Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Chicken Posole Verde

This actually comes from a Pampered Chef cook book, but I've adapted it a little.

Easy rating:**easier than pie-***easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes depending
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Categories: Chili, Soup, Dinner, Lunch


Ingredients:

Garlic Salt to taste
1 can (29oz) white hominy
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup of water
1 can (10oz)mild green enchilada sauce (or hotter variety if you like)
1 tsp oregano (the recipe says Mexican oregano)
2 cups of diced cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken would work great)
1 cup thinly sliced cabbage
chopped fresh cilantro
limes

Directions:

I usually just boil a few chicken breasts with some garlic salt. After they are cooked I chop the chicken and reduce the water to about 3 cups. I add in enough bullion to make 2 cups of broth. Then I add in the hominy, enchilada sauce,oregano, and just a little bit more garlic salt. Simmer the soup for about 30min. Serve soup with fresh cabbage, cilantro, and lime juice.

For a picture click here.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Tomato Spinach Spirals

Easy Rating:*cakewalk
Prep Time: 5-10 min
Cook Tim: 3-5 min
Categories: Salad, Side Dish, Dinner, Lunch

Tomato Spinach Spirals

1 package (8 ounces) spiral pasta (I didn't have spiral when I made this, so I used whatever we had)
1 package (10 ounces) frozen creamed spinach
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 T grated romano cheese, divided
3 T grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 t salt

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, prepare spinach according to package directions. Drain pasta; place in bowl. Add the spinach, tomatoes, cheese and salt; toss.

I have never used the frozen creamed spinach (I assume it tastes good), I actually make my own creamed spinach instead. So, if you have the time, here is the recipe I use for the creamed spinach instead of the creamed frozen spinach.

Creamed Spinach

Easy Rating:****moderately easy
Prep Time: 3-7 min
Cook Tim: 3-5 min


3 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. whole milk
1/2 c. sour cream - can be low-fat
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. onion, minced
1/4 c. water
20 oz. frozen spinach, chopped
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan on Med-Low heat. Stir in flour and salt until creamed together. Stir in milk a little at a time. Increase the heat to Medium. Constantly stir with a whisk until mixture is thick and smooth.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a 2 quart saucepan over Medium heat, add onions and cook until transparent. Add spinach and water to pan, lower the heat and cover. Stir several times until spinach is almost completely cooked.

When spinach is almost done, add white sauce, sour cream and Parmesan cheese. Stir well and simmer until completely blended.

Flour Tortillas

Easy Rating: ***easy
Prep Time: 18 minutes (3 minutes if you skip the cover and rest step)
Cook Time: 1-2 minutes

Flour tortillas

2 cups white flour
1t salt
¾ t baking powder
1/3 cup shortening
¾ cups warm water

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles course crumbs. Slowly stir in water and fluff with fork until dough forms. Turn out onto floured surface. Kneed dough until it is smooth (about 10 times). Cover and let rest for 15 minutes (sometimes I skip this). Pinch off a small ball of dough and roll out on floured surface. Tortillas should be thin and elastic about 10 inches in diameter. Cook on stove top, in un-greased iron skillet, nonstick pan, or electric grilled. Cook on one side until just barely brown, flip once and brown other side.

We then top with refired beans, cheese and hot sauce (I use the mild hot sauce packets from Taco Bell).

Recipe: Ham and Cheese Quesadilla

Easy Rating:*cakewalk
Prep Time: 5-10 min
Cook Tim: 3-5 min
Categories: Dinner, Lunch


Ingredients:

Tortillas
Favorite lunch meat
Favorite cheese
bell peppers
Fajita seasoning
Tomatoes
Avocado

Chop tomatoes and Avocado's into chunks. Heat up a frying pan on high for a few minutes. Prepare cheese, lunch meat, and peppers for cooking. (I usually use already chopped bell peppers from out of my freezer. However, it works better if you defrost the peppers a little first.) Turn heat to medium low. Put on two tortillas, each with one half on the pan. No oil needed. In the center of each tortilla put in lunch meat, chopped/shredded cheese, bell peppers, and a little fajita seasoning if desired. (At this point add in tomatoes if you like the cooked. However, do NOT add avocado. The results are weird.) Fold tortillas over. Cook on both sides until middle is melted and the tortilla has reached the desired crispness. Let cool for a min. Add in tomatoes (if you haven't already) and avocado. Enjoy.

I usually make this meal on my waffle machine (we use it as a grilled sandwich maker) if you want to see a pic of that click here. It has a crispier texture if you cook it in a pan.

Recipe: Fruit Dip

Fruit Dip
Difficulty Rating: ***Easy

This fruit dip goes well with all kinds of fruit, and it's very tasty.

INGREDIENTS:

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (extra creamy works best)
1 (7 ounce) jar Marshmallow Creme
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

In a mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese until it's smooth, then add the whipped topping, marshmallow creme, and vanilla and mix well. Serve Chilled.

TIP: Microwave the marshmallow creme for 10 seconds before adding it and your life will be much easier.


Categories: side dish, appetizer, Dip

Idea: Veggie Tray Salad

Easy Rating: *cakewalk
Prep Time: 1-5 minutes
Cook Time: none


I often have left over veggies in my fridge, but no lettuce. Yesterday I thought: "Well why not make them into a salad without lettuce." We found some grape tomatoes, carrot slices, and bell peppers in the fridge. Then I tossed in some croutons from the pantry and some ranch dressing. How easy is that?

And you can adjust it to your needs. If you want to completely save time you can buy grape tomatoes and baby carrots and toss those in. No work involved. You can save money by purchasing the veggies that are on sale and toss them together. I thought that green beans, snap peas, broccoli, and avocados would be tasty in there also.