as is, but you could add some low fat cheddar cheese and sour cream.  It would also be wonderful served over some rice or a baked potato.....Enjoy

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