Quick Chicken Enchiladas

I didn't make this from any recipe. I just took some ready made ingredients and put them together to make a delicious meal.

Quick Chicken Enchiladas (by Tanya)

Rotisserie chicken (1/2 of the breast meat is enough.. or whatever you have leftover from another meal)

1 can black beans

1 red pepper cut into strips

1/2 medium onion cut into strips

reduced fat mexican cheese

large can of red enchilada sauce

low carb flour tortillas (or corn if you want)

olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saute pan. Add onions and saute until soft. Next, add the red pepper and saute until they just are starting to get soft (I like them crunchy). Remove onion and red pepper from heat.

Drain and rinse the black beans and set aside.

Now its time to assemble the enchiladas. Take 1 tortilla and add some black beans, chicken, onion, and red pepper. Sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese on top. Roll the tortilla. You do not want it to be so full that you can't roll it. Repeat until you have filled a 9x13 pan with enchiladas (I had 6).

If you have leftoever filling, just put it on top of the enchiladas (except the cheese!). Cover enchiladas with the red sauce. Then top with cheese. Bake until bubbly!

Out for Vacation

This blog has been a bit slow lately due to cooking many repeat favorites. Unfortunately, I wont be able to start new recipes until after Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Chicken Tiki Masala

While not 100% authentic, this recipe will satisfy a curry craving. I doubled the recipe in order to have lots of leftovers which taste even better the next day.

Chicken Tiki Masala (AllRecipes.com)

Marinade:
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspon garam masala
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garam masala
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 tomato, chopped, or 1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro



In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove chicken and discard marinade. Cook chicken in a saute pan or stir fry.

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serve over rice.

Acorn Squash with Brown Rice and Turkey Sausage

This was quite good, but the texture of the squash with the rice can be a bit strange. Chris loved it :)


Acorn Squash with Brown Rice and Turkey Sausage (Adapted from Culinary in the Desert)

2 acorn squash, each cut crosswise in half and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
2 cups cooked brown rice

Spray a large microwave-safe plate with nonstick spray - place squash halves, cut side down, on the plate. Place in the microwave and cook on high until fork tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and let sit until cool enough to work with.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, stirring to break up the sausage, until browned. Remove the sausage and place in a large bowl. In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium and add the onions, red bell pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until tender and lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the mixture to the bowl with the sausage.

Scoop out squash, leaving a 1/4" thick shell. Add the squash to the bowl with sausage mixture - add the rice and parsley, mixing until well combined. Evenly divide the sausage mixture between the squash shells. Serve warm!

Makes 4 servings (maybe a bit more!)

Columbia Winery - 2006 Riesling

This Riesling is really wonderful. I usually don't like Riesling because they are way too sweet, but this was a perfect balance of flavors.

Bloodshot Eyeball Cupcakes

I made Halloween cupcakes for my coworkers and attempted to make them look like bloodshot eyeballs. They didn't turn out quite as well as I hoped, but they tasted good!

Pumpkin Pie

I made this pumpkin pie for our pumpkin carving party and it was really good! The flavor is wonderful. I found that it needed a bit longer to bake because it was still soft in the middle (not set). So, depending upon your pie pan size, you may need to lengthen the cooking time.

Pumpkin Pie (Food Network)

Pie Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons milk
Filling:
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream
7 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
6 1/2 tablespoons evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch ground clove
Pinch salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk

Equipment: 9-inch pie pan

Make the Pie Dough: In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and mix to combine. Add the butter and continue mixing until the mixture holds together when you clump it, and there are pecan-sized lumps of butter still visible.
Meanwhile, whisk together the yolks and milk in small bowl.

Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap, wrap well and store in the refrigerator for several hours. (The dough will keep for several days in the fridge and several weeks in the freezer.)

On a lightly floured work surface, roll half of the dough into a 11 to 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Line the pan with the dough and crimp the edges. Chill the pie shell for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line the pie shell with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans. Bake the shell until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and beans.

Meanwhile, make the Filling: Lower the oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, mix together the pumpkin and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until reduced and thick, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream, milks, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, salt, eggs, and yolk. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake until set, about 45 to 55 minutes. Cool and serve