Skinny Chicken Enchiladas

This made two trays of enchiladas plus some!  My entire family LOVED these.  It was so easy putting most everything in the crock pot first.  I used green salsa and my own seasonings.  I did not use the crema and it was still so good.  The Pinch of Yum has some awesome recipes.  I can't wait to try some more! 

 

Author: Pinch of Yum

Prep time:  3 hours

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  3 hours 20 mins

Serves: 6

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken breasts
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 16 oz. fresh salsa
• 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
• ¼ cup water (optional)
• 12 small corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 avocado, diced
• ¼ cup crema (see notes)
• fresh cilantro, Cotija cheese for topping

Instructions

1. Put the first 6 ingredients in a crockpot. If your salsa is not very saucy, be sure to include the ¼ cup water or more if necessary. Cook on high for about 3 hours (or longer on the low setting) until chicken is cooked through. You can also cut the chicken breasts into halves to help them cook faster. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken and mix everything together.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Soften the corn tortillas in the microwave, 3 at a time, for about 25 seconds. Fill them with a few tablespoons of filling, roll once, and place seam-side down in a large baking dish (I did 2 smaller baking dishes). Continue until all tortillas have been filled, rolled and placed in dish. Be sure to pack them in tightly next to each other so that they don’t come apart.
3. Sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheese and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly and everything is heated through.
4. Remove from oven and drizzle with crema. Sprinkle with avocado pieces, fresh cilantro, and Cotija cheese crumbles.

Notes

The corn tortillas will start to break apart on the top during baking if you don’t warm them up enough prior to baking. For the crema, I just made a fake-out version with about 3 tbs. sour cream and 2 tbs. cream. I whisked it together until it was smooth, creamy, and drizzle-able. Also, I used part yellow corn and part shoepeg corn, which made the texture more interesting.

 

Jill

Mexican sour cream Rice

Yummy side dish to go with our Mexican food! 

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream (I used 1/2 cup)
1 4-ounce can diced green chile peppers
2 cups shredded pepper-jack cheese, divided (I used 1 cup, divided)
1 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a large pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes (because I used Minute Rice, I decreased the simmering time to about 10 minutes).
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.
3. In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, green chile peppers, 1 cup cheese, corn, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese.
4. Bake uncovered 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Jill

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Another great recipe from Marci's blog, On My Menu!  I always go to her blog for tex-mex recipes!!!  This one is a family favorite!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese (I used half a block (so 4 oz) of 1/3 fat cheese)
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic (I wasn't sure what this was so I used garlic powder)
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese
small corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
2. Warm the cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine, and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.
*You can prepare up to this step ahead of time; just refrigerate!
3. Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. Place 2-3 Tbsp. of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges, and then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Spray the tops of the tortillas lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
4. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.
(I used 15 corn tortillas, but over stuffed some of mine so all the yummy guts leaked out...I would use 18-20 tortillas next time)

Enjoy!
Jill

Eggplant Chips

I have never cooked with eggplant before and the first attempt was a SUCCESS! The kids tried it and weren't crazy about the skin. Luke ate the middle of each slice! I found this recipe via pinterest, but it originated here.

Ingredients:
1-2 eggplants (japanese variety....according to the recipe)
olive oil
sea salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice eggplant in approx 1/4 inch slices and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I think the parchment paper is key! Brush with olive oil and season with sea salt. Bake for about 20 minutes flipping after 10 minutes.

Jill

Quinoa Salad

I recently made this and was a HUGE fan! The kids liked it too! It might have been because I told them that quinoa is a super food! Kind of thinking they took that as giving them super hero abilities, but whatever! I found this recipe on Marci's blog and modified just a little.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of quinoa (cooked according to package directions will yield 2 cups)
chopped cucumber
chopped red onion (1/2)
1 can of shoepeg corn
2 avocados - diced
1 can of black beans - rinsed
dash of Kosher salt
chopped cilantro (handful)
approximate 6 Tbsp of olive oil
2 Tbsp of white wine vinegar

*you could also chop up some tomatoes and add feta cheese

Combine and enjoy! I served with grilled chicken and it was awesome!

Jill

Mostaccioli

Mostaccioli
8 oz Mostaccioli noodles, cooked and drained
1 ½ lbs. ground beef
½ c. onion
1 garlic clove, minced
Brown and drain the beef, onion and garlic

Add:
1 (28 oz) tomatoes and juices
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
½ can water (use tomato paste can)

Add:
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf

Bring all to a boil and simmer 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and stir in noodles.

Add:
2 cups (8oz) mozzarella cheese
½ c parmesan cheese
Top with parmesan cheese. May be baked at 350 for 30-35 minutes

Buffalo Chicken Dip

8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
1/4 cup blue cheese dressing
1/2 cup buffalo sauce or buffalo style barbecue sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (can substitute mozzarella cheese)
2 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded ( I used canned chicken)

Pre heat oven to 350. In a deep baking dish, mix cream cheese, salad dressing , buffalo sauce, and cheese. Stir until combined. Stir in chicken
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the dish is heated through. Serve with crackers, pita chips, baguettes, or vegetables.

This was yummy and a perfect Super Bowl Dip.