Enchiladas Verdes with Chicken

This recipe I got from a friends blog.  It was very yummy... thanks Shauna!  Shauna recommends layering these instead of rolling them up.  They can be hard to find in the pan that way.  So, I agree, just dish it up!


corn tortillas
cooked chicken, shredded or diced
sour cream
green enchilada sauce
diced green chilies
shredded cheese

Mix green sauce with chilies and sour cream (3-4 parts sauce to 1 part sour cream, sauce should be green).
Pass corn tortillas through a skillet of simmering chicken broth, then layer in a 9x13 pan.  After tortillas, add a layer of chicken, a layer of sauce, and a layer of cheese.
Repeat, so that there are two full layers. Finish with a layer of tortillas and a layer of cheese.
Cook at 350 degrees until warmed though and the cheese is melted, about 30-35 minutes.Let sit at least 15 minutes before cutting. Top with chopped cilantro.

Healthy Morning Muffins

These muffins are great for breakfast, healthy and filling! They come from my favorite food mag "everyday food"

nonstick cooking spray

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup raisins

3 tbs evoo

1 large egg

1/3 cup skim  milk

4 medium carrots, shredded

1 medium ripe banana, mashed

Preheat ovent to 400.  Coat a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray, or use muffin paper cups.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt until there are no lumps.  Stir in oats and raisins.  Add oil, egg, milk, carrots, and banana and stir until blended.

Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup batter.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 23-25 minutes.  Makes 12.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

This one is straight off the Pioneer Woman's website.  I had it tonight for the first time and it was fabulous!  Now, don't let the title of "salad" fool you, this is not a healthy recipe.  While some of the ingredients are beneficial, like the spinach, and egg does have protein, (and we get fresh eggs from a guy that raises chickens, so they are super good.  Have you ever had a fresh egg?) but the bacon... well, not so much.  My philosophy has always been everything in moderation. 

3 whole eggs

7 slices thick cut pepperd bacon

1 whole red onion (small)

1 package mushrooms, white button

8 ounces baby spinach, washed, dried and stems removed

3 tbs red wine vinegar

2 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 dash of salt

Cook eggs:  cober with water, bring to a boil, then turn off heat and allow to sit in water for 20  minutes.  Drain off water and add ice on top of eggs.

Fry bacon until cripsy/chewy.  Remove to a paper towel.  Remove 3 tbs grease and set aside.  (yes, the unhealthy part)  Add 2 additional tbs of grease to a seperate skillet over medium heat. 

Slice red onions very thinly, then add to skillet.  Cook slowly until  onions are caramelized and reduced.  Remove to a plate and set aside.

Slice mushrooms and add them to the same skillet.  Cook slowly until caramelized and brown.  Remove to a plate and set aside.

Chop bacon.  Peel and slice eggs.

Dressing:

Add 3 tbs bacon grease, vinegar, sugar, and dijon to a small saucepan or skillet over medium low heat.  Whisk mixture together and heat thoroughly.

Add spinach to a large bowl.  Arrange onions, mushrooms, and bacon on top.  Pur hot dressing over teh top; toss to combine.  Arrange eggs over the top and serve.  Serves 6.

You may have noticed no mushrooms in the picture.  I actually do not like mushrooms, so I just made it without.   But, true spinach salad does contain the mushrooms. 

Stir-fried Turkey in Lettuce Wraps

January... people tend to go healthy and light.  This is a great recipe for that!  This is from my Everyday Food magazine.  This is my most favorite magazine and I make tons of recipes from it.  I love it because it is so seasonal, and I love to cook that way. 

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 tsp fish sauce (I didn't add this, because I didn't have any and it was still great)

4 tsp sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large shallot finely chopped (you can always substitue onion)

2 tbs peeled fresh minced ginger

2 garlic cloves minced

1 small jalepeno or serrano chili finely chopped

1 lb ground turkey  (or substitute ground beef or ground chicken)

2 large heads bibb, boston, or iceberg lettuce, leaves seperated

1.  In a small bowl combine first 3 ingredients, wisk until sugar is melted, set aside.

2.  Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat until hot, add vegetable oil and swirl to coat.  Add shallot, ginger, garlic and chili and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add turkey and cook, breatking up meat with a wooden spoon, until almost cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Add half the sauce to skillet and stir until meat is cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Serve in lettuce leaves with remaining sauce.

                                                                     

                                                                       

Red Lentil Soup

This is my friend Zeycan, pronounced Zay-jon.  She is from Turkey.  We host international students for a local english school, and her husband lived with us this summer.  His name is Selman.  He was not yet married at the time, so he moved out, went back to Turkey to marry his Bride, and returned to Michigan.  Isn't she gorgeous?  I told Selman, he is SO blessed, not only is she beautiful, but she can cook!  He'll be well taken care of!  Anyway, they invited us over for authentic Turkish food.  We did not hesitate.  It was incredibly delicous, and they were both such wonderful hosts.  Not the best picuture of my boy, but oh well. 
This recipe, along with the following 2 posts is what she made for us.  She was kind enough to share her secrets with me.  :-)  She also made Baklava... no words, it was so good.  I did not include the recipe for baklava, however she sent me one from allrecipes.com.  Her advice is to omit the cinnamon because that is not how they make it.  Although I'm sure it's delicious with or without. 

RED LENTIL SOUP

1 cup red lentils ( wash in colander )
1 cup carrott (grated)
1 potatoes (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 tablespoon pepper paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, pepper
5 cups water

Put all ingredients in a pot, except salt and pepper.  Wait until the lentils are tender about 40 minutes. After that add salt and pepper. Mix, in batches if necessary, in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Return to the pot, bring to a boil, then simmer. 

So delicious an healthy.

Rice with Garbanzo

Part 2 of my Turkish meal.  Again, incredibly healthy.

RICE WITH GARBANZO



1 cup rice (in boiling salted water and wait about 20 minutes)
1/3 cup vermicelli
1 cup garbanzo
2 cup water
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter

Wash rice in colander. Melt butter in pot. Add vermicelli and sautee until golden. Add rice and cook a few minutes. Add water, garbanzo, olive oil, salt. Boil two minutes at high heat, reduce heat to low and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Roasted Vegetables (turkish style)

Part 3 of my turkish meal.  I was so excited to be eating authentic turkish food, made by a turkish woman.  It was so simple, yet so flavorful and healthy!  loved it!!  It was so beautiful too, I wish I would have taken my camera. 

Roasted Vegetables  (from Zeycan)


2 eggplant ( cut in rings)
3 zucchini (cut in rings)
3 potatoes (cut rings)
3 tomatoes chopped
4 onions (cut in rings)
7-8 garlic cloves (chopped)
1/3 cup olive oil
salt, pepper, oregano to taste
1/4 cup water


Method:
Preheat oven to 300 F
You put eggplant, potatoes, zucchini and onion in large bowl. Add olive oil and spices and mix well.  Spread onto baking sheet or 9 x 13 inch pan.   Spread tomatoes and garlic on the mixture, add water. Finally cover with aluminum foil.  Cook for about an hour.

This photo was added 1/31/10.  I substituted sweet potatoes for the potatoes...so good!

Chicken Pot Pie

This is the best pot pie recipe I have ever had.  When I had my first baby, now 5, Natasha brought me a meal, and this was it.  I was in a bible study with Natasha, this girl's talent is endless.  It's a simple easy recipe and oh so good!  Talk about comfort food!


1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup onion
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 can chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2-3 cups cooked diced chicken
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
Pastry for two 9 inch pie crusts (meijer deep dish frozen crusts work great if you don't make your own)


Melt butter in sauce pan.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper, onion.  Cook, stirring until bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Stir in broth and milk, return to heat, let boil, stirring 1 minute or so until thick.  Add cooked chicken and veggies.  Pour into pie crust, place top pastry over filling, seal edges and flute.  Cut in vents.  Bake at 425 for 35-45 minutes.  Set for 15 minutes to let it thicken and cool before serving.