chicken

Chicken Taco Cornbread

When I went to visit my sister last fall I bought a magazine at the airport that she later made fun of me for buying, a Cast Iron Cooking magazine!  Of course she had reason to poke fun.  I should’ve bought some beauty, design or gossip mag like normal women do.  But this magazine has already produced two very tasty meals, so I don’t mind so much.

Chicken Taco Cornbread

They call this a “twist on taco salad” which is a great description and makes this a meal that doesn’t really require a side dish since it’s the main dish and the veggie side.

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You don’t need to do too much prep, just some chopping of vegetables.  And everything is done in one skillet.  You can shred the cheese, or buy pre-shredded.  The recipe calls for shredded rotisserie chicken, but if you have leftover cooked chicken that would be perfect, or you could poach chicken breasts if you have the time.  A can of tomatoes and green chile is on the ingredients list, but if you want to skip the green chile or can’t find it a partially drained can of diced tomatoes will do just fine.

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The dressing is something quite close to Chuy’s creamy jalapeno so be sure to save whatever it left over and use it as a dip for tortilla chips!

The recipe uses a blend of mozzarella and cheddar.  Any cheese you’d use for tacos or fajitas would work, monterery jack, colby, cheddar, or the Mexican cheese blend they sell in bags.

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The cornbread base has tortilla chips baked in.  I had some very thin tortilla chips that weren’t the best in this situation, they lost their crunch.  A nice thick corn chip would be better here and hold up nicely.  I’ll definitely be sure to do that next time.  And there will be a next time because there is so much room for modification here.  Adding in black beans or corn, using ground beef instead of chicken, or leftover fajita meat which we often have after cooking up fajitas for friends…we always overbuy!

Chicken Taco Cornbread

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 1 cup cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 cup ranch dressing
  • 1/2 cup salsa verde

Filling

  • 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 -1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno
  • 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
  • 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes with green chiles OR 1 can diced tomatoes and a couple tablespoons diced green chiles
  • 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder

Crust

  • 1 egg
  • 1 7-ounce package of cornbread mix
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup crushed tortilla chips

Toppings

  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
  • 2-3 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  • chopped cilantro

 

Directions

Dressing

  1. Combine cilantro, ranch dressing and salsa in a food processor and mix until well blended.  Cover and chill until ready to use.

Filling

  1. Heat oil over medium heat in a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
  2. Cook onion, bell pepper and jalapeno until softened.  Stor in chicken, tomatoes, cilantro and seasonings.  Cook for about 5 minutes, taste and season more if needed.
  3. Transfer filling to a bowl, wipe out skillet and grease with crisco.

Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. In a bowl beat egg, milk and cornbread mix just until combined.
  3. Put chips in the greased skillet, then pour batter over the chips.
  4. Spoon chicken mixture over the cornbread batter and sprinkle with cheeses.
  5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, let cool briefly before cutting in to slices.

Toppings

  1. Top slices of cornbread with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and cilantro.
  2. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

 

Hazelnut, Panko and Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Recently I’ve been in a bit of a rut when it comes to dinner.  When that happens I fall back on old recipes that can feed us for the better half of the week so I can cook less often or I really push for eating dinner out or ordering in.  This chicken dish was just what I needed, a quick a delicious dinner.  It’s simple, doesn’t have a lot of ingredients and is a lot more exciting than your typical crusted, baked chicken.

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The hazelnuts are a really nice surprise here and pair well with the rosemary and parmesan.  Coating the chicken with the mayo and mustard keeps the chicken moist.  Pounding the chicken out thin helps it to bake evenly without getting dry, a problem I often have with baked chicken.

Skinning the hazelnuts is by far the most time consuming (and frustrating! and messy!) part of this meal.  After toasting them for a few minutes in a 375 degree oven, place them in a large, clean dish towel and rub them together, pound them on the counter, etc to get the skins off.  Don’t worry if you don’t get all the skin off of every nut, though.  Your store sells blanched hazelnuts?!  By all means use those!  And send me some!  I am not a fan of skinning hazelnuts, and would love a little shortcut there.

I served this with steamed green beans and mashed sweet potatoes.  It made for a lovely, colorful and tasty plate of food and a meal I’d definitely like to have again.

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Hazelnut, Panko and Parmesan Crusted Chicken

From Fine Cooking

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

  • 3-4 chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds), pounded thin
  • 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1.75 ounces (about 1/3 cup) toasted, skinned hazelnuts, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper
  • cooking spray

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, then place a wire rack on top and spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.
  2. Heat a small skillet over medium heat.  Melt butter, then add in panko.  Stir and toss until panko begins to toast and become golden.
  3. Combine toasted panko with hazelnuts, parmesan, rosemary, garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
  4. Combine mayo and mustard in a shallow dish.
  5. Coat each chicken breast on both sides with mayo mixture then with panko mixture.
  6. Place on the wire rack and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Cook for 12-15 minutes.

Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

I’ve debated over whether or not to post this recipe for some time.  And some of you are going to roll your eyes and turn up your noses at me.  But this is seriously one of the most delicious and easiest meals I’ve ever made, and one that gets the husband (and myself, to be completely honest) super excited about dinner.  A friend of mine made this for me back in college, and someone brought it to us when Betsy was born.  You might already know about the wonders of this casserole yourself and have a recipe that you like.  I’ve tried several and after some tweaking here and there I found this one to be our favorite.

This casserole is great when you don’t have a ton of time but still want something home cooked.  I know, some of you will argue that it’s not really cooking.  And you can go right on ahead and judge me, but I’m sticking to my guns here and telling you that this is really good.  Just close your eyes while you’re mixing it up…

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The ingredient list for this casserole is short and sweet.  I typically use a rotisserie chicken (1 whole chicken is just about right) but you can use leftover chicken from another meal if you’d like.  If the chicken you use is flavored in any way that flavor will really come through.  I made this once with leftover grilled chicken that we’d marinated in Italian dressing and it was very different in flavor than when I’d used poached chicken or a rotisserie chicken.

Now you’re going to cringe, but all you need other than the chicken is a can of cream of chicken soup (I like to use reduced sodium) a 16 ounce container of sour cream (low fat is fine) a sleeve of Ritz crackers, poppyseeds and a few tablespoons of butter.  Just go with me on this one.

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You can bake this in any dish, but I prefer one that isn’t too big and isn’t too small.  An 11×7 casserole dish is what I usually use.  An 8×8 is fine, but then the chicken and cracker layers are thicker.  If you use a 9×13 the layers will be very thin.

I always serve this with white rice.  You could use brown.  I’m sure it would be wonderful and add more heartiness to the meal.  I’ve just always used white, and so that’s what I will probably always use.  Creature of habit.

And I always serve this with steamed broccoli.  Not sure what it is I love about the combination, but getting a little sauce from the chicken onto a piece of broccoli isn’t at all bad.  Green beans, asparagus, carrots, all good options.  I will continue to serve it with broccoli.  Again, creature of habit.  Whatever side you serve, make sure it has some color.  Color typically means more nutritional value, and if you serve this with steamed cauliflower you’re serving a super neutral colored meal, which isn’t quite as lovely on your plate.

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After baking you have a creamy casserole with a terrifically crunchy topping with just a touch of sweetness from the poppyseeds.  This is a comfort food for me.  I know the thought of cream of chicken soup and 2 cups of sour cream is hard to handle, but please, please make it.  You will not be sorry.  You might even thank me.

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Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 3-4 cups of cooked chicken, chopped or shredded into fairly large pieces
  • 1 can of cream of chicken soup, reduced sodium
  • 1 16-ounce container of low fat sour cream
  • 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers
  • 1 tablespoon poppyseeds
  • 3 tablespoons of butter, melted
  • cooked white rice for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray an 11×17 or 8×8 inch dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl combine chicken, cream of chicken soup and sour cream.  Mix well then spread into prepared dish.
  3. In a large zip top bag crush crackers into pieces, then pour in poppyseeds and butter.  Seal bag and then toss around until everything is mixed well.
  4. Spread cracker mixture evenly on top of the chicken.
  5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly.
  6. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

 

Cornmeal Crusted Baked Green Chile and Jalapeno Jack Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Sometimes I see recipes on Pinterest that look amazing, and I pin them, but with no real intention of ever actually making them.  But this one I found, pinned and made in the same day.  It was pretty wonderful and easily adapts to what you have, what you like and what you need.  The original recipe, found here at Lady Behind the Curtain, makes 6 servings.  I made 3 servings, enough for a couple for dinner and leftovers for me for lunch the next 2 days.  You can easily make this meal to serve 1 or a dozen.  And whoever you serve will be pleased.

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I hate taking pictures of food in my kitchen when it’s already dark out.  I’ve probably lamented about this before, but it really is discouraging.  Natural light is a photographer’s best friend, especially when food is involved.  I’m not a photographer, by the way.  I’d imagine a real photographer would’ve made this look less…strange…and much more appetizing.  But please believe me when I tell you that this is a really tasty and satisfying meal, despite my not so amazing photograph.

Pounded chicken breasts are wrapped around jalapeno jack cheese, green chile and cilantro, dredged in seasoned corn meal and baked, topped with more cheese, then drizzled (or drenched if that’s more your style) in enchilada sauce, and if you’re feeling fancy, sprinkled with some crumbled queso fresco and chopped cilantro.  The chicken turns out moist, the green chile and cheese in the center is really delicious and the corn meal crust is crunchy and delicious.  I used this taco seasoning recipe from Alton Brown.  It will likely become the only taco seasoning I use from now on.  Not because I dislike packaged seasoning and all the unknowns it carries, but because it is just really good.  More flavor from spices and less from the salt when you make it yourself I think.  I highly recommend giving it a try.  You likely have all the ingredients in your pantry.  Here is the link.

If you’ve already gone over to the original recipe and looked at the ingredients you might notice that I’m using more cheese, but making half the amount of food.  It’s not a mistake.  I like cheese and using half an ounce of cheese in one chicken breast made me sad.  I want to cut into the chicken and have melting cheese ooze out.  That is not going to happen with such a small amount of cheese.  Although a smaller amount of cheese is definitely the healthier way to go!  Go ahead and be smart and portion conscious if you want to be, but you might regret it just a little.  I made the original amount of cornmeal crust because I am of the mind that it’s better to have more than you need than not enough.  I did have some left over, but the chicken breasts I had were large and I’m glad I didn’t cut the amount in half, I wouldn’t have had enough.

To change this to suit your taste use a different type of cheese, whatever you like or have, white cheddar, colby jack, etc. You could also use a different type of enchilada sauce, green, mild, hot, etc.  And again, this is easily adapted to suit the number of people you need to serve.  Eat up and enjoy!

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Cornmeal Crusted Chicken with Green Chiles and Jalapeno Jack Cheese

Ingredients

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 3 ounces of jalapeno jack cheese, cut into 1 ounce slices + 1-2 extra ounces shredded cheese for topping
  • 2 whole green chiles, sliced in half lengthwise (I used whole canned green chiles and froze what I did not use in a zip top bag.)
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (again, this one is amazing!)
  • 1/3 cup cornmeal
  • 1 egg
  • red enchilada sauce (store bought or homemade)
  • crumbled queso fresco (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F
  2. Whisk egg in a wide shallow bowl, set aside.
  3. Whisk cornmeal and taco seasoning together in a wide shallow bowl, set aside.
  4. Pound each chicken breast to 1/8 inch thickness (pound between layers of plastic wrap or wax paper) and lay each out on your work surface.
  5. Lay one slice of green chile in the center of each chicken breast.  (You’ll have a slice leftover if you’re making 3, so either add it to one of the breasts, or cut it into 3 pieces and add one to each breast.)
  6. Place a slice of cheese on top of the chile, followed by a sprinkle of cilantro.
  7. Roll up the chicken.  Dip into the egg to coat, then into the cornmeal to coat.  Place into the baking dish, seam side down.
  8. Repeat with all of the chicken breasts, then bake for 25-30 minutes.  During the last 5 minutes of cooking, sprinkle with the extra shredded cheese.
  9. Warm the enchilada sauce in a small saucepan.  Drizzle sauce over the chicken after is comes out of the oven and sprinkle with more cilantro and queso fresco if desired.

 

Grilled Caprese Chicken with Balsamic Glaze

How can something so simple be so good?  You probably have every almost every ingredient for this in your kitchen right this very moment.  Add to that the minimal amount of time it takes to get this on the table, pair with a green salad and some crusty bread and you have the perfect meal.  Make it for a casual family weeknight or for weekend company.  It’s easy to make 2 servings or 10.  This is one of those recipes to go to when your mind isn’t working well enough to think too hard about dinner (this happens to me a lot) or when you’re having last minute guests and don’t have much time to shop for or prepare dinner.  The drizzle of glaze isn’t just great for flavor but it’s also beautiful and adds a touch of fancy to an otherwise very simple dish.   I’m real excited that this chicken found its way into my life.

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Since there are only a few ingredients, make sure they’re all fresh and of good quality.  Get the best looking tomatoes you can find.  Romas are a good choice and usually a good size.  They are what I used.  If the heirlooms at the store look good, splurge on them.  You only need 1 or 2 (to serve 2-4 people) so go for it!  Get fresh mozzarella, the kind packed in water, and make sure to slice it generously.  Now the basil.  If you have some in your garden then just grab your shears and head out the back door.  If not, get the fresh kind at the store.  Don’t use dried basil.  It will just not be the same.

This really could not be simpler.  Grill the chicken (or cook it in a pan on the stove), and in the last couple minutes place the cheese on top so it has time to melt.  If you do this in the oven you might turn the broiler on for a minute or so to melt the cheese.  Top with a slice of tomato, sprinkle with the chopped basil and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

The glaze is probably the most time consuming and complicated part about this.  It’s not hard, it just requires time and some patience.  But it’s worth it.  The recipe below makes more than you will probably need, but you can save it, keep it in the fridge, and use it for other dishes.  Drizzle on top of a caprese salad (just what you’re using in this dish minus the chicken) or as a finishing sauce for grilled pork tenderloin or other meats.

Below are the ingredients that will serve at least 4 using 4 chicken breasts sliced in half horizontally to make 8 total pieces, 2 per person.  But some of your lighter eaters may just eat one piece.  If you end up with leftovers I HIGHLY recommend reheating and serving some of the chicken on warm crusty bread with some arugula or other green to make a chicken caprese sandwich.  Enjoy!

Grilled Caprese Chicken with Balsamic Glaze

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced horizontally into 2 pieces
  • 1-2 medium to large tomatoes, or 3 to 4 small (you want to try to almost cover the chicken with the tomato slices
  • 8 slices of fresh mozzarella (again, you want the mozzarella slice to almost cover the chicken breast)
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • fresh basil leaves, 8-10 (leave them whole or chiffonade)
  • 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions

Balsamic Glaze

  1. Pour balsamic vinegar into a small, heavy saucepan.  Bring the vinegar to a low boil over medium high heat.  Adjust heat as needed to keep it at a low boil.  Stir occasionally until vinegar begins to thicken and coat the back of a spoon, 15-20 minutes.  
  2. Stir in brown sugar and mustard and cook an additional 5 minutes, remove from the heat and let cool slightly before serving.  This will thicken a bit as it cools.

Chicken

  1. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
  2. Grill the chicken, 4 minutes on the first side, then flip the breasts over and let cook for another minute or 2.  Place one piece of mozzarella on each chicken breast and let cook for another 3-4 minutes until chicken is done and mozzarella is melted.
  3. Transfer chicken breasts to a serving platter and immediately place basil leaves on top of the cheese followed by the tomatoes.  Drizzle lightly with balsamic glaze and serve additional glaze on the side.

 

 

 

Penne with Asparagus, Chicken, Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes and Wilted Greens

Inspiration for this came from a couple of pastas I’ve made before.  This one (originally from Smitten Kitchen) and this one from Fine Cooking.  I actually didn’t realize how similar they were until I started writing this recipe after I made this for dinner.  I thought about not posting it since they were so much alike.  But then I figured that it’s worth sharing because it shows how great this method is.  Adding a log of goat cheese to warm pasta, along with a little pasta water, makes for a super simple, creamy and delicious sauce and a great jumping off point for whatever else you feel like adding in.

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If you read the ingredient list below you’ll notice some amounts for a few things aren’t too specific.  The reason for that is that I didn’t do a great job of writing down what I was doing as I made this!  If you’re a recipe follower and prefer a precise measurement, I encourage you to use this recipe to broaden your horizons and have a little faith in yourself and find your inner Martha, or Julia, or whoever.

If you don’t like sundried tomatoes, use less or leave them out, same with the greens.  Don’t have quite 2 cups of leftover chicken?  Not a problem.  I used to hate when recipes said “salt and pepper to taste”.  I’d get worried about not adding enough or adding too much.  So taste as you go, starting with a little and adding more if you feel like it needs it.  Same with the lemon juice.  It really ends up being a fun process when you get comfortable doing it.

Ricotta would be an OK cheese to substitute, if you don’t love the tang of goat cheese.  I guess you could use blue, but I’m sure that would be overwhelming for even a blue cheese lover like myself.  I don’t think feta would melt properly, but let me know if you try it and it does!

Use different types of pasta, flavored goat cheese, whatever veggies you want, add chicken or sausage or leave out the meat for a satisfying vegetarian meal.  There are lots of great options to make this pasta your own!  Eat up and enjoy.

Penne with Asparagus, Chicken, Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes and Wilted Greens

Ingredients

  • 1 pound penne pasta
  • 1 bunch asparagus, tough ends snapped off and cut in halves or thirds on the bias
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken works well)
  • 1 4-5 ounce log plain goat cheese
  • 10-15 sundried tomato halves, packed in oil, julienned
  • a couple generous handfuls of greens (spinach, arugula, baby kale)
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup of reserved pasta water (you may not use it all)

Directions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions to al dente, adding in asparagus during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
  2. Set aside a cup of the pasta water, then drain pasta and asparagus and transfer to a large bowl.  Add in the goat cheese and begin to mix, add a little pasta water to create a sauce and help melt the cheese.
  3. Add in the greens, chicken and sundried tomatoes.  Toss to coat then season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.  If the pasta seems dry, add more pasta water.

Tomato & Pesto Chicken

You can’t argue with the raw ingredients here.  Who doesn’t love pesto, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and freshly grated parmesan?  The time and effort this takes is another thing to love about this recipe.  I recommend this to anyone who doesn’t have the luxury of tons of time to make dinner but still wants something that didn’t come from the freezer or got picked up on the way home from work.  But I sure do enjoy Ben walking through the door with a pizza box every now and then…

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While wasting time on Pinterest, I stumbled upon this recipe from Skinnytaste.com.  I took the basics of the recipe, kind of ignored the measurements, and whipped this up in no time last week.  We loved it and will have it again I am sure.

I had everything I needed for this meal already in my kitchen except for the chicken.  The version of myself I aspire to be would’ve used the pesto she’d made last summer with the basil from her garden and then froze in matching labeled containers (see post on Skinnytaste).  Instead I used a jar of Giada pesto from Target.  And while lacking in fresh from the garden flavor, it was good.

This can easily be adapted to serve 1 person or a dozen.  You can slice fresh mozzarella  or use the bag of shredded mozzarella, but provolone would be a great choice as well.  If you have a different type of pesto, try it out.  I think a nice sprinkle of fresh chopped basil would be a great and beautiful finish.  The ingredients below are what you will need, but the amounts are merely suggestions.  If you want a healthier option, use the measurement from skinnytaste.  I didn’t even measure.  So use your judgement and make it how you like it.

Skinnytaste slices each chicken breast lengthwise into 2 cutlets.  For her this may be portion control, but I think it’s a great way to prepare the chicken even if you aren’t concerned with all that.  The chicken cooks more evenly this way and with some of the ridiculously thick chicken breasts I’ve bought in my time it makes a lot of sense to slice them this way for cooking.

Pair with pasta and steamed veggies or crusty bread and a nice green salad.  Enjoy.

Tomato & Pesto Chicken

Slightly adapted from Skinnytaste

Ingredients

  • Boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 per person), sliced lengthwise into 2 thin pieces if breats are especially thick
  • Basil pesto, 2-3 teaspoons per chicken breast
  • Small tomatoes such as roma or campari, about 1 per chicken breast depending on their size, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese, 1-2 tablespoons per chicken breast
  • Freshly grated Parmesan, to taste
  • Salt and Pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Arrange in pan sprayed with non-stick spray or foil lined and sprayed for easier clean up.
  4. Spread desired amount of pesto on each breast and bake for 10-12 minutes, a few minutes longer if you did not slice the chicken into thinner pieces.  Chicken should be almost done.
  5. Remove from the oven and place sliced tomatoes on each chicken breast.  Sprinkle with mozzarella and then Parmesan cheese.
  6. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes, until cheese is melted and just begins to brown.

 

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas with Goat Cheese and Homemade Enchilada Sauce

When my dear, sweet sister Sarah came to help with Betsy right after she was born, she made us dinner.  She made these incredible vegetable enchiladas with sweet potato and black beans.  They were delicious.  The really wonderful thing about them was the goat cheese.  I would’ve never thought to do that, and I would’ve never thought it would’ve been as terrific as it was.  I tried to recreate them last week and while Ben and I really enjoyed them, they weren’t quite like Sarah’s.  So I’ll have to get an enchilada lesson from her the next time we’re together.

Pardon this iPhoned and Instrgramed photo.  I’m honestly just proud that I took a picture at all.  And to be quite honest I like that if I don’t try to take a good photo, then I can have an excuse for taking crummy ones.  One day I’ll start taking better quality pictures…

These enchiladas are a healthier option when you’re craving Tex-Mex.  They aren’t heavy laden with cheese, and they can be totally vegetarian if you choose to skip the chicken.  You really won’t miss it.  The goat cheese adds a perfect tangy surprise.  If you don’t like goat cheese, add some regular shredded cheese to the filling.

Sarah cooks like I wish I could.  She doesn’t really measure anything.  She doesn’t really follow a recipe.  She just makes what she thinks will be good.  And every time she’s done that when I’ve been around to taste the end result, it’s been quite yummy.  I tried to take some inspiration from Sarah and cook without measuring cups or spoons, so my measurements below are approximate.  The beautiful thing about that kind of cooking is that if you don’t have or like something below you can replace it with something else and not get too preoccupied with doing things a specific way.  Just taste as you go to make sure you have the flavor you want.  I used a packet of chicken taco seasoning, but you can use your favorite spices to make your own seasoning mix.

Other ingredients that I would consider trying in these enchiladas are corn, green chiles, spinach, mushrooms, shredded carrots and zucchini.  In place of chicken you can use ground beef or turkey, or some shredded pork if you happen to have some left over from another meal.

I realized when I started to put these together that I didn’t think to get any sauce and wondered if Sarah had even used any.  So I asked her and she said she just used a can of enchilada sauce.  And of course I had no enchilada sauce.  What’s a girl to do?  Make her own enchilada sauce of course.  And where does one find a recipe for enchilada sauce?  The internet of course.  I just Googled “homemade enchilada sauce” and I found this little gem.  I followed the recipe except for a couple things.  I didn’t have any tomato sauce so I pureed a can of diced tomatoes after draining off some of the juice.  In place of the self rising flour I used regular.  I used the spices it called for and as it cooked I tasted and added a little more chili powder, some paprika and I believe a little more salt since I didn’t have onion salt.  It tasted ok, but I was worried about how it was going to turn out on the enchiladas.  Turned out to be wonderful paired with the enchiladas, and something I’m going to make again the next time I need enchilada sauce.

Now I know flour tortillas are not what is traditionally used for enchiladas.  I used flour because that’s what Sarah used.  I might try corn sometime.  If you decide to, make sure to soften them in warm chicken broth or in the microwave to soften.  If you skip that step they will crack when you go to roll them up.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients

  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • 1 large sweet potato, cut into small dice
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • goat cheese, 3-4 ounces
  • 8-12 flour tortillas (taco or burrito size)
  • 1 can enchilada sauce (or make your own using the recipe below)
  • shredded cheese, optional
  • sour cream and cilantro for serving

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 400°F.  Toss sweet potato, bell peppers and onion together with olive oil and salt on a large rimmed baking sheet.
  2. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from oven and let cool a bit.
  3. Combine vegetables, black beans, chicken (if using) and seasoning.  Taste and season as needed.
  4. Crumble goat cheese into filling and combine gently, keeping the goat cheese in good sized chunks.
  5. Scoop some filling into a tortilla and roll to close.  Fill generously but do not overfill, the tortilla should overlap itself by at least 1 inch.  Place seam side down in a greased pan.  Repeat with remaining tortillas fitting them tightly in the pan.  You may need 2 pans depending on what size tortillas you use.
  6. Reduce oven to 350°F.  Top with enchilada sauce, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil (add cheese if using) and bake for 15 minutes more.
  7. Serve topped with sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 cup chili powder
  • 8 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • salt to taste
Directions
  1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.
  2. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth
  3. Continue cooking over medium-low heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

 

Chicken and Rice Casserole with Roasted Squash and Spinach

We’re moving in 12 days!  I’m starting to wonder why we thought moving 7 weeks before my due date was a good plan!  I’m actually very excited, just anxious and stressing a bit.  My sweet mom came down and helped me for a few days last week.  We didn’t pack the entire kitchen, but that process is beginning.  I plan to have the kitchen pretty much packed away by the beginning of next week.  That last week I plan to eat easy breakfasts, freezer meals, give Carson a lot of convenience foods (and his weight in strawberries of course) and explore the take-out situation in our neighborhood.  I’ve already stocked up on paper plates, plastic utensils and cups.  I don’t want to find myself packing plates and silverware at 2 am the night before we move.

Eating restaurant food is probably going to get old after a few days.  I like cooking and knowing what goes into our meals.  So I want to cook a lot in the coming week.  The problem with that is how unprepared I have been recently when it comes to groceries.  And if I’ve forgotten something, I have little to no desire to take Carson to the store for one item.  One night last week I made dinner with what we had around, which was an adventure.  And a pretty tasty adventure.  So tasty, in fact, that I typed this recipe up right after we ate so that I wouldn’t forget it.  The picture doesn’t do it justice, but casseroles in general are just plain unattractive.

I made fried chicken earlier in the week.  Since 2 people can’t (and shouldn’t) eat an entire chicken we had quite a bit left over.  My thought for dinner began with that chicken.  I knew we had rice, but I couldn’t think of what else I was going to throw in my chicken and rice dinner.  So began the scavenging.  Squash from Farmhouse.  A shallot.  Green onions.  A half bag of spinach.  The remains of a box of chicken broth.  The rest of a carton of sour cream.  Leftover white cheddar cheese.  And a packet of Lipton chicken noodle soup mix.  This was going to be dinner.  The biggest gamble was the squash.  I roasted it and figured if I didn’t end up using it in the casserole I could snack on it and give some to Carson.  It ended up being really great and something I would definitely repeat.

Chicken and Rice Casserole with Roasted Squash and Spinach

Ingredients

  • 2-3 cups 1/2 inch cubed squash (I used patty pan and butternut)
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 6 green onions, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4-6 ounces fresh spinach
  • 1 cup white medium grain rice
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 package Lipton chicken  noodle soup mix
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4-1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese (optional but delicious)

Directions

  1. Roast Squash:  Preheat oven to 400°F.  Toss seeded and cubed squash with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.  Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes, tossing about halfway through.  Set aside.
  2. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon of butter over medium heat in a large skillet.  Once hot, add in shallot and cook for 2 minutes, add in green onion and cook 2 minutes, then add in garlic, stir and cook for about 1 minute.
  3. Stir in the rice, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add in the spinach and cook until slightly wilted.  Turn off the heat and mix in the chicken and roasted squash.
  4. Pour in the chicken broth, soup mix, sour cream and milk.  Stir until well combined.
  5. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.  Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and sprinkle with the cheese, if using.
  6. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.  Let cool slightly before serving.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas with Greek Yogurt

The internet is a great place to peruse recipes and get new ideas for healthifying your meals.  I think I made that word up.  I like comfort food.  I like cheese, cream, sugar, butter, bacon, chocolate and all things bread.  Unfortunately, eating like that all the time would mean big trouble.  So I sometimes like to find ways to lighten up those calorie laden foods, even if it’s just a touch, so that we can enjoy them more often.

There are all kinds of tricks and substitutions people come up with for lightening up old favorites.  Sometimes you find something that sounds great, almost too good to be true…which a lot of the time means it is and the final product is not what you’d hoped it would be.  I once found a recipe for scalloped potatoes that used skim milk.  Skim milk!  No cream!  And it claimed to be the same creamy potato dish without all the fat.  They lied.  I ended up throwing the majority of it away.  So, I was worried about these enchiladas.  I love the idea of using non-fat greek yogurt instead of sour cream or a cream sauce, but wasn’t sure if it was going to work out.  But I’ve seen lots of recipes that make the substitution, so I gave it a try.  Thankfully this was one of those times that taking a chance worked out and we had a delicious dinner with a little less guilt than usually comes with a plateful of enchiladas.

The original recipe came from Meals and Moves, a blog I hadn’t come across until yesterday.  I changed very little, and would make just a couple additional changes when I make these again.  I used corn tortillas, because I believe there is no other way to make enchiladas.  I added cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and just a bit more cheese to the filling.  Next time I might add chopped green bell pepper to the veggies, maybe a little more chicken and the whole jalapeno, seeded for the spice sensitive (like myself these days).  But feel free to go for it with the seeds.  I’ll meet back up with you in September when I can handle it without a serious case of heartburn.  Too much information?  Sorry.

If you’re looking for a good side dish to serve with these enchiladas or any Tex-Mex meal, try this black bean and corn salad from Whole Foods.  It also makes for a good salsa and can be adapted to fit your tastes.  I like to add chopped tomatoes.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas with Greek Yogurt

Ingredients

  • 10 corn tortillas
  • 6-8 green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 jalapeno, diced small
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can chopped green chiles (7-8 ounces total)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 1 1/2 cups non fat Greek yogurt (a little more for topping)
  • 1 cup salsa verde
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2-1 cup shredded cheese (montery jack, colby jack, etc.)
  • 1/2-3/4 cup chopped cilantro (and a little extra for garnish)

Directions

  1. Heat a drizzle of oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add the green onions and the jalapeno and saute for 3-4 minutes.  Then add in the garlic and cook for another minute or so.  Add the green chiles, cumin and a dash of salt and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  2. Mix the chicken into the warm vegetables and set aside.
  3. Combine the yogurt, salsa verde and cilantro in a bowl.  Add all but 1 cup of the yogurt mixture into the chicken mixture.  Add 1/4-1/2 cup of cheese to the chicken and mix to combine.
  4. Heat corn tortillas in 2 batches in the microwave, wrapped in slightly damp paper towels for about 30 seconds or until they are pliable.
  5. Coat a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.  Fill the center of a tortilla with about 1/3 cup of filling, roll up and lay seam side down in the pan.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas.  Some of your tortillas may crack, but it’s not a big deal.  (If you have extra space, extra tortillas and extra filling, cram another enchilada or 2 into the pan.)
  6. Spread remaining yogurt sauce over the enchiladas and then sprinkle with 1/4-1/2 cup of cheese.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted and edges have started to brown.
  8. Garnish with a little yogurt and chopped cilantro.