Cook's Exchange: Easy meals also happen to be meatless

Mom and dad don't take sick days, and neither do grandparents. We take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.

In my house for the past couple of weeks this has been the case. All four of us have had the winter "crud."

The slow cooker and leftovers have been my best buddies. Any parent or grandparent can relate to how needy a sick 2-year-old is, so most of my time was spent reading, playing and holding her. I threw ingredients in the slow cooker before she awakened, getting a jump on supper and still having time for her.

This was definitely a time for basic, comforting go-to-dishes and meals that could be transformed into planned-overs and only one trip to the supermarket. Here are the ways I made the cooking easy for me and the flavor spicy enough for my sick crew. Maybe some readers can relate to the need for flavor-filled, economical, easy meals that with a few twists can please the whole family.

Sunday was my mom's spaghetti and meatballs

with leftovers for Monday. For a woman who didn't cook often, her recipe that she obtained from a chef at the old Sorrento's restaurant in Houston is my all-time favorite.

Since none of us felt like parading, Fat Tuesday was spent either at work or indoors with red beans slow-cooking in the kitchen. We like spicy foods any old time, but especially when we are sick.

My daughter came home from work and said, "Oh, thank goodness, red beans and rice. I know I can still taste that."

The Texan in me doesn't like French bread with red beans but cornbread. The 2-year-old doesn't like red beans, but loves rice, so she had rice and fruit and was happy.

It was LBJ's Pedernales chili on Wednesday, which is spicy without being overly so, and doesn't contain beans. To me, real chili has no beans, besides we had beans the day before. My husband says served up my chili reminds him of Frito pie. I spoon the hot chili over crisp corn chips and top with plenty of cheese and onions.

I did a quick fix of leftover spaghetti and cheese for the grandbaby. The now-shuttered Felix's Mexican Restaurant in Houston offered the best spaghetti and cheese dish. It's great for a picky child.

Red beans and chili can be turned into flavorful baked chimichangas. I spooned leftover red beans into the blender container with a Southwestern spice mix that I make and gave it a whirl. The beans were nice and smooth and ready to spread onto flour tortillas. Of course, cheese and onion were added to the chimichanga filling. After baking for 25 minutes, I ladled hot chili over the chimichangas and topped with spring lettuce mix, fresh chopped tomatoes and sour cream. Another winner for my stuffy family.

Not being much of a meat eater, my grandbaby has her own variation. She likes cheese quesadillas and fruit. Her quesadilla is simply a flour tortilla filled with cheese, folded in half and placed on the griddle.

With this meal plan, I served up five dinners and one lunch, which were economical and easy for the grandmother who also had the "crud."

I thought I would share my red beans and rice and chimichanga recipes.

Since it is Lent, the red beans and rice, sans the sausage, would be a great, hearty meal. Also, Terry Thomas asked for lentil recipes, so here is a flavor-rich lentil chili from Whole Foods Market that also gives a twist to a Lenten menu.

RED BEANS

1 package dried red beans

3 cups of chicken broth (could use vegetable broth)

Water to cover beans

1 large onion, chopped fine

4-5 cloves minced garlic

1/4 to 1/2 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped fine (amount depends on how hot the pepper is)

Salt, pepper to taste

Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning; I use about 1 tablespoon, but season to taste (use what works for your palate)

1 pound of good smoked sausage

Soak red beans in water overnight. Drain and rinse. Place in slow cooker. Mix in chopped onion, poblano pepper, Creole seasoning, salt and pepper. Add broth. If beans are not covered by the broth, add water to cover the beans.

Cut sausage in bite-size pieces and brown in skillet to let grease cook out and to enhance flavor. Stir into red beans. Set slow cooker on low and let cook all day, about 8 to 10 hours.

After beans are done, take some of the beans out and mash them in a paste and add back to the pot to thicken the beans. If you like soupier beans, do not mash. Just serve over rice. Again, I like to serve cheese and chopped green onions as toppings for the chili, My daughter tops hers with sour cream.

BAKED BEAN AND CHEESE CHIMICHANGAS

Leftover red beans

1-2 teaspoons Southwestern seasoning mix (recipe follows)

8-inch soft flour tortillas

1 (8-ounce) package Mexican blend shredded cheese

Leftover chili

Extra cheese

Lettuce

Tomato

Sour cream

Cilantro, minced

Warm leftover beans, without sausage, in microwave and place in the blender with seasoning mix. Blend until beans are smooth.

On one end of the tortilla, spread with beans not quite to middle of tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on beans. Fold in sides of tortilla and roll up. The folded sides keep the filling in the chimichanga. Bake in a baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray for 25 minutes, turning over halfway through so the outside is slightly crisp.

Remove from oven and place on serving plates. Top chimichanga with leftover chili and add your favorite toppings such as lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa, cilantro and extra cheese.

SOUTHWESTERN SEASONING MIX

1- 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 teaspoon chile powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

Mix together. Store in airtight container.

WHOLE FOODS LENTIL CHILI

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 teaspoons salt-free chili powder

1 (16-ounce) package brown lentils (about 2-1/4 cups lentils)

2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables brown and begin to stick to the bottom of the pot, about 6 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the broth and continue to cook, stirring, until onion is soft and lightly browned. Stir in garlic and chili powder and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add lentils, tomatoes and remaining broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes or until lentils are almost tender. Uncover and cook 10 minutes longer. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Nutritional data per serving: 130 calories, 0 grams total fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 180 milligrams sodium, 23 grams carbohydrates (7 grams dietary fiber, 7 grams sugar), 6 grams proteins.

Still needed

Lentil recipes and Lenten recipes are still needed. Thomas would like a variety of lentil recipes, so send in your favorites. Also please share fish, seafood or vegetarian recipes for the Lenten season.

St. Patrick's Day

St. Paddy's Day is just around the corner, so quickly send in your favorite Irish recipes to share with your fellow readers. I will publish these in the March 11.

Andrea Yeager, can be reached at ayeager51@cableone.net and takes requests at Cook's Exchange, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi, MS 39535.

-4567.

This story was originally published February 25, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Cook's Exchange: Easy meals also happen to be meatless."