Enchiladas v 2.0

So I've been revamping a bunch of old recipes. Just little tweaks here and there really. But I'm super excited about how it's coming out. This is one of the first ones I did and they still taste great! This is such a classic recipe. Here's the original. Now, I did roll these ones. You can check out the pic at the end. So, here's the revamped version.

Ingredients
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
½ cup wheat flour
2 tbsp chili powder
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
4 cups hot water
2 beef bouillon
1 pound ground turkey
1 can kidney or black beans
½ pound grated cheddar cheese
10 flour tortillas

Combine first six ingredients. Add water. Stir (use a bouncer or whip). Add bouillon and cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Cook the ground beef while you are making the sauce. Drain and put in a bowl. Add the grated cheese to the ground beef, saving some to go on top. Dip tortillas in the sauce to soften, place on a plate and put a spoonful of the cheese/beef mixture near one side, spreading it out. Roll up and place in a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour remaining sauce over the rolled enchiladas. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes and put the saved cheese on top. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted.

The beans add an surprising amount of spice to the enchiladas. They have quite a bit more kick than the normal recipe. And I just thought of another addition I'll do next time. Flaxseed. Look at me getting all healthy and sneaky. :)

Taco Chili

We found this one online and really liked it. I think it's a pretty mild chili (a bit more kid friendly) but it's really flavorful!

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey or beef (I think we used beef, but I'd totally use turkey)

1/4 cup chopped onion (I probably used at least half an onion)

2-3 cloves minced garlic (again, you can totally sneak in more if you want)

1 1/2 cups celery, chopped

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 small can green chiles

1 15 oz. can stewed or diced tomatoes (You can use 2 cans)

4-16 oz. cans of beans (mix and match. We used kidney and black. And we might not've used 4, but less. Can't remember. You don't need to drain or rinse most. But I would drain and rinse black beans.)

1 pckg taco seasoning

1 pckg ranch dressing mix

2 tsp cumin

16 oz. bag frozen corn

1/2 cup water optional

Brown turkey (or beef), adding onions, garlic, and celery about halfway through. One by one, add the remaining ingredients. Do not drain anything, just dump. The 1/2 cup water is optional. It makes it more soupy and with the addition of more canned tomaotes or even one more can of beans, it's really not needed. Heat through. Simmer for awhile if you'd like.

This recipe is really open. You can use more beans or less. I think we used less because it was looking a little too beany for me. If it's not soupy enough, you can add the extra diced tomatoes, or just water. It's really versatile, and the flavors are great.

Chili Upgrade

So we were making our normal chili but really wanted to make it a bit tastier, give it a little upgrade. So we combined it with the recipe for our white chicken chili and came up with something pretty yummy. It was kind of an on the fly recipe change, so bear with me. But I can still remember the gist of how we changed it. I know we started out with the original recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green sweet pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (Can't go wrong with more garlic either)
1 15-oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (may use dried beans)
1 14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2-3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil, crushed
1/2 cup flax seed

Then we added some bits from the white chicken chili.
1 can of kernel corn

1 (4oz) cans diced green chiles
1 tbs ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

I want to say that was most of the additions.

Brown meat, chop veggies, toss it all in a crockpot and cook on high for 4-5 hours. You can saute your veggies before hand if you want to, as well.

Black Bean and Sausage Soup

I thought for sure I'd done this already, but I hadn't. So good!

Ingredients

1 cup dry black beans (can use canned beans)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp salt
1/8 – ¼ tsp ground red pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. cooked, smoked turkey sausage or polish sausage, chopped
Dairy sour cream, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, fresh cilantro (optional)

Rinse beans. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven combine beans and 6 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans. Return beans to saucepan. Stir in 2 cups water, broth, onion, celery, coriander, salt, red pepper, and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1-1 ½ hours or until beans are tender.

If desired, mash beans slightly. Stir in sausage; heat through. IF desired, serve topped with sour cream and cilantro. -OR-

Prepare as above through step 1. In crock pot combine chicken broth, 2 cups water, onion, celery, coriander, salt, red pepper, and garlic. Stir in beans. Cover and cook on high heat for 5-6 hours. If desired, mash beans slightly. Stir in sausage. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more.

Or just used canned beans like we do. Then you only have to cook it for like 30 minutes and then add the sausage. Just cook long enough to get your veggies the way you like them.

In this one, we added some leftover rice just for fun. It added just a little extra. But this is a great recipe. I highly recommend using the optional ingredients. They're fun and tasty to add.

Stir Fry

Or, you can call it Hu-Hot if you want. This is our middle of the line version. We've done it more authentic, but this is a lot easier and simpler to make for a whole family.

Ingredients
chopped carrots
chopped celery
chopped garlic
chopped onion
chopped bell pepper
other options: olives, mushrooms, corn, black beans, broccoli (I highly recommend broccoli. So great in stir fry.)
Chicken, cut in 1-2 inch cubes
*You can really use whatever vegetables you want, and in the quantities you choose. That's the beauty of it.
Cooked rice
*optional: Cooked spaghetti noodles

Sauces: Hoison Sauce, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, General Tsao's, Black bean and Garlic sauce, hot chili and garlic, any sauce you find in your asian foods section at the store. (You can easily sprinkle flaxseed on your plate, or just add it to your sauces.)

Prepare vegetables and chicken (you can use whatever type of meat you want, or multiple types together.) In one pan, saute the vegetables. In another, begin cooking the meat. When mostly cooked, add your choices of sauce to your meat. It's meant to be saucy, so keep adding! Mix and match, or if you're not familiar with them, try them one at a time. (Meaning, for one meal, use one sauce to get familiar with it. Then when you're more confident, begin making combination sauces.) Let it heat through and combine the sauces if necessary. Then when the vegetables are sauteed to your liking, add it to the meat and sauces and combine thoroughly. I like to go heavy on the vegetables. The flavor is still great, so it's such an easy way to get your veggies. Serve on fresh rice, or with a combo rice and noodles. It's quite good if you've never tried it.

This has easily become a family favorite for us. It's different every time, you use the quantities you want and are comfortable with. You can feel good about it because it's packed full of veggies and it just tastes really good!

Roasted Tomato and Black Bean Soup

This one I took out of the Readers Digest and was very excited about. It was pretty darn good. I really enjoyed it.

Ingredients
7 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 large onion, cut into large pieces (about 1 1/2 inches)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 15.5-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce, like Tabasco (I didn't have this part, but I can imagine the kick it would add!)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (Mine is freeze-dried, not fresh)

Preheat oven to 375. Toss tomatoes, onion, and garlic with oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in a large bowl, then transfer to baking sheet. Roast until garlic cloves have softened, edges of onions are browned, and tomatoes have collapsed, 35 to 40 minutes, stirring onces after first 20 minutes.

Transfer roasted vegetable mixture to 4 qt. saucepan. Add broth, beans, cumin, chili powder, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and blend until smooth with immersion blender or in batches in regular blender. Stir in hot sauce. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish with dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of cilantro.

Really, this was yummy. I want to make it again with garden tomatoes. I think that would be so yummy.

Turkey Chili

This is a deceptively delicious recipe. It turned out pretty good. It was a very mild chili, which for our kids is good, since they're not crazy about spicy.

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 lb. ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder, or to taste
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sweet paprika (I don't have that. I used regular paprika)
1/8 tsp pepper
1 15-oz. can chopped tomatoes
1 26-oz. can chicken broth
1/2 cup red pepper puree
1/2 cup carrot puree (I didn't have red pepper puree, so I used 1 cup carrot puree. Her recipes are all designed to do that. You can use them as listed, or just use the whole amount in one puree.)
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Coat the bottom of a large pot with cooking spray and set it over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle the turkey with the garlic, chili powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. Add the turkey to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is no longe rpnk, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes. Add the broth, red pepper puree, carrot puree, cornmeal, and flaxseed meal, and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, 15 to 20 minutes, or until the flavors have blended. Stir in the beans and cook a little longer, just to heat them through.

As I said, it's like a beginner's chili (not for making, but for eating.) Joseph definitely preferred it, I think, to our normal, more flavorful chilis. And ours had a full cup of carrot puree in it. It was mild, but good.

Habichuelas Rojas Guidadas con Arroz

I think the literal translation is Stewed Red Beans with Rice. This is a Dominican dish that Aaron had on his mission. I really like this one. We've had it a few times and we're getting better at making it. I really like it! Aaron was the chef on this one as well.

Ingredients
2 cups red kidney beans, boiled very soft
Water in which you boiled the beans
½ cup chopped celery
1 small red onion cut into 4 quarters
1 cube chicken stock (we use granules, or bouillon)
½ tsp chopped coriander/cilantro
½ tsp thyme leaves
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp oil
½ teaspoon mashed garlic
Pinch oregano
Salt

In a pot heat the oil. Add oregano, onion, garlic, tomato paste, celery and herbs. Stir and add two Tablespoons of water. Add the beans and simmer. When the water has almost evaporated add the chicken stock and two more Tablespoons of water, stir. Add the remaining water mashing beans over heat. Boil at medium heat until it reaches a creamy consistency. Adjust salt to taste.
Serve with white rice, a side dish (or salad) and meat.

We've learned that if you cook your kidney beans too long and let them soak too long, they will turn sweet. This is not yummy for this recipe.  I imagine you could easily used canned beans, using the liquid from them as well. You would just need to be cautious later on and add water if needed.

Taco salad

Over Aaron's two week break, he helped out with the cooking a bit. A few of the next recipes will be Aaron's. This is one of them. He has always loved taco salad. I didn't like it very much, but since my tastebud revolution over the summer, I now totally enjoy taco salad. It's pretty darn easy and pretty darn yummy.

Ingredients
lettuce
tomato
kidney beans (1 can or pre-soaked/cooked)
olives
1/2 lb. ground beef
grated cheese
salsa
tortilla chips

Ground beef. Combine with other ingredients in a large bowl. Serve over tortilla chips.

So I know it's pretty lame that I didn't include very good specifics on how much of what to use. It's really up to you. If you're not a fan of something, don't use very much or you can exclude it all together. It's really an eyeballing thing. If you do like something, you can have more of it.

Split Pea Sausage Soup

I'll be the first to admit that anytime I read split pea soup I do not get hungry. I even dread making it for like a week before I do it. However, in the end I eat it and think, "Hey, this is okay. I kinda like it." Needless to say, it's a good recipe and I've eaten it many times. It just has a stigma, you know? Poor split peas. Anyway, another make ya feel good for eatin good recipe.

Ingredients
1 pound smoked kielbasa
1 pound dry split peas
6 cups water
1 cup chopped carrots (2 medium carrots)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
½ tsp coarse black pepper
2 bay leaves (I just have chopped bay leaves, so I use about 1-2 tsp.)

Cut sausage in half lengthwise; cut into ¼ in. pieces. Place in pot; add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours or until peas are tender. Remove bay leaves.

Another easy recipe, and it's pretty good for ya. I'm including this in my beans category because I keep my dried split peas with all my dried beans. I don't know if it's actually a bean. Maybe it is.

Vegetable and Red Lentil Soup

This one came out great and I'm sure it's insanely healthy for you. Once you chop up the veggies it's one of the really easy dump-in-the-crock-pot-and-leave-it recipes. Love those.

Ingredients

1 can (14 ½ oz.) vegetable broth (Check sodium levels on those things. Some of them are insane. I found one with like 1/3 the sodium of the others. Same goes with chicken broth.)
1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash (or 1 of each), diced (I used one of each)
1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
½ cup thinly sliced carrots
½ cup red lentils, rinsed and sorted (may substitute with brown lentils)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil or thyme (I used basil. For no reason really.)
½ cup croutons or shredded cheese (optional)

Combine broth, tomatoes with juize, zucchini/squash, bell pepper, carrots, lentil, salt, sugar and black pepper in crock pot; mix well. Cover; cook on low 8 hours or on high 4 hours or until lentils and vegetables are tender. Ladle into shallow bowls; top with basil, croutons, and cheese.

Like I said, hearty and easy. I did make one mistake and cooked my basil with the soup. Although mine wasn't fresh, so it wouldn't be as potent I imagine. Anyway, it was good. And made me feel good for eating healthy. Yay for that.

Crescent Burritos

These came out great. We made them bigger than the original recipe because we were worried they'd be too small. I think they would've been okay. They turned out gigantic. Anyways, it's a great recipe no matter what size you make them. (I doubled this recipe because otherwise it doesn't make very many. They're kind of small, so you'll want more than one. But if you wanted to you could half it.)

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef (You could easily use turkey.)
½ onion, chopped
1 pckg taco seasoning
1 cup water
1 can refried beans (I like black beans. I think they're a bit better for you than refried beans. Just drain them first and smash them up a bit.)
4 cans crescent rolls
1 cup salsa
8 slices American cheese
1 cup sour cream
½ cup sliced olives

Heat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix and water. Reduce heat to medium; cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until water has evaporated. Remove from heat; stir in beans. Separate dough into 16 triangles. (4 per can) Firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon about 2 tbsp beef mixture and 1 tbsp of salsa onto each rectangle; spread across one half of rectangle. Fold rectangle in half and pinch edges to seal. Place on cookie sheet. Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until golden brown. Top each burrito with cheese; bake 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve garnished with sour cream and olives.

This is half a burrito. They were huge. Really. When you're making them, don't worry if you think they'll certainly explode while they're cooking. And don't worry if they look really small. (if you do the original 1/2 lb version.) When they cook, they expand and the crescent roll seals off all the areas where you think it'll leak. That was my experience anyway. And I didn't bother putting them back in the oven to melt the cheese. It melted just fine when they were fresh from the oven.

Chili!

So here's your standard crock pot chili! I've been making crock pot meals on Sundays with our church starting at 1 this year and choir practice right after, there's not time for elaborate cooking when we get home. This came out great. Like I said, it's a standard chili, but there's nothing wrong with that. It's refreshing every now and then.

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green sweet pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (Can't go wrong with more garlic either)
1 15-oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (may use dried beans)
1 14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2-3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil, crushed
1/2 cup flax seed

In a large saucepan, cook ground beef, onion, sweet pepper, and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender; drain fat. Stir in kidney beans, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, basil and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes. -OR-
Cook ground beef, chopped onions, chopped green sweet pepper, and minced garlic. Drain fat. Combine in crock pot beef mixture; kidney beans, rinsed and drained; tomato sauce; diced tomatoes, undrained; chili powder; dried basil, crushed; and black pepper. Cover; cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hours.

I made a few alterations to the recipe. It's a bit bulkier than the original (from Better Homes and Gardens.) I also used dried beans. I measured out two cups and then cooked them. This of course equaled more than 15 ounces of beans when they were cooked. However, with the added meat (it was originally 12 oz.) it's not super beany or anything.

We like to top our chili with cheese (cheddar or swiss) and/or saltines. Generally speaking, we also eat it with corn bread (coming next!)

White and Black Bean Chicken Chili

So Sunday was a day of misfires in the kitchen. Thankfully last night we had a wonderful success, thanks to a recipe from Jared and Anita. I just call it White Chicken Chili. It's actually like a soup. But whatever you call it, it's good!

Ingredients:

* 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts halves, cut into 1 inch pieces
* 1 med yellow onion, chopped
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 tbs olive oil
* 2 (14.5oz) cans cannellini beans, (reserve liquid from one can) drained and rinsed
* 1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
* 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
* 1 can of kernel corn
* 1 (4oz) cans diced green chiles
* 1 tbs ground cumin
* 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
* 3/4 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp black pepper
* 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or chili peppers of your choice, dried flakes, or diced. I like Serrano diced or dried red peppers. 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes will be medium spice, 1/2 tsp will be medium hot spicy. Typically, 1 Serrano pepper diced will make it medium hot spicy. Start less, you can always add more!!!
* 1/2 cup heavy cream or 3/4 cup milk

Saute the onion, garlic, chili peppers of your choice, cumin, and oregano in a large pot with medium hot oil for 2-3 minutes. Push to side of the pot and add chicken. Cook the chicken until it's no longer pink on the outside. Add all remaining ingredients, including reserved white bean liquid, except the cream or milk. Increase heat to med-high; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer 10 mins or until heated through. After it's heated. Remove from heat and add cream or milk. Serve with cheese, fresh cilantro, and sour cream. Can also be made in a crockpot. After cooking the chicken, onions and garlic, put all the ingredients, except the cream or milk, into a crockpot and let cook for the day. Add cream or milk before serving.

This stuff is killer good. We ended up adding more seasoning than it calls for (well, Aaron did) so ours had some real kick to it, but I think it would've been perfect just the way the recipe is. We used milk and cayenne pepper. We also ended up not using the liquid from the can of beans (because I put cutting board remnants in the can on accident.) Definitely a keeper still!

 

The only cheese we had was cheddar, but I think it would've been better with a white cheese. Swiss, maybe Monterrey or Colby. Cilantro definitely would've been an awesome addition. We just didn't have any at the time.

Lentil and Sausage Soup

Tonight's cuisine was courtesy of the Better Homes & Garden Cookbook. This is one I became acquainted with in Missoula and have since come to enjoy very much.  I must say that it was pretty awesome. It's a really easy recipe and tastes pretty great. I must say that growing up I wouldn't have touched this type of thing. But I have since evolved to eat things like beans, vegetables, and yeah, that's what I used to avoid pretty much. But now I really enjoy these things and I feel good because I know they're good for me.

Ingredients
2 14-oz. cans chicken broth
1 ½ cups water
1 cup red lentils (brown are easier to find)
1 cup sliced celery (2 stalks)
1 cup sliced carrots (2 medium)
½ cup chopped onion
1 tsp snipped fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz. cooked, smoked sausage links
Optional: shredded cheese, saltines or croutons

In a large saucepan combine chicken broth, water, lentils, celery, carrots, onion, dried thyme (if using), red pepper, and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables and lentils are tender. Stir in fresh thyme, if using, and sausage. Heat through.

I used shredded mozzarella. You could use swiss or monterey or maybe colby jack. I used mozzarella because it's what I had at the time. I prefer croutons to saltines because they can be seasoned and they don't get soggy as fast. I also added a tbsp of flax seed to my soup. One tbsp gives you two grams of fiber and in the soup it was basically tasteless. I'll have more posts about flax seed. It's great to add to different types of things.  I was also liberal with the spices. We prefer our food to be spicy versus bland.  Makes for good soup!

Fajitas

In the past few weeks, I have been getting back to my kitchen ways and cooking some new and old amazing meals. My recent excitement, which I remembered to take a picture of for my power point cookbook, was fajitas. These ones have steak in them.

Ingredients
½ cup water
½ cup lime juice
1 pkg. fajita or taco seasoning mix
2 tbsp sugar
¼ - 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts or steak
2 medium green bell peppers, sliced
1 medium red onion, halved and sliced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Optional: refried beans, chopped tomatoes, grated cheese (I like Swiss. Heard it's better for you than Cheddar), sliced olives, chopped mushrooms, diced avocadoes, salsa, guacamole or sour cream

Combine first five ingredients in medium bowl. Cut chicken breasts into 1” cubes and marinate in lime juice mixture for at least 15 minutes. Heat vegetable oil in heavy frying pan over medium high heat. Drain excess marinate from chicken; add chicken to hot pan, stir frying until no longer pink. Add sliced vegetables and stir fry until vegetables are crisp-tender.Serve on warmed flour tortilla shells.

I've added a lot more optional ingredients than I used to use. Really, you can pack it full of whatever you want. I used to hate things like olives, mushrooms, etc. But as I've used them more, I'm liking them more. And in a recipe like this one, you can hardly taste all of those little chops bits. So the more vegetables, the better for you, right? Anyhow, it's a great recipe and it's really versatile. Both of these are from my cooking class I took at BYU.


I know the pictures not anything great to look at, but you can see the variety of things inside. It may look gross (or maybe you think it looks yummy like I do), but I promise it's good stuff!