Taco bake

One of Elliot's favorite meals - he ate a ton of this without us having to remind him to take each and every bite, which was a nice change from the norm these days.  I never use as many tortillas as the recipe calls for, just put one layer of tortillas to cover the bottom then another layer in the middle.  Tonight I just made one casserole but in the past I've made the two small ones and froze the second.

The pictures haven't been too appetizing lately.  Seems like all the "real" food bloggers were gifted with cooking and photography talent.  That's okay, I'm not exactly destined for fame with a title like Davis Favorite Recipes :)

Layered Mexican Casserole

1 pound ground beef
1 jar (8 ounce) chunky salsa
1 package (1.5 ounces) taco seasoning
1 container (12 ounces) cottage cheese
1 package (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
2 eggs, beaten
10 flour tortillas (about 7" diameter), divided
1 can (about 4.5 ounces) chopped green chiles, drained
1 can (4.25 ounces) chopped ripe olives, drained

Brown ground beef in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat; drain.  Sitr in salsa and taco seasoning.

In a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, 1-cup Cheddar cheese, and eggs.  Grease two 8" square pans.  Place 4 tortillas over bottom and up the sides of each pan.  Spoon one-fourth of the meat mixture and one-fourth of the cottage cheese mixture over tortillas in each pan.  Place 1 tortilla in center of each pan.  Spoon remaining one-fourth of meat mixture and remaining one-fourth of cottage cheese mixture over tortilla in each pan.  Sprinkle with green chiles, olives, and remaining 1-cup Cheddar cheese.  Cover and store in refrigerator until ready to bake.

Bake covered casserole in 350-degree oven 45 to 50 minutes or until heated through.  Uncover and bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is bubbly.  Serve warm.

Yeild: two 8" casseroles, about 6 servings each

Fuss Free Roast Chicken

This is so easy and a favorite comfort food.  I always make two of these at the same time since it's very little extra effort and I will have cooked chicken on hand for an easy meal later in the week.

1 (4-6 pound) roasting chicken
butter
salt & pepper

optional: fresh thyme, parsley or other herbs, head of garlic cut in 1/2 crosswise, lemons, onion quartered, etc.

Take chicken out of fridge 30+ minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets and cut off the tip of the chicken wings (a wing has two joints separating it into three parts - cut off at the first joint) and reserve for stock.  Cut off the fat from the tail end and discard.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Rub the softened butter, salt and pepper inside the cavity and on the outside of the chicken.  If desired stuff cavity with aromatics (herbs, garlic, etc.).  Place the chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. 

Roast the chicken for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.  Remove to a platter and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

To make a pan sauce, remove fat from the drippings and return juices to pan with 1 cup chicken stock.  Let simmer, scraping up bits on the pan, until reduced by half.  Or, use 1/2 cup white wine and 1/2 cup water instead of chicken stock and add chopped fresh parsley and a tablespoon of butter after you remove the sauce from the pan.

Quesadillas

Nothing fancy, just an easy light dinner.  Elliot will eat anything he gets to dip

two whole wheat flour tortilla
shredded cheese
filling - could be almost anything - cooked veggies (mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, peppers...),
             avocados, shredded cooked chicken, shrimp, beans, etc.


Heat a large fry pan to medium.  Thinly coat with a pat of butter or oil and place the first flour tortilla in.  Add a little cheese, the filling, and a little more cheese then put the second tortilla on top.  Adjust the heat as needed, until the bottom tortilla is crisp and lightly browned.  Flip, adding a little more oil or butter to the pan if necessary, and cook second side.  Cut into wedges and serve with salsa.

The key is to not put too much filling.  My favorite quesadilla is probably fresh spinach, sauteed mushrooms, and fontina cheese.  The heat is just right to slightly wilt the spinach but still keeps it a beautiful bright green.

Cranberry Pecan Scones

10/6/11 note: brought these to a Bible study and several people asked for the recipe.   Scones are so easy to make, and I haven't tried it with this recipe but I know for other scone recipes the batter can be made and shaped the night before and then baked in the morning.  You can even cut out and freeze them before baking- just bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
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These had such a great chewy texture - it almost felt like I was eating a cookie.  So of course I loved them.  Elliot ate three, so I guess he liked them too.  The picture isn't so great, but I like all the light coming in from the background windows. 

Ingredients
 
2 cups flour (I used about half white whole wheat and half whole wheat pastry)
1 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt (I used buttermilk)
coarse sugar for topping


Directions
Preheat oven to 375. 

Mix dry ingredients together, cut in the butter until it looks crumbly.  Stir in the fruit and nuts.  Add the buttermilk and mix until the dough comes together.


Turn the dough onto a floured surface and cut into two pieces.  Form each half into a round disk. With a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut each disk into 8 wedges and transfer to a baking sheet.  If desired, sprinkle with coarse sugar before baking.


Bake 20 minutes or until just beginning to brown.  Serve warm. 

Salmon Croquettes

These were fast to make, dirtied only one bowl and one pan, present beautifully, and amazingly delicious.  Ben said they were his new favorite dinner!  A week later I made them for my in-laws and they asked for the recipe.  We've had them at least two other times since then.  Yeah, they are that good :)  The picture doesn't do them justice.  Try them and they just might be your new favorite way to eat fish.  Similar to crabcakes only with salmon - YUM.

This recipe is courtesy of my mom (as most of "my" recipes are) who found it on the back of a pouch of Chicken of the Sea salmon.

Ingredients:

1 (6-oz.) Salmon Pouch  (even better: an 8 oz salmon fillet baked then flaked)
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash cayenne pepper
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
3 Tablespoons butter

extra breadcrumbs for rolling

Directions:

In bowl, combine red pepper, green onions, mayonnaise, lemon juice, seasoned salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Stir in Chicken of the Sea® Salmon, egg and breadcrumbs (mixture may be sticky). Divide and form mixture into 4 balls. Roll salmon balls in remaining breadcrumbs; flatten into cakes about 1/2-inch thick. In skillet, melt butter over Medium heat. Fry salmon cakes 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Makes four servings.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

This is another Rachel Ray recipe.  It's super fast and one of our favorite ways to eat fish.  This time I used Swai fillets because that's what was on sale.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons paprika
2 Tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
4 tilapia fillets (about 1 pound)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a shallow dish, combine the cheese with the paprika and parsley and season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle the fish with olive oil and dredge in the cheese mixture.  Place on baking sheet and bake until fish is opaque in the thickest part, 10-12 minutes.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Best pancakes ever - and they're whole grain!

These pancakes really are amazing.  The mix is super easy to make and from there it only takes a few minutes to mix up a batch of fresh, healthy pancakes.  And the completed pancakes freeze well- I usually make a batch of 30-40 to freeze, then when we want something healthy and fast for breakfast just pop them in the toaster!

4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or additional white whole wheat)
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned or rolled oats
3 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Grind the oats in a food processor.  Combine all dry ingredients in a mixer and mix on low speed.  While the mixer is running, add the oil slowly.  Store mix in freezer.

To make pancakes:  whisk together 1 cup mix, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon of orange juice.  Let set 15 minutes.  Cook on 325 degree griddle for a couple minutes per side.  I always add blueberries to mine, or chocolate chips on special occasion. 

 Original recipe from King Arthur Flour

Hummus and Pita chips

Update - I made this for our community group and lots of people commented how good it was and several asked for the recipe.

The first few times I tried hummus I did not see what all the fuss was about.  Then one day at a friend's house they served Sabra brand hummus with wheat thins and we loved it.  I bought some and discovered Elliot loved the stuff.  We were buying it so often that I decided to try making my own since it was $4 for a little tub.  The first few times Elliot wouldn't touch it.  I even tried rinsing out the Sabra container and putting my homemade hummus in but he wasn't fooled  :)  I couldn't blame him though, mine simply lacked flavor.  I looked up lots of recipes and tweaked them until I came up with one we like (and Elliot eats!)

1 can chickpeas (or just over 1 cup if you cook them yourself)
3 teaspoons minced garlic
2-3 Tablespoons tahini (I use three because I like the nutty flavor of tahini, but start with 2 and add more if desired)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup water or reserved chickpea liquid
olive oil to drizzle

In a food processor combine first five ingredients.  With processor running, slowly add the water until you get desired consistency.  You might need more than 1/4 cup water.  Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with parsley.  Serve with wheat thins or pita chips.  I got the recipe for pita chips straight from my friend's blog, here.

You can add all sorts of stuff to hummus.  I'd like to try roasted pine nuts.  I've also seen roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and artichoke, lemon juice, paprika and a variety of other spices used.