Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas...mmmm.  Not the healthiest meal, but it sure does hit the spot when I'm craving some Mexican food. I used green chili enchilada sauce, but you can swap for the red if you prefer.  I also used black beans in lieu of pinto, because...well, that's what I had in my pantry!  I'm all about convenience. 

Serves: 4-6
Ingredient:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 can black beans (or pinto)
• 1 can enchilada sauce (green or red)
• 1 bag shredded Mexican cheese blend
• flour tortillas
• salt and pepper to taste

 

Start by bringing water to a boil and add chicken.  Boil chicken for about 20 minutes.  Check to see if chicken is done, then begin shredding chicken with 2 forks (a long process, but shredded chicken is totally worth it!)  Meanwhile, over medium heat, mix the sour cream and beans until melted and mixed together.  Add a couple splashes of the enchilada sauce to the mixture, then add the shredded chicken and mix thoroughly.  Heat the tortillas in the microwave to soften them up.  Then add a couple spoonfuls of the chicken mixture into each tortilla, roll-up, and place in a glass pyrex.  You should have about eight enchiladas total.  Top the enchiladas with the enchilada sauce and place in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Take out the pan, and add the shredded cheese over the enchiladas and return to the over for another 10 minutes.  

 

Top with sour cream, green onions, olives, or whatever you like to garnish with.

Happy Cooking!

Chicken Piccata

A simple chicken recipe, especially during the work week.  It's fast, easy, and packed with flavor.  I adapted this recipe from the wonderful Giada De Laurentiis, however, instead of using stock, I opted for wine.  I love me some wine.

Serves: 2-4
Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, butterflied
• flour for dredging
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp capers, rinsed
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• salt & pepper

Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides, and dredge in flour.  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet with 2 tbsp butter.  Once the pan is hot, add 2 of the chicken breasts and cook for 3 minutes on both sides.  Remove chicken to plate, add 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter into skillet and let it heat up.  Add the last two chicken breast and cook for 3 minutes on both sides, remove to plate.  Turn heat to medium, add the lemon juice, wine, and capers.  Add the chicken back into the skillet and simmer for about 5 minutes or until cooked through.  Add butter to the sauce if it needs to be thickened.  Plate the chicken, and add fresh parsley and lemon slices for garnish.

Happy Cooking!

Piccata Chicken

Nana's Famous Sauce

Scott comes from an Italian family, and he learned many of his recipes from his mother and Nana..including this delicious sauce.  In fact, this sauce is so famous that people request us to make it for them when they come over!  After Scott made this for me the first time when we started dating, I knew I could never go back to using the canned stuff!  Bye Bye Prego, hello homemade Italian deliciousness!

Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:

• 1 lb spaghetti
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lbs Italian sausage,chopped into 2 inch pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cans Hunt's tomato sauce
• 1 can Hunt's tomato paste
• water (3 cans for every can of tomato sauce. 9 total)
• 1 large bay leaf (2 if they are small)
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 handful of sugar
• 2 tsp coarse kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

 

 Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until sausage is just about cooked all the way through.  In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium and add the onions and garlic.  Cook for about 4 minutes, then add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, 9 cans full of water, bay leaf, red pepper, salt, pepper, and sugar.  Stir until everything is thoroughly mixed and turn the heat on high until sauce begins to boil.  Let boil for about a minute, then add sausage and turn heat down to medium low.  Let it cook for 4 - 5 hours until it has reduced down to a thick sauce.

Happy Cooking!

Turkey Chili

I played a little trick on Scott (hehehehe).  Scott usually disapproved of my healthy renditions of recipes, so I knew he would not be a fan of non-beef chili.  It was after he devoured his huge bowl of chili before I broke the news to him that he was eating healthy turkey!  Chili freezes well, so I made a giant pot and put the leftovers into individual tupperware and threw them in the freezer for my workweek lunches.  Man oh man, all the office-folk were envious of my leftover turkey chili lunch!

Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 green pepper, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 can red beans
• 1 can black beans
• 2 small cans tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add green pepper, onion, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add ground turkey and cook until brown.  Meanwhile, add red beans, black beans, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, red pepper, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in a crock pot.  Once the ground turkey is brown add to the crock pot.  Mix everything together, and cook on low for 7 hours.

While the chili is cooking, you can taste and add spices to your preference.  I enjoy spicy chili so I added more chili powder.  If your broth is too runny, ladle out 4 scoops of just the liquid and place into a bowl.  Add about 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp flour and 1/2 a tbsp of butter to the bowl.  Wisk the mixture together until the liquid becomes thick.  Dump the contents back into the chili and thoroughly mix together.

Garnish your chili with a dollop of light sour cream, green onions, and shredded cheese.

 

Happy Cooking!

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

Everything tastes better with bacon!  It's not fat-ridden, but it sure is delish!  Scott makes a super tasty meatloaf (in fact, it was the first meal he ever made for me when we started dating), so we kicked it up a notch by adding some leftover bacon we had in the fridge from breakfast.

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 4 pieces of bacon
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 can of Hunt's tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp dijon
- 1 tbsp worcestershire
- 1 can mixed vegetables
- 1/4 cup parmesan
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add all ingredients, except tomato sauce & bacon, to a large mixing bowl.  Take off those rings, rolls up your sleeves, and start mixing everything together with your hands.  Once everything is thoroughly combined, place the mixture into a bread loaf pan.  Lay the bacon strips across the top of the meatloaf, and the cook in the oven for 1 hour.  After 1 hour, carefully take the meatloaf out of the oven and try not to drool when you see that bacon sizzling on top.