Mexican Chicken Casserole

Casseroles are a great way to stretch a meal into a couple of days. I won't be around tomorrow night to cook supper, so I made this casserole tonight so my man won't be without supper tomorrow. The original recipe calls for 2 cans of the diced green chiles, but I accidentally grabbed a can of diced green chiles and a can of diced jalapenos. It was spicier that I prefer, but I knew Aubrey would be happy about the spicy addition. All in all, I think this was a good recipe. The flavors are rich, and it makes you feel like you're eating a thousand calories. But the good news is that you're not.

Ingredients:
1 cup fat free, less sodium chicken broth
2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, divided
1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup (4-ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup (2-ounces) light cream cheese
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2-ounces) shredded reduced fat extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips)

Directions:
Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; saute 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350-degrees for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Info (per serving): 369 calories; 11.4g fat; 2.4mg iron; 79mg cholesterol; 360mg calcium; 31.3g carbohydrate; 479mg sodium; 35.6g protein; 3g fiber

Source: Cooking Light

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas

I'm always on a search for something new to cook. Of course, I have my staple recipes, but I always welcome a new recipe to try.
Many people like the addition of pineapple to savory dishes such as chicken or ham, but I've never really liked the combination. However, my man does, so I chopped up a pineapple to add to his quesadilla. I left them out on mine, but I had some fresh pineapple the next morning to go on top of my Greek yogurt.


The chicken was absolutely amazing on it's own, and I think that's going to be my go-to recipe for BBQ chicken.

Ingredients:
8 flour tortillas
Butter or Margarine
2 cups grilled pineapple, sliced
3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cajun spice, to taste (I used "Slap ya Mama" brand)
3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 whole jalapeno, seeded & sliced
Cilantro
3 Tablespoons barbecue sauce

Directions:
Grill pineapple: Cut wedges, stick on skewers, and grill over low heat. Cut into slices.

Pound chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap with a mallet to flatten into a uniform thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Cajun spice. Drizzle olive oil on a grill pan and grill on both sides until done, brushing with barbecue sauce. Set aside and slice into very thin slices.

Warm griddle over medium heat and melt butter in the pan. Slightly warm and toast tortillas on both sides, then remove from griddle and set aside.

To assemble, sprinkle four browned tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices and jalapeno slices, and sprinkle with cilantro. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top. Add second browned tortilla on top of each one. You will have four complete quesadillas at this point.

Add to oven to warm, or back to skillet to warm, until cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into wedges.

Source: Pioneer Woman

Prosciutto, Fontina, and Fig Panini

My grandfather and Aubrey's grandmother each gave us a jar of fig preserves this summer. We've been enjoying the preserves on toast, but I wanted to try something different.
Cooking Light's website had this panini recipe, which was perfect since I'd just bought a grill pan with panini press. Aubrey and I were really pleased with the combination of flavors. The fig preserves and fontina cheese really work well together. Before this, I'd never tasted fontina cheese. To me it tastes like a mix between Swiss cheese and sharp white cheddar.

I whisked together olive oil and balsamic vinegar and added a little of the fig preserves for a good vinaigrette dressing to top a baby arugula salad.

Ingredients:
8 slices Italian bread
4 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto
1 1/4 cups (4-ounces) fontina cheese, shredded
1/2 cup baby arugula leaves
1/4 cup fig preserves
Olive oil-flavored cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat panini grill.
Top each of 4 bread slices evenly with prosciutto, fontina cheese, and arugula. Spread 1 tablespoon fig preserves evenly over 1 side of each of remaining 4 bread slices. Coat outsides of sandwiches with cooking spray. Place sandwiches on panini grill; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and cheese is melted. Cut panini in half before serving, if desired.

Nutritional Info: 345 calories; 13g fat; 2mg iron; 50mg cholesterol; 202mg calcium; 37.1g carbohydrates; 951mg sodium; 18.2g protein; 1.4g fiber

Source: adapted from Cooking Light

Hot Chicken and Chips Retro

Aubrey and I were blown away by this casserole. I was just trying to find a recipe to cook that was healthy and quick since this was a busy week. I was even pretty skeptical about making this because Aubrey isn't a big fan of casseroles.
I had some chicken in the freezer that I thawed out, and Aubrey grilled it on the Big Green Egg. He had it ready when I got home. The only thing left I had to do is mix the other ingredients together and bake for 13 minutes.
I felt like a wife from the 1950's making this dish because this is one of those retro meals that was really popular during that time.


There was a flavor that stood out more than any other when I took my first bite. It took me another bite to figure out that the mystery flavor was actually the red pepper. I'm not sure why they tasted so different in this casserole, but it sure was a nice change.

If you choose to make this casserole ahead, leave the chips off until it's time to bake. Otherwise they will become soggy.

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 4 breasts)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
3/4 cup (3-ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
3/4 cup crushed baked potato chips (about 2 ounces)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
Combine chicken and next 4 ingredients (through water chestnuts) in a large bowl; stir well. Combine low-fat mayonnaise and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add mayonnaise mixture to chicken mixture; stir well to combine. Spoon chicken mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with cheese. Top cheese evenly with chips. Bake for 13 minutes or until filling is bubbly and chips are golden.
Yield: 6 servings

Nutritional Info (per serving): 321 calories; 10.9g fat; 11.4g iron; 96mg cholesterol; 175mg calcium; 20.4g carbs; 606mg sodium; 34.3g protein; 2.6g fiber

Source: Cooking Light

Tex-Mex Taco Salad

Taco salad is one of my favorite foods of all times. There are so many different textures and flavors packed into each bite, and it's pretty much irresistible to me.
The only down side to taco salad from restaurants is the calories, but I found this recipe that gives all the flavors (plus more), and it's made with fresh ingredients and lean meat.
I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite meals to this day. I'm craving it now as I type.

This recipe serves 2, but they are hefty portions. My man and I couldn't even finish it last night. We had enough left over for him to have lunch the next day.
You can certainly add more ingredients to your liking. I added a little bit of Cajun spice to the meat mixture and threw in a few slices of fresh avocado on top of my salad. I also put some corn chips in the mix for texture.
Be creative!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup prepared salsa
2 Tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces lean ground beef or turkey (I used turkey)
1 large plum tomato diced
1/2 cup canned kidney beans, rinsed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Combine salsa and sour cream in a large bowl.

Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add beef (or turkey) and cook, stirring often, until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato, beans, cumin, chili powder and salt; cook, stirring until the tomato begins to break down, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in cilantro and 2 tablespoons of the salsa mixture.

Add lettuce to the remaining salsa mixture and toss to coat. Divide the lettuce between 2 plates, top with the cooked meat and sprinkle with cheese.
Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Info (per serving): 343 calories; 13g fat; 81mg cholesterol; 26g carbs; 32g protein; 8g fiber; 851mg sodium; 737mg potassium

Tips: Refrigerate leftover beans for up to 3 days. Toss with a green salad or into soup for extra protein; mash with garlic powder and chopped fresh herbs for a quick dip.

Source: Eating Well

Guacamole

Last week my man and I visited Kiawah Island, SC for a much needed vacation. We try to go on a vacation once a year to get away from the busyness of our jobs. My sweet cousin let us stay in her gorgeous vacation home, and she even rented bikes for us to ride around the island. Everybody rides bikes around Kiawah, and mine even had a basket on the front.
Aubrey and I cooked almost every night since we had a gourmet kitchen and a grocery store that didn't lack anything down the street. Another cousin of mine was there with her family, and they invited us to eat with them one night. Her husband made the most amazing guacamole that I've ever had, and we duplicated it the next night.

 

Ingredients:
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
3 small jalapenos, seeded and chopped
Salt, to taste
3 avocados
Juice from one lime

Directions:
Take the seed out of the avocados and scoop out the "meat." Mash in a large bowl and mix in the other ingredients. Serve immediately.

Source: Joe Cece

Grilled Pork with Blackberry-Sage Sauce

I came across this recipe the other day, and I thought it would be perfect to make since I had most of the ingredients. I have lots of meat in my freezer that I bought when it was on sale, and I also have some leftover frozen blackberries from the U-Pick farm.
Pork tenderloins are one of my favorite things to eat and cook. The possibilities of dressing the pork are endless, and the blackberry-sage reduction was a nice outfit for this tenderloin.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
2 Tablespoons minced shallots
3 cups fresh blackberries (about 1 pound)
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 Tablespoon butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 (1 1/2-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
Sage sprigs (optional)

Directions:
Prepare grill to medium heat.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots to pan; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add blackberries, sage, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until blackberries break down. Press blackberry mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Return liquid to pan. Stir in vinegar and sugar; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes); remove from heat. Stir in butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring until butter melts. Keep warm.

Sprinkle remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper over pork. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160-degrees, turning pork occasionally. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Serve with blackberry reduction; garnish with sage sprigs, if desired.

Makes 6 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and 2 Tablespoons sauce)

Nutritional Info: 199 calories; 6.1g fat; 79mg cholesterol; 32mg calcium; 10g carbs; 439mg sodium; 25.3g protein; 4g fiber; 2mg iron

Source: Cooking Light

Frozen Food Friday

Brownie Bottom Ice Cream Cupcakes

I've helped celebrate several birthdays this week (including mine), so I thought these ice cream cupcakes were the perfect frozen food to make. You get cake AND ice cream all in one little cupcake. You could pair any ice cream flavor with the brownie bottom, but I thought the cake batter ice cream would be perfect for obvious reasons.


Ingredients:

Fudgy Brownie Bottoms
3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 large eggs plus one egg yolk
1 1/8 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Ganache
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream

Cake Batter Ice Cream or your favorite ice cream, softened

Directions:

Fudgy Brownie Bottoms
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line two cupcake pans with foil cupcake liners. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Stir butter and chocolate in a bowl set over simmering water, creating a double boiler. Heat until melted and smooth. Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Stir in warm chocolate mixture, then dry ingredients. Scoop 1 tablespoon of batter into each foil liner. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes before scooping the ice cream on top.

Chocolate Ganache
Put chocolate chips in a small bowl. Bring cream to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan. Pour cream evenly over chocolate. Let stand for one minute to soften, then stir until smooth. If frosting is too loose to spread, let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, frosting will continue to thicken as it stands. Scoop by the teaspoon full onto the ice cream cupcakes. Spread and garnish with sprinkles. Refreeze until ready to serve.

Source: Joy the Baker

Mushroom and Swiss Sliders with Spicy Fry Sauce

I really enjoy eating sliders; more so than a regular sized burger. I'm not sure if it's because I can get away with eating more than one hamburger or if it's because they are so cute.
Just because these burgers are cute doesn't mean they can't pack a punch of flavor in your mouth. The spicy fry sauce is the perfect addition to these sliders, and it gives the flavor a little "kick." I'll definitely make these over and over.

Ingredients:
1 serving of spicy fry sauce
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 whole medium onion, finely diced
8 ounces, weight white mushrooms , chopped finely
1/2 cups white or red wine (optional)
Salt and pepper
2 pounds ground beef
Worcestershire sauce
4 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
6 slices Swiss cheese, cut into four squares each
8 whole dinner (slider) rolls, split

Directions:
Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and toss around, then add wine (if using), 4 dashes Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes over medium heat, or until all liquid has evaporated. Transfer mushroom mixture to a separate bowl, scraping all contents from the skillet.

Mix ground beef, heavy cream, 4 dashes Worcestershire, salt and pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly mix ingredients. Form 1/4 cup of the meat mixture into patties, making an indentation with your thumb to keep the patties from plumping too much when they cook.

In the same skillet as the one used to cook the mushrooms, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add four patties at a time, indented side face up. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip.

Spoon generous portions of mushroom mixture on each patty, then top the one or two squares of Swiss, depending on your preference. Place lid on skillet and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until burgers are cooked through and cheese is melted. Remove to a place and keep warm while you repeat with the rest of the meat mixture.

Toast halved buns under the oven broiler. Spread generously with spicy fry sauce. Place patties between buns and serve immediately with fried onion strings.

Source: Pioneer Woman

Fried Onion Strings with Spicy Fry Sauce

These little things may be thin, but they sure are dangerous. Before I even realized it, Aubrey and I had almost knocked out a whole onion. They are like a blooming onion from Outback Steakhouse sans the bloom. And even though they're fried, they aren't very greasy if you drain them on a few paper towels.
The spicy fry sauce reminds me a lot of Guthrie's sauce. I'll definitely be making this more often to add to hamburgers and as a dip for french fries and chicken fingers. It's absolutely amazing! You can adjust the red pepper to suit your taste buds.

Onion Strings

Ingredients:
1 whole large yellow onion
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups All-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon (scant) salt
1/4 teaspoon (to 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne (red) pepper
1 quart (to 2 quarts) Canola oil
Black pepper, to taste


Directions:
Slice onion very thin. Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk and soak for at least an hour.
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
Heat oil to 375-degrees. A candy thermometer comes in very handy here.
Grab a handful of onions, throw them into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and plunge into hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown. Repeat until onions are gone.
And the words from Pioneer Woman's mouth: "Eat before your family sees them. Repeat with another onion, because they'll be really mad if they didn't get any."

Definitely make the spicy fry sauce below to dip these little suckers into:

Spicy Fry Sauce

I doubled this recipe:
Mix together 1/3 cup Mayonnaise, 2 Tablespoons Ketchup, and 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (use less if you have a sensitive mouth).

Source for onion strings: Pioneer Woman
Source for sauce: Pioneer Woman