Chicken Enchiladas

Every once in awhile I will get a craving for enchiladas, and until yesterday had to go to a restaurant to fulfill that craving.  A friend shared this recipe with me for her favorite enchiladas and they were great!  I will be making this again and again.  Also nice to have another dish to use leftover rotesserie chicken in!  I haven't tried it, but since Stouffers sells the frozen enchiladas I bet these would freeze well.

 Enchilada Sauce (makes ~3 cups)
2 T butter or cooking oil
2 T maseca (corn-flour), rice flour (or wheat flour)
2 T chili powder
1 t cumin
14 oz. chicken or turkey broth (just under 2 cups)
8 oz tomato sauce (I did 4 oz. tomato paste thinned with 4 oz water)
1 t sea salt
1/4-1/2 t garlic powder, to taste

Melt butter in med. saucepan.  Stir in flour & chili powder.  Cook for 1 min.  Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Cover until needed.

Turkey or Chicken Enchiladas
3 c. enchilada sauce
2 c. shredded, cooked turkey/chicken
1/2 c thinly sliced green onions (I omitted these)
1 c diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese-- use combo Monterey Jack, mozzarella, cheddar
1/4 c plain yogurt or sour cream
1/2 c green chilies
12 6" corn tortillas
aprox. 1/2 c butter or oil, for frying

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 baking dish.
In med. bowl, mix turkey, veggies, sour cream, 1 c cheese and 1/2 c enchilada sauce.  Mix well.
Heat 1/2" oil in pan. Fry tortillas one at a time until soft (aprox 10 sec. per side at med-high heat).  Stack in baking dish.
Spread small amount of enchilada sauce on bottom of baking dish.  Spread 2 heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture in each tortilla and roll it up.  Place seam side down in baking dish. Once all tortillas are filled and rolled, pour remaining sauce over top.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes.  Garnish with extra sour cream, green onions, cilantro as desired.

Iced Mocha

I tried this from a friend's blog and have been hooked since.  There are so many days I feel drained and in need of something to give me some energy.  I'm not a big coffee fan, especially in the summer when it's already hot.  This always hits the spot and is less expensive and less sugar than the coffee shops.  Such a great treat!

Iced Mocha

1 T brown sugar

1 T cocoa powder

1 T milk

6 ice cubes

1 cup milk

4 oz. brewed espresso, cooled (if you don't have espresso, brew 8 oz. water with 6 scoops coffee to make it stout)

Mix the brown sugar, cocoa powder and a small amount of milk to make a slurry.  (I mix mine right in the magic bullet cup).  Add the ice, milk and espresso and blend.

Canadian Bacon, Egg and Cheese on whole grain English Muffin

My mom told me she had been enjoying these for breakfast so I gave them a try.  They immediately became a favorite - so filling and quick to make.  You can honestly throw this together in five minutes.  I made this one with American cheese, but I also enjoy the sharper taste of cheddar.

Half of a whole wheat English Muffin
1 egg
slice of canadian bacon
cheese

Heat wide skillet on medium high.  Add a little olive oil and cook egg on one third of the pan while heating Canadian bacon and English Muffin in the same skillet.  Assemble with the cheese - YUM

Cocoa Espresso Waffles

Found these waffles in my Sugar Solution cookbook by Prevention, and couldn't wait to try them.  They also have the recipe online.  Mine didn't crisp up as much as I would have liked, but they still tasted good.  Elliot loved these, but really, who doesn't love having chocolate for breakfast?  :)  They would also make for a great snack or dessert without the guilt.

Cocoa Espresso Waffles

• 1 1/2 cups whole grain pastry flour
  
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 3 tablespoons light olive oil
• 3 egg whites
• 1/8 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips 
• maple syrup

Directions

1. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl until combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the milk, sugar, espresso powder, and oil. Whisk the ingredients together until blended.
2. Preheat a waffle iron for 4 minutes, or according to the manufacturer's instructions. (A drop of water should sizzle and bounce when dropped on the iron.) Meanwhile, beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer at high speed just until they form soft peaks. Fold the whites into the chocolate batter in 3 additions, folding in the chocolate chips with the last addition of whites. Fold just until the mixture is combined.
3. Coat the heated waffle grids with cooking spray right before using. Add enough batter to almost cover the waffle grids (3/4 cup) and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. (To keep warm, place a single layer of waffles on a foil-lined baking sheet in a preheated 250°F oven.) Serve with maple syrup.

Chicken Rice Casserole

We really do try to eat healthy most of the time.  But, there are a few comfort food recipes that I just can't give up.  This is one of those recipes.  I like this recipe because it is a cheesy, creamy, stick to your ribs comfort food, but also because it makes a TON and does so well in the freezer.  It can be made completely ahead then just baked for 30 minutes and it's done. 

I made this last night to take to a friend who had a baby.  It was an easy Sunday lunch for us too, just put the breadcrumb topping on and bake while you throw together a salad.  Since it feeds so many and can be almost entirely prepared ahead of time, it would be a good choice if you were having a big group over for Sunday lunch.  With a salad it can be a whole meal.

I made this into two 13x9 dishes, but you could make one huge casserole or break it out into four 8x8 dishes and freeze for future meals.  Cook once eat four times?  My kind of recipe :)

Favorite Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole


2 (6oz) fast cooking long grain/wild rice  (I just used regular brown rice- 1 1/2 cups of dry rice, cooked)
¼ cup butter
1 large chopped onion
4 celery stalks
1 can tiny whole corn
2 cans sliced water chestnuts (I use one can and dice them)
5 cups chopped, cooked chicken
4 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 (16oz) tub sour cream
1 cup milk
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ cup breadcrumbs
melted butter

Prepare rice and set aside.

Melt butter and add onions, celery, corn, and chestnuts. Saute until tender. Stir in rice,
chicken, 3 cups of cheese, soup, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper. Spoon into baking
dish(es). Stir breadcrumbs into melted butter. Sprinkle on top of casserole. May also
sprinkle sliced almonds. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of
cheese and bake 5 more minutes.

Also great frozen!! Freeze before adding breadcrumbs and before baking. When ready
to use: De-thaw, add the breadcrumb topping, bake at 350 for 30 minutes, top with
cheese, then bake 5 more minutes.

Chicken Souvlaki

These chicken souvlaki sticks from Rachel Ray are fast and delicious.  You can either saute some veggies like I did tonight (peppers, onions and zucchini), or steam some carrots, squash and broccoli to go with them.  Serve with tzatziki sauce and whole wheat pitas.  I got tonight's pita bread from Trader Joe's and so far they are my favorite - large with a good pocket and minimal cardboard taste.

Chicken Souvlaki Sticks from Rachel Ray

skewers (soaked if wooden)
2 lemons
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground pepper
16 chicken tenders, about 1.5 pounds


Combine zest and juice of lemons, oregano, red pepper flakes and olive oil.  Paste the garlic by mashing it with coarse salt then added to the marinade.  Add chicken tenders to marinade and let stand 10 minutes.  Thread tenders on skewers and grill over medium high heat for 7 to 8 minutes, until firm and juices run clear.

Tzatziki sauce


Absolutely delicious, and healthy!

16 oz plain greek yogurt
Half an english cuke, grated then squeezed, salted and left in a colander for 10 minutes and squeezed again to remove liquid
Zest from small organic lemon, juice from half of the lemon
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dry dill
splash of apple cider vinegar

Mix in food processor and adjust to taste.  If too runny, line a colander with a cheese cloth or coffee filter, set colander into a bowl large enough that it doesn't touch the bottom and pour in tzatziki sauce.  wait until drained to desired thickness.

Magic Cookie Bars

Made these to bring to the beach and they were a hit.  Very easy to throw together and it only messes up one dish, so it's a good one to make if you need something fast.  I forgot to take a picture of the ones I made, so here is the picture off the Eagle Brand website.





stick of butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/3 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans, optional

Melt the butter in the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish.  Add the graham cracker crumbs and press into bottom of dish.  Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over graham crumb mixture.  Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and pecans.  Press down firmly with a fork.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.  Cool before cutting into bars.