Monday, March 28, 2011

Mexican Chicken Casserole


Yum! This delicious dish is so easy to make and assemble. You can even cut the prep time in half by using a store-bought rotisserie chicken. (I cut this blog writing time in half by copying and pasting from the online recipe) I hope you enjoy!

  1. 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  2. 2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, divided
  3. 1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts
  4. 2 teaspoons olive oil
  5. 1 cup chopped onion
  6. 1 cup evaporated skim milk
  7. 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  8. 1/4 cup (2 ounces) tub-style light cream cheese
  9. 1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
  10. 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
  11. Cooking spray
  12. 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese
  13. 1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips)

Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; sauté 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

From Cooking Light recipes (online)

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Muffin Mania

I can't believe this is my 100th post. It's been fun to look back at just how many recipes I have tried over the past two years. I have two more good ones for you tonight: streusel-topped blueberry muffins and chocolate chip banana muffins. Haven't tried them yet, but the batter sure was good! I hope you enjoy; For those who get to taste them Saturday morning, these are for you!

Streusel-topped Blueberry Muffins

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen blueberries, thawed, rinsed, and drained)
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 5 tbsp white sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp butter, diced
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
  2. Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, sprinkle 1 1/2 tbsp flour over blueberries, and set aside. (This prevents "purple" batter)
  3. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, and stir in vanilla and lemon zest. Fold in dry ingredients alternatively with milk. Fold in blueberries gently, don't stir. Spoon batters into prepared cups. (Batter will be kind of thick)
  4. For streusel, combine 2 tbsp flour with 5 tbsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Cut in 2 tbsp butter with 2 butter knives or pastry blender until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle over batter in muffin cups.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used one small container of vanilla yogurt)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed, ripe bananas (about 3 medium sized)
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
  4. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups full.
  5. Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans.

Mushroom and Asparagus Salad


Delicious! They say your taste buds change every 7 years; well, mine definitely have because I have fallen in love with mushrooms. This warm salad is a perfect, healthy way to enjoy my two favorites: asparagus and mushrooms. Be careful with cooking times based on your oven because I definitely overcooked the veggies a little bit. I hope you enjoy!

  • 1 slice whole-wheat bread, torn into pieces
  • 4 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tsp olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 2 tbsp minced shallot (or garlic)
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped or pinch dried thyme
  • 1 1/2 lbs asparagus, trimmed
  • 3 cups trimmed and sliced mushrooms
  • 5 cups salad greens
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and finely chopped
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. In a food processor, pulse bread into large, fluffy crumbs. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl; toss with Parmesan and 2 tsp of oil. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Whisk together remaining oil, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce and thyme in small bowl.
  4. Spread asparagus evenly on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 4 tbsp dressing. Shake to coat.
  5. In another bowl, toss mushrooms with 2 tbsp dressing. Scatter mushrooms evenly over asparagus, reserving bowl. Roast vegetables for 10 minutes.
  6. Toss roasted asparagus and mushrooms to coat with their cooking juices and scatter breadcrumbs over each sheet. Return sheets to oven and roast another 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and bread crumbs are browned.
  7. In reserved bowl, toss the salad greens with 2 tbsp dressing. Pile salad on dinner plates. Top with asparagus and mushrooms, sprinkle with chopped egg.
Makes 4 servings; 322 calories each serving.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Tex-Mex Pork


My rate of adding recipes to the blog seems to be slowing down, but not my desire to cook new and exciting things. This simple 5 ingredient dish satisfies the taste buds with little effort. Add a little avocado and sour cream for a tasty dish. I hope you enjoy!

  • 1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh refrigerated salsa
  • 2 cups hot cooked long-grain rice (brown or white)
  • 1/4 cup light sour cream
  • 1/2 avocado, cubed
Heat large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Add salsa and 1/4 cup water to pan; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve pork mixture over rice; top with sour cream and avocado. Makes 4 servings.

From Cooking Light December 2010

Friday, March 4, 2011

Carrot Cake


Yum! Couldn't resist trying out my mini bundt cake pan (that makes six of these mini cakes) that a friend let me borrow. For the original carrot cake recipe, click here. I experimented with doing 1 full cup of canola oil and 1/2 cup of apple sauce, and it turned out fantastic. I might try more applesauce and less oil next time. I hope you enjoy!