Chicken Enchiladas

I love Mexican food!  It is something that was impossible to find in Maine (where I grew up), but came to love when I moved to New York and then Chicago.  Recently my fiance and I went to a Mexican restaurant in our neighborhood (Zocalo), but were a bit overwhelmed by how spicy their food was.  So with my craving for enchiladas not satisfied, I took matters into my own hands and made them myself.  I tried to make these as healthy as I could, since we have been pigging out lately!

This recipe is loosely based on a recipe in this month's Cooking Light.

You will need:
1 pound chicken breasts

3 cups cold Water
1 large carton of Chicken Broth
5 cloves of Garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chopped Celery
1/4 cup chopped Carrot
1 Jalapeno Pepper
1/2 cup chopped Onion
1 jar Salsa (I used Newman's black bean and corn)
1/4 cup Fat Free Half and Half
1 can Black Beans
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2/3 cup 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
12 reduced fat Tortillas (6 inch, corn or flour)
1/2 cup Reduced Fat Mexican Cheese
Cooking Spray

Step 1:
Combine the water, broth, garlic, celery, carrot, onion, jalapeno, and chicken in a large pot and heat to a simmer.  Cook for 8 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked.  Once fully cooked, remove the chicken from the pot and let cool.  Then drain the cooking liquid into another pot.  You want to discard the solids and save the liquid.

Step 2:
Shred the chicken.  Then combine the salsa and the cooking liquid.  Bring to a boil and let reduce for 30 minutes.  Then reduce the heat to low and stir in the half and half.  Cook 5 more minutes.

Step 3:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Then place the shredded chicken in a medium bowl.  Add the black beans, salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, and cream cheese.  Stir together.

Step 4:
Soak each tortilla in the sauce for 10 seconds.  Then fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture.  Roll up and place in a greased casserole, seam side down.  Once all the tortillas have been filled and added to the dish, spoon the rest of the sauce over the top.  Then spread the cheddar cheese over the top.

Step 5:
Bake for 20 minutes, the top should be lightly browned.

Please note that the leftovers tend to dry out a little - mix some water and salsa together and pour over before reheating.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

My Nutella Granola bars were fun and easy to make, and I thought of some ideas on how to improve the granola bar recipe.  Although they were tasty, the Nutella Granola Bars were too dense, so I decided to add some recipe krispies to improve the texture.

Total time: 40 minutes, plus time to cool
Servings: 16

You will need:
2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Wheat Germ
1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
1/2 cup sliced Almonds
1/2 cup Honey
1/3 cup packed Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Butter plus more to grease the pan
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 cup Chunky Low Fat Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Rice Krispies - or Cocoa Krispies

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread out oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ in a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Step 2: While the dry ingredients are roasting, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, salt, and peanut butter in a medium sauce pan. Melt together over medium heat, stirring frequently.

Step 3: Once the dry ingredients have finished roasting, fold the wet ingredient, the dry ingredients, and the rice krispies together.

Step 4: Pour the mixture into a buttered glass baking dish. Baked for 25 minutes at 300 degrees.

Step 5: Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cooled, use a sharp serrated knife to cut into individual portions. These can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Nutritional Information:
206 Calories
8.9g Fat
 Full Nutritional Information Report

Idaho Sunrise

This idea was given to me by my fantastic friend Jenn.  I am sure that by now my readers know that I love to make a nice breakfast on the weekends, and that I love potatoes.  So this recipe is perfect for me.  You can change this up to include whatever ingredients you like - this week I decided to keep it simple with cheddar cheese, bacon, and a little fat free sour cream.

This recipe involves scooping out a baked potato.  I strongly recommend using that potato to make potato pancakes or mashed potatoes.

Serves 1 (multiply as necessary)

You will need:
1 large potato (I used Russet - don't use Red- the skin is to thin)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar
cooked crumbled bacon (I used Turkey Bacon)
a dollop of fat free sour cream

Step 1:
Either bake the potatoes the night before, or just bake it in the microwave.  The let it cool off for a few minutes.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2:
Cut the top off the potato and scoop out some of the insides.  You are creating a potato bowl.

Step 3:
Then crack two eggs into the potato.  Then bake for 20 minutes.  Then top with the cheese and bacon and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

Step 4:
Remove from oven and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Sausage and Kale Soup

Today my Mom/wedding planner is guest blogging.  She sent me this recipe of a soup she recently made along with the photo.  Mary Ann says that you could substitute either spinach or escarole for kale if you like.

You will need:

4 sweet and 4 hot sausage

2 celery ribs- diced

1 red pepper- diced

2 large onions- diced

4 carrots- diced

1 16 oz package of mushrooms- sliced

1 cup of chopped broccoli

1 small bunch of fresh kale- chopped

1 can of red kidney beans

4 potatoes- diced

1 28 oz can of Italian tomatoes- chopped

1 can of artichoke hearts- chopped

3 cloves of garlic- pressed

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 32 oz box of Kitchen Basics beef broth

1 bottle of red wine

1 tablespoon of parsley

1 tablespoon of oregano

red pepper flakes- to taste

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Step 1:

In large skillet, saute celery, carrots, red pepper, and broccoli in olive oil. When soft add onion, then mushrooms and garlic. 

 

Step 2:

In large pot, brown the sausage (out of casings). Add kale and steam for 5 minutes. 

 

Step 3:

Add sauteed vegetables to pot. Add potatoes, wine, broth, paste, tomatoes and bring to boil. Add artichokes ,kidney beans, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, parsley and oregano. 

 

Step 4: Bring to simmer and when potatoes are soft, soup is ready.    

Recipes Heading Your Way

Hi Everyone,
I want to give you an update about what I have been up to.  My fiance and I are trying to eat better and get in shape before our summer wedding, and for this reason we decided it would be best to end Mac and Cheese Mondays.  I did post one final mac and cheese recipe yesterday: Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Here is a recap of all of the Mac and Cheese Recipes:
Low Fat Baked Mac and Cheese
Mac and Cheese Pizza
Chicken and Goat Cheese Mac and Cheese
Christmas Eve Crunchy Mac and Cheese
Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese
BBQ Mac and Cheese
Bacon Mac and Cheese

Charles's favorites were the Goat Cheese and Chicken Mac and Cheese and the BBQ Mac and Cheese.  My favorite was the Mac and Cheese Pizza.

There are lots of recipes that I am working on right now, and I am going to kick off Mexican Mondays next week.  Here are some recipes for you to look forward to:
Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Potato Baked Eggs
Chicken Enchiladas
Rice Krispie Treats
Risotto Stuffed Peppers
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Potatoes

Thanks for reading!

Kit

Spinach Dip

Every once in a while I host a girls night at my place.  Our weekends are always so busy, so I invite the girls to come over after work.  I prepare dishes that can be made the night before, so I don't have much to do when I get home from work.  This week I decided to make Spinach Dip, and Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese.  This recipe for Spinach Dip is loosely based off of a recipe I found on Cooking Light's website.  This dip could be served hot or cold, I decided to serve it hot.

You will need:
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
3 cloves of Garlic
1 package of Frozen Spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
1/2 cup fresh Basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/3 cup fat free Greek Yogurt
1/3 cup 1/3 fat cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Step 1:
Finely chop the basil.  Set aside.

Step 2:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Use a garlic press to crush the garlic, and then saute it in the oil for 1 minute.  Then add the spinach.  Saute until hot, about 3 minutes.

Step 3:
Add the basil, salt, pepper, yogurt, cream cheese, and Parmesan.  Stir and heat until warm.  Pour into a bowl and serve with bread or crackers.

Optional:  Pour into a baking dish, top with 1/4 cup panko and 3 tablespoons Parmesan and bake at 400 degrees until the crust browns.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

I think that buffalo chicken and blue cheese is one of the best flavor combinations out there.  A few of my girlfriends have been making buffalo chicken dip for years, but it wasn't until this past summer that my friend Jenn discovered a recipe that turned it into mac and cheese.  This recipe is a combination of the recipe that Jenn found, and my friend Holly's recipe for buffalo chicken dip.

You will need:
2 cooked and shredded chicken breasts
1 large carton chicken broth
3 cups cold water
3/4 pound elbow macaroni
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
1 cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
3/4 cup Cream Cheese (I used 1/3 fat)
1 cup Sharp Cheddar (shredded, you can use low fat)
1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella

Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Combine the water and chicken broth.  Heat over high heat, and add the chicken.  Simmer until fully cooked, about 8 minutes.  Then remove the chicken using a fork, and discard the cooking liquid.

Step 2:
Cook the elbows until al dente.  Drain and set aside.

Step 3:
As the elbows are cooking, shred the chicken.

Step 4:
In a large pot over medium heat whisk the milk and flour together.  Bring to a boil, and let boil for 1 minute stirring constantly.  Then reduce the heat and add the frank's hot sauce, blue cheese, cream cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar, and chicken.  Stir until the cheese has melted, and then fold in the elbows.

Step 5:
Pour the mac and cheese into a greased casserole.  Then sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and the mozzarella over the top.  Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.