The PW's Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadilla

Chicken Enchilada Burritos

I know you are thinking, "Wait a second Katie, what's an Enchilada Burrito?"  It's a time saver.  One day instead of dipping the tortillas, rolling the enchiladas, and then baking for 20 minutes, I just wrapped all the yummy insides up in a big flour tortilla.  Saved me about 30 minutes and still tasted divine. 

If I haven't told you before, I'm not much of a recipe-follower but I'm going to do my best to give you the How-To guide to Chicken Enchilada Burritos.

PART I: Spanish Rice

[this is the base for a lot of my dinners]

 

Saute half an onion and 2 or 3 garlic cloves in some oil. 

Add a cup of rice and saute for several minutes over medium high heat.

Add 2.5 cups of water (or 2 cups and a can of diced tomatoes)

Add a heaping tablespoon of Chili Powder, another tablespoon of Cumin, some salt, and 1-2 teaspoons of chili paste or taco sauce to make it spicy.

Stir and Cover.

Once you see it's boiling, turn the heat to low. 

DO NOT TAKE OFF THE COVER.

Set the timer for 15 minutes.

When its done, turn off the heat but LEAVE THE LID ON for another 10 minutes, 

then fluff with a fork and enjoy!

 

PART II: Stewed Chicken 

Here's how I do it: 

Fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil. 

Add half an onion, I don't even chop it.

 If you have any carrots or celery throw that in.

Add salt and several chicken bouillon cubes.

Add the chicken breast and boil 15-20 minutes.

Then shred the chicken using 2 forks to pull it apart. 

[save the broth for the enchilada sauce]

PART III:  Enchilada Sauce

 Take about half a stick of butter and melt it in a large saute pan.

Add 3-4 tablespoons of flour, or until it looks like this:

Sautee over medium heat until the mixture starts to darken, stirring constantly. 

Then add 3 or 4 heaping tablespoons of chili powder.

And 1 heaping tablespoon of cumin.

And salt to taste.

Stir continuously and slowly start adding chicken stock by the cup full.  

As it absorbs the broth, keep adding more 

until you get it to a nice saucy consistency.  

I like mine on the thicker side, and it takes about 4 cups of stock.  

Some people like it thinner.

Wow, looking at these pictures is making me hungry.  I love this stuff.  

You can use this enchilada sauce in multiple ways.  

I'm going to use mine in Chicken Enchilada Burritos.  

PART IV: Chicken Enchilada Burritos

Add your rice and chicken into the pan of enchilada sauce.

Simmer for several minutes.

I like to add sour cream, fresh onions, and cheese to mine and roll it into burritos.

My husband likes to eat his in taco form.

Both are amazing.  Enjoy!

Coconut Chicken & Warm Honey Vinaigrette Salad

This turned out very yummy! We loved it. I added more veggies in my salad, but the rest of the recipe I followed verbatim.  It's nice and healthy too! Enjoy!

Here are your ingredients:
6 (about 12 oz.) chicken tenderloins
6 Tbsp. shredded coconut
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. crushed Cornflake crumbs
1/3 cup egg whites
Pinch of salt
Olive oil spray
6 cups mixed baby greens
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1 small cucumber, sliced
Vinaigrette
1 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. white vinegar (or balsamic)
2 tsp. dijon mustard

Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients and set aside.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine coconut flakes, panko bread crumbs, Cornflake crumbs and salt in a bowl.    Put egg whites  in another bowl.

Lightly season chicken with salt.  Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture.  Place chicken on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or non-stick foil for easy cleanup.  Lightly spray with olive oil spray and bake for 30 minutes turning halfway (15 minutes each side), or until chicken is cooked through.

Place 2 cups baby greens on each plate.  Divide carrots and cucumber evenly between each plate.  (and add more veggies if you want) When chicken is ready, slide on on top of greens.  Heat dressing in the microwave a few seconds and divide equally between each salad; a little over a tbsp each.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

(sorry its not the best looking pic, I took it myself)

This is a super easy dinner. It was one of my favorites growing up. You can put any veggies you want in it, just remember to add the veggies that need to cook the longest first. I hope you all enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

• 2 chicken breasts (chopped in small pieces)
• 1 bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 onion (chopped)
  
• 1 can diced pineapple
• 1c. brown sugar
• 1/4c. vinegar
  
• 3T. flour
• 3T. soy sauce
• 3T. oil
• salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a pan. Salt and pepper the chicken. Thoroughly cook the chicken then add the onions and cook for a couple minutes. Add the pineapple with a little of the juice from the can. Then add the brown sugar, vinegar, flour and soy sauce. Stir together. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes, the sauce will thicken. Turn off the heat, add the bell peppers and mix them in. Let sit for a couple minutes. Serve over rice.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

*Serves 6 to 8

Topping:

4 slices stale bread, torn into quarters

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

4 medium russet potatoes peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter 1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup milk 6 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded, about 2 cups

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

9 ounces deli ham, chopped

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

For the topping, crumble the stale bread and mix with the butter. Set aside.

For the filling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, making sure the oven rack is in the middle. Place the potatoes, 6 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are partially cooked, about 2 minutes (don’t overcook because they will continue to cook in the oven!). Carefully drain potatoes, or remove them with a slotted spoon, and transfer them to a bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the onions are softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute (this helps cook out the flour taste in the roux). Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking often, until slightly thickened. Off the heat, whisk in the Swiss cheese, Dijon, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Mix the potatoes with half of the sauce and spread into the bottom of a lightly greased 9X13-inch baking pan. Layer alternating pieces of the chicken and ham over the potatoes, overlapping as needed. This is not a scientific procedure, just make sure that the chicken is in a single layer (not on top of each other) so that it cooks thoroughly. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the chicken and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the casserole is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes (add about 5-7 additional minutes onto the baking time if baking it after it has chilled in the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours). Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

(adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

No Bake Desserts (Truffles)

I don't know about you, but when I think about baking here, I picture myself sweating as the small oven in our apartment turns into a fireplace. It's not ideal. Anytme I can make a sweet treat that doesn't call for any baking...I'm tickled pink!

Here are 2 no-bake treats.

Oreo Truffles:

1 package of Oreos (or Recreos)

1 8oz. package cream cheese

chocolate chips

Crush oreos to a powder. Mix in room temp. cream cheese to make a dough. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, place them on cookie sheet lines with wax paper. While they chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes, heat the chocolate chips in the microwave. Stir the chips every 20 seconds so they don't burn. Dip the dough balls into the chocolate, set them back on the wax paper and place back in the fridge. You can also stick popsicle sticks into the balls before you dip them. This makes it easier to dip, plus it's fun to eat this way too.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Ingredients:

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup light brown sugar, packed

2¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup chocolate chips for dough, plus extra for dipping

Directions:

Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up enough to form balls.

Shape the chilled cookie dough mixture into 1-1½ inch balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Cover loosely, transfer the pan to the freezer and chill for 1-2 hours.

When ready to dip the truffles, melt the chocolate chips slowly in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds so it doesn't burn. Dip each chilled truffle, one at a time, coating in chocolate and shaking gently to remove the excess. (If at any point during dipping, the cookie dough balls become too soft, return to the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.) Transfer to a wax-paper lined surface. Once all the truffles have been dipped, store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

The large chocolate chips in this truffle make it hard to put on a stick. They tend to fall apart. (adapted from Annie's-Eats)

Pork Chops with Lemon-Mustard Sauce

This is a delicious meal that doesn't use a lot of dishes...a total bonus here!

Ingredients:

3-4 pork chops

For the marinade:

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 tbsp. olive oil

For the sauce:

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tbsp. flour

1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped

1 tbsp. flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:

Put the ingredients for the marinade into a large ziploc bag. Squish around with your hands to mix. Place the pork chops in the bag. Let marinade for at least 1 hour.

After the chops have been marinading for a minimum of an hour, take the bag out and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 min.

Pan fry the pork chops at medium heat. There's no need to put any oil in the pan since there's enough in the marinade. Once cooked through on both sides, take them out, set them on a plate to rest, and cover with foil.

To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in the same skillet you used to cook the chops. Add the green onions and cook for about 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and whisk. The butter and flour will combine to make a roux. Whisk in the chicken broth and mustard, and continue cooking until thickened. Turn the heat to low, stir in the lemon juice. Add the chops back into the pan, coat with the sauce and serve.

I served the chops with green beans and cheddar-garlic biscuits. Yummy!

(adapted from Annie's-Eats)