Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

Ok, not sure if this authentic, but it IS AWESOME! Had a craving for chicken enchiladas...so i looked at a few recipes and came up with this one...and it was soooo good!

Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

4-5 C shredded rotisserie chicken breast
1 jalepeno, chopped
2 heaping Tbsp sour cream(i used low fat)
1/2 (8oz) jar salsa verde (I used pace, and it was very good)
4 oz pepper jack cheese shredded
6 oz cheddar cheese low fat
7 (8in) flour tortillas
3/4 C heavy cream
1/2 c chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover 9X13 baking dish with non stick foil.

mix chicken breast, jalepeno, sour cream, 1/4 c salsa verde and place chicken mixture in flour tortillas. Top with some cheddar and pepper jack cheese and roll up. Place each rolled up tortilla in 9X13 baking dish. Mix heavy cream and chicken broth together and pour over top of tortillas. Pour additional salsa verde over top and sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes until browned on top.

Mom's Famous Black Bean Soup

My mom has perfected this recipe over the years, and because I always monkey with perfection, I made a couple of minor changes. This recipe has ruined me for Black Bean Soup at restaurants, its that good.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 med. sweet onion, chopped fine
1 shallot, chopped fine
2 stalks of celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried cumin
1 tsp dreid oregano
4 (15.5 oz) cans of black beans (I like Goya exclusively), rinsed and drained
3 C water and 2 vegetable boullion cubes
1/4 C dry sherry (NOT cooking sherry)
cooked brown rice for serving.
optional for garnish:
chopped shallots
chopped hard boiled eggs
shredded cheddar
sliced jalepeno
sour cream

Saute onions, celery, cumin and oregano in olive oil for 8 min, until translucent. Add garlic, saute another 1-2 min. Add black beans, water and boullion, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 30 min. Add dry sherry and simmer 5 minutes. Garnish with desired items and a small bit more of dry sherry. Serve over brown rice or quinoa.

Spicy Shrimp over whole wheat orzo with feta

This was inspired by a Giada DeLaurentis recipe. I usually serve this with steamed broccoli or roasted asparagus on the side. Its an excellent dish for two. The sauce is delish and you can do it over whatever pasta or rice you want.


1 C. whole wheat orzo
1 T. unsalted butter
1/2 C. feta cheese

1 T. unsalted butter
1-2 cloves garlic
juice of 1 lemon
2 T. white wine
1 T. hot sauce
14 shrimp, shelled, deveined and tail off
1/4 C. heavy cream

Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it and add whole wheat orzo. Boil about 14 minutes until done to your liking. Drain. Add butter to pan, add back orzo, add feta and stir until combined. For Shrimp, add butter to skillet, and melt over med. Add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes. Add juice of a lemon, wine, hot sauce, and shrimp. Mix well and saute for about 2 min on each side, until pink throughout. Add heavy cream and combine and heat through. Serve shrimp and spicy sauce over orzo with feta.

Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms

So there is a restaurant near me, Sirena, that has a small plate happy hour menu, and one of the items on it is a creamy polenta with mushrooms...it was so great I had to re-create it! I am entering this into the Food Network Magazine's secret ingredient recipe contest! This month the ingredient is mushrooms. Cross your fingers for me!

Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms

1 1/4 C polenta
3 C chicken stock
3/4 C frozen sweet corn kernels
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 c fresh parmesan
2 Tbsp mascarpone cheese

mushrooms:
2 T EVOO
2 clove garlic, minced
2 (4 oz) pkgs. assorted mushrooms (baby bella, oyster, shitake)
1/4 C. dry sherry
2 T. fat free half and half
drizzle truffle oil
salt and pepper to taste
Shaved Parmesan for garnish

Bring chicken stock to a boil, add polenta, cook 10 minutes. Add mascarpone, butter, corn, parmesan and mix til cheeses are melted. While polenta is cooking, saute clove of garlic in evoo for 1 min, add mushrooms (slice any larger ones) and sherry and cook til all liquid is absorbed and mushrooms are tender. Add fat free half and half. Spoon over polenta, garnish with a drizzle of truffle oil, shaved parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.

Fra Diavolo Sauce

I got this recipe from my co-worker Mike, who obtained it from the owner of a very good Italian restaurant in the area (which will remain nameless). This is a spicy tomato sauce. It is amazing and so easy, you just really need the time to let it slow simmer for two hours. It makes a difference. This makes a whole bunch of sauce....great for freezing and you will have sauce all winter long!

Fra Diavolo Sauce

1 bulb of garlic, crushed or sliced
1/4 C EVOO
3 large cans peeled plum tomatoes (I think the size is 35 oz), crush them with your hands, do not drain them.
1 large (28 oz?) can and 1 small (16 oz?) cans of tomato sauce
1 bunch of basil, chiffonade
sugar, cayenne and red pepper flakes to taste
(I used about two tsp of sugar, a few dashes of cayenne and almost 2 Tbsp of red pepper flakes)

Saute garlic over med. in EVOO for 1-2 min. Add basil and wilt. Add plum tomatoes and juice, tomato sauce, sugar, cayenne red pepper flakes (I added a Tbsp at a time and simmered for 30 min and tasted and added more) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low or med, cover, and slow simmer for two hours.

black bean and tomato quinoa

Another recipe from the girls pot luck...this one was soooo yummy AND healthy! And good for anyone who is vegan and/or gluten intolerant....Thank you Sandy for bringing this!

Black bean & tomato quinoa

2 teaspoons grated lim...e zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (I used vegan butter for my girl Joy Guiga)
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon sugar (I used organic, unrefined)
1 cup quinoa
1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1-2 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Wash quinoa in 2 changes of cold water. Put quinoa in a pot with 1½ – 2 cups of water; bring to boil. Then turn the fire down low to a simmer & cover to steam. Cook for 20 minutes (or until it’s reached its desired softness).

Meanwhile, whisk together lime zest & juice, butter, oil, & sugar in a large bowl.

Add dressing to quinoa & toss until dressing is absorbed. Stir in black beans, tomatoes, green onion, & cilantro. Mix well.

Salt to taste & enjoy!

Gorgonzola Truffles

I had a girls night pot luck a few weeks ago and these were one of the fabulous appetizers that someone (Michelle) brought....they really are great and also great popped into a salad! The gorgonzola truffles are on the right on the plate with the grapes


4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 (4-5 oz.) container crumbled gorgonzola (blue-cheese)

2 tsp. finely chopped onion

1/2 tsp. worcestershir sauce

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon

Grapes and/or apples and pear slices

1. Beat first 5 ingredients at medium speed until well combined. Cover tightly and chill at least 1 hour or until firm. (Can chill up to 3 days.)

2. Roll cheese mixture into 3/4 inch round balls. Roll each ball in bacon. Serve with apple and pear slices and grapes.

Deviled Eggs

I made this dish for the baby shower, it is a great brunch recipe and the filling can be made the night before and piped into the eggs the morning of the party. I make these at every brunch and there are never any leftover! I took my mom's recipe and made it my own...

Deviled Eggs

1 dozen large eggs
4 Tbsp low fat mayo
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp low fat sour cream
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste
few dashes cayenne powder (optional)
fresh chives for garnish

Hardboil eggs. The best method I find is to fill a large pot with water, gently place eggs one by one in pot. Bring to a boil, shut off heat and cover, set the timer for 18 minutes exactly. With a slotted spoon, remove eggs and place in an ice bath until cooled enough to peel. I find the best way to peel the eggs is to tap several times on the counter and peel the shell off, if you want you can rinse under cool water.

Once the eggs are cooled and peeled, slice each one in half lengthwise and carefully pop out the yolks into a bowl. Place the whites into a paper towel lined container and put away in the fridge (if you are making this the night before). Add all other ingredients to yolks and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Spoon mixture into a large ziplock bag and push the mixture into one of the corners and seal. If making this the night before, put the mixture in the fridge. When ready to serve, place the egg whites on a platter and cut the tip off the ziplock bag and pipe yolk mixture onto the egg whites. Garnish by sprinkling either cayenne or paprika over eggs and topping with fresh chives if desired.

Veggies with Garlic Feta Dip

This is another recipe from the baby shower. I wanted to have something for the guests to eat while I finished the rest of the food for the shower, so I served some fresh veggies with a garlic feta dip, that I could just eat by itself with no veggies! It was great!

Garlic Feta Dip

1 C crumbled feta
1/2 C low fat sour cream
1/2 C low fat greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
assorted raw veggies of your choice
hollowed out bell pepper to serve the dip in

Combine feta, sour cream, yogurt, garlic, season with salt and pepper. Spoon the dip into the hollowed out bell pepper and serve with veggies on a platter.

Mock Champagne Punch

I decided to throw my sister's baby shower, and cook all the food myself, and I wanted her to have a special fun cocktail for her to enjoy even though she cant have the sangria everyone else was drinking....it was pretty good....once I added vodka to it later ( :

Mock Champagne Punch
1/2 C sugar
1 C water
6oz can frozen OJ concentrate
6oz can frozen cranberry juice concentrate
1/3 C grenadine
1 Liter bottle ginger ale
orange slices

Combine sugar and water in saucepan, boil 5 minutes and cool. Add frozen juices and grenadine. Refrigerate over night. Just before serving add ginger ale and orange slices.

Quinoa and Black Beans

This dish was even tastier than I thought. Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa), is known as the "Mother Grain." it has been around for centuries and is so high in nutrients, protein, and fiber. This recipe was tasty and healthy. I served it one night as a main meal with vegetables and the next night as a side dish. It is even good cold!

Quinoa and Black Beans

1 T EVOO
1/2 sweet onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 C uncooked quinoa
1/4 C dry white wine
3/4 C Chicken stock (can sub vegetable stock)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
zest and juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
1 C frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 (15oz) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
large handful chopped fresh cilantro
1 heaping tsp cream cheese
1 heaping tsp queso sauce

Heat EVOO over medium heat, stir in the onion and saute until translucent (about 5-7 min), add garlic, saute 1-2 minutes. Add wine and stir. Add quinoa, chicken stock, lime juice and zest, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to med low and simmer 15 minutes.

Stir corn and black beans into saucepan and simmer 5 minutes more. Mix in cilantro, cream cheese and queso and stir until well combined. Voila!

Cornflake Encrusted Oven "Fried" Chicken

This recipe was inspired by a recipe in the Food Network Magazine, but I changed it to suit my tastes....it really came out great, the chicken was so moist from the yogurt and the coating was so crispy! KFC look out ( : I served this with roasted asparagus and leftover quinoa. Warning: I was just throwing this together so the measurements for most of the ingredients are approximate.

Cornflake Encrusted Oven "Fried" Chicken

Cooking Spray
3 large handfuls of Cornflakes (about 2 and1/2 C), crushed slightly
2 C plain bagel chips, processed in food processor
cayenne pepper to taste (I did a few shakes)
3 tsp EVOO (approx, I just drizzled it on until it looked right)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 and 1/2 C plain low fat greek yogurt (2%)
1 tsp dijon mustard
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Mix bagel chip crumbs and slightly crushed cornflakes (just crush them with your hands), cayenne, EVOO, salt and pepper in shallow dish. In another shallow dish, mix yogurt and dijon mustard and whisk together.

Coat chicken breasts with yogurt mixture and then coat with cornflake mixture (there should be a lot of cornflake mixture, pack it on), and transfer to 9 X 13 baking dish lined with nonstick foil. When done I put the remaining cornflake mixture over top of the chicken. Spray with cooking spray and Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes.