Fiesta Brown Rice Chicken Bake

I'm a big fan of casseroles, as I'm sure I've said before. I'm an even bigger fan of one dish casseroles like this one. I saw this dish on The Mess Pot right around Cinco de Mayo and thought I'd give it a shot. I'm so happy I did, these flavors are right up our alley and the process was relatively simple. It reminded me a little of a jambalaya or paella. I even got to use yummy boneless chicken thighs without my dark meat fearing husband even knowing! I did cut back slightly on the garlic, and I probably used a little more chili powder than the recipe called for. I have to say, that spritz of fresh lime juice at the end really makes a huge difference here. I sometimes leave stuff like that out, but the dish wouldn't be the same without it. We will definitely be having this again!





Tex-Mex Chicken & Brown Rice (from The Mess Pot)
8 Garlic Cloves (I used about 6)
2 tsp chili powder (I used about 2.5 tsp)
1/2 tsp hot sauce (I used Tabasco)
Salt & Pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
1 tsp canola oil
1 onion, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and minced
2 ears corn (I used 1 cup frozen, since I have an endless supply right now!)
1 cup long grain brown rice, rinsed
1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth (I always use stock)
4 scallions, sliced diagonally
1 Tbs fresh lime juice

Adjust oven rack to lower position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine half the garlic, 1 tsp chili powder, hot sauce and salt & pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the chicken and rub until covered. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat until simmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapenos and corn. Cook until soft and light brown, 8-10 minutes. Stir in rice, remaining garlic, and remaining chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, scraping up brown bits at bottom of the pan.

Lay the chicken on top of the rice mixture. Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until rice is tender and liquid is almost absorbed, 50-65 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Cover the pot and allow rice to steam up the rest of the liquid for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop/shred the chicken into small pieces.

Stir the shredded chicken into the rice. Top with scallions and lime juice. Season with salt & pepper to taste before serving.

Raising French Babies and Grating Soft Cheeses

I have wanted to make a white lasagna for a while now, but needed both inspiration and a break from the cycling season to make such a fattening dish. Inspiration arrived in the way of a Plow to Porch basket that included both early season zucchini and spring spinach. Both sounded like delicious additions to a white chicken lasagna. I was excited to use my new food processor to grate the mozzarella cheese, but forgot the helpful hint of freezing this cheese before grating. It is a little too soft to grate straight out of the fridge and when I turned on the processor, it managed to get sucked through the shute as though it was a science fiction "blob" character. Of course, the sound that this made alerted the husband. When he asked "what the heck was that?" I was able to respond with a quote from one of my favorite cycling season Radioshack commercials: "I'm raising French babies and grating soft cheeses, as is the custom here!"

**This commercial is based on Lance Armstrong's fictional assistant Alphonse, who sneaks onto Lance's bike while he is out of town and pretends he is an overweight Lance, riding to victory. My favorite Radioshack commercial. The actual line from the commercial is: "They're raising French babies and throwing soft cheeses as is the custom here" in a faked British accent.

This ended up being a tasty meal and a good chance to experience the new Philadelphia Cooking Creme product. I used their Italian Herb flavor as an addition to the bechamel sauce to add a little thickness and flavor, and I appreciated the more complex flavor it added. I think I will be using this product again, since we like cream cheese, but not too much, and this cuts some of the cream cheese heaviness for us (I am not affiliated with this product in any way, by the way).




White Chicken Lasagna (my own creation)
7 No Boil Lasagna sheets
2 cooked skinless chicken breasts, diced (I used rotisserie chicken)
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Philadelphia Cooking Creme
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 pound zucchini, shredded (about 3 small or 2 medium)
8 oz low fat ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg
1 Tbs fresh or 1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add onion & garlic and cook until golden. Add spinach and zucchini and cook until spinach is wilted. Mix in cooked chicken and remove from heat. Meanwhile, cook the bechamel sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and cook about 1 minute. Add milk and stir constantly until no lumps are noticeable and sauce begins to bubble & thicken. Add cooking creme and stir to combine. Sauce will be thick.

In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, egg, parmesan, basil & pepper. In a 13" x 9" baking pan sprayed with cooking spray, add about a 1/2 cup of bechamel sauce. Layer about half of the lasagna noodles (I did 3 facing vertically), then spread with about half of the ricotta mixture. Add a layer of about half of the chicken/veggie mixture, then top with about half the remaining bechamel. Repeat these layers, then top the entire dish with an even layer of mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes more until cheese starts to turn golden.

Veggie and Sausage Stuffed Shells

I love stuffed shells. They are a little bit labor intensive, but they are one of my favorite "American-Italian" meals. My problem is that my husband does not like traditional stuffed shells (although Mexican Stuffed Shells are among his favorite meals). He has found them too heavy and doesn't like the thick ricotta taste. While reading my "Cook Yourself Thin" cookbook, I saw a recipe for stuffed shells that bulked up the flavor by using zucchini. By the time I had decided to finally make stuffed shells with this technique, I had lost this cookbook, so I just decided to wing it by adding an appropriate amount of shredded zucchini and spinach to the usual ricotta mixture. I used about half of the normal ricotta with these adjustments, but I also added some crumbled cooked turkey sausage to the mix to add another boost of flavor. These were really good, and definitely kept that creamy taste and texture that I love, while remaining light and not as cheesy for my husband. I would probably even be okay with making them without the sausage for a vegetarian meal, but I'm not sure if my husband would agree. I'm planning on using zucchini a lot more this summer, since it is so good when it is in season, and it is easy to add to pastas for a little healthy vegetable kick! The funny thing is that when I finally found my cookbook, I had actually stuck to the recipe pretty closely, even though it had been months since I had looked at it. Good photographic recipe memory, I guess!

Stuffed Shells with Veggies and Sausage (inspired by Cook Yourself Thin)

1 box jumbo shells

1/2 lb turkey sausage, casings removed

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 zucchini, shredded

1 bag baby spinach, roughly chopped

1 egg

1 cup skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 jar pasta sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta to package directions, drain. Heat oil in large saute pan. Cook sausage & garlic over medium high until no longer pink. Remove to large bowl with slotted spoon to cool, leaving juices in pan. Add zucchini and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain very well, pressing out as much water as possible. Add to sausage in bowl and let cool. Add ricotta, egg, parmesan and nutmeg and stir well to combine. Pour about 1/2 cup of sauce into 13" x 9" pan. Stuff cooked shells with 2 Tbs filling and place in pan. Top with remaining sauce. Cover and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and top with mozzarella. Bake for 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake

I really like the flavor of pesto, but I'm kind of picky about it. It needs to be exactly the right combination of herb/oil/garlic or I am just not happy. I saw this post by Joelen for chicken pesto stuffed shells and I was intrigued. I didn't have any jumbo shells at my disposal, but decided to make this as a casserole by mixing with some medium sized pasta shells. This had a great flavor, but I think making this as a casserole dried out the pasta a little bit. I really liked how the cream cheese dilutes the heavy pesto flavor, though. I would say it "lightens it up" but it is cream cheese, so it isn't really lighter, just not as strong of a pesto flavor. Can't wait to try this again, but in the future, I'll stick with stuffed shells or maybe I'll throw this into a Calzone, as Joelen recommends. On a separate note, Joelen has recently posted a TON of freezer friendly meals, so if you are interested, check out her blog! This is one of those freezer friendly meals.

Pesto Chicken Casserole (Adapted from Joelen's Culinary Adventures)
1/2 lb short pasta (I used whole wheat med. shells)
1/4 cup prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used store rotisserie)
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
2 Tbs light sour cream
4 oz light cream cheese
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions, but stop cooking a few minutes early so that pasta is a little al dente. Drain. Meanwhile, add chicken, garlic, pesto, cream cheese and sour cream in a small saute pan and warm over medium heat until cheese is melted through and entire mixture is warm. Add parmigiano cheese and mix well to combine. Add drained pasta and mix well. Pour all into an 8" x 8" casserole sprayed with cooking spray. Top with mozzarella and bake in preheated. (Note: To reheat as leftovers, add 1-2 Tbs milk before microwaving)

Taco Pasta Casserole

If you haven't figured it out yet, I really enjoy casseroles. They are comfort on a plate, and they make great leftovers. I run into trouble finding casseroles that are healthier. So many American casserole recipes are based in creamy condensed soup and/or covered in cheese. I was very excited to see this recipe from Joelen's Culinary Adventures, as Joelen is one of my favorite bloggers out there, and I knew she wouldn't have any condensed soup in her casserole. The best part of this casserole recipe is that it is adaptable. If I don't have one of the ingredients, I can toss in something else, and I can certainly adapt this to more in season vegetables if I want. As expected, this casserole was great as leftovers, too.

Taco Pasta Casserole (adapted from Joelen's Culinary Adventures)

1/2 lb dry short whole wheat pasta

1 Tbs Olive Oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 lb lean ground turkey

2 Tbs Taco Seasoning

2 Tomatoes, seeded & chopped

1 bell pepper, diced (mine was yellow)

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 cup salsa (I used Medium)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 cup shredded Cheddar Jack cheese

1 green onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, fill with water and let it come to a boil. Add pasta and cook until slightly under done. Drain. Meanwhile, in a saute pan, add the oil and saute onions until softened. Crumble in the ground turkey and brown. Add the taco seasoning, tomatoes, and bell pepper strips. Saute until vegetables soften. Add beans and salsa then add salt & pepper to taste. Toss the ground beef and vegetable mixture until incorporated. Top the pasta with shredded cheese and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cheese melts and lightly browns. Before serving, top with sliced green onions for garnish. Serve hot and if desired, serve with guacamole and/or sour cream.

Turkey Sausage Pasta Bake

As this blog may show, I am a sucker for casseroles. I love their comforting nature and I especially love that they make good leftovers. I am always on the lookout for casserole recipes that don't have condensed cream soups, so this recipe from What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen was perfect for a delicious weeknight meal. I halved this recipe, and this still made several servings for lunches during the week. Since I love turkey sausage, I will definitely be making this one again soon. Since I added a bell pepper, I found it had a lot of the flavors of an Italian sausage, peppers & onion sandwich. Yum!

Turkey Sausage Pasta Bake
1 (1-pound) package uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
1 pound hot turkey Italian sausage links
1 cup chopped onion
1 bell pepper, chopped (I added)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste (I used a little more)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (14.5-ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese (I used a little more)
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (I used a little less)
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta, and set aside.
3. Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, pepper and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil.
4. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of the pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Baked Ravioli

I stopped by Whole Foods tonight, thinking I would pickup something easy for dinner, since the husband was out on a night mountain bike ride. I had heard good things about Whole Foods jarred pasta sauce, and I had some mozzarella at home, so I decided a baked ravioli would be pretty good. I picked up some sauce and Whole Foods whole wheat spinach & cheese ravioli and headed home to find some basic instructions on how long to bake this. I'm kind of in shock at how easy this recipe was to make. I just threw in the layers and baked for a 1/2 hour, the amount of work was so minimal. I think next time, I'll make sure I have enough shredded mozzarella. I was pretty lazy and when I ran out of the preshredded mozzarella, I just layed slices on top for the last 5 minutes of baking time instead of grating it. I think this meal could be a lot better with minimal work (adding onions, garlic and turkey sausage would be great), but as it was, it was pretty darn good for the work to taste ratio.

Baked Ravioli (loosely based on allrecipes)

1 package frozen raviolis

1 jar pasta sauce

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 Tbs grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp dried oregano
Layer 1/3 pasta sauce, 1/2 ravioli, 1/3 pasta sauce, spices, 1/2 mozzarella cheese, 1/2 ravioli, 1/4 mozzarella cheese & parmigiano (in that order, bottom to top) in a 13x9 baking dish. Bake, covered with foil for 30 minutes. Uncover and top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake for 5 minutes more until just starting to brown. Makes 6 servings.

Pizza Pasta

I have been in the mood for casseroles lately, probably because the weather is slowly cooling off a bit (although we have still had days in the 80s in the last week!). This pasta casserole that I found from Lemons & Love looked really great, so I bought all our favorite pizza toppings and whipped this up. The husband was rather skeptical beforehand, but really, really liked this dish. He was rather impressed with how much pizza flavor the dish had. I brought my leftovers into work and picked out all the mushrooms (I tried to make half with, half without the shrooms, but some got into my side), and my boss ate all the mushrooms. He too, commented on how pizza-like the flavor was. This was a fun one to make that I'm sure I will be repeating, but not in the middle of the bike season: it isn't very good for you, as it has a lot of cheese! I'm excited to try this with some of our other favorite toppings.

Pizza Pasta

1/2 lb short pasta (I used whole wheat macaroni)

1 jar pasta sauce (I used about 3/4 jar of Ragu, since I needed to use an opened jar)

1 cup mozzerella cheese, grated

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Your favorite pizza toppings:

I used - 1/2 lb mild Italian turkey sausage

1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped

1/2 pack mushrooms, sliced thin

about 20 or so sliced pepperoni, cut in half

1 Tbs fresh chopped oregano (or 1 tsp dried)

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to package directions, undercooking by about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, remove turkey sausage from casings and saute in skillet, breaking up into small pieces and cooking until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain if needed. Add remaining veggies (bell pepper and mushrooms) and cook until just softened (I did these separately to keep the mushrooms from contaminating the good stuff, ha!). Add pepperoni and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add pasta sauce, oregano and cooked "toppings" to pasta and mix to combine well. Pour 1/2 the pasta mixture into a 13x9 casserole dish. If you are attempting a "1/2 & 1/2" style pizza, place toppings separately at this stage on 1/2 of the mixture, reserving one or two as markers for the top so that you know which side is which. Top with about 3/4 cup of mozzerella cheese, then top with the rest of the pasta mixture, then the rest of the mozzerella and parmesan. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted & bubbly. Allow to cool before serving. Makes about 6 servings.

My 100th Post! Mac & Cheese with Chicken & Broccoli

This is my 100th post on this blog. I'm really excited to get to 100 in less than a year, especially since nearly all of my posts are cooking related (I've dropped the "tales" portion of the blog because I keep track of my books on goodreads.com now). This has been a great year for me, cooking wise, and I owe it all to the blogging world.

My 100th post is a blend of a couple recipes. I had seen Mac & Cheese with Chicken & Broccoli added in on a "kid friendly" episode of 30 minute meals with Rachael Ray. Her version seemed a little bland, from the recipe, so I added some seasonings that I had seen on The Pioneer Woman website (If you can't trust that site for rich & creamy mac & cheese, I don't know where else to go!). I picked up some tasty cheeses from our new Whole Foods Market (yay!) and it just made this meal fantastic. This was delicious, and we found it very filling.

Thanks for sticking by me and reading this blog. Its been really fun and I'm looking forward to another 100 posts. Sorry about the yellow picture. You'd think I'd have this food photography down in 100 posts, wouldn't you?

Macaroni & Cheese with Chicken & Broccoli

1/2 lb whole wheat dry macaroni

12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into one inch pieces

1 tsp grill seasoning

2 Tbs butter

1.5 Tbs AP Flour

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup nonfat milk (or a total of 1 cup dairy of your preference)

About 6-8 oz grated cheeses, good melting (I used 1/2 aged white cheddar, 1/2 young gouda)

1 tsp dry ground mustard

1.5 to 2 cups of broccoli florets

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (I used a mix of panko and italian seasoned)

1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions, undercooking by a couple minutes (it will finish cooking in the oven). Meanwhile, season chicken breast with grill seasoning or seasoning salt (trust me, it tastes great with this seasoning!). Cook in 1 Tbs of butter until no longer pink. Remove from heat and add the other Tbs of butter. Add flour to melted butter and stir until a smooth roux is formed. Cook for about a minute before adding dairy all at once. Whisk very well and cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Then add mustard and slowly fold in cheese until very smooth & creamy. Return chicken to the sauce and add broccoli florets. Stir well until all is incorporated, then add cooked macaroni (or add sauce mixture to drained macaroni pot, if preferred). Pour all into an 8" x 8" baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan in a small bowl, then sprinkle mixture over top of the macaroni & cheese until coated with the crispy mixture. Bake uncovered until crumbs start to brown, about 20-25 minutes.

Duggar Casserole!

I will admit it: I watch too much TLC, although I have started to cut back after child exploitation got out of hand ("Toddlers & Tiaras," anyone? Yikes!). I have dropped Jon & Kate + 8 altogether and I used to watch it faithfully. My remaining vice is the Duggar family show. I find them fascinating and while yes, they are still earning money off the filming of their family, they really seem to have a strong hold on their own values while filming and portray a simple strength in family that I think is important for viewers to see. While I (obviously, no kids here!) don't follow their beliefs in family planning (or lack thereof), I've always felt that variety is the spice of life, and they are able to care for their family without government assistance, so who am I to judge? Anyway, this tater tot casserole is a recipe the Duggars have become famous for. Since I watch a lot more TV and am online a lot more than the entire Duggar family, I don't play actively as much as they do, so I chose to lighten up this recipe by using way less cheese, low fat soup, and added zucchini to add some green to the mix. This was pretty good, and a very traditional casserole, but I don't know if I'll make it again. I'm steering clear of recipes made with cream of xxx soups lately, and this casserole featured the flavor pretty prominently. I did love how festive the army of tater tots looked, though!

Tater Tot Casserole (from the Duggar Family by way of Lemons & Love)

half a bag of frozen tater tots
1 can cream of chicken soup (I used low fat cream of mushroom, I hate cream of chicken!)
1 pound ground turkey
2 cups cheddar cheese (I used about 3/4 cup)
salt
pepper
garlic powder (I used a clove of garlic)

I added:

1 small onion, diced

1 zucchini, sliced in half and diced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven according to tater tot directions (mine was 400 degrees).
Cook veggies in oil until soft. Remove. Cook ground turkey, season with salt & pepper. Drain if necessary. Add in cream of chicken soup and cheese. Mix well. Transfer turkey mixture into an 8x8 baking dish. Neatly top mixture with tater tots. Bake for approximately 25 minutes until tater tots are crispy to your preference. Serves: A LOT! We had leftovers for lunches and still threw some away.

Stuffed Peppers

Today, my friends, I make a triumphant return to blogging after a bit of a hiatus. I have been busy this summer and not cooking as many new recipes, but I have a few saved up that I'd like to post about, and hopefully this will inspire me to find and create more recipes this fall.

The first recipe is one that didn't photograph well, but I think will be a good recipe with a few small adjustments. I didn't realize that my husband not only enjoys stuffed peppers, but his mom has a trusty recipe! I wish I'd known, I would have used hers! Instead, I used this recipe from allrecipes.com. I added low fat cheese, spicy V-8, and used very lean beef. In the future, I think I will use 85/15% beef instead, and I will definitely use regular instead of low fat cheese (which is the entire reason the picture looks so unappetizing). This is one of those recipes that needs a little fat to taste right. My husband made me laugh when he said "These are good, but my mom's recipe uses ground beef." He's so used to the turkey I use in everything, and the beef was so low fat, he didn't notice the difference when I finally used beef for once! I look forward to trying this again (or my mother-in-law's!) when the weather gets a little cooler.

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

My fabulous stepmom taught me a lot of my cooking skills, and also helped me to develop many of my standard "loves" when it comes to food. One of my favorite vegetables is cauliflower and I never would have learned to love it if it wasn't for her teaching me how to make a basic cheese sauce to go over the top of it. When I was a kid, I would eat a good cheese sauce by the spoonful, with a little cauliflower to accent the flavor of the sauce! Unfortunately, cauliflower nears the top of my husband's list of most disliked foods, so I don't get to enjoy it unless he's not around. I thought I would just roast some while he was on his work trip and eat it with something simple, but then I got the idea for a baked macaroni & cheese with roasted cauliflower added in. What a concept! It was like my favorite cheese sauce & cauliflower mixture from my childhood, but with pasta added in! I think if I get the chance to make this again, I'll add some spices in to make it a little more suitable for my adult palate, but I encourage those with kids to do creative things like this to introduce kids to vegetables that are a little plain normally.

Cauliflower Macaroni & Cheese (by me!)

1 Tbs butter or margarine

1 Tbs Flour

1 cup nonfat milk

1 cup (or more) shredded cheddar cheese

Fresh cracked pepper

1.5 cups cauliflower florets

1 cup elbow macaroni

1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

cooking spray

Spray cauliflower lightly with cooking spray or olive oil and roast in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove and set aside. Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions, but leave a little bit undercooked. Meanwhile, make cheese sauce by melting butter in a saucepan, adding flour and cooking for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Allow to come to a slow boil. After the sauce is lightly boiling & thick, add shredded cheddar cheese to taste. Add fresh cracked pepper to taste. Add roasted cauliflower to sauce, mix well to combine. Add to cooked macaroni and stir, then pour into an 8" x 8" casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs and panko. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove and spray with cooking spray, then return to oven for another 5-10 minutes or until top is golden brown. Makes 4 side dish servings or 2 large main dish servings.

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchilada success! I have had some issues with homemade enchiladas since I was little because the textures have always turned out a little weird. Either the whole entree comes out dry and overcooked or everything just turns into mush. I love enchiladas though, and I've seen some recipes online lately that use all sorts of interesting things as fillings (ranch dressing, cream of xxx soup, cream cheese, etc.). While none of these sounded all that appetizing to me, I decided to use them as inspiration for my Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas. These were great! The nacho cheese soup kept the chicken from drying out, and the spices in the soup plus the peppers I added really gave these a flavorful kick. My only fear is that Campbells will stop making the Nacho Cheese soup flavor as they have for other flavors I've used in the past for cooking. In the meantime, though, I've stocked up on these ingredients and will definitely be making these again! I almost forgot to take a picture, I was so wrapped up in eating these!

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas (inspired by a collection of recipes from allrecipes & the back of the enchilada sauce can)

1 cup cooked shredded chicken breast

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp olive oil

1 4 oz can diced chile peppers (I used hot, but mild would be okay)

1 can Campbell's Nacho Cheese soup

6 flour tortillas

1 small can mild red enchilada sauce

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. In saute pan, cook garlic & onion in oil until soft. Add drained diced chiles and cook until most of the moisture has cooked out. Add chicken and soup and stir well to combine. Spray 13" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray. Dip one tortilla at a time into a bowl of lukewarm water. Lay in baking dish and fill with a few Tablespoons of chicken filling. Roll tightly and place in baking dish seam side down. Repeat with all six tortillas until filling is gone and baking dish is full. Top with enchilada sauce and spread with spoon to evenly cover the enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted & bubbly.

Mexican Chicken & Rice Casserole

I'm a big fan of casseroles. They are comforting, often one dish wonders, and tend to be food that everyone enjoys. One type of casserole that I've always liked the concept of is the standard "Campbell's Chicken & Rice Casserole." The only problem with this is that I really don't like cream of chicken soup. I'm not picky in regards to the "cream of xxx" soups, it is really just the cream of chicken that grosses me out. So when my sister in law introduced me to the Campbell's "Southwestern" style condensed soups, I was really excited and promptly made a chicken & rice casserole using Chicken Chile Verde soup and various other Southwestern flavors. It was really tasty and we ate it frequently until Campbell's discontinued the line of soups. It has been a few years, and I decided I needed to come up with a substitute. By only using 1/2 a can of cream of chicken and adding diced peppers and sour cream, I was able to recreate the recipe. I do realize that the zucchini doesn't really fit in with the Southwestern theme, but that is the best part about making up your own recipes - you can do whatever you feel like!

Mexican Chicken & Rice Casserole (my recipe, inspired by Campbell's Chicken & Rice Casserole)

2 6 oz chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

1 medium zucchini, sliced

Spices - even amounts of cumin, paprika, garlic powder and Chile powder to coat chicken (I used Chipotle Chile Powder this time and it was fantastic!)

3/4 cup long grain white rice

1/2 can of cream of chicken soup (I used low fat)

3 Tbs Sour Cream (I used low fat)

1 4 oz can diced chili peppers (mild)

1 cup picante sauce (I used medium)

1/2 cup water

1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tsp olive oil

Cook spice coated chicken in skillet with heated oil until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Add to 2 quart casserole dish. Add zucchini to skillet and saute until golden. Add to casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients into casserole dish. Bake in 375 oven, covered. Remove cover, stir and top with cheese. Return to oven uncovered and cook for 5 more minutes until cheese is melted & bubbly.

(Nutrition info. to return soon - I'm lazy right now)

Taco Bake

I love Southwestern flavors and casseroles that don't involve cream of xxx soup, so when I saw this recipe on Loves Deliciousness, I knew that I had to try it. Ironically, it reminded me a lot of the Mexican Stuffed Shells I made quite a while ago, and only when I was siting this post did I realize that Loves Deliciousness was the source for both recipes! I did some tweaking (low fat cheeses, ground turkey and whole wheat macaroni), but stayed pretty true to the original recipe. This one was a keeper. I think we will probably adjust the cream cheese to sour cream ratio a bit (we are bigger sour cream than cream cheese fans), and I might use a blend of low fat and regular cheese for the top next time, since the low fat was a little less gooey than I would have liked. Otherwise, it is yet another great recipe that I have come across due to the food blogging world.

Taco Bake (from Loves Deliciousness)
1 lb ground beef (I used Ground Turkey)
1 packet taco seasoning (I used low sodium)
15 oz. tomato sauce
8 oz. seashell pasta (I used whole wheat macaroni)
8 oz. package cream cheese, softened in microwave (I used low fat, will probably use 4-6 oz next time)
1/2 cup sour cream (I will probably use 3/4 to 1 cup low fat sour cream next time)
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used 8 oz low fat Mexican blend, will probably use 1/2 & 1/2 fat to low fat mixture next time)
Brown ground meat, drain. Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions & drain. Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream in small bowl. Spray bottom of 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Put pasta in bottom of pan & top with cream cheese mixture. Spoon ground meat mixture over this. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving. Makes 6-8 servings
Nutrition Info for 1/8 of casserole: Calories: 271.7, Fat: 14.1g (7.7 Sat, .4 Poly, 2 Mono), Carbs: 13.1g, Fiber: 1.4g

Black Bean, Corn & Pineapple Enchiladas

Mmm, Enchiladas. They are one of my favorite Mexican dishes, but whenever I have had them cooked at home, they lose some of their gooey goodness. They are either too dry, not cheesy enough, or they get crunchy in weird spots. I decided to try this recipe from a blog on the nest because I liked that it didn't include any meat, so it removed that from the equation of things that could go wrong. I also love pretty much anything with pineapple in it. Note: the lack of meat does NOT in any way imply healthiness with this recipe! We liked the flavors of this recipe, but again, the texture wasn't quite right. The tortillas got a little too soft (which is the first time I've ever seen that happen with homemade enchiladas, normally they are too hard). My husband thinks that maybe I should have used different tortillas, but I think it was because I didn't squeeze enough of the juice out of the pineapple before adding to the mix. Either way, I am pretty excited that for my first attempt at homemade enchiladas, these resembled the enchilada flavor you get at restaurants, and with tweaking, I think I could perfect homemade enchiladas on my next attempt (I think I'll try regular chicken next).

I stuck to the linked recipe pretty closely, but I used about 2 cups low fat mexican cheese blend instead of the 3.5 cups of regular. Also, the 1 can of Enchilada sauce can be a small can. I didn't use much out of the huge can I bought.

Nutrition info for two enchiladas - my version (with low fat cheese): Calories: 627.1, Fat: 17.9g (8.1 Sat, .2 Poly, 0 Mono), Carbs: 93g, Fiber: 10.9g

No Mushroom Veggie Lasagna

I've always wanted to try making Vegetable Lasagna, but have had trouble because nearly every recipe I have found includes lots of mushrooms. I don't have too many foods that I dislike, but mushrooms are pretty high up the list. So this weekend, I decided to just wing it and create my own recipe. The confidence that I'm getting from trying so many new recipes with this blog is really what made this recipe come together. I loosely based the recipe off a Cooking Light recipe, but I pretty much just used it for proportions and cook time and the rest was up to me! I used all the vegetables we like the most and also used whole wheat lasagna noodles and low fat mozzerella, so this ended up being a very hearty and healthy meal. I did slightly overcook it because I was on the phone with my mother in law, who I haven't spoken to in a while and lost track of time a bit. The pictures came out a little dark looking because of that, but other than that, I wouldn't change a thing!

Vegetarian Lasagna

1 Tbs olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced

3/4 cup diced zucchini

2 cloves garlic

3/4 cup chopped broccoli

1 bottle jarred tomato pasta sauce (we love Ragu)

15 oz low fat or fat free ricotta cheese

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 cup low fat mozzarella cheese

9 whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked & cooled according to directions

Preheat oven to 375. Heat oil over medium high heat in large saute pan. Saute veggies, starting with onion, then zucchini, then peppers, then garlic, then broccoli, allowing about 1-2 minutes in between each before adding in the next veggie. Veggies should be just getting some color to them when done. In medium bowl, mix ricotta with dried herbs (or substitute fresh). Add about 1/2 cup pasta sauce to 9" x 12" baking pan and spread evenly. Add remaining sauce to veggies and mix to combine. Lay 3 cooked lasagna noodles over the sauce in the baking pan. Top noodles with about 1/2 the ricotta mixture and smooth as evenly as possible. Top with 1/3 (about a cup) of veggie mixture and spread to even out. Top with 3 more noodles and repeat layers, ending with pasta topped with last 1/3 of veggie mixture. Top with mozzarella cheese and cover with foil. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove foil for last 15-20 minutes. Makes 6 very filling servings.

Nutrition Info: Calories: 382.3, Fat: 11.7g (4.5 Sat, 1.5 Poly, 3.9 Mono), Fiber: 7.8g, Carbs: 51.8g

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

This St. Patrick's Day, it seemed a lot of people I know were planning pretty big food celebrations. Just in my office of 12 alone, we had one person making roasted lamb and colcannon and another making homemade Irish Soda Bread. So even though both my husband and I are standard American mutts with very well blended heritage, I decided that I would do something a little Irish tonight. I purposely made a ton of mashed potatoes on Sunday night for my Cornish Game Hen dinner so that I would have enough leftovers for Shepherd's Pie. The only trouble I was having was that I wasn't finding a recipe that really fit my tastes. So I improvised. I'm sure some Irish would be irked at my technique (ground turkey instead of beef, frozen vegetables, canned gravy), but I was impressed with how quickly this came together. I think next time, I will use more worcestershire sauce and perhaps some pepper and fresh herbs, but otherwise, this was very tasty.

Turkey Shepherd's Pie
1/2 lb Extra Lean Ground Turkey

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbs Olive Oil

3 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (I used a Trader Joe's 4 veggie blend of carrots, beans, corn and peas and it was VERY good)

6 oz canned chicken gravy

2 cups mashed potatoes (fresh, leftover, or packaged are all fine)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sautee Onion & Garlic in oil over medium high heat until soft. Add Turkey breast and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes, breaking up into bite size pieces. Add Worcestershire Sauce. Add frozen vegetables and saute until thawed. Add gravy and mix well to combine. Pour mixture into an 8" x 8" baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Top with mashed potatoes and spread over mixture until covered like a crust. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then increase temp. to 450 and bake for 5 minutes more. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving: Calories: 233, Fat: 7.1g (1.6 sat, 1.0 poly, 3.6 mono), Carbs: 27.5g, Fiber: 3.9g

Peppery Mac + Cheese with Chipotle Sausage

I think this meal might be my favorite that I've ever come up with. Granted, I took some inspiration from this post on Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations, one of my favorite blogs from the nest, but I thought that I should try and lighten it up, and also thought that if I was going to be spending all the calories on the cheese (all full fat Tillamook Cheeses), I should add some extras to make it a more complete one-dish meal without adding too many more calories. The mixture of peppers between the peppers in the cheese, roasted red peppers, and chipotles in the sausage was fantastic. I guess I will have to dedicate this success to my 2nd mom (I was lucky enough to get two in life), both for teaching me how to make a great cheese sauce and for putting up with 3 of the pickiest kids ever. You see, when my stepmom came into my family, she knew we were picky. She did not know that we would literally turn our noses up at homemade mac + cheese because "Why is the color so weird? Mac + Cheese is supposed to be really orange!" I bet she wouldn't have thought that one day, I'd be so open to trying new things!

Peppery Mac + Cheese with Chipotle Sausage

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain well. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook sausage (which is precooked) until heated through. Remove sausage from pan and add 1 Tbs butter substitute (or butter, if desired). Mix in flour and allow to bubble & cook in the butter for about 1 minute. Add 1/2 & 1/2 and milk (or all milk if you are weirded out by non-fat 1/2 & 1/2). Stir well and costantly until sauce begins to boil and becomes thick. Add pepperjack cheese and stir until melted and incorportated. Add red pepper and sausage to the sauce and stir well. Add to pasta and mix to combine, then pour into an 8" x 8" baking dish. Top with 2 oz of cheddar jack cheese mix. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese topping has melted and starts to get a little crispy. Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition info for one serving: Calories: 328, Fat: 19.4g (4.7 Sat, .6 Poly, 1.9 Mono), Carbs: 18.3g, Fiber: 2.0g.

Giada's Chicken & Pastina

This is the second time I've cooked this dish. We enjoyed it the first time around, but this time, my husband said "This doesn't even compare it is so much better, you shouldn't even talk about the first time this was made." I only made a couple of changes, and most of them were to try and lighten up the dish, actually, but something about this just really came together this time. I think part of it was using the smallest high quality pasta I could find (De Cecco's Farfalline, so cute!), which really absorbed the sauce much better than the small shells I used the first time. Giada's recipe can be found here. My changes are that I use two 6 oz chicken breasts instead of just a 1/2 cup, I use basil instead of parsley and I add about a 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes to make the flavor a little more grown up. My "healthy" changes this time around were using low fat mozzerella cheese (okay in this application because it is mixed in and not melted on top), using 1 Tbs of olive oil instead of two, spraying the pan with Pam instead of buttering, and using a Tbs of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" stick instead of butter to brown the top.

Nutrition Info with changes listed above: Calories: 377, Fat: 13.1g (4.8 Sat, 1.1 Poly, 4.1 Mono), Carbs: 29.6g, Fiber: 2.1g