Category Archives: main dishes

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

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My Daughter and I- Chicken Enchilada Casserole 1

I made this the other night and everyone loved it. I haven’t been making as many casseroles lately, so this was a nice change. The enchiladas weren’t overly saucy or cheesy but they had great flavor. We served ours with homemade salsa and black bean and corn relish. We also had some delicious semi-homemade refried beans- recipe listed below.

My Daughter and I- Chicken Enchilada Casserole 2

Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients:

3 cups red enchilada sauce

16 corn tortillas, halved

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

8 green onions, thinly sliced

4 cups (about 1.5 pounds) shredded cooked chicken

3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack or Mexican blend cheese

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

1/2 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh cilantro

 

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Pour about 3/4 cup enchilada sauce in the baking dish, and spread until the bottom of the dish is coated. Top with a layer of about 8 tortilla halves so that the entire dish is covered. Sprinkle evenly with about 1 cup black beans, 1/2 cup corn and a fourth of the green onions. Then sprinkle with a heaping cup of the chicken, and about 3/4 cup shredded cheese.

Repeat with a second layer of tortillas, then sauce, then beans, corn, green onions, chicken, and cheese. Then a final layer of tortillas, sauce, beans, corn, green onions, chicken and cheese. Then conclude with a final layer of tortillas and sauce (reserving about 3/4 cup of cheese to add partway through baking).

Cover the pan with aluminum foil, then bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan and remove aluminum foil. Sprinkle the top of the enchiladas evenly with the remaining 3/4 cup of cheese, then return to the oven (uncovered) and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Remove pan, and sprinkle with avocado, cilantro, and remaining green onions. Serve warm.

Semi-Homemade Refried Beans
Ingredients:

2 T. Olive oil

1 T garlic, minced

1/4 onion, finely chopped

2 -3 T jalapeño, finely chopped, or more to taste

1/2 tsp cumin, or more to taste

3 corn tortillas, torn or cut into small pieces

2 –  30 ounce cans of whole pinto beans, 1 drained, 1 not drained. Save the liquid from the drained can to be sure you don’t need it.

 

In large sauce pan add olive oil, garlic, onion and jalapeño and cook until onions start to turn translucent. Add in the corn tortilla pieces and mix well. Cook for a few minutes, and if all the oil is absorbed, add a bit of the bean liquid and keep cooking- you want the tortillas to soften up a bit. Pour in the 1 undrained can of beans and the 1 drained can of beans and mix well. I use my potato masher and mix and mash. Continue cooking, mixing and smashing. Add in the cumin and mix some more. Let simmer so the corn tortillas soften up. Continue cooking until beans reach the desired consistency. You may need to add a bit more of the bean liquid depending on how you like your beans. I turned beans off after 15 or so minutes and then turned them back on just before serving. I didn’t need to add any additional salt, but be sure and taste yours. Serve with the delicious chicken enchilada recipe.

 

Cindy

Pesto Pasta Salad with Arugula

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My Daughter and I Pesto Pasta Salad with Arugula 1

I made this recipe yesterday and it really took only about 15 minutes from start to finish. Crazy fast and delicious! If you aren’t a big fan of arugula, you could substitute baby kale, or spinach, or even chopped romaine lettuce. I loved the addition of the greens to the pasta- it made a giant bowl and I felt like it was much healthier than just eating pasta. This would be a great salad to bring to a BBQ or beach party.

I found this recipe on Gimme Some Oven. I love Ali’s blog and all the recipes I have tried have been amazing. Check it out!

My Daughter and I Pesto Pasta Salad with Arugula 2

Pesto Pasta Salad with Arugula

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound (dry) pasta
1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped
1 (6-ounce) jar basil pesto (about 3/4 cup)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, diced
3 handfuls fresh arugula, 4 ounce package

Method:
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water al dente, according to package instructions. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water for about 20-30 seconds until no longer hot.

In a large serving bowl, toss pasta with the remaining ingredients until combined. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Cindy

Colorful Stuffed Bell Peppers

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Colorful Stuffed Bell Peppers 1- My Daughter and I

Hey! I made this delicious and simple recipe to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Not a holiday I normally celebrate, but really, if there is a holiday that encourages the consumption of beer, chips, salsa and guacamole – count me in!

I had just bought a bag of red, yellow and orange peppers from Costco and thought this would be a delicious meal. The meat filling I used was basically the same filling you would use for tacos or burritos, but I added some cooked brown rice. Jordan said that she thought it was a great alternative to burritos. Donald loved it and said how much he enjoyed the peppers. He remembers when he was a kid his mom would make stuffed peppers using green bell peppers and how bitter they were. These were delicious and sweet and I ate the whole pepper.

Served with a salad and some fruit, it was delicious, hearty and colorful.

Colorful Stuffed Bell Peppers 2- My Daughter and I

Stuffed Bell Peppers
1 pound ground beef
2 cups brown rice, cooked
1 onion, chopped
1 can beans. I used chili beans, so I didn’t drain them. If using black beans, I would drain and rinse.
1 T Taco seasoning
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes
6 – 8 bell peppers. I would highly recommend not using green
1/3 cup shredded cheese
Avocado slices for garnish

Cook ground beef and drain fat if necessary. Put ground beef back into skillet and add in chopped onion and cook until soft. Add cooked rice, taco seasoning canned beans and Ro-tel tomatoes. If the meat mixture is too dry add a bit more prepared salsa. You want the mixture nice and moist since you will be baking it for about 30 minutes.

While meat mixture is simmering start working on your peppers. Wash and cut each pepper in half and clean out the seeds and stuff, so you have a colorful little bowl. Place on a baking pan. Stuff with the meat filling and bake at 350* for about 20 minutes. I wanted the peppers to soften a bit, but I wanted them to stay a bit crunchy. After about 20 minutes, sprinkle with a small amount of cheese and continue baking for another 5 or so minutes. Remove from oven a serve immediately. We garnished ours with sliced avocado and Cotija cheese. Mmmm, delicious!

Cindy

Rainbow Peanut Noodles

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Rainbow Peanut Noodles 1 - My Daughter and I

I made this dish on Monday night and it was a hit!  It has been HOT here – summer-like weather, so we are definitely onto our summer recipes!  There definitely aren’t any soups, stews or roasts happening around this house!

When I saw this recipe on Gimme Some Oven I knew I would love it!  I love peanut sauce – I think I could actually eat it with a spoon.  I also love pasta – and really I love veggies — so this dish was made for me.  This will be a great staple meal for us- especially when we have a bunch of veggies coming out of the garden.  I made a few minor changes, just to suit our tastes, or what we had on hand.  We had some asparagus so I used that instead of the edamame.  The colors were beautiful!  It was great for dinner and then I ate it the next day, cold, for lunch and it was delicious.

Ours turned out a bit dry- next time I would follow the recipe a bit better and add the pasta water.  I also doubled the recipe, so it was a bit difficult to get everything stirred around.   The peanut sauce called for fresh ginger, which I had never used before.  I loved it.  The smell was incredible and fresh smelling, but when you tasted it – it was refreshing and a bit spicy.  It was a wonderful addition to the recipe and I would use the fresh ginger again.  I was thinking about trying it in my morning smoothie!  Weird?  Maybe!

Rainbow Peanut Noodles 2 - My Daughter and I

Rainbow Peanut Noodles

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: About 4-6 servings

Ingredients

    • 12 ounces whole-wheat pasta – since I doubled the recipe, I did half whole wheat, half regular pasta
    • 1 Tbsp. peanut oil (or olive oil)
    • 1 red bell pepper, cored and julienned (thinly sliced)
    • 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and julienned
    • 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
    • 1 cup shredded red cabbage
    • 1 cup shelled edamame or asparagus or green beans — whatever you have!
    • topping: thinly-sliced scallions (green onions), toasted sesame seeds and chopped peanuts
Peanut Sauce Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 Tbsp. water
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • (optional) 1 tsp. sriracha hot chili sauce, or more to taste

Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, and edamame, and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, but reserve 1/4 cup pasta water on the side. Add the pasta and peanut sauce to the saute pan of veggies and toss to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of the pasta water until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

Serve immediately, topped with scallions, sesame seeds and peanuts if desired.

How To Make The Peanut Sauce:

Pulse all  ingredients together in blender or food processor.  I tried to mix by hand in a bowl and I couldn’t get it to mix together.  I finally poured it into a saucepan and heated it a bit and that worked.

Cindy

 

 

Pasta with Bacon and Asparagus

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pasta w bacon 1- my daughter and i

Hey there – are you ready for some pasta?   If you lived in this house – you would have to be or you would starve!  We eat pasta all the time.  It is truly one of my favorite foods.   When Alex was a toddler I used to make him the tri-color rotini shaped pasta with just a bit of butter and Parmesan cheese.  He loved it and he ate it all the time.  My mother in law used to make funny comments about it.  Somehow he survived and we all still eat a lot of pasta.  This recipe, or a form of it came from Gimme Some Oven.  When Jordan and I saw it we knew we HAD to try it.  It helped that I had just been to Costco and purchased bacon and asparagus.  YAY!  The original recipe calls for white wine, which we aren’t huge fans of , so the recipe listed below is what I did instead.

pasta w bacon 3- my daughter and i

^^The curly pasta we used.

I found this adorable curly pasta at Target.  It was a lot more expensive then the pasta I normally buy – but it’s just so cute, I had to try it.  The pasta was actually quite delicious.  It had a great texture.  I would buy it again, plus the box was super cute too!  It was the Giada de Laurentiis brand.   If she can eat pasta and look like that – it can’t be all bad, right?

pasta w bacon 2 - my daughter and i

Pasta with Bacon and Asparagus 

1 lb. uncooked pasta

1 lb. uncooked bacon, diced

1 lb. of fresh asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces

1 cup chicken broth (or white wine, if you go for that sort of thing!)

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus a bit extra for garnish

Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, add diced bacon to large saute pan.  Cook until crispy.  Remove the bacon onto paper towel and set aside.  Remove all but a couple of tablespoons of the bacon grease.  Add prepared asparagus to the pan and saute in the bacon grease for about 3 minutes.  Add in 1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic and stir to combine.  Pour in the chicken broth and stir well, scraping up the yummy bacon bits off the bottom of the pan.  Cook for another 3 minutes.  I like my asparagus crunchy so I tend to not cook it for very long.

Pour the cooked pasta into the pan with the asparagus and chicken broth, add the bacon and the Parmesan cheese and toss until combined.   Serve immediately topped with a bit more shaved Parmesan cheese and a bit of fresh basil.

We served ours with some spicy, Cajun shrimp – but it would have been filling enough to eat for a meal without the shrimp.

Cindy