Black Bean Enchiladas

I found this recipe on Annie Eats and modified it a little. Here is my adapted recipe.

Black Bean Enchiladas

For Black Bean filling:

2 cans organic black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. EVOO
1/4 c. chopped onions (I am not an onion person)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. corn kernels (I wanted to use the whole can)
1 c. pico de Gallo (recipe below)
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 c . Reduced Fat Mexican Cheese

For the enchiladas:

Black Bean filling (from above)
6-8 Whole Wheat tortillas
Enchilada sauce (recipe below)

Directions:
To make the black bean filling, place the black beans in a medium sized mixing bowl. Partially mash the beans. In a medium sized skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes. Mix beans, corn, pico de Gallo, cumin, and chili powder into the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat, mix in cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.

Grease a 9×13” baking dish. Preheat oven to 350°. To make the enchiladas, spoon some of the black bean mixture down the center of a tortilla. Fold sides over the filling and roll up. Place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour sauce over the tops of the enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and bake 2-3 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Recipe for Pico de Gallo (adapted from Proceed with Caution):

5 plum tomatoes, diced
6-oz. of pickled jalapenos (I didn't use the whole can, I thought it might be too hot for us.)
1/4 of a sweet onion (Again, not an onion person.)
1 to 1.5 c fresh cilantro
1 to 2 avocados
juice of 4 limes

Combine all ingredients except avocado and lime juice in a large bowl and refrigerate at least one hour. Dice avocado(s) and add to the bowl, along with the lime juice. Toss together and let sit for 15 minutes.

Also in an attempt to be more healthy I made my own enchilada sauce. I got the recipe from here. Of course I modified it a little, trying to be more healthy.

Easy Enchilada Sauce

3 tsp. EVOO
1 tbsp. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. chili powder
2 c. organic vegetable stock
10-oz. tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin

Directions:
In a medium saucepan heat oil, add flour, smoothing and stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook for 30 seconds. Add stock, tomato paste, oregano, and cumin. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken and smooth out. Adjust the seasonings. Serve atop your favorite enchiladas.

S'more Bars

These are SO good! I've made them for several occasions recently and they've been a big hit - Taken from September 2009 Family Circle magazine

Crust:
14 whole graham cracker boards, crushed (2 1/4 cup crumbs) I put them in a gallon ziploc bag and go over them with a rolling pin to crush
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Brownie:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping:
1 jar (7.5 ounces) marshmallow cream (about 1 1/2 cups) I've only found a 7 oz jar and it's worked fine
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup Hershey's mini chocolate Kisses
3 whole graham cracker boards, broken up

1. Crust: Combine cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and butter in a bowl until evenly moistened. Transfer to a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; press evenly into bottom. Refrigerate 1 hour until set.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Brownie: Combine chocolate and butter in a glass bowl. Heat in microwave on HIGH until chocolate and butter are melted, about 1 minute. Stir mixture until smooth.

4. Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until blended. While beating, gradually add chocolate mixture to egg mixture; beat until smooth.

5. Stir in flour and salt. Add vanilla. Pour evenly over crust.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until center is set.

7. Topping: While brownie layer is baking, whisk marshmallow cream a;nd milk in a small bowl until well blended and smooth. Remove brownie from oven; cover with marshmallow topping. Spread or tilt pan to level topping and completely cover brownie layer.

8. Sprinkle mini Kisses evenly over marshmallow. Scatter crumbled graham crackers over the top.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 3 more minutes or until chocolate Kisses are glossy and marshmallow topping is set. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars; remove from pan.

Evelyn's Favorite Pasta

Taken from Proceed with Caution

I made this last week for DH and myself. It was so good. It is taken from a Cheesecake Factory entree. I am also trying to incorporated Clean Eating recipes into our diet. Find out more about Clean Eating here.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced, pressed or grated
salt and pepper
2 chinese eggplant
1 large head broccoli
1 can artichoke hearts, halved or quartered
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (choose low fat to make it clean)
1/3 cup prepared pesto8-12 ounces penne pasta (choose whole wheat or multigrain (we like Barilla Plus) to make it clean)
handful of fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade

Directions:Remove the ends from the eggplant. Slice the long way, in thirds, and lay on a cutting board. Salt cut sides of eggplant very well, cover with paper towel and then another cutting board. Place a weight on top of the board. Let stand for 30 minutes, then rinse the eggplant well and cut into 2 inch long pieces.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. When the eggplant is ready and chopped, place in a large bowl. Add chopped broccoli, artichokes, and tomatoes. Combine garlic and olive oil in a small bowl with about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; mix well. Add olive oil mixture to the vegetables and toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with olive oil. Roast vegetables for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, start heating water for the pasta in a large stock pot. Heat a small saute pan over medium heat, and add the pine nuts. Heat for a few minutes, tossing frequently, until nuts are lightly toasted, then set aside the nuts. When the pasta water has come to a boil, salt generously and add the pasta. Cook according the time instructed on the box.

When pasta is done, drain and add to a large bowl. Add roasted vegetables, kalamatas, cheese, pesto, and toss to combine. Serve and garnish with toasted pine nuts and basil.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I've had this at a friends house many times, and made it myself for the first time earlier this week. It was AMAZING. I really enjoyed it, and so did Brian! :)

INGREDIENTS:
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
1 cup white hominy
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
crushed tortilla chips
sliced avocado
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
chopped green onions

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

Chicken And Stuffing

Got this recipe from my cousin's MIL. She kind of does things her own way, so, some things don't have measurements. Just use your own judgement...I did. But when using the spices, remember that the stuffing will have seasoning in it as well...don't overseason the chicken broth.

Ingredients:

4 to 6 boneless chicken half breasts (about 3 - 4 cups of cooked chicken)
1 Medium Onion, diced
Seasoning Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Oregano and Celery Seed to taste
2 Cans of Chicken Broth (or 3 - 4 cups of water)
Approximately 14 oz. of Stuffing (Stove Top, Peppridge Farm, etc...This is another thing where you just add the stuffing to your tastes.)
2 Cans of Cream of Celery Soup (you can substitute any creamed soup you have on hand. I used one can of cream of celery, one can of cream of chicken)
2/3 Cup of Milk
1 and 1/3 cups of Mayonnaise (don't use Lite Mayo)
2 Cups of Cheese (Cheddar or Mozzarella work best)


Cook the chicken in the chicken broth, onion and seasonings.
After chicken is cooked and then cooled, cut it into cubes.
Toss the chicken and stuffing together in a lightly greased 2 quart casserole dish.
Mix in the soup, milk and mayo and fold thoroughly. The mixture will be very moist.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.
Top with cheese the last 10 minutes.

**This freezes well too. Prepare the casserole without baking and then freeze it (Don't add the cheese though!). Do not thaw before baking. Once ready to eat, put tin foil covered, unbaked casserole in the oven for one hour. Uncover and cook for 30 more minutes. When fully cooked, add the cheese and cook for 10 more minutes.**

Not exactly the healthiest casserole, but we certainly don't plan on making it a weekly staple. It does taste really good though.

Caribbean-Spiced Roast Chicken

I was looking for a quick way to make some chicken tonight and I found this. I fried it instead of baking it but it was AMAZING! It only took me about 10 minutes to fry it, I also only had 2 chicken breasts instead of a whole one! Definitely something I'll be making again.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 2 fluid ounces rum
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
* 1 (3 pound) whole chicken
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, rum, and brown sugar; set aside. Mix together the cayenne pepper, clove, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, salt, and thyme leaves. Brush the chicken with oil, then coat with the spice mixture.
3. Place in a roasting pan, and bake about 90 minutes, until the juices run clear or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F. Baste the chicken with the sauce every 20 minutes while it's cooking. Allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Delicious Arroz Con Pollo

Arroz con Pollo

1 (3 to 4-pound) chicken, cut in 8 serving pieces
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cups chicken broth, homemade or canned low-sodium broth
1 cup light beer, such as lager
3 tablespoons Delicioso Adobo, **recipe follows
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 cups white rice
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 medium carrots, finely diced
8 ounces green beans, trimmed and quartered
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, ribbed and thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, ribbed and thinly sliced
1 cup pimento stuffed olives *optional*

Place the chicken, quartered onions, 1 cup of chicken broth, beer, Delicioso Adobo, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 of the cilantro, and garlic in a large pot or skillet over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool; once cool shred and set aside. Strain the broth into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve discarding the onion pieces.
Pour the broth into a measuring cup and add water to make 4 cups of liquid. Return it to the pot or skillet and add the rice, peas, carrots, green beans, ketchup, and salt. Stir well and bring to a boil. Let the liquid evaporate to just below the level of the rice, about 10 minutes, and then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and fully cooked, 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the peppers and the remaining sliced onions and cook until they're tender, 8 minutes. Shred the cooked chicken meat discarding the skin and bones, and add the chicken to the vegetables. Cook until it is heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and add the chicken and vegetables to the rice mixture. Stir in the olives, sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve.

Delicioso Adobo:
1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder or flakes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon achiote powder*
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
Combine all measured ingredients in a small glass jar with an airtight lid and shake to blend. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks.

Note: This recipe for adobo is a staple seasoning for many of my Latin recipes. You can make a large batch, store it in an airtight container and use it as a flavor enhancer in your favorite dishes.

*Achiote is also known as Annatto seeds
Yield: about 1/2 cup