Vegetarian Quesadillas

Wrap it in a tortilla and put some cheese on it and it’s probably one of my favorite foods. Since I’ve been home on maternity leave, I’ve had to come up with something for lunch every day. I was getting tired of salads and sandwiches so I decided to rummage through the fridge to see what I could come up with for lunch. I saw some tortillas in the fridge but wasn’t sure if I had anything to go in them. Then I remembered I had a bag of  peppers and onions in the freezer and I also had some mushrooms in the fridge. So from that came the inspiration for my vegetarian quesadilla lunch. It was super delicious and a great change from my usual lunch foods. Not to mention it was really quick to make while the baby was sleeping! I even had time left to eat it. : )

Vegetarian Quesadillas

1 cup thinly sliced bell peppers (any color)
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
cooking spray
1/2 cup mexican blend cheese, shredded
2 10″ tortillas

Heat a pan over medium heat and spray with non-stick spray. Add veggies and saute until soft, about 10 minutes.  Remove veggies from the pan and place in a bowl. With a damp paper towel wipe out the pan. Spray again with non-stick spray and place one tortilla in the pan. Add 1/2 the cheese and then the sauted veggies on top. Add the other 1/2 of the cheese and top with another tortilla. Allow the tortilla to cook 3-5 minutes. Then carefully flip the quesadilla and allow the other side to cook 3-5 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese is melted. Cut into triangles and serve with sour cream.

Makes 1 large quesadilla.

*Add any veggies you like to this vegetarian quesadilla.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

Wow, it’s been over a month since I last updated my blog! I really have been cooking people, I promise. But being almost 6 months pregnant now, dinner is almost always fast and has pretty much been things that are already in my blog. This was also a quick and easy dinner but I thought I’d post it anyway. I’ve been trying to use up things in my freezer and pantry and this was the perfect answer for dinner a couple nights ago.

On another note, I am very excited that the weather in Alabama is finally starting to warm up and thanks to daylight savings time it’s not dark when I get home every day! So look for lots of grilling posts in the coming weeks now that I have more daylight in the evenings. As I have said before, my husband is not a cook but he LOVES to grill so I’m sure we’ll be doing a lot of that soon. I bought him a couple of grilling cookbooks for Christmas and I’m dying for us to try out some of the recipes.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips (they cook more quickly than whole breasts)
2 Tbsp chipotle seasoning (I used Pampered Chef)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 large onion, diced
1/4 cup prepared salsa

Begin by marinating the chicken in the olive oil, chipotle seasoning, and garlic. Toss to coat chicken and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cook the chicken in a skillet with a little more olive oil until done, set aside and shred when cooled. (I use the food processor to shred chicken because it’s so quick! Just pulse until shredded.) In the same skillet add the onions and cook 3-5 minutes, or until they start to become translucent. Add the shredded chicken back to the skillet and stir in salsa. Let heat through. Serve on warm tortillas with lettuce, tomato, cheese, extra salsa, and sour cream.

Mexican Casserole

I am in love with Mexican food. I think it’s probably my favorite type of cuisine. It’s saucy, spicy, and most of the time cheesy. What could be better? Another thing is that it’s normally pretty quick and easy to make. This dish combines all the things I love about Mexican food. It’s spicy, saucy, cheesy and easy! The hubby loved it too so I’ll definitely be making this again. And another plus is that there is plenty leftover for lunches. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow.

Mexican Casserole

1 lb lean ground turkey

1/2 an onion, diced

1/2 cup corn kernels (canned or frozen)

1 bag Mintute rice (I used brown)

1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own-see recipe below)

10 oz can diced tomatoes with chilies

14 oz can enchilada sauce (small can)

shredded mexican cheese

6- 8″ tortillas (I used flour but corn would work also)

Preheat oven to 375. Begin by sauteing the onion in a little olive oil until it begins to soften, about 4-5 minutes. Add the ground turkey to the pan. While the turkey is browning, cook the rice according to the package directions and set aside. Once the turkey is browned, drain any fat or liquid from the pan. Add the corn kernels, taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water. Stir to combine. Add the rice and stir. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Add 1/2 the can of enchilada sauce to the bottom of the pan. Next, make a layer with two tortillas. They should overlap a little. Add a layer of the ground turkey mixture and then 1/2 the can of diced tomatoes with chilies. Add a thin layer of shredded cheese. Add two more tortillas and repeat the layers, ending with a layer of tortillas. Top with the additional enchilada sauce and cheese. Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and allow to cook an additional 5-10 minutes. Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Here’s how to make your own taco seasoning.

Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp each)

Combine all ingredients.

Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas

Here’s another terrific recipe that I snagged from another food blog, Annie’s Eats. I have gotten several great recipes from this blog. What can I say, the girl knows good food! And as I expected, this recipe definitely didn’t disappoint. What’s even better is it uses ingredients that I almost always have on hand; chicken, spinach, and tortillas. I also made some simple black beans to go along with my quesadilla tonight. I seasoned them with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. This meal also gave me a reason to pull out this amazing salsa that I bought while we were in Houston, TX last month. It’s not your traditional tomato based salsa and is made only of fire roasted peppers. And it is HOT! A little of this stuff goes a long way. It went so well with these delicious quesadillas.

Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 tbsp. lime juice

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

fajita seasoning, to taste

1 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for brushing

3-4 oz. button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

1 cup packed fresh spinach

3-4 flour tortillas

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

Combine the lime juice, vegetable oil, red pepper flakes and garlic in a plastic bag. Seal and shake well to combine. Add the chicken breast to the bag and allow to marinate at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

Place the chicken in a nonstick skillet and sprinkle to taste with fajita seasoning. Cook on medium-high heat until cooked through. Cut into small pieces and set aside. In the same skillet, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and spinach and sauté just until the spinach is wilted, about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Brush a grill pan with olive oil and heat to medium/medium-high heat. Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas, spooning it onto half of each tortilla and leaving a border uncovered near the edge. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Fold the tortillas in half over the chicken mixture to enclose loosely. Place on grill pan and cook until dark grill marks have formed on one side of the tortilla. Flip over and repeat to achieve grill marks on both sides. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. Serve as desired with sour cream, salsa and guacamole.

Source: adapted from Williams Sonoma

Dave’s Pepper Palace Five Amigos Salsa

Girls’ Night

My sister came up for the weekend to hang out and do some shopping. Knowing that Mexican food is her favorite type of food, I decide to make some chicken tacos for dinner the other night. We totally pigged out on chips and salsa and had a lot of fun just laughing and talking. The tacos turned out really good and I made some simple black beans to go along with them. It was such a fun night just hanging out with my sis.

Chicken Tacos

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1/2 an onion, chopped
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
3/4 cup water or chicken broth
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 flour tortillas

Begin by sauteeing the onion in a skillet with the olive oil for about 3-5 min. Next, add the cooked chicken and taco seasoning. Add the broth or water and stir. Let heat through about 5 minutes. Serve on warmed tortillas with your favorite toppings (lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa, sour cream, beans etc)

Chicken Enchiladas with Chili Gravy

I finally got around to making enchiladas tonight. This is actually the first time I’ve made them and they turned out very good. I’ve had a recipe for chili gravy saved for a long time now and decided to use that as the sauce for the enchiladas. I have no clue where I got the recipe, but I think it was from someone’s blog. If anyone knows whose it could be, please let me know! Anyway, we had these tonight with seasoned brown rice. It was all very delicious, although not very healthy.

Chicken Enchiladas

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 a green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chili gravy (recipe follows)
4 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. 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

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

Method:
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.
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. Add water to adjust the thickness. Makes 2 cups.

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.

Original Source: Homesick Texan
(I finally found out where this recipe came from!)

Taco Salad Bowls

Tonight’s dinner needed to be simple. We had some errands to run after work so I thought I’d keep dinner short and sweet. Or I guess I should say spicy! Taco salad is always a fast and yummy meal. Typically I serve crumbled tortilla chips on top of the salad greens, spicy taco meat, and cheese but tonight I made it a little different. I’ve been seeing these taco bowls on lots of food blogs lately and it occurred to me that I had never made it that way before. I think the crunchy tortilla bowl makes this common salad even better. We had this tonight with mexican rice.

Taco Salad Bowls

1/2 lb lean ground beef or turkey
2 cups lettuce or enough for 2 salads
1/2 cup chopped tomato (I used sliced grape tomatoes)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cheddar or mexican cheese
taco seasoning (recipe to follow)
1/2 cup water or beef broth
2 10″ tortillas
cooking spray

Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp each)

Combine all ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make two balls out of aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. (You could also use ramekins.) Place tortillas over aluminum foil balls and spray with cooking spray. These should bake for about 10 min or until brown. Meanwhile, heat a skillet on the stove. Add chopped onion and ground beef. Cook until beef is done and drain. Add taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water or beef broth. Stir to combine. Let this cook another couple minutes to heat through. Place salad greens in the taco shell. Top with beef, cheese, tomatoes and all your favorite toppings. Other toppings that would be good are black beans, corn, salsa, or sour cream.

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

I saw this recipe on Cooking Light a few weeks ago and it looked so good to me. But as soon as I read “zucchini” my first thought was “my husband won’t eat it.” He’s not a vegetable person at all. If it’s not a potato or corn he probably doesn’t want it. I decided to make it anyway, hoping he would like it. After all, zucchini is such a mild tasting vegetable. When dinner was ready tonight, my husband’s first question was “what’s in it?” When I started rattling off ingredients, he automatically gave me a look when I said zucchini, as I expected. But he gave it a try and said he actually liked it even though he thought he wouldn’t. That just goes to show you should always try something before assuming you don’t like it. I happened to love this recipe. It was easy and a very tasty combination of flavors. It’s a keeper for me!

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

Ingredients

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil (I used olive oil)
12 ounces chicken breast tenders
1 cup chopped red onion (about 1)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
1 cup chopped zucchini (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup green salsa (I used 1/2 cup red salsa)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided (Omitted, not a fan of cilantro)
4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas (I used 2 10″ tortillas)
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used mexican cheese)

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Yield

4 servings

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Nutritional Information

CALORIES 398(30% from fat); FAT 13.1g (sat 5.9g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 32.5g; CHOLESTEROL 75mg; CALCIUM 236mg; SODIUM 799mg; FIBER 3.1g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 36.7g

Original Source: Cooking Light

Spicy Shrimp Tacos

A few years ago when we were in New Orleans, Louisiana, we had the best shrimp tacos at this little restaurant in the French Quarter. It was spicy, blackened shrimp and rice inside a tortilla with salsa, lettuce and tomato. Well tonight I made my version of a spicy shrimp taco. I didn’t have any blackening seasoning so instead I “kicked it up a notch” with Emeril’s Bayou Blast .
It’s a quick meal that’s great for summer since you don’t have to heat up your whole kitchen by turning on your oven. They turned out really great!

Spicy Shrimp Tacos for 2

1/2 lb small frozen shrimp-defrosted and tails removed (you could also use fresh)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 white onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Emeril’s Bayou Blast
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
4 tortillas
1 bag white or brown Minute Rice
1/4 cup chicken broth

Cook rice as directed on the package and set aside. Heat olive oil in a skillet over med/hi heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 min. Add shrimp and Bayou Blast seasoning, tossing with shrimp to coat. Cook 3-5 min or until shrimp are pink and heated through. Add chicken broth to deglaze the pan and also to add moisture so the rice doesn’t dry out. Add cooked rice to the pan. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine all ingredients.

Serve on warm tortillas with salsa, lettuce, or your favorite taco ingredients.

*You may want to taste the rice when it’s combined with the shrimp to be sure it has enough spice for your taste.

Fajitas!

I don’t know why but I’ve been exhausted every afternoon this week so I’ve been putting the least amount of effort possbile into making dinner. So tonight I turned to one of the easiest one pot meals. Fajitas! This is one of my favorites because it’s simple, tasty, and has few ingredients. It’s a great time saver too since it only takes about 20 min to prepare. It’s a little different than traditional fajitas since it’s more sweet than spicy but they are oh so good!

Fajitas

2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 large onion, sliced into thin strips
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Lawry’s teriyaki marinade

Place chicken, bell pepper, onion, and garlic in a bowl. Pour marinade over the ingredients and toss to coat. Refridgerate for about an hour or all day if you have time to prepare in the morning. Heat a skillet over med/hi heat. Remove chicken, peppers, and onion from the marinade and add to the pan. Cook until chicken is done and peppers and onions are softened. Serve on warm tortillas with your favorite toppings (salsa, cheese, tomato, lettuce, etc) These would be great served with rice or a corn and black bean salad.