Baked Chimichangas

Any shredded meat can be used in these chimichangas, but I really like to use leftover beef barbacoa (recipe here). The recipe is also pretty loose on quantities, but that is how I cook!

cream cheese
cheddar cheese, shredded
shredded meat (beef barbacoa works well)
flour tortillas
cooking spray

Possible Toppings:
shredded cheddar cheese
green onions, for garnish
sour cream
salsa

Directions

Stir together cream cheese, cheese and taco seasoning if meat is unseasoned.
Fold in shredded meat.
Divide among flour tortillas.
Tuck in sides, and roll up each tortilla and secure with toothpicks.
Lay seam side down in a sprayed 9×13″ baking dish.
Spray tops of tortillas with cooking spray.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Flip over, and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Serve with cheddar cheese, green onions, sour cream, and salsa.

Beef Barbacoa

This beef barbacoa makes a great taco or burrito filling, or served on top of lettuce as a salad.  Recipe originally found here.

• 3 lbs beef eye of round or bottom round roast, all fat trimmed
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1/2 lime, juice
• 2-4 chipotles in adobo sauce (to taste)
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• salt and pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 cup water

Directions:

Place garlic, onion, lime juice, cumin, oregano, chipotles, cloves in a blender.

Trim all fat off meat, cut into 4 inch chunks. Season with salt and pepper and brown on high heat in 1 tsp oil. Place in a crock pot. Pour in liquefied spices, water, bay leaves and cook on low until it falls apart easily.

Once cooked and the meat is tender shred it with two forks and adjust seasonings as needed.

Bruschetta Chicken

I love, love, love this recipe.  It is super easy to throw together and is pretty enough to serve to company.

Recipe originally found here.

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup crushed garlic croutons

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 large tomatoes

3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

2 garlic cloves, minced (appox. 1 teaspoon)

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9×13 baking dish. Place flour & beaten eggs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken into flour, then into eggs. Place into baking dish. Combine parmesan cheese, crushed croutons, & melted butter then sprinkle on chicken. Loosely cover with foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until top is browned and chicken is cooked through. Chop tomatoes and combine with last ingredients. Spoon mixture over chicken, and return to oven for 5-7 minutes or until tomato mixture is heated through.

Knock Off Chuys Creamy Jalapeño Dip

Chuys is our favourite Texas restaurant.  We miss their food so much, but we really miss their creamy jalapeño dip.  It is amazing.  I am always tempted to ask for a spoon and skip the chips!  This recipe is the closest that we have come to feeling like we are back there sitting in a booth.  It is best it if is made ahead and eaten the next day, but still pretty good eaten right away.

Original recipe found here.

1 quart mayo
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup jalapenos, canned & a little of the juice
1 cup tomatillo sauce
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 packs dry Ranch mix

Throw it all in the blender and blend it up.  Best if made the day before.  This makes a ton so feel free to cut recipe in half.

Creamy Berry “Salad”

My family loves this.  We have eaten it a few times as a side dish but it probably really should be classified as a dessert.  I found the recipe here.  The recipe is really flexible and allows for lots of substitutions, which works really well for us.

Frozen mixed berries (or any other frozen fruit.  We usually chop up strawberries because that is what we can get here)
1 tub Cool Whip*
1 large container of vanilla yogurt (or other flavour, like I said we use what we can get)
1 small package of cheesecake pudding mix (or once again other flavour.  I often just use vanilla.)

Pour berries into a large bowl.  Add the Cool Whip and yogurt and then sprinkle on the pudding mix.  Stir together really well until it’s all combined and looks pretty.  Chill before serving.

Zucchini, Bean and Rice Skillet

This recipe originally came from here.  I adapted it to what I had on hand and how we like to eat.  This is good for a quick week night meal because it is fast and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. For a more name brand canned recipe check out the link.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups quartered lengthwise, sliced zucchini
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 can Black Beans, drained, rinsed or 1 1/2 of whatever beans you have on hand, today it was a pinto, kidney, red bean mix I had in the freezer
• 1 can (14.5 oz each) Diced Tomatoes, undrained or half a bottle of bottled tomatoes
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend

Sautee onion, bell pepper and zucchini in olive oil until tender.  Add all other ingredients except cheese.  Cook until warmed through.  Top with cheese.

 

Baked Eggplant Parmesean

I found this on a blog of someone who found it on a blog of someone who probably found it on a blog and adapted it from a recipe posted somewhere!

Ingredients:
For the eggplant:
1 lb.  eggplant, cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick rounds
1½ tsp. kosher salt
3 slices of wheat bread

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pinch of salt
1 tsp. pepper, divided
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
3 tbsp. vegetable oil

For the tomato sauce:
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes (or way less, my bottle seems to be very strong so I just used 1/8 tsp and that was almost too much)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper

4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)

Directions:
To prepare the eggplant, toss the eggplant slices with the kosher salt in a large bowl until combined. Transfer the salted eggplant to a colander and set the colander over the now empty bowl. Let stand until the eggplant releases at least 1 tablespoon liquid, 30-45 minutes. Squeeze the eggplant slices between paper towels (or layers of clean kitchen towels). Press firmly on each slice to remove as much liquid as possible. Wipe off any excess salt.

While the eggplant is draining, place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 425˚ F. Pulse the bread in a food processor or blender to fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a pie plate and mix in the cheese, salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; set aside. Wipe out the bowl of the food processor.

Combine the flour in a large zipper lock plastic bag; shake to combine. Beat the eggs in a second pie plate. Place about half of the eggplant slices in the bag with the flour; seal and shake to coat. Remove the slices, shaking off the excess flour. Dip in the eggs, letting the excess run off. Coat evenly with the bread crumb mixture. Set the breaded slices on a plate. Repeat with the remaining eggplant until all the slices are breaded.

Remove the preheated baking sheet from the oven. Add the vegetable oil to the sheet and tilt to coat evenly. Place the breaded eggplant slices on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until the eggplant is well browned and crisp, about 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes and flipping the slices after 20 minutes. Do not turn off the oven after the slices are baked.

While the eggplant is baking, prepare the tomato sauce. Process about half of the diced tomatoes in the food processor until almost smooth, about 5 seconds. Heat the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and the garlic is light golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the processed tomatoes and the remaining diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened at reduced, about 15 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble the dish, spread ½ cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish. Layer in half of the eggplant slices, overlapping the slices to fit. Spread with another ½ cup of the sauce. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella. Layer in the remaining eggplant and dot with the remaining sauce, leaving the majority of the eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and the cheese is browned, 13-15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and serve.

Butternut Squash Risotto

I am constantly sifting through my magazines to find this recipe.  Time to put it here, so I can actually find it.  This has become a favorite in our house.

3 c. butternut squash, peeled and diced

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

4 c. low sodium chicken broth

1/2 c onion, diced

8 oz mushrooms, sliced (2 cups)

1 T garlic, minced

1 c. arborio rice

1 T fresh thyme leaves

1 T fresh sage, minced

1/2 c frozen peas, thawed

1/4 c. shredded fontina or parmesan cheese

2 T chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 425*. Toss squash with a little olive oil and season with salt andpepper.  Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet.  Bake until tender, about 25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, bring broth to a simmer in a sauce pan over medium heat, keep warm.

While broth is heating, sautee onion in 1T olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and sautee until they start to soften, 5 minutes.  Add garlic and sautee for one more minute.  Add rice and stir to coat with oil and veggies.

Add 1/2 c warm broth, simmer and stir until liquid evaporates. Stir in another 1/2 c of broth, simmer, stir occasionally until almost evaporated.  Continue adding broth in 1/2 c. increments, adding more after previous addition has been absorbed.  Rice is done when its tender but still slightly firm and white in the very center and not chalky.  Add all but last 1/2 c of broth.

Add thyme, sage, peasse and cheese to pan with last 1/2 c of broth.  Stir until cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.  Gently fold in cooked squash and nuts.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve warm.

Spanish Pork

I made this one a long time ago and forgot to add the recipe to my file.  I could not find ground pork anywhere so I threw some boneless pork chops in my vitamix and ground them up.  It worked just fine but any other lean ground meat could be substituted.

1 zucchini, sliced in 1/2″ rounds

1 medium onion, sliced in 1/2″ rounds

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped into slivers

3/4 lb extra lean ground pork

1 c. frozen peas

1 c. frozen corn

1 T paprika

1 red bell pepper, minced

1 med tomato, chopped

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 oz goat cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Sautee zucchini and onion in oil for 3 minutes.  Add garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute.  Stir in pork, peas, corn, paprika.  Cook 5 more minutes, making sure all ingredients are evenly distributed.  Stir in bell pepper, tomato and lemon juice.  Cover until cooked through and vegetables are tender.  Serve with goat cheese crumbled on top.

Serve with roasted new potatoes.

Thai Coconut Shrimp

The red pepper flakes add a lot of heat to this dish.  Leave them out for a much more mild flavor.  Sauce would also be great with chicken or pork.

2 c. broccoli florets

2/3 c. light coconut milk

1 T. tomato paste

3 T. peanut butter

1 tsp ground ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 lime, juiced

1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 c. bean sprouts

24 medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and rinsed

In a bowl combine coconut milk, tomato paste, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and lime juice.  Whisk with a fork.

Simmer coconut mixture, bell pepper, broccoli and bean sprouts over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often to prevent clumping.  Add shrimp and cook for another 2 minutes, flip over and cook for one more minute.  Serve over noodles.