Banana Coconut Empanadas

Ingredients:
· 1 can Pillsbury Grand butter biscuits
· 2 medium ripe bananas
· 1/2 cup flaked coconut
· 1/3 cup chocolate fudge topping, heated

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Press or roll each to form a 5-inch round. Place on cookie sheet.
3. Place about 5 banana slices on each biscuit round; top with about 2 teaspoons coconut. Fold dough in half over filling. Press with fork to seal.
4. Bake 10-14 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Drizzle each empanada with warm chocolate topping. Sprinkle with additional coconut if desired. Serve warm.

Sticky Asian Drumsticks

Ingredients:
· 2.5 pounds chicken drumsticks
· ¼ cup honey
· ¼ cup hoisin sauce
· 2 tablespoons soy sauce
· 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
· 1 teaspoon Sriracha
· 1 tablespoon minced garlic
· 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, stir to combine honey, hoisin, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, garlic and sesame seeds. Reserve about ¼ cup for basting.
3. Marinate the chicken in the remaining mixture for about 3 hours, tossing every hour to make sure all the chicken is coated.
4. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet and place chicken on the wire rack. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Take the chicken out of the oven and baste with the ¼ cup marinade about every 5 minutes for 15 minutes.
6. Serve immediately.

Tex Mex Lasagna

This Tex Mex Lasagna is amazing!  I think it just might be better than the traditional lasagna.  Add a salad and instead of the  bread maybe some tortilla chips on the side.  Yum!

Ingredients:
· 1 pound ground beef
· 1 can refried beans
· 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
· ½ cup whole-kernel corn
· 1 small can chopped jalapenos
· 1 envelope taco seasoning
· 1 can tomato sauce, divided
· 2 ½ cups salsa
· 12 no-cook lasagna noodles
· 1 ½ cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
· 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
· 1 cup sour cream
· 1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
· 4 green onions, thinly sliced


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large skillet, cook beef until no longer pink and drain. Stir in beans, corn, jalapeno, taco seasoning and ¾ cup tomato sauce.
3. Combine salsa and remaining tomato sauce. Spread ¼ cup into a 9x13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with four noodles, half of the meat sauce, 1 cup salsa mixture, ½ cup Mexican blend cheese and ½ cup cheddar cheese. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining noodles, salsa mixture and cheeses.
4. Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes or until edges are bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with sour cream, avocado and green onions. 

Greek Salad

Ingredients:
· 1 medium head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces, washed and dried
· 2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced into large pieces
· 1 medium cucumber, diced
· 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
· ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
· 3 tablespoons olive oil
· 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about the juice of 1 medium lemon)
· Salt and pepper, to taste
· 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
1. Place the lettuce in a large bowl; add the tomatoes cucumber, olives and onion. Set aside
2. In a medium bowl, add together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Pour over salad and toss.
3. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve.

Brats and Sauerkraut

Happy Labor Day! I hope y'all enjoyed all of the recipes I posted last week with your Labor Day activities in mind. (Reminder: you have to try the BBQ Rotel Baked Beans for sure - they are awesome!)

This week we're turning our attention toward a little of what I'm calling International Flavors. I was thinking about how much our family enjoys foods that originate from all over the world whether it be Italian, Mexican, Japanese, etc. Today we're thanking the German folks for their contribution of Brats and Sauerkraut. I think Johnsonville makes the best brats around. You can, of course, find these in the aisles of your local J&J Foods!




Brats and Sauerkraut

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons oil
10 Bratwurst links
2 onions, chopped
4 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups sauerkraut, drained
2 tablespoons fresh dill
Hoagie Rolls

Directions:
1. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown the brats in oil and reduce heat to medium.
2. Add onions, garlic, soy sauce and brown sugar; cook until onions are lightly caramelized. Add chicken broth and sauerkraut and simmer for about 45 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in fresh dill. Serve on hoagie rolls.