I promised to share any delicious recipes I found, and I sure am finding some yummy ones! Something that has been really neat about this process is discovering how easy it is to make some of our favorite things. Mayonnaise, for example.
Last night, in honor of taco Tuesday, we had taco salad for dinner. I found the recipe for the taco seasoning at Our Paleo Life and the recipe for the cilantro lime dressing at Stupid Easy Paleo. In about 1/2 an hour, we had the delicious creation below!!!
This last week Mike and I tried another InstantPot recipe that I found here. I’ll confess, thus far we’ve mostly used it to make rice, but decided to give the slow cooker a go with Enchilada Soup. It was absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
For the enchilada sauce:
Neutral cooking oil, such as canola or safflower
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Mexican-style chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon sugar
2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken stock, plus more for thinning if needed
For the soup:
1 (15-ounce) can yellow corn, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
2 to 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Heavy cream, to taste, optional
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, optional
To serve:
Grated cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Tortilla chips
Cilantro
Directions
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and jalapeño and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, then transfer to the bowl of a slow cooker.
Add the corn, beans, and chicken thighs to a 5-quart (or larger) slow cooker. Cover and set on low for 6 to 7 hours (or high for 4 hours).
Shred the cooked chicken using two forks. Stir in a splash of heavy cream if desired. Give the soup a taste and season the soup with additional salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper, if needed.
Serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, and cilantro for garnish.
Last night I tried a new recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com… chicken wonton tacos. They were absolutely amazing! They’re tiny, so if you have them for dinner, be prepared to eat like eight of them. They’re great as the main dish or would be awesome appetizers!
Ingredients
1/3 head of red cabbage, sliced and chopped
4 small carrots, peeled and grated
1/4 cup coleslaw dressing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup stir fry sauce
14 wonton wrappers
Directions
Mix cabbage, carrots, coleslaw dressing, vinegar, soy sauce, and teriyaki together in a bowl; refrigerate until flavors blend, 1 hour to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir ground chicken in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add stir-fry sauce, cover skillet, reduce heat to low, and simmer.
Form wonton wrappers into taco shapes and arrange between the cups of an inverted muffin tin.
Bake in the preheated oven until firm and lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons chicken mixture into each wonton taco shell and top with slaw.
The other night I tried a new recipe from Cooking Light… it was really yummy! Apricot is one of my favorite fruits, so I was excited to try something that used it! From start to finish the whole thing took about 35 minutes… nice and quick for a weeknight meal! Enjoy!
Ingredients
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 one pound pork tenderloin
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine preserves, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper, and garlic in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer. Cook 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Sprinkle pork with remaining salt and black pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add prok to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned. Turn pork over.
Place pan in oven. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until thermometer registers 150 degrees. Remove pork from pan; let stand 10 minutes. Cut pork into thin slices and serve with apricot mixture.
Ok, internet friends, this one is a good one. I found this recipe in my Cooking Light magazine (click here for the link to their site) and it was a hit. It takes just a little more than the 30 minutes that’s promised, but is quick, easy, and delicious! It was so pretty that I decided to share two pictures – one in the pan and one on the plate! I did leave out the mushrooms (I’m allergic) and only added two chicken breasts. This would definitely feed four people if you added the two extra chicken breasts. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 450°.
Place potatoes in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil, and simmer 12 minutes or until tender. Drain.
Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken and thyme sprigs to pan; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is browned. Turn chicken over. Place pan in oven; bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan.
Return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Add potatoes, cut sides down; mushrooms; and 1 tablespoon thyme; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring once. Combine milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add remaining salt, remaining pepper, flour mixture, stock, lemon, and beans to pan; simmer 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Add chicken; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender. Sprinkle with parsley.
I made this the other night for Mike and I… not only was it super easy, but it was delicious! I put juuuuuust a little too much Siracha in it… but other than that, it was amazing! Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Heat a wok over moderately high heat. Add canola oil and once hot add chicken and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook chicken, tossing occasionally, until it has cooked through, about 5 – 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving the little bit of remaining oil behind. Reduce burner to medium heat and return skillet to heat. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add in orange juice, 1/4 cup of the chicken broth, the orange zest, soy sauce, honey, sugar, onion powder, ginger, vinegar and Sriracha. Season with salt and pepper to taste and return to heat. In a small bowl stir together cornstarch with remaining 2 Tbsp chicken broth until well blended. Pour mixture into wok, cook and stir constantly until sauce bubbles and has thickened well. Remove from heat and toss chicken in sauce mixture.
Serve warm with white or brown rice and top with green onions and sesame seeds.
From: Cooking Classy
Last night I tried a new recipe. It sounds a bit weird, but was actually pretty tasty! I had it again tonight and I would argue that it was almost better as leftovers than as the original dish! My one alteration I would make is to add a little bit more cream cheese and sour cream – the dish has a little kick to it, but felt a little dry. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
½ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
5 ounces cream cheese
¼ cup light sour cream
1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles
12 ounces egg noodles
Salt & pepper, to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, bring water to boil and cook egg noodles according to package instructions.In the meantime, in a very large skillet, brown your ground beef then drain the fat. Then add the chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. Add in the cream cheese until melted and combined.
In a large bowl, combine sour cream, enchilada sauce, half the cheddar cheese, half the monterey jack cheese, corn kernels, and diced green chiles. Stir to combine. Pour mixture over the beef and let simmer for 2-3 minutes. In the meantime, drain your pasta. After you’ve drained it, add the pasta to the beef mixture. Make sure everything is coated in the sauce.
In a large casserole dish, pour in the pasta mixture and top with the remaining cheese.Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese has completely melted.
Source: Table for Two
I like to try to share new recipes as often as I’m motivated… today’s recipe is one I had to try when Mike was not home for dinner. You see, we share an aversion to stinky cheeses (discovered after the horrific Gruyère on french onion soup experience several years back). However, Parmesan cheese falls into this category for him, while it’s on my yummy list. That and he doesn’t like asparagus, which is a staple in this dish. About halfway through cooking (the part where you simmer the balsamic vinegar) I got a bit skeptical, but this turned out very nicely. It’s a fairly quick and easy meal (took me about 30 minutes, which you could trim down to about 20) and tasted delicious!
Ingredients
1 pound asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 pound penne
1/4 pound butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Directions
Heat the oven to 400°. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with the oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer until 3 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.
Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the butter, vinegar, asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt. Serve with additional Parmesan.
Last night I tried a recipe that I’ve been wanting to test out for a while… the Pioneer Woman Bowtie Lasagna. I hadn’t heard of the Pioneer Woman before, but apparently she’s a real thing. She claims this is a 16 minute meal – I would argue that it cooks pretty fast, but not that fast. I used the one pot method though – cooked the pasta then as it drained browned the meat. I suppose if I would have done both at the same time it would have been faster, but I chose less dishes over an extra 5 minutes. Also, I used ground turkey instead of ground beef… I’m finding that in sauces I can’t really taste the difference and it’s a little bit healthier. The website I found this on (Katie Cooks Dinner) recommended using Rao’s Homemade Pasta Sauce. It’s a bit pricey ($8.99 a jar), but was amazing. The next best thing to homemade! Apologies for the crummy picture. I was starving so I grabbed my cell phone instead of my camera.
Ingredients
1 pound bowtie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground chuck
1 jar spaghetti sauce (or 3 cups homemade)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup sour cream
Directions
Boil pasta in large pot of salted water until al dente, drain. In large skillet, brown and crumble ground chuck until fully cooked, drain fat and return to pan. Pour cooked pasta on top of meat, then drizzle on olive oil. Pour on jar of sauce, salt, garlic powder and Italian seasonings. Stir. Add cheese and sour cream. Stir over low heat until cheese is melted and all ingredients are combined. Taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve with Parmesan or additional mozzarella, if desired.
Seriously, it’s that easy. Enjoy!
I love a good pasta dish and I love spicy sausage, so when the opportunity arises to combine those two, I jump on it. This one was very easy to make and absolutely delicious! Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 bulbs fennel, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch pieces (I found this at Whole Foods)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces orecchiette pasta
8 ounces spicy Italian sausage, with casings removed
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white wine
1 jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Directions
For the fennel: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Spray a small baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray.
Toss the fennel, oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Arrange the fennel in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast until golden and tender, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the sausage and break into 1/2-inch pieces using a wooden spoon. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Add the onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and wine and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until all of the wine has evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the pasta, fennel and cheese. Toss until all ingredients are coated, adding the reserved pasta water as needed, to loosen the pasta.
Down The Road I Go 