Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I know that I have only posted healthy recipes and Gluten Free recipes so far, but I'm going to post one now that isn't as healthy and can be made gluten free or not (depending on your choice).  I'll get specific below.  I know, I know, BUT - this one is tasty and it is a "different" type of enchilada than your typical red sauce enchilada recipe and it's worth trying!  This one is from my dear friend Ryan.  Ryan and  I were roommates for a couple of years in college and he can COOK!!  So, thanks Ryan - I'm going to share your wonderful tasting Creamy Chicken Enchiladas! We had our friends over last night and they really liked it!  The sauce over the enchiladas is AMAZING!  I hope you enjoy it!!

Ingredients:

2 cups of chicken breasts (diced and cooked)
8 flour tortillas (or you can use Sprouted Grain tortillas or Gluten Free Tortillas if you want to go Gluten Free)
16 oz sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
Shredded Cheese of your choice
2 cans of Creamy Chicken Soup (Use Gluten Free Cream of Chicken if you are going Gluten Free)
1 cup  fresh chopped cilantro
4 oz can green chilies
1 can corn
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
2 tsp curry
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tbsp water
dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Cook chicken in the skillet with onion powder, garlic and a small amount of olive oil.  In a mixing bowl, mix cream cheese (best if cubed), water, cilantro, cumin, and salt and pepper until smooth.  Then fold in cooked chicken.  Next, put about a ladle size full of mixture into tortilla and roll up like a burrito.  Place in a 13X9 casserole dish.  Do this until all the mixture is gone.

Then in a large mixing bowl, mix sour cream, soup, chilies, corn, curry and a dash of onion powder.  Pour mixture over rolled tortillas and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.  Then sprinkle shredded cheese over all enchilada and back for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This one is great with a side of re-fried beans and rice!  Enjoy!

“Biggest Loser” Asian Lettuce Wraps

This one is yummy!  I grabbed this one from SparkPeople.  This one is great for lunch or a light snack.  It’s similar to PF Chang’s lettuce wraps but it’s made with lean ground beef.  Greg and I love this one!  It’s Gluten free and really high in protein!  This is a great one to store the leftovers in the fridge and eat on for a couple of days!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 lbs extra lean ground beef
1 tsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup celery, chopped
½ cup sliced water chestnuts
1 cup green onions
1 ½ Tablespoons fresh ginger root, finely grated
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce (use Gluten Free Soy Sauce if you are gluten free)
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2/3 cups hoisin sauce
¼ cup sliced almonds
Head of your favorite lettuce (butter, iceburg, Romaine, ect)

Directions:

Sauté bell peppers and celery in oil for 2 min.  Add ground beef, green onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic and water chestnuts.  Stir while cooking for 8 to 10 min, until beef is no longer pink.  Add soy sauce, hoisin sauce and almonds.  Heat thoroughly for 1 minute.  Place 1/16 of beef mixture into each lettuce leaf.  Roll up tightly and serve immediately.

Serves 16

Nutritional Info:

Calories 179.9, Fat 11.1g, carbs 7.7g, Protein 12g

My Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

This one has been in my family for generations.  I have no idea where this recipe came from but my mom has made it ever since I can remember.  This is our family’s homemade spaghetti sauce.  My kids love this one.  This one is gluten free.  Serve over any pasta you like - but my family has come to love the Quiona brand.  My kids cant taste the difference and it is so much better for you than regular wheat pasta.  Quiona has seven different pastas available: Elbows, Linguine, Spaghetti, Rotelle, Shells, Garden Pagodas and Veggie Curls. Quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. It’s been proven that Quiona helps with migraines and cardiovascular health…you should for sure check this pasta out!  Enjoy the sauce!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
½ chopped onion
1 ½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 can tomato paste
1 clove fresh garlic
2 cups water
1 tbsp of brown sugar
2 bay leaves

Directions:

Brown meat with chopped onion.  Add browned meat and all other ingredients together and cook at a slow rolling boil for about 45 min to an hour.  Feel free to adjust salt and brown sugar as needed for the taste you prefer.

Pistachio Pineapple Mallow Dessert

Ok –it’s time to talk about something SWEET!  Yes! It’s dessert time and it’s a more healthy dessert that tastes AMAZING!  Perfect for a spring or summer day and it turns out SO pretty!  My mom found this one from Kraft and shared it with me years ago.  This one is gluten free and high in vitamin C!  I promise – you will NOT feel guilty after eating this one!  See the nutritional info below and ENJOY!

1 pkg (4 serving size) Jell-O Pistachio Flavor Instant Pudding and Pie filling

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
½ cup Walnut Pieces
3 ¼ cups of mini marshmallows, divided
2 tubs (8oz each) COOL WHIP Topping, thawed
3 maraschino cherries with stems

Stir the dry pudding mix, pineapple with juice, walnuts and 1 cup of the marshmallows in a large bowl until well blended.  Gently stir in 1 tub of the whipped topping.

Empty the remaining tub of whipped topping into separate medium bowl.  Add 2 cups of the marshmallows; mix lightly.

Spoon half of the pudding mixture into large serving bowl; cover with layer of half of the marshmallow mixture.  Repeat both layers.  Top with remaining 1-1/4 cups marshmallows and the cherries.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.  Store leftover dessert in the fridge.

Nutrition Info:

Per Serving

Calories 190, Total Fat 8g, cholesterol 0 mg, sodium, 110 mg, carbs 29 g, dietary fiber 1 g, sugars 21 g, protein 1 g, Vitamin C 6%DV

Cooking Tools?

For all you cooks out there…I think you would all agree how important it is to have the right tools to do your cooking!  I like several tools and cookware when it comes to my personal cooking and my favorite is Pampered Chef.  I’m not sure if you have checked out Pampered Chef lately but they have some GREAT cooking tools you should look into if you need new supplies.  The only thing is…the Pampered Chef reps can be kinda rare to find…I have a great friend and colleague of mine, Kerry Dewitt, who is an independent Pampered Chef rep and is available to help you with your orders.  Here is her website: http://www.pamperedchef.biz/kerrydewitt.  If you haven’t looked at Pampered Chef in awhile, check out her site and contact her with any orders you may have!  She’ll take EXCELLENT care of you – no matter where you are located in the country!

A Breakfast Recipe! Asparagus Frittata

I figured it was about time to post a breakfast recipe since breakfast is the most important meal of the day!  I tend to eat the same things over and over for breakfast…eggs, oatmeal, Ezekiel Bread English Muffin and turkey bacon.  I try to squeeze a fruit in my breakfast too.  But I tried something different this morning and wanted to share it. I found this one from Simply Recipes.  If you like asparagus –you’ll enjoy this one.  This one is fiber filled and full of protein (especially if you serve it with a side of turkey bacon).  This one is gluten free and can be dairy free if you leave the sprinkled cheese off.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons of olive oil
½ small onion
¼ tsp salt
6-7 stalks of asparagus (tough ends snapped off)
4 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup of you favorite cheese – Optional (Gruyere, Swiss or mozzarella)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a 10-inch oven proof frying pan over medium high heat.  Add onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 3 minutes.  Add asparagus, reduce heat to medium low, and cook, covered, until the asparagus are barely tender (about 6 to8 minutes).  Pour in eggs and cook until almost set, but still runny on top, about 2 minutes.  While cooking, pre-heat oven broiler.

Sprinkle cheese (optional) over eggs and put in oven to broil until the cheese is melted and browned, about 3-4 minutes.  Remove from oven with oven mitts and slide frittata onto a serving plate.  Cut into wedges.  Serve with a side of turkey bacon or fresh fruit of your choice.  Serves 4.

Wild Rice Cranberry Pecan Salad

I am so late in my recipe posting today!  I’m so sorry!  It’s been one of those days I just lost track of time!!This is a side dish recipe I found from Simply Recipes and my family loves it.  I’m a big fan of creative rice recipes and I think you will enjoy this one!  This one is good with just about any side dish but I like to serve this one on special occasions (Easter, company coming over,etc).  This one is Gluten Free and Dairy Free and vegetarian! 

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice wild rice mix
2 and 1/3 cups water
½ tsp salt
1 tsp butter
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup chopped pecans (toasted or untoasted, your choice)
¼ cup sliced green onions
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp grated orange peel (optional)
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Use the amount of water for the rice according to instructions on the rice package.  Typically straight brown rice is 1:2 ratio rice to water.  Straight wild rice is a ratio of 1:3 of wild rice to water.  But make sure you follow the directions on the package on how to cook the rice.

Bring the rice, ½ tsp salt, butter, and water to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 50 minutes.  Do not stir.  Do not uncover.  Remove from the stove and let sit, covered for 10 minutes.  Then uncover, fluff up with a fork, and let cool to almost room temperature.

In a medium sized serving bowl, mix the rice, cranberries, pecans and green onions together.

In a separate jar, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, orange peel, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.  Just before serving, mix the dressing in the rice mixture.  Serve warm, chilled or at room temperature.

Serves 4 to 6

Bean Enchilada Casserole

This is another one I found from my local grocery store in one of their mailers.  I made this one for us last night and it was pretty tasty!  This one has red enchilada sauce in it and prepared (canned) enchilada sauce HAS gluten in it!  BUT – you can buy a gluten free enchilada sauce OR make your own!  I found a gluten free enchilada sauce made by LaVictoria (see picture below).  If you can’t find a gluten free red enchilada sauce, I listed a great recipe below for one. This dish also has cheese in it – so if you are dairy free like I am, you can make half the dish with cheese in it, and leave the other half of the dish cheese free. This one serves 8 and is 328 calories per serving.  It does have a small kick to it, which we enjoyed. We served this with a side of refried beans and rice.

Ingredients

Pam Non-stick cooking spray

1lbs lean ground beef
1 can (10 ounce each) red enchilada sauce (gluten free brand I recommend is LaVictoria – or a gluten free recipe is below)
1 pkg (12 oz each) frozen whole kernel corn
1 can (16 oz each) Rosarita No Fat Traditional Refried Beans
12 soft corn tortillas (6inch)
1 can (15 oz each) Premium whole black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5oz) Hunt’s Petite Diced Tomatoes, undrained
Liberal pinch of salt
2 cups shredded cheese (I recommend the Mexican blend)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Cook ground beef until brown and no longer pink. Spray a 13X9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Spread half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish.  Cook corn in microwave according to package directions, using minimum cook time.

Spread about half of refried beans on 6 corn tortillas.  Place tortillas, bean-side up, over sauce in dish, overlapping to fit.  Stir together remaining enchilada sauce, corn, black beans, salt, ground beef and undrained tomatoes in a large bowl.  Spread half of this mixture over the corn tortillas in dish.  Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese.

Repeat layering – take 6 more corn tortillas and spread with the rest of the re-friend beans and place as another layer in your 13X9 baking dish.  Then layer with the enchilada mixture and remaining 1 cup of cheese.

Bake for 35 minutes or until hot in center and bubbly around edges.  Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into 8 pieces.

Top off your dish with your favorite enchilada toppings – shredded lettuce, sour cream, avocado, etc.

Gluten Free Red Enchilada Sauce

1tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of minced garlic
1tsp of minced onion
½ tsp dried oregano
2 ½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp black pepper(ground)
1/8 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cumin
1tsp parsley (dried)
¼ cup salsa
6 oz tomato sauce
1 ½ cups water

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 min.  Add the onion, oregano, chili powder, basil, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, parsley, salsa and tomato sauce.  Mix together and then stir in the water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer for 15 to 20 min.

Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Red Pepper

So here’s my first recipe blog post.  I made this tonight for me and Greg and it was GREAT!  This recipe is gluten free, low carb and very high in fiber.  It left us satisfied without being “too full”.  I served this over brown rice.  Excellent recipe I found from William and Sonoma. It took about 30 minutes total to whip up.

Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Red Pepper

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

½ lb asparagus, trimmed, cut on the diagonal into 1 ½ inch lengths (about 1 ½ cups)

1lb flank steak, sliced in half lengthwise (along the grain) and then cut into thin strips, 2 inches long and ¼ inch wide (put the steak in the freezer 15 min before slicing to make it easier to slice)

1 red bell pepper, seeded, de-ribbed, and cut into thin strips 2 inches long and ¼ inch wide

2 teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved into 3 tablespoons of water.

All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce

3 Tbsp of Gluten Free Soy Sauce (if you are not gluten free, use regular soy sauce)

1 tsp finely chopped, peeled, fresh ginger (MUST be fresh)

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 green onion, including green tops, chopped

½ tsp chili oil (optional)

Method:

While you are chopping the ingredients in preparation, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil.  Parboil the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes, drain, rinse in cold water, drain and set aside.  If you are planning to serve this dish with rice, in a separate pan, prepare 2 cups of white or brown rice, following the instruction on the rice package.

Prepare the All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce by combining the ingredients in a small dish and set aside.

Stir-fry the asparagus in a wok (or thick-bottomed pan with at least 2’’ sides that can take high heat) in 1 tbsp of olive oil for about 2 minutes until lightly browned.  Remove asparagus from pan and set aside.

Add another 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan and stir fry the beef strips, in 2 batches, for 2-3 minutes until browned but still pink inside.  Return the first batch of beef to the pan and add the bell pepper.  Stir and toss. Over high heat until just beginning to wilt, 1-2 min.

Quickly stir the cornstarch liquid and add it to the pan along with the stir fry sauce.  Cook until sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes.  Return the asparagus to the pan, toss to evenly coat and serve with steamed white or brown rice (unless you are going low-carb, in which case, leave out the rice.  Serves 4.

Maple-Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

I love this recipe because it is easy and tasty! I received this one (believe it or not) from my local grocery store. They mailed some coupons to me and sent several recipes and this was one of the recipes included. So make sure you never throw those recipes away! Some are great! This one has a lot of orange veggies and your kids will love it because of the drumsticks, sweet potatoes and carrots “taste kinda like candy” (per my kiddos). This one is gluten free, dairy free and really good for you!

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lbs. chicken thighs and drumsticks (make sure to get the boneless/skinless thighs)
• Poultry seasoning to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ red onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ¾ cup maple syrup (I use organic)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped

Directions:

Arrange the chicken in a 9X13 in Pyrex dish. Sprinkle chicken with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Place the carrots, sweet potatoes and onion in the dish. Drizzle with maple syrup and olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme to coat.

Cover with foil and bake at 375F for 45 min. Remove the foil, stir and cook for another 15 min longer or until the chicken is golden brown and a meat thermometer registers 165F.  Let stand, covered with foil, for 5 to 8 min before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Serves 4

Recipe source: inspired by local grocery

Southwest Stew

It’s actually COLD here in Phoenix, AZ! We had a hailstorm yesterday and the kids were like, “Mommy!  It’s snowing!!”  So I figured it was time to get out my daddy’s Southwest Stew recipe for this cold weather! This one is SOOO easy! I have no idea where my dad got this recipe. It’s been in my family since I was a little girl. This recipe is high in fiber, low carb and gluten and dairy free. I made a pot last night in the crock pot so I can eat on it this week for lunch! This dish goes great over rice or with cornbread. If you are watching your carbs, skip the rice and cornbread. For toppings, my dad always sprinkled his favorite shredded cheese on top and added a small spoonful of sour cream. Enjoy this one, it's a family favorite. 

Ingredients:

• 2lbs of ground beef
• 1 ½ cup of diced onion
• 1 can (28 ounces) tomato, petite diced, liquid reserved
• 1 can (16 oz.) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (17 oz.) whole corn drained
• 1 cup of Pace Picante Sauce (I recommend Medium)
• ¾ cups water
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Combine all ingredients above into a crock pot and stir well. Cook for 2- 3 hours on high. Optional – sprinkle cheese or add sour cream as a topping.  

LARABAR - Another GREAT Snack Idea!

If you are looking for a healthy and fast snack, you have to try these LARABARs. These bars are super yummy and the best thing about them is you know every single ingredient listed! They have about 10 great flavors that I know of like apple pie, chocolate chip cookie, peanut butter cookie, carrot cake, etc. These are yummy and really good for you! Most of them are gluten free (read your ingredients to make sure) and contain 100% natural ingredients. Check them out in your health food section at your local grocery store!!

Herbed Cream Cheese and Walnut Spread

Ok, so this one is yummy and a great alternative to your typical “ranch” dressing with your veggies. I’m a huge believer of eating a small snack in between meals so you don’t overeat at your meal because you were starving…but sometimes it's hard to find new and healthy snacks! This Herbed Cream Cheese and Walnut spread will go great with celery, but I have started to add additional raw veggies like carrots, cucumbers, fresh peppers and cauliflower to mix it up a bit! Or, eat it with crackers. This will last in your refrigerator for several days and it’s a quick "grab it and go" for your busy day!  If you don’t have a dairy allergy, you’ll love this one! My mom showed me this one years ago and I've been making it every since!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup walnuts
• 1 package of reduced fat cream cheese 
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• A dash of Salt and Pepper to taste
• 15 med celery stalks (each about 9 “long) – or other raw veggies you like

Directions:

Heat oven to 275F. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and bake until fragrant and toasted, about 10 minutes. Then, roughly chop the walnuts. Combine the walnuts, cream cheese and chives in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Using a rubber spatula, fill each celery stalk with about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Cut each stalk in half or cut several raw mixed veggies and dip into your spread.

Nutritional Value:

Makes 10 (3 piece) servings

Per Serving 90 cal, 4g protein, 4 g carbs, 7 g fat, 3 g sat fat, 1 g fiber, 115 mg sodium

Recipe source: inspired by South Beach Diet

Oven Roasted Vegetables

I have a hard time coming up with new side dishes. It seems like we have the same side dishes over and over again. I discovered this Oven Roasted Vegetables side dish from The South Beach Diet cookbook and decided I would try my own version of this recipe to make it my own. My new recipe is now one of our family favorites and compliments a lot of different dinners! This one is Gluten Free, low carb and high in fiber! This one is a MUST try!!
Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini, cut into bite size pieces

• 1 medium squash, cut into bite size pieces

• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces

• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces

• 1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into bite size pieces

• 1 package of fresh sliced mushrooms

• 1/2 head of fresh broccoli

• 1 sweet onion

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:

• Heat oven to 450F. 

• Place zucchini, squash, peppers, asparagus, onion, mushrooms and broccoli in a big bowl. 

• Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and mix to coat. 

• Spread the vegetables in a single layer on a cookie sheet. If you have a Demarle cookie sheet, that works best due to the non-stick texture.

• Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

 

Nutritional Value: 
Per Servicing 170 calories, 5g protein, 15g carbohydrates, 11g fat, 2g saturated fats, 586 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 5g fiber

Recipe Source: inspired by Southbeach Diet