I am mildly embarrassed at how long this photo has been on my computer. We made lasagna prior to going dairy free. The one on the right is made with ground beef, but in the one on the left, I substituted lentils for the ground beef. It was very tasty! The photo makes my mouth water. I have a vegan lasagna to post very soon– with a recipe. Well, really, I combined three separate recipes to make the vegan dish, and it was worth it!
I am beginning to think I should have a “Fast Friday” feature or something for the quick and easy things I make. Here is one that works with so many ingredients that it’s hard to write a recipe for it, so I’ll give you some ideas.
The Basics
Tortilla chips
lettuce
tomato
avacado
More Players
black olives
sour cream
beans (refried, black, or any type you like)
taco meat (chicken, pork, beef)
cheese
salsa
The Fun
Mash up the tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl.
Add your favorite toppings.
Eat!
I really wanted to title this post, “I take shortcuts too.” I know I have a reputation for making meals from scratch, and I enjoying showing people that it is possible to make healthy meals that do not involve processed foods. That being said, I sometimes am in a rush too, and end up using a jar of spaghetti sauce, pound of meat and some pasta to throw a meal together in 15 minutes, and you know what? You all should know I take shortcuts sometimes too! 
Believe it or not, I have some quick and easy short-cut included recipes I use too. Some of them include a packet of onion soup mix. This is one of them. One reason I love this dish is I can throw it together in about five minutes and less than 45 minutes later have a meal.
The Players
The Fun
1. Cube potatoes in to bite sized pieces. Cut up the carrots, especially if you’re not using baby carrots, and onion too.
2. Toss meat in to a roasting dish. Add veggies on top.
3. Mix onion soup mix with about 1/2 cup of water and pour over meat/veggie mixture.
4. Cover and bake for 35-45 minutes (vegetables should be tender) at 350 degrees. (I’ve noticed my deep dish baker from Pampered Chef cooks it up much faster than my regular casserole dish.)
I use the juices to make a nice gravy to compliment the stew.
This dish can be made with or without sour cream. Sometimes I add it, but lately I have been avoiding it, so I wonder if it should really be called hamburger stroganoff? Maybe it’s more like hamburger with gravy? None the less, my son loves this, and it is easy to make. Double bonus is I usually have all of the ingredients at home, so if I need something quick, it is a go-to dish. Sometimes I get a little wild with the dish and add some corn, peas or beans for an all in one meal.
The Players
1 pound hamburger meat
1 medium onion
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 bouillon cube
1 cup water
1-2 tablespoons flour or corn starch
1/2 cup water
16 ounces noodles (egg noodles or other)
The Fun
1. Boil water for noodles and cook noodles.
2. While water is heating and noodles cooking, brown hamburger meat and onion. Add bouillon cube, salt (optional) and 1 cup of water. Heat to boiling. While waiting for it to boil, mix 1-2 tablespoons of flour with 1/2 cup cold water. By mixing the flour separately and thoroughly, it will prevent lumps in your gravy.
3. Push meat to the side in the pan and whisk in the additional water mixture. Smile because you just made a gravy!
4. Push meat back in to the gravy and heat. If it looks too thick, add a little additional water. If it is too thin, allow it to cook a little longer.
5. Spoon noodles on to a plate or in to a bowl (the bowl is easier for kids) and then spoon the meat mixture over it.
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