Mexican Chicken and Corn Chowder

Of course I forgot to take a picture of this, but I made this soup last night and wanted to post on here.  Next time I make it, I will add a photo.  It is really easy and really good!

Mexican Chicken and Corn Chowder

1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
3 Tbs. butter
1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cubed
1 cup water
2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 pt. half and half
16 oz. creamed corn
4 oz. green chiles with juice
1 cup mont. jack cheese

Cook onion and garlic in butter until tender.  Add chicken, water, bouillon, cumin.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and cover, simmer 15 minutes.  Add half and half, corn, chiles, cheese.  Cook and stir until cheese is melted.

**  When I make it,I actually put chili powder on my chicken and grill it, cut it up, and throw everything in the crock pot.  I added the cheese and half and half at the very end. **

Bake 52: Week 4

Week 4...Light Cheesecake!

I was excited for this recipe because...well, let's be honest... I pretty much love any dessert there is.  I do like cheesecake and was excited to try a lighter version. This was a time consuming recipe - long baking time, cooling time, then cooling in the fridge time, then sitting out of the fridge before cutting.  However actually making the recipe was fairly easy (especially when finding out greek yogurt is used as yogurt cheese!)
This cheesecake was excellent!  It was very creamy and rich, didn't taste like a light recipe at all.  The whole family loved it! We even cut the bottom crust off of a piece so my husband could have some.  The strawberry topping was perfect - the flavors complimented each other so well!
Visit Talesha's blog for the recipe!

Salsa

The first time I ever made homemade salsa was over Christmas break  - and this is my fourth batch since then! I can't get enough of this stuff!  I got the recipe from Deals to Meals, it's their copycat recipe for Chili's Salsa.  My husband and I never agree on the amount of spice - he likes it really spicy, I don't.  However, this salsa is the perfect in-between.  Spicy, but not too much. We both LOVE it!  I just keep trying to think of new things to eat salsa on!

It is super easy to make - you just throw everything in the blender and blend until your desired consistency (more or less chunky).

 Chili's Copycat Salsa Recipe
       (I always double this recipe)

2 cans whole tomatoes, drained
1small can jalapenos (not pickled)
   about 4-5 or less to decrease spiciness
1/4 cup yellow onion, cut into quarters
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. lime juice
* I like to add cilantro to it - just because I really like cilantro

Place all ingredients into blender or food processor until
smooth (or desired consistency).  Keep refrigerated.

Bake 52: Week 3

 This week's recipe...BOSTON CREAM CUPCAKES!

As soon as I got this cookbook, I marked this page.  These cupcakes look so delicious.  And they were not disappointing.  Sometimes you just have to splurge and eat something that is horribly unhealthy...but well worth it!  The cupcakes themselves were moist and had THE BEST flavor (I'm sure the heavy whipping cream in the batter didn't hurt, right?).  The pastry cream was amazing.  The chocolate glaze was a little bitter, but combined with the custard and cupcake, the taste blended together and I loved it! (Though I would LOVE to try it with milk chocolate...) YUM! My kids loved these too.  They were a little on the rich side, so my 4 and 6 year olds couldn't quite finish theirs, but my 8 year old ate 1 1/2 of them.  I would definitely love to make these again - when I can share with friends so I don't eat the whole batch!!
                                                       Check out Amanda's blog for the recipe!

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Pizza is a staple at our house.  After we were married, I had a hard time finding a quick and easy gluten free pizza crust.  I now have two recipes that are my go-to recipes when I need a quick dinner - these use simple ingredients and don't require any time to rise.  I always double the recipes and make it on a cookie sheet.

Bean Flour Pizza Crust - from Bette Hagman, The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy
(recipe shown below is already doubled)

1 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup milk or nondairy liquid
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well blended.  Pour onto a greased cookie sheet and spread around with spoon until even.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Spread on a pizza sauce and your favorite toppings and return to oven for about 10 minutes.

Pizza Crust - from Carol Fenster, Gluten-Free Celebrations
(recipe below is also doubled)
2 Tbs. active dry yeast
1 1/3 cup brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
4 tsp. xanthan gum (recipe works fine without this)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. unflavored gelatin powder
2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1 1/3 cup warm milk (cow, rice, soy)
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In medium mixer bowl using regular beaters (not dough hooks), blend yeast, flours, xanthan gum, salt, gelatin powder, and Italian seasonings on low speed.  Add warm milk, sugar, oil and vinegar.
2. Beat on high speed 2 minutes.  Dough will resemble soft bread dough.  Put mixture on greased cookie sheet and spread evenly.
3. Bake pizza crust 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Top crust with sauce and preferred toppings.  Bake another 20-25 minutes or until top is nicely brown.

Chicken Enchiladas

  I got the recipe for these enchiladas out of The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.  It recommended using their recipe for homemade enchilada sauce, which was really yummy.  I had quit making enchiladas because most canned enchilada sauces contain gluten, and I always thought doing it homemade would be too difficult.  This recipe was really simple and the enchiladas turned out really good.  I served them with Spanish Rice, Refried Beans and Fruit - successful dinner that everyone liked!

Chicken Enchiladas (Serves 6)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 to 3)
salt and pepper
2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (recipe below)
1 cup finely crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese (I used feta)
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6") soft corn tortillas
Vegetable oil spray
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Combine the chicken and enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, 10-15 minutes.  When the sauce is simmering, flip the chicken over, cover, and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred it into bite sized pieces when cool enough to handle.  Combine the chicken, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, feta, chiles, and cilantro in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover to keep warm while heating the tortillas.
4. Lightly coat both sides of the tortillas with vegetable oil spray.  Place 6 tortillas onto a baking sheet and bake until the tortillas are soft and pliable, 2-4 minutes. (*This is very important with the corn tortillas - otherwise they will be dry and will just crack and break when rolled - this made it SO easy!)
5. Working quickly while the tortillas are still warm and pliable, spread them out over a clean counter.  Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla.  Tightly roll each torilla around the filling and lay them, seam-side down, in a 9X13 inch baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
6. Pour 1 cup more sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the cheddar.  Cover the baking dish with aluminum  foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, about 10 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes longer.  Serve with the remaining sauce separately.


Red Enchilada Sauce (makes 2 1/2 cups)
1 tsp. canola oil
1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. sugar
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5minutes.  Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  stir in the tomato sauce and water, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake 52: Week 2

 
For the second week of Bake 52, the recipe was Bran Muffins.  I have to admit, I wasn't super excited to make these.  Even though I'm trying to eat healthier, bran muffins just don't appeal to me much.  I made them and was surprised at how thick the batter was.  Following the recipe, I filled the muffin tins very full, and was a little worried they would bake over the edges, but they really didn't rise much, so that worked out good.  The muffins were a lot more moist than I anticipated.  The recipe called for raisins.  I'm not a raisin fan, but put them anyway.  I wish I would have replaced with chocolate chips or just omitted them altogether.  My kids were excited to try my new baking recipe, but none of them ate more than a bite of the muffins.  I will probably never do this recipe again, but it was fun to try them and be able to say that I've actually baked bran muffins now!  For the recipe, check out Valerie's Blog!

Gluten Free Pie Crust

I thought I would go ahead and add my recipe for the gluten free pie crust that I used on my quiche.  This is actually a really easy one, and unlike a lot of GF recipes, you can actually roll this dough out!  I was so excited about that the first time I made it.

Pie Crust from Special Diet Solutions by Carol Fenster

1 1/4 c white rice flour

1 c tapioca flour (not starch)

1 T sugar

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t xanthan gum

1/2 t salt

1/2 c shortening

1/4 c butter or margarine

1/4 c milk

Place dry ingredients in food processor and process until texture of large bread crumbs.  Add milk and process until mixture forms ball.  If not, add water - 1T at a time - until mixture forms ball.  Remove from food processor.

Split dough into two balls, wrap each in saran wrap and let sit in fridge for an hour or more.

Roll half of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap.  

To place in 8-inch pie plate, remove one piece of plastic wrap and invert carefully onto plate, centering dough over plate.  Remove remaining plastic wrap and press into plate.  If dough is difficult to handle, press entire bottom crust in place with your fingers. 

Fill crust with filling of choice. Roll remaining dough between floured sheets of plastic wrap.  Invert onto filled crust, centering crust on pie plate.  Push and pinch dough to fold ridge around rim of pie plate.  Optional: Brush top crust with milk or combination of 1 beaten egg white and 1 T water.  Sprinkle with sugar if desired.

Bake as your pie filling recipe directs - but watch to avoid burning.

I usually end up using this as two separate pie crusts.

Bake 52: Week 1 - Cheese Quiche

 Yah!! Bake 52 has finally started - I am so excited to be a part of this this year!  The first  recipe up....

 QUICHE!

 

 I have never made quiche before. It turned out really good - the whole family liked it (which surprised me!).  I made my pie crust gluten free so that my husband could eat it and it worked out great.
I learned a great pie crust tip during this - in order to keep the crust from shrinking while baking, you par-bake it before filling with a double lining of foil (wrapped all around the edges so they don't burn) and fill it with baking weights or pennies. I used pennies and it really worked great - the crust held it's exact shape and stayed against the pie pan.  

The quiche filling was very simple to make.  Next time I make it I will add more ingredients - maybe ham, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes....but it was great! I'm glad I learned how to do this! It was a lot easier than I expected it to be and I'm so glad it actually turned out!
Check out the recipe as well as an easy pie crust recipe on Clare's Blog.

Meatloaf

I am not a huge fan of meatloaf, but I actually do like this recipe. 

Meatloaf:
2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
1 cup cornflakes, crushed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. parsley, minced

Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare sauce in bowl and set aside.
Combine meatloaf ingredients with hands until well mixed.  Work 1/2 of the sauce into the meat. Place meatloaf in pan (I use 9X13 but you can also use a loaf pan) and shape.  Pour remaining sauce on top and bake 40-60 minutes, until center is cooked.

Before Baking

Pavlova

I first had Pavlova in England.  I instantly loved it and a few years ago came across a recipe for it.  This is one of my family's very favorite desserts.  The crust is light, flaky and chewey - it is a unique texture.  It is especially good in the summer when you have the choice of lots of fresh berries, mangoes, kiwi, etc.  We made this for Christmas Eve and I did a healthier version for the topping - I will post both options below.

Pavlova
4 egg white
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 225.  Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in bowl with electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes.  Gradually add sugar and beat on high until stiff peaks form. (you cannot overbeat)

Spoon mixture onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (or sprayed foil).  Using a large spoon, make a 10" circle of meringue.  Even out and bake for 90 minutes.  Cool completely.

Regular Topping
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup cool whip

Beat together and allow to sit in fridge to set up, then spread over pavlova crust and top with fresh fruit.

Healthy Topping
1 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
1/2 cup sugar free strawberry or raspberry preserves
Stir together and top with fresh fruit
This topping is more mild - but is still really good!

Easy Lettuce Wraps

I love these easy lettuce wraps.  I like to make sticky rice and put in the lettuce first, it makes it more feeling and I like the texture it adds, but that step is optional.

Lettuce Wraps

1 Tbs. Oil
1 lb. chicken cut into pieces, ground beef, or ground turkey
1 can water chestnuts
1 can bamboo shoots

1 can mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
Cook your meat, onions, and garlic in the oil. While it's cooking drain and chop the water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms (I chop them very fine in a food processor). When the meat is done cooking add this mixture in and cook a few minutes more.
Then add:
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
When mixture is hot, serve in large romaine or iceberg lettuce leaves and top with sweet chile sauce.

* I usually double this meat mixture and save half to make spring rolls the next night*