{EwE} Cinco de Mayo!

Tomorrow is May 5th.  To most of us that doesn’t mean anything but in Mexico it commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over the French forces of Napoleon III on May 5, 1862, at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). Mexico had trouble paying back war debts to European countries, and France had come to Mexico to collect that debt.

For us in the US it is a time to enjoy Mexican food and drink.  And if you are a fan of Ellie Krieger then celebrating in a healthy way is easy.

I made these in 2015 and they were good so I decided to make them again. Also making them again because we have been cooking with Ellie for so long that some themes are getting low on recipes.

Lots of flavor, lots of veggies, lots of meats and totally Whole30 compliant.  Yes, I’m still eating that way as much as possible which meant no tortillas and no cheese, and no sour cream.  I can live with that.  But if you want them with all that….

The recipe is on page 98 of Ellie’s Weeknight Wonders.

More Cinco de Mayo -> Eating with Ellie.

 

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{EwE} Mexican Madness!

For this week’s Eating with Ellie Gaye sent us to Mexico. Mexican Food!  Spicy! Flavorful! One of my faves!  And this time – healthy!  It is an Ellie Krieger recipe after all.

I chose Ellie’s Mexican  Chicken and Hominy Stew.  POSOLE!

Posole is a soupy stew usually made with pork and lots of seasoning – cumin, oregano – sometimes with beans.  Sometimes cheese.  Ellie’s is pretty ‘clean’ when it comes to ingredients.  No cheese.  No beans.  No cumin,  Made with chicken.  But, while many posoles take some time, this one is quick and easy because you use a roasted chicken – already cooked.  So you end up having to just throw the ingredients together – sorta – and let the flavors blend together.

This was pretty good, but I missed the cumin.  It would have added a lot without upping the calories, cholesterol, etc.  I was surprised Ellie left it out.  I look forward to making this again, with cumin.

The recipe is from Ellie’s newest book – You Have it Made – page 196.

For more Mexican flavors -> Eating with Ellie

 

{CC#13} Chicken Fajitas

Last night was fajita night.  We have enchilada night, taco night – Christmas Eve – Tamale night.  And each is only once or twice a year.  Not because any of them are hard but because usually we eat Mexican food out.

This is one recipe I have made a couple of times.  And it has been good every time.

Originally the fajitas were rather bland but I added some seasoning and they were much better – 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp garlic powder.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts , fat trimmed, sliced into 3/8 inch strips.
4 whole wheat tortillas

Marinate the chicken in

3 tbl Low sodium Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 Tbl fresh lime or lemon juice
1 Tbl water
1 tsp canola oil
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 tsp black pepper

Cut the chicken into strips.  Mix the marinade ingredients together in ziploc bag and add the chicken.  Make sure the chicken is well coated and chill for 20 minutes.  Squish the chicken around about 1/2 way through.

Filling:

1 large onion, 1/8″ slices
1 large green bell pepper {I used yellow, red, and orange}
I also used about 1 cup sliced mushrooms

Remove the chicken and discard the marinade.  In a large skillet sprayed with veggie oil spray {I used canola} over medium high heat cook the chicken for about 4 minutes stirring periodically.  Add the onion and pepper slices and cook 5 minutes.  Onions should be slightly browned and chicken done.  Stir constantly. Add in the seasonings right before serving.

Place 1/4 of the mixture on each warmed tortilla and roll up jelly-roll style.

240 calories

66 mg cholesterol

3.5 mg fat

The recipe is from Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook (American Heart Association) page 136.

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown 13 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).

 

{EwE} Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

Today is May 5th.  Cinco de Mayo.  The celebration to commemorate the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. While it is NOT the day of Mexican Independence it was was great victory leading up to it.

Kayte suggested we help celebrate with any Mexican dish from Ellie Krieger.

We have made quite a few Mexican style dishes from Ellie over the last year or so but there are still some left.  Like these Chili Tortilla Chips.  Super simple!  Cut some corn tortillas into wedges and toss wit Olive Oil, Chili, Cumin, Coriander, Garlic powder, and salt.  Then just bake for about 15 – 20 minutes. OLE’  

I think they needed just a tad more salt to bring out the flavor of the other spices.  And don’t eat them warm.  They will be chewy rather than crisp.

The recipe is from Ellie’s Comfort Food Fix (page 56).  Also HERE.

What else is on the menu for Cinco de Mayo?  Check with Eating with Ellie to find out.

 

{EWE} Taco Pizzas

Quick? Yes! Simple? Yes! Tasty? Yes, yes, yes!

Small corn tortillas covered with refried beans {well, not here, but in the recipe} topped with browned ground turkey,corn, green onions, lots of cheese and tons of flavor from the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and oregano. YES, PLEASE!!

This is definitely a repeat! Thanks, Kayte, for this one.

For more pizzas visit Eating with Ellie.

 

{EwE} Steak Fajitas

Fajitas became a regular part of our menu several years ago and I love finding new ways to make them. When Glennis chose this recipe for us this week I was excited to have just one more recipe for fajitas.

What the recipe calls for is steak, onion, red and yellow peppers, and garlic that is seasoned with generous amounts of cumin, coriander, and cayenne. ‘Nuff said. The recipe also called for lime {no, thanks}, avocado {DEFINITELY NO, thanks} and Greek Yogurt {not this time, thanks}. So I added some of OUR faves for fajitas:

…Fiesta cheese mix and ‘shrooms…

I changed the recipe just a tad to fit our tastes, did the others? Check out their posts from our Website – Eating with Ellie.

And if you liked to join us we are ONLY cooking from Weeknight Wonders right now and all the recipes are posted on the right. Just cook/bake blog and leave a comment. We’d like to see you at the table with us.

 

{SRC} Fake What? Nothing fake here!!

This week I met Amanda of Fake Ginger. She was my ‘assignment’ for July’s Secret Recipe Club. What is that, you say? THAT is a group of bakers/cooks/bloggers who get to explore and discover a new food blog every month through a blind pick and cook or bake from that blog. It is a GREAT way to find and meet new bloggers and discover new foods and techniques.

I had been to Amanda’s blog because I was initially drawn by the name – Fake Ginger – and then I stayed because of her food. So this month when she was my pick I finally got the motivation I needed to actually make something from her blog. I am so bad about reading and enjoying and not cooking from the blogs I find.

So many goodies, so litle time…..

Lets begin with…..

Tempura Fried Asparagus

It hasn’t been that long since I disovered I actually LIKE asparagus. My mom used to buy the canned stuff all the time and I could not even stay in the room because of the smell. But fresh asparagus is a totally different animal. So now I am on the look out for fresh asparagus recipes. I used them in pasta, in risotto, in casseroles, but I had never had the fried. Being a true Southern Belle, I had to try it. GLAD I did! SOOOOO good Even though I didn’t make the sauce.

4 cups vegetable oil
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup seltzer, at room temperature
1 pound asparagus

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until the temperature registers 375° on a deep-fry thermometer.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda. Whisk in the seltzer until smooth.
Add the asparagus to the batter and turn to coat. Transferring one piece at a time, add about one-quarter of the asparagus to the hot oil and cook, turning, until golden and crisp, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining asparagus, allowing the oil to return to 375° between batches. Serve hot with the dipping sauce.

1/4 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard and honey.

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I stayed with my Daughter and family last Thursday night. They work late every night and don’t have time to really cook except on the weekends so I made dinner for them.

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

This picture does not do the ooey gooey goodness of this recipe justice. The cheese just oozes from the enchilada tops and makes this incredibly tasty.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced {I did not use}
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cans (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas {I got 14 from the recipe}
salt and pepper to taste

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400F.
Heat olive oil over medium low heat. Saute onion {and jalapeno} in oil until the onion is translucent. Stir in garlic, chili power, 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.
Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the thickest part registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside to cool. Strain the sauce through a medium-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the onions to extract as much liquid as possible. Place onion mixture in a large bowl and set aside. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces. Add to the bowl along with the onion mixture. Add in 1/4 cup of your tomato sauce sauce, 1 cup cheddar cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine.
Stack the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40 to 60 seconds. Spread the warm tortillas out over a clean work surface. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla around the filling and lay them seam-side down in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar down the center of the enchiladas. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese browns, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I only wish I had doubled the sauce. While Amanda used only one can of tomato sauce I used two (as per the original recipe) and it still wasn’t enough. Next time….. Other than that, this was soooooo good!!

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There may be times when you don’t want to make a Birthday Cake. If that is the case, then this Ice Cream may be the solution to your problem. The cake is IN the Ice Cream. Not pieces of cake but some of the cake mix which thickens the ice cream and gives it the cake flavor. An easy alternative.

Birthday Cake Ice Cream

1 cup milk
1/2 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup yellow cake mix, sifted
2 tablespoons sprinkles

Whisk together milk, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, cream, and cake mix in a saucepan until well blended. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), stirring frequently. Remove from heat and place in the refrigerator or freezer until liquid is cold.

Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions until it reaches “soft-serve” consistency. Stir in sprinkles by hand into the mixture and transfer ice cream to a one- or two-quart lidded plastic container; cover surface with plastic wrap and seal. For best results, ice cream should ripen in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Not quite as good as a Birthday Cake with Frosting, but soooooo good!!!

You need to take time and visit Amanda and her yummy recipes. It will well worth the time – BELIEVE ME!!

AND if you want to have some cooking and baking fun come join the Secret Recipe Club.

 

August Avatar Fun – Rick Bayless

Mexican Food is one of our favorites when we eat out. I make it at home, but not often enough. Enchiladas, Tacos, [working up to tamales] but nothing fancy. This month Rick Bayless was our Avatar Chef – an idea of Nancy’s to do a different chef each month for our Twitter Avatars – for August. I wanted something quick and easy. And I found it.

Cheese and Mushroom Quesadillas: Quesadillas de Queso y Hongos

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin) or rich-tasting pork lard, plus a little more for the tortillas
* 1 pound button mushrooms (or other flavorful mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster, cremim, or chanterelles), cleaned and sliced 1/4-in-8h thick (about 4 cups)
* 2 to 3 serranos or 1 to 2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh epazote leaves or 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
* Salt
* 8 (6-inch) fresh corn tortillas (or flour tortillas if good corn tortillas are not available)
* 8 ounces Mexican melting cheese (quesillo, asader, or the like) or Monterey Jack or mild Cheddar, shredded (about 2 cups)
* About 1 cup salsa, store bought or home made

Directions
The mushroom filling:
In a medium skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons oil or lard over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, chiles, and epazote (if you’re using cilantro, set it aside to add later), stir well, and cover. Continue to stir every minute or so, replacing the cover each time, until the mushrooms have released a lot of juice, 4 to 5 minutes. Uncover, and let briskly simmer until all the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/4 teaspoon. Add the cilantro now, if that’s what you’re using.

Forming and griddle-baking the quesadillas:
Heat a well-seasoned or nonstick griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat. Turn the oven on to its lowest setting. One by one, make the quesadillas: Lightly brush 1 side of each tortilla with oil, then lay it oiled side down on the hot griddle. Spread with about 1/4 cup of the cheese, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the mushroom mixture down the center of the cheese-covered tortilla. When the cheese begins to melt (but before the tortilla begins to crisp), fold the tortilla in half along the line of the filling. Cook, flipping the quesadilla every minute or so, until the cheese is completely melted and the tortilla crisps, about 5 minutes in all. As each quesadilla is done, transfer it to a baking sheet and keep in a warm oven.>{Recipe courtesy Rick Bayless; From Mexico: One Plate at a Time, Scribner 2000.}

These were so easy and so good. I did leave out the out peppers. I like spicy, but a fan of hot.

This months chef was chosen by Jovonn. If you are on Twitter, you will see all the different avatars. I know the recipes are on their webpages. It’s a whole new Treasure Hunt!!

 

Tacoritos – Easy TexMex

We have been eating a lot of chicken lately. And a lot of hamburger. To that end I am always in the market for new ways and easy and quick ways to fix said chicken and hamburger. I knew one day all those Taste of Home Mags would come in handy. From Feb/March 2010 I came across….

….Tacoritos

According to Monica Flatford who developed the recipe, this is a cross between a burito and a taco. And I say it is like a really simple enchilada. I modified her recipe a tad to more suit our tastes.

1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups water {I really only needed about 2.5 cups}
3 tablespoons chili powder
{1 Tbl tomato paste}
{2 Tbl Emeril’s Southwest Seasoning}
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 pound ground beef
1 pound bulk pork sausage
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup refried beans {Left these out, not a bean lover}
8 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Optional toppings: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced ripe olives and sour cream

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in chili powder and garlic salt. Add in SW seasoning and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the beef, sausage, and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. {I added extra SW seasoning to the meat, too} Stir in refried beans; heat through.
Spread 1/4 cup sauce in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Spread 1 tablespoon sauce over each tortilla; place 2/3 cup meat mixture down the center of each. Top each with 1/4 cup cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in prepared dish. Pour remaining sauce over the top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with optional toppings if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

This was quick, easy, and tasty. If you don’t have time to make enchiladas, don’t want to mess with tacos, and want something moister than buritos, these are perfect. Served with Mexican rice and a small green salad, it is a nice meal.

Thanks Monica, and Taste of Home.

 

Giada Out of Italy {IHCC}

So I joined another Cooking group. Like I needed THAT!! But this one is a little different. Cooking with a chef/cook/baker for 6 months. Choosing our own recipes to fit a theme. Cook or not – our choice.

I Heart Cooking Clubs

The chef for the next 6 months is Giada Giada De Laurentiis. She is one of my favorites. Good Italian cooking. Elegant and simple. Complicated and easy. Lots and Lots of good Italian food. But not always. Sometimes Giada cooks other cuisines. And that was the theme for this week – Giada Out of Italy.

Chicken and Steak Fajitas

Basically Tex-Mex Fajitas with an Italian Twist. Instead of using a typical (if there is one) Fajita seasoning we marinated the Beef and Chicken in a sweet sauce that included oregano, chili powder, garlic along with lime and orange juice and brown sugar. Easily fixed on a griddle if you didn’t want to heat up the grill the beef and chicken was served up in a toasted tortilla. I didn’t change a thing. It was good just like it was. I did add some onions and a little roasted red pepper, but it was just as good without the additions. I put both the chicken and the beef on the tortilla and then just cut it in half. One was plenty

Fajitas a la Giada.

You can find the recipe on Food TV where you can find more than 1500 of Giada’s recipes.

NaBloPoMo Day 7.