Mexican Lasagna

Happy New Year, everyone!! Are you excited about what 2012 has in store for you? I'm hoping it has more blogging in it for me. I've kind of decided to just go forward with my blog here and potentially not go back and fill in the missing posts I had wanted to do. I don't know...I can't decide. I figure I'll start current and then when I have some time I'll add in old ones here and there. Otherwise I just get too overwhelmed and don't do anything.

My childhood best friend posted on Facebook recently about calories for a Mexican lasagna she makes. I asked her for the recipe because it sounded tasty just from the title. She sent it to me, and I had most everything on hand already, so I put it into my meal plan for the week. Worked out great because I was low on grocery money this week. I was excited to try it--and that it was low cal! 2011 was the year I got fit, so now I'm really focusing on staying that way, so tasty and low-cal recipes that come highly recommended are fantastic!

Mexican Lasagna
Source: Adapted from my friend Sarah (who has a really funny blog about Jason Segel)

1.25 pounds ground turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
Salt
Pepper
Taco seasoning
28 oz can enchilada sauce
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 can refried beans
4 whole wheat tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brown ground turkey and onion in skillet with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning (no more than one packet...use however much you like to taste...or throw in random taco seasoning spices like chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and paprika if you don't have actual taco seasoning). Pour enchilada sauce into skillet and add in vegetables (you can use others, too, whatever floats your boat or what you have on hand). Simmer.

In separate pan, heat can of refried beans.

Coat a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Spread half of the turkey and vegetable mixture in the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the refried beans, spreading to cover as best you can. Top with two whole wheat tortillas, then half of cheese. Repeat layers.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Cut into eight servings.

*****

I didn't change this a whole lot from how Sarah sent it to me, just added in more veggies and used flour tortillas instead of corn. I had intended on using corn originally, but I ran out of time to make them like I'd planned and didn't have any on hand, so whole wheat flour tortillas is what I ended up using. It worked out fine...I probably could have used a couple more so the tortilla layers were thicker, but no one complained.

This was super easy to put together and SO GOOD. Well, the husband and I both thought so. My kids weren't really fans. Boy #2 ate his up once I mixed some Greek yogurt (in lieu of sour cream, which we didn't have on hand) in it to cut the spice a bit. Boy #1 picked at his even with the yogurt mixed in, but he did end up eating a decent amount of his serving. I will definitely make it again.

Oh, and I calculated it to only be 310 calories per serving! Not bad at all--and it was so filling!

Spinach and Feta Quesadillas

Have you discovered Pintrest.com yet? I'm pretty addicted to it. It's a cool way to keep track of things you come across online that you want to remember. It links up to Facebook so you can have friends and see what they're pinning too. My friend Jenn had pinned this spinach and feta quesadilla recipe recently, and I thought it looked super tasty and like it would be a great summer, hot weather, meatless dinner.

Spinach and Feta Quesadillas
Source: ClosetCooking.com

(makes 1 quesadilla)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup spinach (steamed and squeezed to drain)
1 tablespoon herbs (chopped, I used mint, dill and parsley)
1 green onion (sliced)
1 handful feta (crumbled)
salt and pepper to taste
2 (8 inch) tortillas
2 handfuls kasseri or mozzarella or jack (grated)

Directions:
1. Mix the spinach, herbs, green onions, feta, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Melt a touch of butter in a pan.
3. Place a tortilla into the pan, swirl it around in the butter and repeat with the second tortilla.
4. Sprinkle some cheese on the tortilla followed by the filling and then more cheese and finally the other tortilla.
5. Cook until the quesadilla is golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted. (I placed a plate onto the quesadilla and flipped it from the pan to the plate and then slid it back into the pan.)

*****

Obviously I increased the amounts so it would feed my whole family. I steamed my spinach in the microwave which was super easy and fast. I have a microwave steamer that I put the spinach leaves in with some water and then just let it cook for a couple minutes. So easy! You could easily use frozen spinach that you thawed and drained, too. I pulled out my electric griddle to cook them so I could do more than one at a time, and it worked great.

The husband and I LOVED these. My kids, not so much. Boy #2 ate his okay, but Boy #1 said (and I quote), "This tastes like poop." To which of course I had to ask, "How do you know what poop tastes like?" Nothing like stumping a five year old. Needless to say, he was not a fan of this dinner. I thought it tasted fantastic. There was enough filling left over for a fifth quesadilla, and the husband had one for lunch the next day. I'd definitely make this again but probably just for the husband and me.

Grilled Beef Fajitas

I recently picked up quite a bit of flank steak on sale, and I was kind of tired of marinating it in something and throwing it on the grill. Okay, not really, but I wanted to do something different with it. I once again pulled out my trusty Cook's Illustrated 2009 Summer Grilling magazine for an idea. Grilled Beef Fajitas sounded pretty darn tasty and worthy of a try.

Grilled Beef Fajitas
Source: Cook's Illustrated Summer Grilling 2009 magazine

1 large flank steak (about 2-1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup juice from 2-3 limes
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 very large onion (about 14 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (do not separate into rings)
2 large red or green bell peppers, seeded, ribbed, and cut into large strips
16 flour tortillas

Turn all burners to high on gas grill and heat with lid down until very hot, about 15 minutes. Use grill brush to scrape cooking grate clean.

Generously sprinkle both sides of steak with lime juice and salt and pepper. Grill steak with lid down until well seared and dark brown on one side, 5-7 minutes. Using tongs, flip steak; continue grilling until interior of meat is slightly less done than you want it to be when you eat it, 2 to 5 minutes more for rare or medium-rare (depending on heat of fire and thickness of steak).

Transfer meat to cutting board; cover loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

While meat rests, lower grill burners to medium heat. Grill onions and peppers, turning occasionally, until onions are lightly charred, about 6 minutes, and peppers are streaked with dark grill marks, about 10 minutes. Remove vegetables from grill and separate onion rounds into rings and cut peppers into long, thin strips; set aside. Arrange tortillas around edge of grill; heat until just warmed, about 20 seconds per side. Take care not to dry out tortillas or they will become brittle; wrap tortillas in a towel to keep warm and then place in basket.

Slice steak very thin on the bias against grain; adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Arrange sliced meat and vegetables on a large platter; serve immediately with tortillas, guacamole, and salsa.

Serves 6 to 8.

*****

I really love fajitas. I think maybe it stems from being fascinated with the sizzling fajita plates that would go by in Mexican restaurants when I was little. Or I just liked Mexican food. Or grilled Mexican food. Anyway, I didn't really change this up a lot. I had never grilled all portions of fajitas before. A lot of times I'll grill the meat or protein for them but do the peppers and onions in a skillet on the stove. Well...NO MORE! The grilled vegetables were amazing. They added so much flavor to the finished fajita with the hint of smokiness the grill gave them. Oh man...TASTY! This is definitely my go-to way to prepare fajitas going forward!

Grilled Chicken Tostadas

In case you haven't noticed, I get bored making the same things all the time. We're not a "Thursday night is pork chop night" kind of family...or at least I'm not that kind of cook. I've mentioned I'm trying to cook the majority of our dinners either using the grill outside or the crockpot so I can avoid heating up my house too much in the insanely hot Phoenix summer. I've been on the lookout for new grilling recipes, so I was excited when I saw this one in a daily recipe email I get from Cooking Light. I love finding things to cook on the grill that aren't usually cooked on a grill, and tostadas seemed to fit the bill!

Grilled Chicken Tostadas
Source: MyRecipes.com via Cooking Light

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon 40% less-sodium taco seasoning (such as Old El Paso)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Cooking spray
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
6 cups packaged coleslaw
1 (7-ounce) can green salsa
4 cups chopped tomato
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives, chopped
1 1/4 cups fat-free refried beans
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup unsalted pumpkinseed kernels, toasted (optional)

Prepare grill, or heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
Brush chicken with juice; sprinkle with seasoning and sugar. Place chicken on grill rack or grill pan coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Cool slightly. Cut chicken into 1/4-inch strips; set aside. Place tortillas on grill rack or grill pan coated with cooking spray; grill 30 seconds on each side or until golden brown.
Combine coleslaw and salsa; toss to coat. Combine tomato and olives; toss gently.
Spread about 3 tablespoons beans over each tortilla; divide chicken evenly among tortillas. Top each serving with about 2/3 cup slaw mixture, 2/3 cup tomato mixture, 4 teaspoons cheese, 1 tablespoon sour cream, and 2 teaspoons cilantro. Sprinkle each serving with 2 teaspoons pumpkinseeds, if desired.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving (6 servings total)
Calories: 361
Calories from fat: 23%
Fat: 9.2g
Saturated fat: 3.6g
Monounsaturated fat: 1.5g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1.2g
Protein: 28.7g
Carbohydrate: 43g
Fiber: 6.8g
Cholesterol: 65mg
Iron: 3.7mg
Sodium: 844mg
Calcium: 221mg

*****

For some reason, the husband and I decided we'd have these for dinner after the kids went to bed--a random, middle of the week date night. It worked out well to mix up the slaw and tomatoes/olives while the chicken was on the grill, then once the chicken was cooked through and the tortillas were crisped, all we had to do was assemble.

We both REALLY liked these. And they were so filling. I was a little skeptical about the slaw mixture, but it worked great and was super tasty. I don't know if my kids would like these or not, but just because the last few times we've had tostadas, they haven't been very happy with it. These are something I would definitely make again...a great quick, healthy, light summer dinner!

Roast Chicken Chimichangas

I've rediscovered a fantastic Cooking Light cookbook I've owned for quite awhile...The Best of Cooking Light Everyday Favorites. Everything I've tried from it has been awesome.

I flipped through it back for Cinco de Mayo to find some kind of Mexican entrée we could have. This looked really easy and didn't require a lot of ingredients which are two automatic pluses in my book!

Roast Chicken Chimichangas
Source: The Best of Cooking Light Everyday Favorites

2 1/2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled queso fresco cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1/2 cup bottled green salsa

Preheat oven to 500°.
Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well.
Spread 1/4 cup beans down center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 2/3 cup chicken mixture; roll up. Place rolls, seam sides down, on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of chimichangas with cooking spray. Bake at 500° for 7 minutes. Serve with salsa.

Calories: 380
Calories from fat: 23%
Fat: 9.7g
Saturated fat: 3.1g
Monounsaturated fat: 4.1g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1.6g
Protein: 28.8g
Carbohydrate: 42.5g
Fiber: 6.5g
Cholesterol: 55mg
Iron: 3.8mg
Sodium: 728mg
Calcium: 157mg

*****

Instead of using some roasted chicken I threw a couple chicken breasts on the grill while my family was swimming then just shredded the meat once they were cooked (the chicken, not my family). These were so easy to make. Throw everything in a bowl, spread some beans on a tortilla, spoon some chicken mixture down the middle, fold, and bake. I was kind of surprised that the serving size was just one, but they were really filling.

We all really liked these. REALLY liked them. The husband actually asked if we could have weekly chimichanga night. I loved how easy these came together and that we all loved them. This will definitely be in regular rotation in our house.

Tofu Enchiladas

I've posted this recipe before, but it was a really long time ago. It's one of the husband's favorites, and I had most of the ingredients for it recently. I'd forgotten how much I like it, although I think it's a lot better when it's fresh as opposed to the leftovers. The husband had no problem eating the leftovers, but I just didn't care for them as much. This is a great recipe for disguising tofu because you really have no idea it's even in there. My college roommate, Joanne, made this for me one time while she lived here in Phoenix, and I immediately fell in love with it. This was also one of the first--if not the actual first--meal I made for the husband when we were first dating.

Tofu Enchiladas

1 package firm tofu
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp paprika
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3-4 green onions
1 cup sliced olives
1 can drained black beans
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Mexican seasoning
12 corn tortillas
2 cans mild enchilada sauce
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Mix together first 10 ingredients. Divide filling between tortillas, following diections for rolling on can. Top with 1 cup grated cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

*****

The only thing I did differently was to use whole wheat flour tortillas instead of corn because I had them on hand and didn't feel like making my own corn tortillas. I had some filling left over--not enough to fill another tortilla but too much to just throw away--so I spread it on the top of the enchiladas before pouring the sauce on there.

We all really liked this. The boy doesn't like mushrooms, but he picked them out. The baby ate just as much of this as I did! He's an eater for sure, but it always amazes me when he eats an adult size portion! I'll have to get this in the dinner rotation more often since we all enjoy it.

Enchilada filling:


Mmmmm...saucy, cheesey enchiladas:

Brisket Tostadas

Tap...tap...tap...is this thing on?? I'm back! Did you miss me? Are you still there? The last couple weeks have been crazy with house stuff. I think I've mentioned we're trying to find a new house. Last week I had a minor breakdown that we're never going to find one and would forever be stuck living in our what-used-to-be-nice-but-is-now-ghetto neighborhood. The boys and I went out with our realtor one day last week (after my breakdown) and ended up finding a house that I loved. The husband came and saw it, put an offer on it, and it got accepted!! We're just waiting on the signed contract to come back from the seller then we can move forward with the inspection, appraisal, and all that fun home-buying stuff. What a relief! Of course, once that happens then I have to start cleaning out our house and packing, so I'm sure I won't be updating that often once again. Or I will because I hate packing to move and look for any excuse to procrastinate.

Now...finally I'm going to finish up the rest of my Brisketfest posts!! Well, Brisketfest leftovers anyway. But that was part of the reason to have Brisketfest so we could try a bunch of awesome leftovers using the brisket.

As you know, I heart The Pioneer Woman's cooking website. Since I had used her brisket recipe I thought it was only fair to also use her recipe for Brisket Tostadas. She does a much better job of laying it all out and taking pictures so I'm just going to link to her post:

Pioneer Woman's Brisket Tostadas

I didn't change it up a whole lot, although I bought tostada shells instead of making my own, and I only did two shells per tostada instead of three. I had some leftover Trader Joe's enchilada sauce in the fridge, so I used that instead of the El Pato.

These were so good!! I love tostadas, but I usually just have them with beans. I really liked the addition of the brisket meat. I would definitely make these again, assuming I have leftover brisket again at some point!





I'm soooo wishing I had stuff on hand to make tostadas!!

Rick Bayless' Zucchini-Musrhoom Tacos with (or without) Chorizo

It makes me sad that this was already two weeks ago that I made this, and I'm just now posting it. This was worthy of posting as soon as I was done eating. I was goign to say while I was eating, but I wouldn't have stopped eating for anything in the world. But now I'm getting ahead of myself.

I had some zucchinis and Mexican squash I needed to use from the produce co-op in which I participate (how's that for wording it so I don't end the sentence with a preposition!!) and stumbled upon this recipe in Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday cookbook when looking for zucchini recipes. I still had some homemade queso fresco from my cheese making class, so all I needed was chorizo and mushrooms.

Darn it, I can't find this recipe online already (although I really didn't look that hard), so I guess I'll type the beast out myself.

Zucchini-Mushroom Tacos with (or without) Chorizo
Copyright 2005, Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday

4 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo sausage, casing removed (about 1/2 cup)
1-1/2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil, if needed
1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 ounces mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, portobello or the like), stemmed and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
1 15-ounce can diced tomates in juice (preferably fire-roasted), drained
1 canned chipotle chile en adobo, seeded
1-1/2 tsp chipotle canning sauce
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese
12 warm corn tortillas
Hot sauce, for serving

If using chorizo, lay it in a very large skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring regularly and breaking up clumps, until cooked through, about 4 minutes.

If the chorizo has rendered considerable fat, tip off and discard all but enough to lightly coat the pan; if it has rendered very little--or if you're not using the chorizo--add the oil to the skillet and raise the heat to medium-high. Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook about 2 minutes more, stirring regularly, until their liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are beginning to brown.

While the mushrooms are cooking, pour the tomatoes into a food processor or blender. Add the chipotle chile and its canning sauce and process until smooth.

When the mushrooms are ready, add the tomato mixture and cook, stirring regularly, until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of canned tomato sauce, about 3-4 minutes. Add the zucchini and continue to cook, stirring every once in awhile, until the zucchini is cooked through but still a little crisp, 8-10 minutes. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon (more if not using chorizo).

Scoop into a bowl and garnish with the crumbled cheese. Serve with the warm tortillas and hot sauce for everyone to make soft tacos.

*****

Wow. Wow. WOW!!! These tacos were phenomenal. They smelled amazing while they were cooking, but man alive did they ever taste good. Our friend Steve was over that night and had dinner with us, and we all (him, the husband, and I) LOVED these. They were so spicy my lips were tingling--but in a good way. I really wasn't sure at first how all the flavors were going to come together, but they were so good. I made my own corn tortillas to go with them. Oh man, just thinking about these tacos makes me want to have them again. The only change I made was slicing zucchini instead of cubing.

I just read the intro to this recipe in the cookbook and it ends with:

"A quick saute, starting with the rousing flavor of Mexican chorizo and dolled up with smoky chipotle chile, shows off the sexier side of zucchini."

Bow chicka bow wow...sexy zucchini indeed!!

Chicken Ceasar Wraps

I've decided to scrap the whole stuffed pepper idea. The thought of the filling having been sitting in my freezer for six months kind of skeeved me out. I went to check my freezers for ideas and saw a bag of Naked Nuggets I bought at Costco last week. I knew I had tortillas, salad mix, and Ceasar dressing, so my dinner idea was born!! It will be super easy to put together which is nice because I'm taking dinner to a friend that just had a baby, so I can throw these together when I get home from that.



A quick note on the Naked Nuggets. I had tried them at Costco months ago and really liked them but didn't buy any at the time. Of course--like is so often the case at Costco--the next time I went they didn't carry them anymore. I was so freakin' excited to see them giving samples of them when we went this past Friday. I snatched up a bag and then after we left regretted not getting one for my friend Jen since she had sampled them originally too and also really liked them. Both my kids loved the samples, and I love how healthy they are! Seven nuggets have only 140 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 25 grams of protein. I really hope Costco continues to carry these!!

Mexican Chicken Casserole

So, part of my blog hiatus--other than being sick all last week--was due to a weekend trip the husband and I took to New Orleans for his cousin's wedding. We had a fantastic time eating and drinking...mostly drinking. ;) I had one of the best foods I have ever eaten in my life...Chargrilled Oysters at Acme Oyster House. Lordy mama, were they ever tasty. Grilled oysters on the half shell with a seasoned butter and romano cheese. Wow. I could have eaten just those the entire time we were there.

Anyway, now it's back to the daily grind since the vacation is over and my cold is gone. I'm still trying to stick to the Pantry Challenge, and so far so good. I had a different casserole planned for Tuesday night, but after putting all the ingredients into the Points calculator on the WW website, I realized it was going to be too many. So I checked out the Cooking Light website for some other chicken casserole ideas. I was excited to find this one as it also gave me a chance to make my own corn tortillas with the tortilla press I got for Christmas!

Mexican Chicken Casserole

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, divided
1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup (2 ounces) tub-style light cream cheese
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips)

Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; sauté 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information
Calories:369 (28% from fat)
Fat:11.4g (sat 5g,mono 3.8g,poly 1.4g)
Protein:35.6g
Carbohydrate:31.3g
Fiber:3g
Cholesterol:79mg
Iron:2.4mg
Sodium:479mg
Calcium:360mg

*****

I think all I changed was using less chicken. Then in turn I added in less of the liquids because I didn't want it to be too saucy. The finished product was FANTASTIC! I could have used more of the sauce. It wasn't dry, but it could have been more saucy. Especially when we've had the leftovers, it could have used a little more sauce. My tortillas came out pretty good for my first attempt at making my own. I don't normally like corn tortillas, but these were good.

This is definitely something I'd make again! The husband and I loved it. I had the boy taste the sauce and he thought it was too spicy, so he got to have a quesadilla instead. It wasn't nearly as spicy once it was all melded together in the casserole, so I think he would have been fine eating it.

Turkey Salad Wraps

Did you know that Whole Foods has an app for the iPhone? They do. I heart Whole Foods (although I can't afford to shop there on a routine basis), and I heart them even more after I found that cool app. I needed some dinner ideas for this week and decided to check that out and see what I found. Since it's blazing hot and I don't feel like heating up my kitchen, I searched their sandwich recipes. When I got the new fridge and was cleaning out the old one I came across a bag of diced turkey meat that needed to be used up. Safeway had cooked turkey breasts for $5 awhile back, so I bought one and diced it up and stuck it in the freezer for later use. Honestly I had kind of forgotten about it. When I saw this recipe I thought it would be perfect because it would be a light summer dinner and use up the turkey I have!

The husband, however, is not a fan of turkey, so if he asks (since I don't think he checks my blog anymore), I'm telling him it's chicken. Same goes for the boy so he doesn't blab that it's turkey!

Turkey Salad Wraps

Salt to taste
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless turkey breast fillets
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup lowfat yogurt
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pepper to taste
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup frozen yellow corn, thawed and drained
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
4 tortillas, preferably red chile variety
1 pint alfalfa sprouts

Bring 2 quarts water and 1 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a medium pot over low heat. Add turkey and simmer 10 to 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside to let cool for 15 minutes, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

Whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, lime juice, and cumin in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add cooked turkey, celery, onions, corn and jalapeños and toss to coat.

Spoon about 1 cup of the turkey salad onto each tortilla, then top with a generous handful of sprouts. Roll up and serve immediately.

*****

I'm only making a couple variations. In the past when the husband has gone grocery shopping for me, he's been unable to find plain yogurt, so instead of making him go through that rigmarole again I'm going to use sour cream instead. And I forgot to put red onion on my grocery list, so I'll have to make due with a regular yellow onion. And I don't like frozen corn, so I don't buy, which means I'm going to use canned corn instead. And I don't have alfalfa sprouts, so we'll deck out our wraps with lettuce and possibly tomato if I think it would work after tasting the final product. There's quite a bit of the pasta salad from yesterday leftover, so I think we'll just have that on the side and call it good.

*****

This was really yummy!!! We all really liked it, although the boy really just picked out the turkey. The husband had the leftovers a couple days later and said it was definitely a lot better the first time around. There wasn't a whole lot left anyway. I will definitely make this again, and I think chicken could easily be substituted for the turkey. Oh, the red onion. Flavor-wise I don't think it would add a whole lot, but it would be nice for the color. And we did have them with lettuce and tomato. Man, just typing this makes me want to have it again!

Fish Tacos

What a crazy weekend we had! That's why I'm just now posting for the weekend on Monday. I'll have to do a separate post on why our weekend was so crazy--it's because my husband is the best husband ever!! But, I'll post on that next.

Last week the husband had requested fish tacos for dinner one night. I wanted to find a new way of doing them and RecipeZaar.com of course came through for me!


Fish Tacos
Recipe #26516

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 package taco seasoning mix, divided
1 lb cod or white fish fillet, cut into 1 inch pieces (about 4)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 (12 count) package taco shells, warmed or flour tortillas
Toppings (shredded cabbage, chopped tomato, lime juice, taco sauce)

Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, cilantro and 2 tablespoons seasoning mix in small bowl.

Combine fish, vegetable oil, lemon juice and remaining seasoning mix in medium bowl; pour into large skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until cod flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Fill taco shells with fish mixture. Top with toppings.

*****

This is my new favorite way to make fish tacos. The sauce was fantastic, although it made way too much. I'll cut it in half next time because I had to throw out a lot of it (I couldn't come up with anything to do with what was left). We all really liked this--even the boy who usually isn't very fond of fish tacos. I had some catfish nuggets in the freezer that needed to be used up, so that was the fish I use. For toppings we had tomatoes and avocados. I was kind of kicking myself because I had just thrown out half a head of cabbage on Saturday because I didn't know what I was going to use it for, and I could have used it last night as a taco topping. Oops!

Hoisin & Ginger Pork Wraps with Cruncy Peanut Slaw

Alright, I'm back on track and ready get back into the swing of my blog! The boy started swim lessons yesterday morning, and yesterday and today have both been crazy busy. The next two days aren't looking a whole lot better either. I really should be cleaning a bathroom or doing laundry or something equally as exciting, but I miss my blog. Plus neither my dirty bathroom nor the huge pile of towels that need to be washed are going anywhere. They can wait a few more minutes while I update here.

One of my most favorite blogs is Meal Planning 101. Everything I've tried from her blog is awesomely amazing. I saw this when she posted it and thought it looked fantastic. I heart just about anything with hoisin sauce. It was funny, shortly after I had seen this recipe Jen B. sent me an email with a link to this saying something along the lines of "This looks fantastic!" I had already slated it for dinner one night this week. The recipe calls for meat from a cooked pork shoulder, but I'm just going to cook some pork chops and shred the meat and call it good. Costco had a smokin' deal on pork chops when I was there last week, so I have quite a stockpile of them now. I can't wait for dinner tonight!

Hoisin & Ginger Pork Wraps with Cruncy Peanut Slaw

Hoisin-Ginger Pork:
2 cups shredded pork
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 inches of ginger, grated
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (or more as needed to cover the pork)

In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tsp oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant about 30-60 seconds. Then add the pork and hoisin sauce. Turn heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 5 minutes until heated through and all the flavors have combined.

Crunchy Peanut Slaw:
1/2 medium head green cabbage, outer leaves removed (or 1 bag of angel hair coleslaw)
3/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup light oil, like canola
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp sugar (or more, to taste)
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce (or more, to taste)

Slice the cabbage as fine as you possibly can, so you have little threads of cabbage (I just bought a bag of angel hair coleslaw where this was already done for me). Toss in the peanuts, green onions, and cilantro. Place the oil, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce in a resealable jar and shake. Pour over cabbage mixture and toss until coated.

Serve the hoisin-ginger pork along with the crunchy peanut slaw with whole wheat tortilla wraps. Place both inside of a tortilla and roll up.

*****

Mmmmmm...I can't wait! I need to get my pork defrosting so we eat on time since I still have to cook it. I don't think I have peanuts, but I do have some cashews left from when I made Stir Fried Cashew Pork recently. Plus I like cashews better than peanuts anyway. I also bought a bag of coleslaw mix because it was on sale for $1, and I figured that was just easier than having to slice my own cabbage. I still have no idea what we're going to have as a side dish with this. Maybe just some kind of vegetable and a salad and skip having a starch.

*****

These. Were. Awesome. Oh man...the slaw was amazing. The boy helped me mix it up, and he and I kept taking bites after it was all mixed up. I didn't have cilantro (well, I did but half of it had turned to mush), but it was fine without it, although I will definitely add it next time. The pork was super tasty, and the combination of the pork with the slaw was fantastic!! We all really liked this, and it's something I will definitely make again!

Lentil Burritos

We were running kind of low on funds this week until the husband gets paid on Monday, so I wanted to plan dinners based on what we had here or that didn't require buying a lot of groceries. I did pretty well because I spent $20 less than I usually do, although I didn't realize how low on coffee we were, so I may need to make a stop so I'm not a zombie in the next few days.

Anyway, the last time I made these I only used half of the lentil/rice filling, so all I needed to buy for these were the tortillas, which I wanted to buy anyway because I like to have breakfast burritos in the morning. I really didn't plan a side dish with this, but I'll probably heat up some kind of frozen vegetable.

Lentil Burritos

Three Cheese Enchiladas

The husband is a HUGE Detroit Red Wings fan, and tonight is game five in the series against Chicago. He requested last night that tonight's dinner be something in the crock pot so he didn't have to entertain the boy while I'm cooking. That was after I had gone to the grocery store, and I couldn't think of anything to do in the crockpot that wasn't chicken related, and I'm kind of tired of chicken. I wanted something vegetarian, and I realized I had posted this recipe but never made it. I thought it would be easy enough because the boy could help me mix up everything. He loves to help in the kitchen, especially for dinner. It's pretty rare he gets to help with dinner since it usually involves raw meat, sharp knives, and using the stove. He's engrossed with Bob the Builder right now, so once he's done with that I'll see if he wants to help. Here's the original post with the recipe:

Three Cheese Enchiladas

*****

These were pretty good. I don't know if I'd go out of my way to make them again, but I usually have all of these ingredients on hand, so it's nice to have another "oh no it's 4:00 and I don't know what to make for dinner" meal in my pocket. I used way more cheese than was called for--three ounces of Monterey Jack, four ounces of goat cheese, and two ounces of cream cheese--and I really don't think it would have been filling enough with increasing those amounts. I think everything else I kept the same, except I used whole wheat tortillas instead of corn. I made a Rick Bayless rice recipe as a side dish, but it did not turn out. I think it was my fault, not the recipe's. I'll post it later because I want to hang out with the husband and baby.

Three Cheese Enchiladas

I realized last night that I needed a new plan for tonight's dinner. I had originally put falafel on my menu plan, but I realized last night that all I had to go with it was hummus. So, I had to come up with something else. I wanted to stick with a vegetarian meal, but I couldn't come up with anything looking through my fridge, freezer, and pantry. So, I turned to RecipeZaar.com. I remembered I had just bought some goat cheese at Costco, so I searched on that and then narrowed it down to simple main dish recipes. This was one of the first that came up, and I have everything on hand--including some things I'd like to use up before we leave on Sunday. Perfect!! Now I just have to decide if the husband and I will wait and have dinner after the boy goes to bed.

Three-Cheese Enchiladas
Recipe #369657

1 medium yellow onion
1 small red bell pepper
4 scallions
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 1/2 ounces monterey jack cheese
1 1/2 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons salsa or taco sauce (hot or mild)
8 corn tortillas
1 (10 ounce) can red chili sauce or enchilada sauce

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mince yellow onion; stem, seed, and finely dice bell pepper (there should be about 1/2 cup each). Mince scallions. Heat 2 t. oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until softened, about 4 minutes. Add bell pepper, half the scallions, and the cumin; cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Grate Monterey Jack cheese. Place half the grated cheese, the goat and cream cheeses, salsa, and onion mixture in mixing bowl; stir until blended.

Wipe out skillet. Heat remaining 1 T. oil in skillet over medium heat. Briefly cook tortillas, 1 at a time, in oil until pliable, not crisp, about 1 minute each side. Spoon cheese mixture onto tortillas and roll up, folding ends under. Place in 10x8-inch baking dish. Spoon red chili sauce over enchildadas. Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese and scallions. Bake until very hot, 15-20 minutes.

© 2009 Recipezaar

*****

I don't have a red pepper, so I'll have to come up with something else for that or just skip it. I don't have enough Monterey Jack cheese, so I figure I'll substitute cheddar. Oh, and I'm going to use whole wheat flour tortillas instead of corn. Reading over this recipe again, I'll probably increase the amount of each cheese...doesn't sound like a whole lot, and you know how we LOVE cheese!

*****

I didn't end up making these, but I'm keeping the post here because I want to make them at some point. My mom called that day inviting us to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner on Saturday night, so I moved the lasagna to Friday night.

Lentil Burritos

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! Since I didn't stick with the right heritage for St. Patrick's Day I thought for this holiday I should try and make something befitting the day. I needed something vegetarian, and I was trying to use up items I had on hand since we're heading out of town soon. Jen B. made these lentil burritos recently and really liked them, so I figured I'd give them a try since I had some lentils in my pantry already. I don't think they're very authentic, but burritos are, right? Maybe. I may have to have a margarita along with dinner because it's just been that kind of day.

Jen found this recipe on a great budget-friendly blog, $5 Dollar Dinners. I've read it a few times but need to be better about checking it because I love finding new, inexpensive dinners to make. I just wanted to give credit where credit was due!

Lentil Burritos
From: $5Dinners.com

1 cup white or brown rice
1 cup lentils, any color
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt/pepper
6-8 tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Cook rice. In saucepan, bring 2.5 cups of water or chicken broth to boil. Add 1 cup of white or brown rice. Return to boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. For white rice, cook for 20 minutes. For brown rice, cook for 50 minutes.
2. Cook lentils. In saucepan, add 1 cup of lentils plus water to cover lentils by an inch. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain any excess water.
3. Combine rice, lentils and can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles. Stir in garlic powder, ground cumin, salt and pepper.
4. Lay tortillas (corn or flour…whichever you prefer!) out and spoon rice/lentil mixture into the tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese and roll up. Place burritos in 8×8 baking dish.
5. Place lentil burritos in a warm oven (250) for about 20 minutes, giving cheese time to melt. Don’t leave in too long or the tortillas will get crispy!

*****

Mine are in the oven now. Jen's family really liked these, and I hope we do too. This is only my second time using lentils, and the first attempt was kind of a bomb. I filled up six tortillas and put them in a 12x8 casserole dish. I have at least half the filling mix left, so if we like these I'm going to try freezing what's left to have a quick, easy dinner for another night. I'm going to make some guacamole to go along with these and have that and Tostitos as a side.

*****

I didn't need to have low expectations for these at all--they were great! They were really filling tasty. I'd maybe add in some additional green chilies next time to add a little more flavor, but they were fine on their own. I'm glad it ended up making so much--we'll gladly have this again!

Mu Shu Pork Pockets

I don't really like Rachael Ray. There, I've said it. She's okay and occasionally has a show I'll watch, but I find a lot of her recipes to be weird. And her personality really grates on me if I watch her show. I used to like her, not sure when that all changed. I have quite a few of her cookbooks, but all of them except her first one are in a pile to get rid of because I just never use them and need the space on my cookbook shelf.

That being said, this is one of her recipes that I really, really like. I don't remember when the first time was I made this, but the husband and I love mu shu and this is a great, easy way to make it at home. He's been asking for it for weeks now, but I didn't want to buy the stuff for it because ground pork was never on sale. Finally this week I figured I'd make it regardless because he's been so patiently waiting and I'm such a good wife. ;) No, I really like this, too, so I was glad when he suggested it.

Moo Shu Pork Pockets
1-1/2 pound ground pork
1 can sliced water chestnuts, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 gingersnap cookies, ground in food processor
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 egg
1 cup hoisin sauce
6 large (12-inch) flour tortillas

Toppings:
Shred up a pile of your favorite raw vegetables or
2 cups shredded cabbage
Shredded carrots
Fresh bean sprouts
Thinly sliced scallions

Combine the pork and next five ingredients in a bowl. Form mixture into patties. Heat a large, nonstick skillet or grill pan over medium high heat. Grill patties approximately five minutes per side.

Heat tortillas on a nonstick surface over high heat for 30 seconds on each side. Paint the tortillas with hoisin sauce, leaving a 1-inch rim from edge. Pile shredded mixed veggies in center of tortilla and top with cooked pork patty. Fold the tortilla up on all four sides and wrap burger in a square package. Invert pork pocket and cut on diagonal.

*****

I'm not sure what all I have for the "toppings" but I think I'll do some green onions, carrots, and maybe some cilantro if I have it. I think we'll have some type of frozen vegetable on the side with this, but I'm not sure what yet. I'm really excited for dinner tonight--according to the blog we haven't had this since July. Dinner can't get here soon enough!

Carnitas

We ended up not having dinner last night because we were still so full from lunch. Well, the boy had chicken nuggets, but the husband and I weren't hungry. We went on a hike in the morning with some friends and then came back to our house and got Mexican take-out for lunch from Carolina's. Lordy mama, was it ever good. Definitely some of the best Mexican food I've ever had. Their tortillas have won awards for being the best in Phoenix. Were they ever!! I wanted to wrap myself up in them. I was glad I had the husband pick up a dozen, although it took a lot of self control on our parts to not chow down on all of them yesterday.

I had planned on trying a new risotto recipe tonight, but I wanted to use the tortillas for something other than just snacking. I recently checked out a make your own take out cookbook from the library, so I checked the Mexican section of that for ideas. I saw a recipe for carnitas and went, "That's it!" The recipe for them in that cookbook sounded weird, so I started Googling. I wanted something I could do in the crockpot, and I found a basic recipe to follow and then decided I'd change it up a bit. I love carnitas, so I'm really excited and hope this turns out well. The recipe below is how I'm doing them.

Crockpot Carnitas
1.5 pounds boneless pork ribs
4 cloves garlic, each cut into four pieces
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 small can diced green chilies
1 bottle beer
Tortillas
Burrito fixings (tomatoes, cheese, olives, onions, lettuce, cilantro, guacamole, sour cream, etc.)

With a knife, cut several small slits into the ribs. Insert pieces of garlic cloves in roast. Place pork in slow cooker. Sprinkle cumin, coriander, and chili powder over pork. Sprinkle cilantro and chilies over pork. Pour beer into crockpot. Cover. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until pork is done. Once pork is cooked through, remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks. Add in some of the cooking liquid. Serve with warm tortillas and burrito fixings of your choice.

*****

I'm totally excited for this, and I'm excited to smell them cooking all day. This will be a great way to use up the remaining tortillas from yesterday's feast. I think I might make some of Jen B's pinto beans to put in the burritos, too. I found a recipe on RecipeZaar.com for carnitas where you cooked beans with the pork, but I don't have any dried pinto beans, and I really wanted to make this today. So I figured I'd make Jen's beans instead. I seriously cannot wait for dinner tonight--I don't know what I'm more excited for, the carnitas or having more of these tortillas!

*****

My review of this is tricky because I woke up with a nasty cold and have no sense of taste. To me they tasted like they could have used some more flavor or spice, but they may have been right on. I think I read somewhere that when using dried spices in the crockpot you should use more because of the long cooking time? Or maybe that was for fresh. Hmmm. Either way, I think jacking up the spices some more would help and maybe adding some fresh cilantro to the shredded meat as well as putting it in the crockpot. I'm always looking for a new way to use boneless ribs, so I'll probably try this again. Jen's pinto beans were really yummy in the burritos with the carnitas.

Crab Quesadillas

A few weeks ago, a recipe I used to make all the time popped into my head. I think the last time I made it was before the boy was born. I had a coupon for imitation crab, and it was on sale, so I figured I'd get it and make these. They're so easy, and they're really tasty. I don't know how I forgot about them--we used to have them pretty often, and we really like them. They're another Cooking Light recipe.

Crab Quesadillas
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
3/4 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring well. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over each tortilla. Divide crab mixture evenly among tortillas. Fold in half, pressing gently to seal.

Place the filled tortillas on a baking sheet. Broil for 1 minute or until the tortilla is lightly browned.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 quesadilla)

CALORIES 275 (28% from fat); FAT 8.6g (sat 3.7g,mono 3.2g,poly 0.9g); IRON 2.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 58mg; CALCIUM 187mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30g; SODIUM 484mg; PROTEIN 18.5g; FIBER 2g

Cooking Light, APRIL 2004

*****

I didn't have green onions, but I didn't really miss them in the filling. And, like I said, I used imitation crab instead of real. Obviously it's not quite as good, but it does the job. Of course I used more cheese than was called for as well. I know when I used to make these I did them differently than the broiler, but I couldn't remember how. I may have just done them in a skillet, but this time I used the broiler. I watched them carefully so they wouldn't burn and then once they were browned, I took them out and flipped them over so the cheese would completely melt. I know the recipe says four servings, but the husband and I each had two, so I would say it's really two servings unless you have a lot of filling sides with it. I was going to make some pinto beans to go on the side, but I didn't have pinto beans in the pantry. Oops. I have two more bags of imitation crab in the freezer, so we'll probably have this again sometime in the future.