Fajitas

We're always looking for new ways to finish up the leftovers in the house and inevitably there is always soft tortialla shells, red peppers, and numerous types of cheese. This time, we had nice piece of flank steak thawing and thus the steak and the leftovers turned into some kick-ass fajitas.

Let me say that Mexican food is not something I cook very frequently because in my attempts to use less processed foods, I've had to learn to make up my own spice mixes (or use recipes), and that has always been a bit unnerving for me. I mean, that's what a spice packet is for isn't it? And let's be honest, with a spice packet 99% of the time, the end-product tastes the way it should! Nevertheless, I did have some success recently which I think boosted my confidence and prompted me to take on other dishes, hence the fajitas.

Oh my goodness were these good!! The steak was cooked just perfectly - just shy of medium - and I have to give myself a big pat on the back for coming up with the right combo of spices for a dry rub. The peppers and onions really did need to be cooked "low and slow" in order to achieve the right consistency so as to not brown the onions so I didn't at all mind waiting nearly 30 minutes for them to cook down.

Beef Fajitas

source: Smells Like Home

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 to 1 1/2 lbs flank steak
• ground cumin
• ground corinader
• chili powder
• garlic powder
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• For serving: soft flour tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream

1. In a heavy cast iron frying pan over medium low heat, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and butter until melted. Add peppers and cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle on some of each of the spices - 3-4 shakes of cumain, corinader, chili and garlic powders should to it along with a couple pinches of salt and a few grates of black pepper. Add onions and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until onions and peppers are soft and close to caramelizing.
2. While peppers and onions are cooking, sprinkle each of the spices on both sides of the flank steak and allow steak to come to room temperature before cooking.
3. Remove peppers and onions from pan and set aside, keeping warm. Turn up heat to medium, add about 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. Place the steak in the pan and sear both sides for about 5 minutes each. Remove the steak from the pan, slice into thin pieces against the grain. If steak isn't cooked to desired "redness", finish slicing and return the slices to the hot pan. Return the peppers and onions to the pan and cook everything together for another 2-3 minutes, taking care to not overcook the steak.
4. Serve on soft tortillas with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Prep time: 5-8 minutes

Cook time: 35-40 minutes

Serves: 2 (with some leftovers)

Chicken Quesedillas

A while back I found pre-cooked southwestern seasoned grilled chicken strips (by Perdue) in the grocery store and had the wonderful idea of making quesedillas with them. That was a couple of years ago and I guess the popularity of the southwestern variety has faded because it has become increasingly difficult to find them in the grocery store when I need them. In essence, I gave up on finding them and decided that I could make this chicken for my quesedillas just as good at home - and without any of the artifical additives I suppose were in the pre-packaged stuff.

These quesedillas are always a nice treat and are especially easy and inexpensive if you've got what you need in the house already. I always tend to have leftover flour tortillas from other meals I've made with them and they end up sitting the fridge for a couple of weeks before I realize that I have to use them before they go bad. Use whatever cheese you have in your cheese drawer - cheddar, Monterey jack, gouda, fontina, a shredded taco or mexican mix, mozzarella, American...it doesn't matter - they'll all work perfectly. And for the chicken, if you want to buy the pre-package stuff, go for it, but making it at home is just as easy and quite cheaper. Marinate in the suggested ingredients below or just sprinkle some of your favorite seasonings on the raw chicken and grill until fully cooked. Add a few veggies if you'd like - sauteed peppers and onions would work great but I only had onions in the house the night I made them so that's what I used. Serve them alongside some rice and beans or on their own - with sour cream of course for dipping. :) Good stuff here....

Chicken Quesedillas

source: Smells Like Home

• 4 (10") flour tortillas
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (pounded to 1/2" thick) or tenderloins
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used a mexican mix)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion, sliced
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, ground coriander, salt and pepper, all to taste (or use whatever you like/have on hand)

1. In a Ziploc bag, add lime juice, honey, olive oil, and dry spices; blend well. Add chicken and allow to marinate for 10-15 minutes.
2. While chicken is marinating, in a medium-sized frying pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat and add onions. Cook until very soft, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Grill until fully cooked. Slice chicken into 1/2" by 3" (approximately) strips. When chicken is almost finished cooking, heat a griddle or large non-stick frying pan to medium-high heat. When griddle is hot and chicken is finished cooking and is sliced, place tortilla on the griddle. Add cheese, onions, and chicken to one half of tortilla half. Carefully fold over empty half to sandwich the filling between the two halves of the tortilla. When the bottom half is browned and cheese is starting to melt, carefully turn over to brown the uncooked half. When cheese is melted and quesedilla is browned, remove from griddle. Repeat with all tortillas.
4. Serve with mexican rice, beans, and sour cream.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Serves: 2-4

Cheesy Enchiladas with Chili Gravy

After years of avoiding making enchiladas at home because of the astronomical level of sodium in the pre-packaged meals and enchilada sauces available at the grocery store, I finally came across a recipe that not only sounded delicious, but it wasn't loaded with salt and ingredients that I don't normally have on hand in the pantry. It was Renea over at sweet-savory-southern who posted this recipe the night before last and after reading through her review and the recipe, I immediately decided that I would make these...and I didn't want to wait. I knew they would work out perfectly for dinner last night because I had gotten the "if you make chicken one more time this week" threat from Kyle and I didn't want to push the envelope, afraid that in chicken-protest, he would start his own creation in the kitchen and it would be hours again before I saw the countertops. So I made a run to the grocery after work yesterday to pick up what I needed and decided on ground beef rather than shredded chicken (which I would have much preferred by the way, but I digress...).

As soon as I walked in the door, I got a-cooking, expecting that it would be at least an hour before we ate...but I was oh so wrong. I had the enchiladas on the table (err...coffee table...) inside of 35 minutes. They were just so easy!! And as a testatment to how good they were, as I was taking photos, Kyle had already started eating. I shouted in to him, "how are they?" and he responded, "can't talk - eating" as he shoveled another forkful into his mouth. That there says it all. These enchiladas will be seen again on my [coffee] table and I won't hesitate to use chicken the next time I make them.

Chicken Enchiladas

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I used about 1 1/4lb ground beef)
• 1/2 a green bell pepper, finely chopped (I used a red pepper because it's what I had)
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (I didn't use oil because I cooked the peppers and onions in with the beef)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups chili gravy (recipe follows)
• 4 flour tortillas (1 1/4lb beef yielded enough filling for 6 tortillas)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used shredded cheddar with chipotle peppers made by Sargento)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onion and peppers and cook for about 5 min. Add shredded chicken and stir. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Remove from pan and set aside. Using the same pan, make the chili gravy as follows.

Chili Gravy

• 1/4 cup lard (I used vegetable oil - so did I)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp powdered garlic (I used closer to 2 tsp)
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano is preferred if it’s available)
• 2 T chili powder (either homemade or a dark brand such as Gebhardt’s or Whole Foods or McCormick)
• 2 cups chicken broth (or water) (I used half water, half chicken stock)

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.
2. Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients. Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens. Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. (It took about 8 minutes for me) Add water to adjust the thickness. (didn't need extra water) Makes 2 cups.
3. Once the chili gravy is done, add 1/2 a cup to the chicken mixture and stir. Spoon the chicken mixture into the flour tortilla shells and roll up. Spread another half cup of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish and place the rolled tortillas in the dish. Top with the remaining cup of sauce and shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 min. I baked for 20 minutes then took off the foil and broiled for 3-4 minutes. I topped with a dollop of sour cream and would have added a sprinkle of cilantro but it went bad on me this week and I had to toss it.

Prep time: 12-15 minutes

Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Serves: 3 to 6 (depending on appetites)

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

One little joy in life that makes me happy over and over is my crockpot. Can it get any easier than to prep a meal in the morning, throw it in a pot, and have it be ready when I return home from work? Probably not...and this time, Kyle and ate our dinners at two completely different times of day and the meal was ready for both of us to eat when we needed to.

I got up extra early so that the chicken would be ready when Kyle needed to eat at 11am before leaving for his afternoon/evening shift today. After tossing everything into the crockpot at 6:30am, I set it to low and let it cook on low for 1 1/2 hrs, then turned it to high and it cooked for an additional 3 hrs. After Kyle served up his serving, he turned it to the warm setting to keep it warm for the afternoon.

After I got home, I turned it back on low for 30 minutes to reheat and I was all set to go. Love it! And let me tell you...by the time I got home after having thought about this cooking all day, I couldn't wait to dig in! I had also made some mexican rice this morning while I got ready for work so that it would be ready for both of us when we were ready to eat. What a treat this whole meal was!!

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

• 2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 jar salsa
• 1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground corinader (optional)
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• dash of chipotle chili powder (optional)

1. Put chicken on the bottom of the crockpot. Cover with salsa then beans. Add water to bottom of the crockpot around the chicken. Sprinkle with dry spices.
2. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
3. Serve with rice, sour cream, shredded cheese and garnish with chopped cilantro. You can also shred the chicken and make burritos if you have tortillas in the fridge.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 8hrs on low or 3 1/2 to 4hr on high

Serves: 2-4

Turkey Chili

Yes, fall has arrived! In spite of the 80-90 degrees temperatures here in CT this week, I'm moving full steam ahead into fall with some warm meals. Last night, turkey chili was on the menu and what a treat this always is!

Years ago my mom swapped out ground beef for ground turkey and tomato sauce for salsa in her chili recipe and I've taken that recipe and modified it a little further. In my grocery store, I've found 33% reduced sodium chili seasoning packets (by McCormick) and organic salsa that has about 50% the amount of sodium as regular salsa. I tend to be very sensitive to sodium and thus try to control for it as much as possible in everything I cook and eat. Because the ground turkey usually is slightly more than 1lb and the seasoning packet calls for just 1lb of meat, I've found that a few extra seasonings is necessary and you'll see what I add below.

This truly is one of my most favorite cool-weather meals yet I'm still surprised on the number of compliments I get when I serve this (maybe I'm surprised because of how easy it is to make!)...but I hope you love this chili recipe as much as I do and that you'll share it with every

Turkey Chili

adapted from my mom's kitchen

• 1 to 1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
• 1 lower sodium chili seasoning packet
• 1 jar organic salsa
• 1/2 jar of water (the salsa jar)
• 1 (15oz) can red or dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander

1. In a large frying or saute pan over medium-high heat, brown turkey. Drain if necessary.
2. Reduce heat to low and stir in the remainder of the ingredients. Cook on low for 10-15 minutes.

Extras:

• Fixin' suggestions: sour cream, shredded cheddar, diced onions, scallions, chives, tortilla chips.
• Serving suggestions: over rice, on tortilla chips with shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheeses as chili nachos, as chili dogs or chili burgers, or layer in an 8x8 baking dish with cream cheese, shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, and scallions and bake for 15 minutes at 375 for a hot dip.

Prep time: 0 minutes

Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Cilantro Turkey Burgers - blech!

I'm sorry to say that I've found my first Cooking Light recipe that didn't live up to my expectations. I really had high hopes for these burgers and had heard very good things about them but alas, I ended up hungry after dinner because I didn't finish the burger as it lost all appeal after the first bite. The recipe as a whole sounded great to me - cilantro, Parmesan cheese, and ground turkey - and I'm really sorry that it didn't turn out as I had expected. Nonetheless, I'm going to post the recipe with the hope that someone else might be able to figure out a way to make these better.

ps - I didn't make the ketchup because for the life of me, I couldn't find the chipotles in the grocery store.


On a lighter note, I paired the burgers with some awesome Mexican roasted potatoes that I'm really proud to say is my own recipe. That recipe follows the burger recipe but note that all the amounts are estimates.

Cilantro Turkey Burgers with Chipotle Ketchup

• 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) preshredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound ground turkey
• Cooking spray
• 1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 4 (2 1/2-ounce) whole wheat hamburger buns
• 4 red leaf lettuce leaves
  

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/3-inch-thick patty.
2. Heat a large grill pan or large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add turkey patties, and cook 5 minutes on each side or until done.
3. Remove 1 chile and 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can. Reserve remaining chiles and sauce for another use. Mince the chile. Combine chile, adobo sauce, and ketchup.
4. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each bun; top each patty with 1 tablespoon chipotle ketchup and 1 lettuce leaf. Cover with top halves of buns.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 406(30% from fat); FAT 13.6g (sat 4.3g,mono 4g,poly 3.7g); PROTEIN 26.6g; CHOLESTEROL 73mg; CALCIUM 229mg; SODIUM 977mg; FIBER 1.5g; IRON 4.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 44.5g
Cooking Light, APRIL 2002

Mexican Roasted Potatoes

• 1 lb redskin potatoes, diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. In a 7x11 inch or 9x13 inch oven-safe dish, combine all ingredients except the cilantro, making sure that the potatoes are well-coated with the spices.
2. Cook for 30-40 minutes (or until fork-tender), flipping the potatoes once during cooking.
3. Toss with cilantro before serving.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 4

Spicy Black Bean Cakes

A new cookbook has emerged in my kitchen - Everyday Food: Great Food Fast (from the Martha Stewart Kitchens). I know I've raved about it a past post so I'll save my breath this time but I have to rave about the Spicy Black Bean Cakes that came out of this cookbook.

Oh. My. Goodness. SO GOOD!! I'm not known to be a "spicy kind of girl" and I've NEVER made anything with fresh spicy chilis but I've watched enough FoodNetwork to know that you can dramatically reduce the heat of a chili pepper by removing the seeds and pulp (carefully of course, avoiding direct contact with the seeds - which is where the heat of the chili lies - and avoiding touching my eyes before thoroughly washing my hands). So that's what I did. I wanted the flavor of the jalepeno chili sans heat.

The premise of the cookbook is that you can really make great food in a decent amount of time (usually under 30 minutes) and the recipe states that it should take 20 min to prep the cakes. It took me about 25-30, mostly because of the time it took to remove the seeds and pulp from the jalepeno. The extra time was well worth it though and I am so pleased with the result - and I will definitely be making these again. I paired them with my garlic-cilantro-lime marinated grilled chicken and about 1/2 lb shrimp that "got happy" all day in the same marinade (separate bags though), and the suggested lime sour cream that the cookbook suggested to serve with the cakes. YUM!!

I've had some trouble finding the recipe on Martha's website so below is the recipe directly from the cookbook.

Spicy Black Bean Cakes

• 2 tbsp olive oil (I only used one and sprayed the cookie sheet with Pam)
• 4 scallions, thinly cut
• 1 small jalepeno chili, finely minced (I used 3/4 of the jalepeno)
• 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (I used 1 can)
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to Broil and adjust rack to between 4 and 6 inches from the broiler.

In a medium frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Cook scallions for 2 minutes, add garlic, jalepeno, and cumin; cook for 30 seconds until fragrent; remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. To the hot mixture, add black beans. Mash beans into hot mixture, leaving about 1/4 of the beans whole; season generously with salt and pepper. Fold in sweet potato, egg, and bread crumbs and work the mixture until everything is well-incorporated.

Coat a cookie sheet with remaining olive oil (again, I sprayed it with Pam instead of using the olive oil). Scoop a handleful of the mixture out and pat into a small patty, about the size and shapes of a crab cake. The mixture will make 8 cakes. Place the cakes on the sheet; broil for 10 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over and broil for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 12-13 minutes

Serves: 2-4

Lime Sour Cream

• 1 cup low-fat sour cream
• 4 tsp freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 1 jalepeno, finely minced (I subbed this out for a handful of chopped fresh cilantro)

Combine ingredients and serve with cakes.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Serves: 4

Garlic-Cilantro-Lime Grilled Chicken and Shrimp

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/2 inch thick
• 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined (fresh works best for this dish)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 limes
• 4 tbsp honey
• 6 tbsp olive oil

Separate marinade ingredients in half (except for the limes - 2 for the chicken, 1 for the shrimp). In 2 Ziploc bags, add all marinade ingredients, and squeeze around in the bags to combine them well. Squeeze in lime juice (again, 2 limes for chicken and 1 for shrimp). Add chicken and shrimp to their respective bags and squeeze all the air out of the bags before closing. Work the marinade around the chicken and shrimp. Refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours (or even overnight).

Grill chicken for 10-12 minutes, flipping once after 8 minutes. Add shrimp to grill (metal or wooden skewers work great) during the last 2 minutes of cooking the chicken. Turn shrimp once. Serve with black bean cakes.

Active prep time: 10 minutes

Inactive prep time: 8-10 hours

Cook time: 10-12 minutes

Serves: 2

Mexican rice and updated pics of an older post

Rice has NEVER been my thing. Growing up, it was white rice. Maybe with a little butter or some chicken gravy on top if roast chicken was on the menu that night. But that was it...just white rice. In my adult years, potatoes have been my thing. Roasted, baked, mashed, fries. So in an attempt to cut down on the calories and carbs in potatoes and maybe increase our whole grain intake, I've been working on my rice skills. Yes, I think it takes a little skill to make rice because after growing up with white rice, I now feel the need to spice it up a little, if you know what I mean. I've learned the most important thing to do with rice is to season it BEFORE it cooks or else it will NEVER be seasoned enough (thanks Mom!).

And with that said, tonight I made mexican rice to go along with my garlic-cilantro-lime grilled chicken panini (which is where the updated pictures come in).


Mexican Rice

• 1/2 cup Uncle Ben's brown rice
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp chili powder
• 2 - 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 - 3 tbsp chopped roasted red pepper

Cook rice according to package directions, using chicken broth in place of water, and adding cumin and chili powder before cooking. When rice is finished cooking, fluff with a fork, add cilantro and stir to combine.

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 10-12 minutes

Serves: 2