Chicken and Corn Enchiladas

Chicken and Corn Enchiladas
Serves 8

This was one of Ray's weekly recipes. He found the recipe using one of his fancy little phone apps. The recipe was for 16 people! So he halved the ingredients and we still had leftovers for two work lunches (it reheated really well). The cool thing about it was that he doubled the chicken, sour cream, corn, and spices so that we had leftover filling and we made an awesome Chicken Fajita Pizza. This is an absolute cook again meal. Our two-year-old daughter loved the filling (she hates tortilla shells).


Ingredients

• 1lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1.5 cup canned enchilada sauce (Old El Paso)
• 1/2 16oz. jar salsa (Chi-Chi's White Bean Salsa or Tostitos Black Bean and Corn)
• 8 8in. tortillas
• 8 oz. frozen corn
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup non-fat sour cream
• 2 cup shredded cheese (Kraft Mexican Blend)
• 1TBSP ground cumin
• 1TBSP chili powder
• Salt and Pepper
• guacamole

   
Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Coat a large baking dish with cooking spray.
2. On the stove top, use a pan to cook your chicken breasts. Make sure you season them. Once they are cooked, use two forks to shred the meat.
3. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, red onions, corn, sour cream, cumin, chili powder, and half of the cheese. Add salt and pepper as preferred.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the salsa and enchilada sauce.
5. Soften tortillas for 10 seconds each in medium skillet coated with cooking spray.
6. Fill tortillas with the chicken mix and place seam down in baking dish. Spoon salsa/enchilada sauce mix over and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Add more if you prefer.
7. Bake, covered with foil for 30-40 minutes.  sprinkle with green onions and serve. Mexican or Tomato Rice are great additives for side dishes.

Doritos Nacho Platter

Doritos Nacho Platter
Serves 4-6

This recipe grew out of a frustration to cook something that we didn't have the typical ingredients for. As I continued to stare into the abyss of our pantry, I started to have certain items jump out at me and I realized I could attempt to make these nontraditional nachos.

Ingredients

• 1 bag Doritos Taco Flavored Tortilla Chips
• 1 10oz can of Ro-Tel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilis
• 1 15.25oz can of Whole Kernel Sweet Corn
• 1 15oz can of Goya Black Bean Soup
• 1 15oz can of Hormel Chili with Beans
• 3/4 cup Cheez Whiz
• Sour Cream
• Taco Sauce
• Black Olives
• Jalapeno slices

Directions

1. Over medium heat in a medium pot, mix the corn (strained) , Ro-Tel with liquid, and Black Beans with liquid.
2. In a bowl, mix the can of Hormel Chili with the the Cheez Whiz. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Heat again for another minute. Stir. Repeat until heated through.
3. On 4-6 plates, pile on the chips. Then spread the Cheez Whiz mixture. Use a slotted spoon to spread the tomato/corn/bean mixture. Drain the liquid before putting them on the chips.
4. Add sour cream, sliced black olives, taco sauce, and jalapenos on top. Serve!

Tortilla Chicken Soup

Tortilla Chicken Soup

Serves 8

A fresh soup with a good deal of flavor. Tastes great with tortilla chips and doesn’t weigh you down. Delish!

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breasts
• 2 32oz cartons chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 medium onions (halved and thinly sliced)
• 1 TBSP paprika
• 1 TBSP cumin
• 1 TBSP fresh ground pepper
• 1 TBSP ground sea salt
• 2 TBSP minced garlic
• 2 14.5 oz cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 15 oz cans Black Beans (preferred brand, rinsed)
• 2 TBSP Mrs. Renfro’s Jalapeno Green Salsa (Hot)
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• Tortilla chips (garnish, Multi-Grain recommended)
• Guacamole (garnish)
• Jalapenos (garnish)

Instructions

1. In a large pot, combine thinly sliced onions, garlic, and 1 cup chicken broth. Let come to a boil.
2. Rinse off chicken breasts and put them in the pot with the broth. Cover with more broth. Add in the cumin, salt, pepper, and paprika. Let come to a boil.
3. Once chicken is cooked through, take out and shred. Then return it to the pot. Return to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Drain and rinse Black Beans. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes (with liquid) and the diced green chilies, as well as the Mrs. Renfro’s Green Salsa. Continue to let simmer until the black beans are cooked to your preferred taste (10-15 minutes).
5. Serve soup with slices of jarred jalapenos, a dollop of guacamole, and/or tortilla chips. Other suggestions have been slices of avocado or pour the soup over a thin layer of Spanish rice. 

Salsa Egg Toast

Salsa Egg Toast

(about 420 calories per serving. Serves 1)

Ingredients

• 1 container (1/2 cup) Egg Beaters
• 2 TBSP Tostitos Chunky Salsa (mild)
• ¼ cup Finely Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
• 1 slice Whole Wheat Toast

Instructions

1. In a pan, use your preferred non-stick method (spray, butter, whatever). 
2. Heat the pan and then add the Egg Beaters, Salsa, and Cheese.
3. While this is cooking in the pan, toast the bread. 
4. Once done, put the egg mixture on the toast.

And just a loving bit of pimpage:

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken Enchilada Soup
Serves 6-8

Inspired by a recipe from Rachael Ray's website for Creamy Enchilada Soup, but I made some of my own changes. I've made this before and was trying to channel what I did that time to really infuse good flavor.

Ingredients

• 1lb chicken breast sliced in long thin pieces (or shredded chicken if you have it)
• 1 yellow onion sliced thin in halves
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 TBSP Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 1 TBSP Sea Salt
• 1 cup Mrs. Renfro's Jalapeno Green Salsa Hot (or preferred green salsa, such as Salsa Verde)
• 4 cups crushed tortilla chips (save some for garnish)
• 1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese (save some for garnish)
• 1 cup of shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
• Sour Cream (for garnish)

Instructions

1. In a large pot, sweat down the onions and garlic with a small splash of Olive Oil.
2. While they sweat, cut the chicken up and season with half of the Montreal Steak Seasoning.
3. Put the chicken in with the onions and garlic until they brown.
4. Add the can of green chilies and cook for about a minute, incorporating into the mixture.
5. Then add the 6 cups of chicken broth and add the sea salt and the last TBSP of Montreal Steak Seasoning.
6. Let cook on medium for about 8 minutes.
7. Add the Salsa and let cook for another 8-10 minutes. Check the chicken to make sure its the consistency that you want. If the pieces are too big, take some out and shred them yourself with a knife.
8. After 10 minutes, add the cheese to the pot and stir until incorporated.
9. Once the cheese is incorporated, add the tortilla chips. Then let simmer on low for 5-10 minutes, until a consistency that you prefer. If you think it is too thick, add a little more chicken broth or water.
10. Serve in bowls with extra cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream as garnish.

Note: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Stuffed Cabage Rolls

I got this recipe from Liz's Cooking Blog. She was inspired by a recipe from "Sweet Tea in Texas as well as cabbage and onions from our CSA"

Ingredients:

• 12 Large Cabbage leaves
• 1 lb Ground Pork
• 1 Beaten Egg
• 1/4 C Milk
• 1/4 C finely chopped onion
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp pepper
• 1 Tsp paprika
• 1 Tsp cumin
• 1 C Cooked Brown Rice
• 1 8oz can of Tomato Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire

Instructions:
1. Start by browning your ground turkey. Season your ground turkey as it browns with garlic salt & lemon pepper. When this is done, drain and set aside.

2. Start water boiling in a large pot for your cabbage. The easiest way that I’ve found to get the leaves off is to submerge the whole head of cabbage for a couple of minutes and pull it out, taking as many leaves off as you can easily. Submerge again until you can pull a few more off. You want to keep the leaves as in tact as possible. Do this until you have about 12 whole leaves.

3. In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, milk, onion, spices, & rice. Mix well. Take about 1/4 C of this mix and put into the center of a leaf. Fold in the sides, then fold up the bottom until it looks like a little burrito. Place them seam side down in the Crockpot until you have gone through your leaves or ran out of

4. In another bowl, combine the tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, & Worcestershire. Pour this over your little cabbage burritos and put the lid on the Crockpot. Cook these in the Crockpot on low for about 6 hours.

Beef and Potato Burritos

Beef and Potato Burritos

For less spicy burritos, remove the jalapeno ribs and seeds before chopping. I think I got this recipe from marthastewart.com, but I am not sure. It was part of a list of recipes I compiled from online that I wanted to try. This one turned out pretty good.

Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 large baking potato
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno chile, finely chopped
1 can (14 ounces) chopped tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
Coarse salt
flour tortillas (10-inch)
cup sour cream
grated Monterey Jack or preferred taco cheese

Directions
1. Peel potatoes; cut into 1/2-inch dice. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add potato; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes.

2. Add beef, onion, and jalapeno; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until beef is thoroughly browned, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and juice, cumin, paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until liquid has evaporated, about 6 minutes.
3. Heat tortillas, one at a time, in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, turning once, until lightly browned, about 10 seconds.

4. Leaving space on bottom and sides, layer tortillas with sour cream, lettuce, beef mixture, cheese, and cilantro, if using; squeeze lime juice on top. Fold bottom upward, covering filling by 2 inches. Fold each side to overlap, leaving the top end open. Serve garnished with lime wedges.

Savory "French Toast" and Molho

Savory "French Toast" and Molho
3-4 Servings

Ingredients
6 eggs
1 TBSP chilli powder
1 TBSP cumin
salt & pepper
1 foot long loaf of ciabatta bread


Beat 6 eggs with chilli powder, cumin, salt and pepper.


Cut your bread into thin slices (1/2 inch or less).


Soak the bread slices in the egg mixture and then put into hot frying pan.



Cook as you would french toast. Make sure you don't burn them. Flip back and forth until you feel they are cooked through. It should make about 20 pieces (including ends).

Arrange the slices on a plate and spoon molho over the bread. Don't be scared to add some of the juices. The bread will soak it up.

_______________________________________________________

Molho

I use molho all the time as a get way to add vegetables to many dishes that might otherwise have simply filler veggies (like lettuce). I always keep a container of it in the fridge. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law who got it from her mother, I think. I use it so often and I have dabbled with it so much that I really should make a little log of "101 Ways to Use Molho". We'll see.

Here's the recipe (altered a tad) so you can use it with this recipe. I will post an entry again discussing the recipe.

3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
2 onions diced (I alternate between onions to create different flavors)
2 diced bell peppers (I alternate colors to create differents flavors)
2-3 tomatoes diced (or 6 small tomatoes if you're in the UK buying those packs)
1 ½ teaspoons salt