Menu Planning Monday

I'm finally getting around to a more normal cooking schedule. :o)

Menu Planning Monday
monday :: spicy garlic salmon* with couscous
tuesday :: honey sesame chicken (slow cooker recipe!)
wednesday :: beef enchiladas
thursday :: pesto tortellini
friday :: baked potato night

*I seriously love this salmon recipe. So easy. I have only made a few alterations...

Makes two (4-6 oz.) servings

2 cloves of garlic, minced (1 t.)
1 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. whole grain or dijon mustard
1 T. olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t.(ish) freshly-ground pepper
salmon fillets

1. Preheat oven to 400*F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum (if that's your thing...easy clean-up!). Lay fillets skin side down on the pan.
2. Mix together remaining ingredients in small bowl. Using a brush, coat the fillets with the mixture.
3. Bake 12-15 minutes until salmon flakes with fork.

Menu Planning Monday

This weekend flew by! Luckily I only have professional development today...because I did not get enough graded. But I relaxed plenty. :o)

Menu Planning Monday
monday :: baked potatoes and leftover shredded beef
tuesday :: mini meatloaves and steamed broccoli
wednesday :: panko chicken** and salad (I feel like we had leftovers instead of this, but I'm not sure...)
thursday :: roasted garlic pizza (the crust I chose was awful [maybe my yeast is old??], so we ended up eating the toppings off and then going to Chick-fil-a. Sad but true.)
friday :: leftovers (aka we went to La Finca. oops.)

**My new favorite (quick!) way to cook chicken is to dip a raw, seasoned chicken breast in plain Greek yogurt and then roll in breadcrumbs. Sometimes Panko is the way to go, other times whole wheat breadcrumbs or Italian-seasoned sound good. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes and voila! Easy peasy, tasty chicken.

The best verde enchiladas.

Still looking for my camera cord. :o( In the mean time, I thought I'd share my absolute favorite verde enchilada recipe (from America's Test Kitchen Healthy Cookbook).

 To make this dish of amazingness, you will need:

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts trimmed & pounded if necessary
• Salt & pepper
• 2 1/2 cups of enchilada sauce (I buy 2 cans of Hatch verde sauce from HEB--the BEST)
• 1 cup finely crumbled queso fresco (or feta if you can't find queso fresco)
• 1 (4 oz.) can of green chiles
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro (optional)
• 12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas (Do not buy the cheapest kind! They will break apart, and you will have to make an enchilada casserole instead. I speak from experience.)
• 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• a slow cooker, microwave, 9"x13" pan, and a clean kitchen towel

Cook chicken breasts with ~1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in slow cooker on high for three hours. Transfer to a bowl and shred with forks. Combine with another 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, crumbled queso fresco, green chiles, and cilantro if you're using. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix well.

Take six of the tortillas and wrap in a damp kitchen towel. Microwave 25 seconds or until pliable and slightly warm. While you are waiting, drizzle a little enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture and roll up; place in pan seam-side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas until no more filling remains.

Pour one cup enchilada sauce over top and sprinkle with the Monterrey Jack cheese. Cover with foil and bake ~10 minutes. Remove foil and bake another five minutes to melt cheese.

Serve with remaining enchilada sauce, sour cream, or your favorite fixings! You can also make these ahead of time (stop before topping with enchilada sauce and cheese) and refrigerate up to two days or freeze. When you are ready to consume, top with sauce and cheese and bake 10-20 minutes (or until warm) without the foil.

Black Bean & Bacon Soup

So, I wish I had a photo to share with this recipe...but let's face it, black-ish soup isn't that appealing anyways. We also gobbled it up pretty quickly!

Soup
5 strips bacon , sliced (use a delicious thick cut!)
1 medium onion, diced
2 T. diced green chiles
2 cans black beans, undrained
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup taco sauce (can buy in a jar...or you can make it homemade for less money and more flavor!)

Homemade Taco Sauce (makes ~3 cups)
3 cups water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons white vinegar
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper


Make the taco sauce first. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and stir well (in a medium saucepan). Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil on medium-ish heat. Turn to medium-low and simmer five minutes. Let cool. Can be kept in refrigerator.


Cook bacon at medium heat in a dutch oven or large pot until crisp and delicious. Add onion and chiles and cook five minutes or until onion begins to brown. Stir in beans, broth, and taco sauce; bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes. Puree soup with an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor) until the consistency is to your liking.

Apple Enchiladas

I made apple enchiladas for small group this week, and they were pretty tasty! I got the recipe from a church cookbook, and have looked online for something similar and came up short (most used apple pie filling and tortillas). I usually cut the recipe in half to make 8 and put it in an 8x8 pan. It's not healthy, but it is tasty!

Ingredients
2 cans crescent rolls
2 baking apples (Fuji), peeled, cored, and cut into 8 slices
2 sticks butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
11/2 cups sugar
12 oz. Mountain Dew


Place one slice of an apple in each triangle of dough. Roll from large end to small. Place in 9x13" baking dish. Melt margarine in saucepan, mix in sugar and cinnamon. Pour mixture over enchiladas and then pour Mountain Dew over top. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. We love it with ice cream!

Red Beans & Rice

I love red beans & rice. I grew up eating it from a (simple) recipe my mom made up when I was younger.

Ingredients
2 cans VanCamps New Orleans style red beans (or any brand's New Orleans style--a must)
Package Eckrich sausage
Louisiana-style hot sauce
Minced dried onion
Rice (cooked)

Cut sausage into rounds and then fourths. Empty red beans into large skillet and add sausage. Shake 5ish shakes of hot sauce and 3 or 4 of the onion. Cover and cook on medium-high heat 10-15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes or so. Uncover and turn down heat to low for 10 minutes until sauce thickens. Serve over hot rice. A guilty treat!

Deliciousness

Last night I was craving some chocolate, so I searched for a brownie recipe that didn't need a prepared mix. These were totally yummy, and I had (almost) all the ingredients on hand! Tyson said I'm not allowed to make brownies from a box anymore, which is ok because these are actually super easy (and probably cheaper).

Ingredients
1/2 cup (stick) melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla (I use Penzey's double strength)
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour (I only had bread flour, but it turned out fine)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
chopped pecans (if you want them)
Brownie Frosting (see below)

Stir together butter, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Add eggs and beat well. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to first mixture. Stir until well blended. You can stir in nuts or put them on top (like I did). Spread into a sprayed 8x8 pan and even the batter out. Bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes (my super fast oven was only 17). While the brownies are baking, prepare the frosting. Let brownies cool and spread the frosting over top. I didn't let them cool enough so the frosting got kind of melty...which was actually delicious because it seeped into the brownies more!

Creamy Brownie Frosting
3 T. softened butter
3 T. cocoa
1 T. light corn syrup or honey
1/2 t. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar (more or less, depending on the consistency)
1-2 T. milk

Beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup/honey, and vanilla until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk and beat some more. I had to add a little more powdered sugar because the milk went a little crazy. Just let it go in the stand mixer (or hand held) for a minute or two. SO YUMMY.

I might or might not have just had one for breakfast. :o)

via Hershey's Kitchens (the average rating was 3/5 stars, but I'm so glad I made them because these are seriously good.)