Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Source: http://www.seededatthetable.com/2010/02/22/baked-creamy-chicken-taquitos/

Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 block), softened (if you are thinking "to hell with the calories" then use a whole block-I've had them both ways, either way is delicious)
1/4 cup green salsa (there weren't any tomatillas in my grocery store so I just bought a jar of green salsa)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp sliced green onions
chopped jalapeno (optional-if you want more heat)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (2 breasts)
1 cup shredded cheese (I did a mix of cheddar and mozza)
small flour or corn tortillas (10)
kosher salt
cooking spray or oil

your garnish of choice (I mashed an avocado and mixed it with more green salsa)


Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic.  Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions (and jalapeno).  Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.

Microwave tortillas for a couple minutes to soften them up.

Spoon 2-3 tbsp of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla.  Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.

Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone.  Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other.  Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt (or you can drizzle with oil then sprinkle salt).

Bake 15-20 minutes or until crisp (on MIDDLE rack, not bottom).

Serve with salsa, sour cream, guacamole or whatever you want.

Note: I stuffed mine more than this recipe suggests because I only had 8 tortillas.  They were also medium tortillas, not small. Entree size.

Huevos Rancheros

I LOVE eggs and beans.  Love love love! This is my version of huevos rancheros ("ranch eggs").

Ingredients:

tortillas (I used small corn tortillas)
shredded cheese
eggs
refried beans (I use THIS recipe)
pico de gallo:
     tomatoes
     red onion
     cilantro
     lime
     salt

Directions:

Make pico de gallo: chop tomatoes, add as much chopped onion and cilantro as you like.  Add lime and salt to taste.

Set oven on broil (high).  Put oven safe pan over medium high heat with a little oil.  Put tortilla in heated oil and wait a minute or two then flip it over.  Sprinkle some shredded cheese (I just used white cheddar) on the tortilla...you can try to keep to the edges so when you crack your egg it had a bit of a barrier.  Turn down the heat a bit.  Crack an egg on the tortilla.  Then place pan under the broiler and keep it there until your egg is at the doneness you desire. 

Transfer egg/tortilla to plate.  Top with salsa and serve beans on the side.  DELICIOUS!

Tex-Mex Quinoa Stuffed Avocado

I got this recipe from HERE and it's called Spicy Quinoa Stuffed Avocado...but I'm not sure why.  It's not spicy.  So I changed the name.  A great vegan recipe- I even tried making the vegan sour cream topping as well and it turned out great.  My sister was visiting and ate most of the leftovers.  I'm usually not into things masquerading as dairy or meat but I wanted to try making this just for kicks.  Turned out good.  If you're not dairy free, I wouldn't bother.  But if you are, this (the vegan sour cream topping) is a great recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 can black beans, rinsed
1/2 chopped red pepper
1/2 cup corn
1/4-1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro + some for garnish
1 tbsp taco seasoning (you can use some from a packet or if you want to make your own, I like THIS recipe)
1 avocado per person

Cilantro "Sour Cream":
1 cup cashews soaked for AT LEAST 2 hours
2 tbsp cilantro
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
dash of salt
(you can play with the ingredients till it tastes the way you want)

Directions:

Chop the red onion, red pepper and cilantro and add all the ingredients, minus the quinoa, in a bowl and mix well with the taco seasoning. Once the quinoa is cooked and has cooled, add it to the vegetable mixture.

Put the mixture in the refrigerator to cool.

Drain the cashews and place them in a blender. Add ¼ cup water, apple cider vinegar, and salt and blend. You may want to add more water until the mixture is silky and smooth but I recommend doing so a little at a time. Once the consistency you want, pour into a bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool.

To assemble the avocados, begin by cutting them in half, removing the skin and the pit. I also scooped out part of the avocado to make a little room for more stuffing.

Scoop as much of the quinoa mixture into each avocado as you can fit.

Finish with a little cilantro ‘sour cream’ and some chopped cilantro and serve.

(I had leftover quinoa salad after making a bunch of these.  I just ate it for lunch the next day.)

Asian Noodle Salad

Almost all of our January meals so far have been meat free and a lot have been vegan or really close to vegan.  Our family needed a veggie cleanse after the holidays.  So I've been trying some new recipes that fall into that category.  This recipe comes from the Pioneer Woman.  Lots of prep but a great make a head meal.

Source: Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

Salad:
1 pkg linguine or spaghettini noodles, cooked, rinsed and cooled (I used a small pack..I think it's the 400ish gram one)
1/2 head sliced napa cabbage
1/2 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 bag baby spinach (or as much as you want)
1 whole red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 whole yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 whole orange bell pepper, sliced thin
1 bag bean sprouts
loosely chopped cilantro (up to 1 bunch)
3 whole scallions, sliced
1 cup who cashews, lightly toasted in skillet (I forgot this in the cupboard but the salad was still great)

Dressing:
1 whole lime, juiced
8 tbsp olive oil
8 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil (I omitted this because I don't like sesame)
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole hot peppers, chopped finely
chopped cilantro


Directions:

Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter.

Note: dressing keeps for up to three days before serving, without cilantro.

White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn with a Dark Chocolate Drizzle

The book club I belong to had their Christmas social after Christmas so I tried a couple new recipes with my leftover Christmas ingredients.  This was particularly tasty, I thought.

Source: SkipToMyLou AND OurBestBites

Ingredients:

2 c white chocolate
1 c crushed candy canes (about 12 candy canes)
20 c popped popcorn (about 1/2 c popcorn kernels -add a touch of salt after popped if air popping)
3/4 c semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Pop your popcorn and add a touch of salt after popped (if it's not already salted).

Crush your candy canes (food processor, mallet, whatever).

Melt your white chocolate then mix with 1/2 of the crushed candy canes.  Toss with popcorn and lay out the popcorn flat on parchment paper.  Sprinkle rest of candy canes over top. 

Allow coating to harden then drizzle the popcorn with the melted dark chocolate.  Let that harden.  Then break up, put in a bowl and enjoy!