Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Sunday, May 15, 2011

We agree with Julia

Julia Child said that “You have to eat to cook. You can’t be a good cook and be a noneater. I think eating is the secret to good cooking.” We agree. These recipes make us want to do both, including more pickling (pickled radishes) and smoking (smoked asparagus). Delish!

Steamy Kitchen
Baked Crab Rangoon

Voodoo and Sauce
Cauliflower Cheese Pie

Closet Cooking
Asparagus Feta Fritters

Living in the Kitchen With Puppies

Herbivoracious
Bucatini with Smoked Asparagus

J’s Kitchen
Maple Mouse

Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Kitchen

Homesick Texan

Joy the Baker
Chicken Pot Pie w/ Cream Cheese & Chive Biscuits

The Kitchen Sink
Spicy Quick Pickled Radishes

Smitten Kitchen
Crispy Potato Roast


Saturday, May 14, 2011

Fast Stacked Enchiladas

I was jonesing for enchiladas last night but I didn't want to spend an hour preparing dinner and then another half hour waiting while they baked. Instant Gratification is my game and this dinner comes pretty close, taking about 20  minutes to prep and serve.

Granted, we did not make tortillas by hand, we used canned enchilada sauce and then nuked the enchiladas in the microwave.

You can always up the ante and do everything from scratch. Or not.

Stacked Enchiladas
Ingredients
For the filling
  • 2 c. cubed lean meat (not a carnivore? substitute your preferred protein)
  • 1/2 red onion, rough chopped
  • 1 poblano pepper, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, minced
  • 1 c. corn  kernels (frozen or fresh)
  • 1 15 oz. can black beans, well-rinsed and drained
  • Leftovers, yes, leftovers, which in this case included about a cup brown rice/quinoa as well as oven-roasted tomatoes & zucchini
  • Spices: garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotles
For the stack
  • Corn tortillas
  • Green enchilada sauce
  • Shredded cheese
  • Cilantro, chopped
Directions
Make the filling
  1. In a sizable skillet that can hold all of the filling ingredients comfortably, brown the meat.
  2. Add the peppers, onions & spices. Cover and cook over med-low heat, stirring occasionally.
  3. When the peppers start to soften, add the remainder of the filling ingredients, stir and simmer.
  4. When the meat is completely cooked, it's time to stack.
Stack the enchiladas
  1. I didn't fry the tortillas -- saved time and calories skipping that step.
  2. Put a corn tortilla on a microwave safe plate, top it with the fillings, sprinkle with cheese and pour on 1/4 c. enchilada sauce.
  3. At this point, you can just pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes on high. That's my preference.
  4. For the hubby, I stacked on another corn tortilla, topped it with more cheese and sauce, and nuked that for 2 minutes. (I might have stacked the enchiladas higher, but the filling was very chunky and our appetites modest.)
  5. Top with chopped cilantro and serve.
Leftovers make a hearty quick breakfast. Which we're eating now.