The Nifty Foodie

Amy

Chicken Enchiladas

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I recently saw these on Mrs. Sac’s Purple Kitchen and thought about how great it would be to make these. DH and I’s favorite restaurant is a local Mexican restaurant, but we hate to go out to eat since it gets so pricey. So, with this recipe, I was hoping to bring some great Mexican food to him!

This is a recipe from Tyler Florence on Food Network and the ratings were excellent, so I knew I had to give these a try!

These were delicious, though DH would have been happier had I put the stewed tomatoes in the food processor (he’s not a fan of tomato chunks). I will say though, this makes 16 enchiladas, so if you don’t want as many, you might want to halve the recipe.

Chicken Enchiladas
Source: Food Network (Tyler Florence)

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons cumin powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
  • 5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
  • 4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
  • 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • 16 corn tortillas
  • 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheese  (I used way more than this!)
  • Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Directions:

  1. Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.
  2. Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.
  3. Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.
  4. Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

Smothered Chicken

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If the title sounds familiar to you, it is. Remember when I called it my one of my best dishes to date? Yes, it STILL cannot be topped. So, I decided to make it last night for DH and I. This time, I added more Tony Chachere’s spices (in case you didn’t know, it’s a Louisiana cajun spice mix.) to it to give it more of a kick. The results? It was even better! That kick is just what it needed!!

Check out the recipe here!

My newest indulgence

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You may not know this about me, but I’m about 70 lbs. overweight. I’ve been dieting for years, on and off. My willpower and I have a strong love/hate relationship. Sometimes, I get spurts where I lose 20 lbs. and sometimes I gain 2 lbs. I’ve pretty much stayed in the 240-260 lb. range for about 7-8 years. Yes, I know 70 lbs. from 240 is 170 and that sounds a bit high, but here’s something else about me, I’m 5’11”. Yep, I am pretty dang tall! (I swear, the air is thinner up here!)

Anyway, I’m always on the look-out for diet friendly (but doesn’t taste like cardboard) snacks. I subscribe to Hungry Girl, and while I really dislike her recipes, (out of the 4 I’ve tried, they have all come out flavorless and nasty) I do take her snack/brand advice seriously and try some new things. My latest is the Vitamuffin tops.

I found them in the freezer section of my Target (near the organic stuff) and I’m in love! I was apprehensive to try the deep chocolate, because I hate dark chocolate! However, this isn’t like that at all. It’s yummy, chocolatey and indulgent. Most importantly, it’s only 100 calories and full of vitamins. As far as portion size goes, it’s about the size of my palm, so it’s not that small.

I highly recommend them as a breakfast item or snack during the day! If you don’t have a Target near you, I know they sell them online as well!

By the way, I know this sounds like an ad for Vitamuffins, but I swear it’s not. I’m not that popular to get companies asking me to advertise. 😉

Salisbury Steak

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Again, here is a recipe I made way back when in the planning days. We had some ground beef thawing in the fridge, and we weren’t in the mood for burgers. So, I came across this recipe and decided that we should give it a try.

These were very juicy and flavorful salisbury steaks. I would definitely make these again!

Salisbury Steaks
Source: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

  • 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 cup condensed French onion soup with ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt and black pepper. Shape into 6 oval patties.
  2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties. Pour off excess fat.
  3. In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth. Mix in ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder. Pour over meat in skillet. Cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spring Funfetti Cookies

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Here is how behind I am on posts. I made these for Easter. Yeah….sorry!

My mom used to make these ALL the time when I was a kid. They were our favorite! In fact, I remember we would all take boxes of funfetti and throw them in the cart, only to get busted by mom.

Anyway, this is an extremely simple recipe and tastes pretty amazing from a mix, if I do say so myself! 🙂

Even DH (then FI) couldn’t stop eating them! That’s a success story right there!!

Funfetti Cookies
Source: Pillsbury.com

1 pkg. Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix
1/3 cup of oil
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until thoroughly moistened.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown.

Throwdown Meatloaf

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I LOVE watching Throwdown. I really enjoy watching family based businesses flourish, and enjoy when they take on Bobby Flay (and most of the time, win!!!).

So, Joey and I have a love for meatloaf. We decided to try the Colluci Bros. recipe featured on Throwdown, and we were NOT disappointed!! We made homemade mashed yukon gold potatoes as well, and this made for a great addition to the meatloaf!

Meatloaf
Source: Food Network, courtesy of Colluci Bros.

Ingredients:

  • Salad oil
  • 1 carrot, small to medium dice
  • 2 stalks celery, small to medium dice
  • 1 medium onion, small to medium dice
  • 2 pounds ground beef (we used 1 lb. beef, 1 lb. turkey)
  • 2 eggs
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Dash hot sauce (We used Louisiana loved Tabasco)
  • Dash Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 slices bread (we used whole wheat)
  • 1/2 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
  • Ketchup

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees F.
  2. In a medium-sized saute pan, put 2 dribbles of salad oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and saute, about 5 minutes. Put aside and let cool.
  3. In large bowl put the carrot mixture, ground beef and remaining ingredients, except for the bread, the bread crumbs and ketchup. Soak the bread in cold water, then squeeze water out (like a sponge) and drain it. Add to the ground beef and mix. (A stand mixer is may help make it easier). Add the bread crumbs and mix.
  4. Roll into firm loaf, spread ketchup over the top, and place into preheated oven for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, or until cooked through. Take out and serve hot.

Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers

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We had one more package of ground turkey left, so my fiance figured we should make turkey burgers. As always, Allrecipes had the perfect recipe for us!! We will definitely remake these in the future!

Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers
Source: Allrecipes

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon finely diced onion
  • 2/3 egg whites, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/3 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, seasoned bread crumbs, onion, egg whites, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Form into 4 patties.
  2. Cook the patties in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning once, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C).

Beef Wellington

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I decided to go all out for Valentine’s Day for my fiance. I found filet on sale at my local grocery store, so I bought a couple. I decided to go beyond grilled filet and make this recipe that I’ve been drooling over in my Google Reader. Thanks to Annie’s Eats for this simpler version of Beef Wellington.

Beef Wellington
Source: Annie’s Eats

Ingredients:

  • 2 (6-oz.) thickly cut filet mignons
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp. minced shallots
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 8-10 oz. button mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed and finely chopped
  • 2 ½ tbsp. dry white wine
  • 1-2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed (enough for two 7-inch squares)
  • 1 egg beaten with 2 tsp. water for egg wash

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Season both sides of each filet with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the filets and sear for 1 minute on each side for medium-rare. (I ended up doing 4 minutes on each side for medium well) Transfer to a plate to cool completely.
  3. While the filets cool, prepare the mushroom duxelles. Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and reduce the heat to medium; cook, stirring, until all the liquid had evaporated and the mushrooms begin to caramelize, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring to deglaze the pan, until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and let cool before using.
  4. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and cut into two 7-inch squares. Spread up to half of the mushroom duxelles on top of each filet. Place each filet, mushroom side down, in the center of a puff pastry square. Using a pastry brush, paint the inside edges of the puff pastry with the egg wash. Fold the pastry over the filet as though wrapping a package and press the edges to seal. Place the packages seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. (I didn’t wrap it around the bottom of the filet b/c I thought it would result in soggy puff pastry.) Brush the egg wash over the tops and sides of each package and bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Rosemary Garlic Chicken and Glazed Carrots

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I got these recipes in an email from Real Simple magazine. When I saw them, I thought they looked very healthy and tasty, so I saved the recipes and made them! The chicken was very flavorful and I think it would be wonderful in a salad, too! The carrots tasted very good and were the PERFECT compliment to the chicken!

Rosemary Garlic Chicken
Source: Real Simple

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup sherry vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar)
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

  1.  Using a rolling pin, pound the chicken between 2 sheets of wax paper until they are of uniform thickness.
  2. Heat the oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and the garlic browns. (Don’t burn the garlic.) Add the chicken breasts and cook until golden, 3 to 5 minutes on each side.
  3. Add the salt, pepper, vinegar, chicken broth, and rosemary. (When you add vinegar, face away from the pan, otherwise, the vinegar will clear your sinus, seriously!)
  4. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 3 minutes longer or until the chicken is fork-tender. Remove the chicken to a platter and keep warm. Increase heat to high and boil the sauce until thickened or syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter and pour the sauce over the chicken.

Yield: 4 servings

POINTS*: 5

Glazed Carrots
Source: Real Simple

Ingredients:

  • 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch sticks
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Kosher salt

Directions:

  1. Place the carrots in a large skillet. Dot with the butter and sprinkle with the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
  2. Add enough cold water to come halfway up the sides of the carrots. Simmer, partially covered, until the carrots are tender and the liquid has reduced to a glaze, about 20 minutes. (If the carrots are done before this point, transfer them to a bowl, increase heat to high, and cook the liquid, uncovered, until reduced. Return the carrots to the pan and toss.)

Yield: Makes 6 servings
POINTS*: 1

Spicy Meatballs & Spaghetti

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Here’s another recipe from Ellie Krieger, out of the book, The Food You Crave. This was REALLY good. We ended up saving the leftover meatballs and sauce to make whole wheat meatball poboys another night. In fact, I found the sauce to be way better as leftovers, since the flavors developed more!

Spicy Meatballs and Spaghetti
Source: Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, liquid included
  • 1 teaspoon finely minced canned chipotle chiles en adobo and sauce, or more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons chopped oregano leaves
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • Salt
  • 1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

For the meatballs:

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 pound ground turkey meat
  • 1 slice fresh whole-wheat bread, crusts removed, pulsed into crumbs
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 cup finely grated carrot
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 box (16 ounces) whole-wheat spaghetti

Directions

  • Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil for pasta.

For the sauce:

  • In a 4-quart saucepan heat the oil over medium heat.
  • Saute the onions until translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  • Add tomato paste, tomatoes, chipotles, oregano, rosemary, and salt. Bring all the ingredients to a low boil, reduce heat and cook for approximately 15 minutes, until liquid has evaporated slightly.
    Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • While sauce is cooking, make meatballs.

Meatball Directions:

  • Preheat the broiler. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine the turkey with all other ingredients in a large work bowl.
  • Form into 2 1/2 -inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Broil for 10 minutes, or until browned and almost entirely cooked through.
  • Meanwhile, remove rosemary sprig from sauce and add fresh basil. Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and cook additional 10 minutes, or until sauce has slightly thickened and meatballs have
    absorbed some of the sauce.
  • While the meatballs are cooking, cook the
    whole-wheat spaghetti according to package directions.
  • Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and meatballs, toss and heat through over medium heat. Divide evenly among 4 pasta bowls and garnish with parsley and 1 tablespoon grated
    Parmesan.

Yield: 6 servings (1 serving equals about 1 1/3 cups pasta and sauce, plus 2 meatballs

POINTS*: 7