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Pug and Tater's

From Home With Love

Meredith

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

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My kids love this Black-Eyed Pea Salad and I pack it in their school lunches often. My daughter actually picks out the black-eyed peas because she isn’t a fan of any bean, but she still eats the rest of the of veggies. The longer this marinates, the more flavorful it becomes.

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Black-Eyed Pea Salad
Ingredients
  • 1 15 oz. can black-eyed peas
  • 1 15 oz. can corn
  • 1 green pepper diced
  • 1/2 cup red onion diced
  • 2 tablespoons pimientos diced
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
  • 1 avocado diced
Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, stir together the black-eyed peas, corn, green pepper, onion and pimientos.

  2. Mix sugar, vinegar, water and tabasco to make the marinade. Pour over salad. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

  3. Drain off liquid and stir in diced avocado before serving.

Chess Squares

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Chess squares are the dessert I remember most from our family reunions at Pug and Tater’s. I searched for this recipe for years before there was Pinterest. Turns out I should have just asked my Grandma for it. Paula Dean calls them Gooey Butter Cake and we call them crack – taste them and you’ll see why!

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Chess Squares
Ingredients
  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 1/2 cup butter melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 8 oz. cream cheese softened
  • 1 pound powered sugar
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray.

  2. Mix cake mix, melted butter and one egg in a bowl. Press into the bottom of the pan.

  3. In a mixer, mix remaining 2 eggs, cream cheese and powered sugar. Beat until smooth, about 1 - 2 minutes. Pour over crust.

  4. Bake for 40 - 50 minutes until the top is golden brown.

  5. Remove from oven and cool. Refrigerate for a few hours until cold. Cut into squares and serve.

Mandarin Orange Salad

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Word of caution – the sugared almonds in this Mandarin Orange Salad are addicting. I recommend doubling them so you can snack on them while cooking.

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Mandarin Orange Salad
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 head romaine lettuce
  • 1 cup celery chopped
  • 2 green onions chopped
  • 1 11 oz. can mandarin oranges drained
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • dash Tabasco
  • freshly ground pepper
Instructions

  1. In a small pan, heat almonds and sugar over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar melts and coats the almonds, being careful not to burn the sugar. Cool. If making ahead of time, store in a container.

  2. Make the dressing by mixing olive oil and the next six ingredients.

  3. Put lettuce, almonds, celery, green onions, oranges in a salad bowl. Toss with dressing and serve immediately.

Navy Bean Soup

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Navy Bean Soup is the perfect way to use up that ham bone you have leftover from the holidays. If you don’t have a ham bone on hand and you are craving this soup, I believe Honey Baked Ham sells ham bones. My kids say it looks like baby food, but I promise it is much more flavorful than that.

I use an immersion blender to emulsify the soup. If you don’t have one, you can process it in batches in a blender.

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Navy Bean Soup
Ingredients
  • 1 ham bone
  • 1 pound navy beans
  • 8 cups water
  • 8 whole peppercorns
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 celery stalks diced
  • 4 carrots diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper
Instructions

  1. Soak navy beans according to package directions.

  2. In a large pot, put ham bone, navy beans, water, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 3 hours.

  3. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cook for another 1/2 hour - 1 hour.

  4. Take out the ham bone and process with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender.

  5. Season with salt and pepper.

Pug’s Dill Dip

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Dill dip is a great alternative when you want a change from the ever-so-popular ranch dip. This dip is best made a day or two ahead of time to let the flavors marinate.

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Pug's Dill Dip
Ingredients
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dill
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Lawry's seasoned salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced dried onion
  • 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 10 drops Tabasco hot sauce
Instructions

  1. Combine all in a small bowl. Serve with fresh vegetables. Store in the refrigerator.

Quinoa and Black Bean Enchilada Bake

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Quinoa and Black Bean Enchilada Bake is a healthy and delicious meatless main dish. It can be made ahead of time and popped in the oven right before you’re ready to eat. My kids love scooping it up and eating it with tortilla chips.

Use a gluten free flour if you want to make this gluten free.

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Quinoa and Black Bean Enchilada Bake
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
 
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 3/4 cup water
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 8 oz. can tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 orange bell pepper diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
  • 1 lime juiced
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 15 oz. can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz. can corn drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups cheddar or Mexican cheese shredded
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

  2. Bring 1 3/4 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa and bring to a boil again. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

  3. While quinoa cooks, make enchilada sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, chili powder and flour. Cook for a minute or two. Add 2 cups water, tomato paste, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir well to combine and dissolve tomato paste. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  4. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onion and peppers and sauté for 5-7 minutes until they begin to soften. Add garlic and cook another minute. Stir in cilantro and lime juice and season with salt and pepper.

  5. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, enchilada sauce, sautéed vegetables, corn and black beans. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Pour into prepared baking dish. Top with shredded cheese.

  6. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are bubbling. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

  7. Top with desired toppings and serve with tortilla chips.

Recipe Notes

Toppings: diced avocados, sliced green onions, sour cream, optional

Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod.

Hot Chocolate

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It snowed in Charleston! The kids are having a blast playing in the snow (a rare treat) and I made some hot chocolate for them to enjoying while warming up. This vegan version has only four ingredients and is ready in less than 10 minutes.

I use Ghirardelli cocoa powder in this.

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Hot Chocolate
Prep Time
2 mins
Cook Time
8 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 4 teaspoons cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions

  1. Put all ingredients into a saucepan and whisk to combine.

  2. Heat over medium heat for 5-8 minutes until very warm.

  3. Serve with mini marshmallows and a splash of cinnamon on top.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

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The red and green colors of this salad make it really festive to serve around the holidays. This is one spinach salad that your child might eat, thanks to the strawberries and the sweet dressing.

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Spinach Strawberry Salad
Ingredients
  • 1 pound fresh spinach
  • 1 quart strawberries sliced
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon onion minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions

  1. Put olive oil, sugar, tarragon vinegar, onion, paprika and salt into a lidded glass jar. Shake well to mix.

  2. In a large salad bowl, place spinach and strawberries. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and poppy seeds.

  3. Pour dressing over salad and toss well to mix.

Vegetable Lasagna

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This lasagna has tons of vegetables in it and is easily adaptable. Feel free to include other veggies you prefer or leave out ones you don’t like. Just try to have between 8 – 10 cups of chopped vegetables in it.

This can be made ahead and frozen. Be sure to allow plenty of time for defrosting or the baking time will greatly increase.

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Vegetable Lasagna
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
 
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
  • 18 lasagna noodles
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 zucchini cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 squash cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 8 oz. crimini mushrooms sliced
  • 1 12 oz. jar roasted red peppers drained and sliced
  • 1 cup matchstick carrots
  • 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
  • 1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 10 oz. package frozen spinach thawed and squeezed to remove water
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese divided
  • 20 oz. mozzarella cheese slices
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper
Instructions

  1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and then lay on a sheet of waxed paper.

  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

  3. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until begins to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, crushed red pepper, zucchini, squash, and mushrooms and cook until softened but still have a little crunch, about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Add the roasted red peppers, carrots and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for about 5-8 minutes. Add the fresh basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

  5. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, eggs, frozen spinach, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

  6. To assemble, spoon about 1 cup of the vegetable mixture to lightly cover the bottom of the baking dish. Lay 6 noodles on top (noodles will overlap slightly).

  7. Spread half the ricotta mixture on noddles and layer with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Top with a third of the vegetable mixture. Add another layer of six noodles, then repeat with ricotta, mozzarella cheese and vegetables. Finish with a layer of noodles, vegetables, and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

  8. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes until the cheese is crusty around the edges. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

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This light and delicious salad pairs well with most foods, and is quick and easy to put together.

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Arugula Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 5 oz. arugula
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
Instructions

  1. In a small dry pan, cook pine nuts over medium heat until they just start to turn color and become fragrant. Watch carefully as they can burn easily.

  2. In a lidded glass jar, put olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Shake well to mix.

  3. Put arugula in a large bowl and toss with the dressing (may not need all of it). Add pine nuts and parmesan cheese and toss again. Serve with additional freshly ground pepper.

Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen.