Chicken Tamale Pie

Oh.  Yum.  I will definitely be making this again.  I left out the cayenne, hoping to keep things mild for the gingersnaps, but it was still too spicy for their taste.  So my husband and I ate our servings, then theirs!  The tamale "crust" is soft and sorta mushy, but firmed up as it sat, so let the dish rest for a few minutes before serving and I think the "slices" will hold together better.

Update: I made this again, making sure to get mild enchilada sauce and mild diced chilies.  I left out the cayenne again and the kids were able to eat it.  Although my husband and I liked it much better with more of the spice.  

1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (I left this out for the kids)
1 (14 3/4 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5 ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy)
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce 
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
3/4 cup shredded white cheese
cilantro and crumbled Cotija cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine the first 7 ingredients (milk through green chiles), using just 1/2 tablespoon of the taco seasoning, in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a round pie plate (mine was glass) coated with cooking spray.  I used my pie plate, but it wasn't big enough to hold everything without spilling over (see photo above!).  My round casserole dish is deeper and would have been a better choice.

Bake at 400° for 20-30 minutes. While corn is baking, toss the chicken in the remaining 1 tablespoon taco seasoning. When corn is done – it will be just barely set and golden brown – pierce entire surface liberally with a fork (it might stick a little bit to the fork). Pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with cilantro and Cotija cheese.

Malt Cookie Bars

Jessie raved about these, so I had to give them a try.  I wasn't entirely sure what "malted milk powder" was and ended up coming home with Ovaltine chocolate malt.  It did the job.  And the bars were delicious!  Think chocolate-chip cookie meets a whopper-flavored brownie (as in, the candy - not the burger!).  YUM!




1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup malted milk powder
2 Tbsp. chocolate syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Beat butter, brown sugar, malted milk powder, chocolate syrup, and vanilla for 2 minutes. Beat in the egg until well combined.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir to combine.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix well.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper (I just coated an 8x8 with cooking spray). Press the cookie dough into the dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes. They will still seem gooey in the centers so let them cool completely before cutting into them.

Jessie suggested I keep them in the fridge and serve cold.  We ate them too fast to try it them that way, but that just means I'll have to make another pan!

Cheesy Quinoa Bites

These were yummy and a bit addicting.  I made a few changes from the original based on what I had on hand.  I expected the bites to be more dry and firm, but mine came out fairly wet after 20 minutes of baking time.  I might have put too much mixture in each muffin cup and probably could have baked them longer, but we just used forks instead of fingers and still enjoyed them!

1 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 large eggs

2 carrots, shredded

1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

2 tablespoons flour

salt and pepper, to taste

parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top

Add quinoa and broth to a medium saucepan.  Bring liquid to boil.  Cover and turn heat down to simmer.  Cook 15-20 minutes, or until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients together, mixing until thoroughly combined.

Using a melon baller or a tablespoon, place rounded drops of the mixture into each cup of the muffin pan, pressing each one down lightly with your fingers to make sure that they are firmly packed.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.  

Bake until lightly golden, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Soba Noodles and Mushroom Soup

I love mushrooms, so I ended up using a couple different kinds from the produce section, plus a package of dried shitakes (that you need to soak a good thirty minutes ahead of time), which was more than the recipe called for.  I'd suggest you go easy on the salt and start with just two or three Tablespoons of soy sauce.  Our soup ended up being on the salty side.  But we still enjoyed it.  My husband said it tasted like fancy Ramen!    




About 3/4 pound crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 medium leeks, trimmed and cut into matchsticks, washed and well drained
2 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 red Fresno chili pepper, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
4 to 6 tablespoons Tamari or Soy sauce, to taste 
1 package soba noodles
Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Chopped scallion greens, for garnish

Heat oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high to high heat. Add mushrooms. Brown mushrooms until nutty and fragrant then add vegetable matchsticks, ginger, garlic and chili; season lightly with salt and liberally with black pepper. Stir-fry a minute or 2 then add stock and bring soup to a boil. Season with 4-6 tablespoons of Tamari. Add soba or spaghetti and cook to just tender.

Using tongs, fill bowls with noodles, mushrooms and vegetables. Ladle broth over top and garnish. Serve with chopsticks and a large spoon for slurping.

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork

photo credit

This was every bit as good as I hoped it would be!  A crock pot home run.

1 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin (or regular pork loin)

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

Glaze

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

Cumin Lentil Barley Stew

I love lentils and barley, but had never before put them together.  They made a delicious combination in this hearty soup.  The leftovers tasted even better the second day (with a little broth thrown in before reheating).  

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 cup barley, rinsed and picked over
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in a large stockpot until shimmering. Add onion, carrots, celery and salt and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, cumin and coriander and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in tomatoes, stock, lentils and barley. Bring just to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils and barley are tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in spinach and heat through.

Season with salt and pepper.

Banana Split Bites

These were a fun, yummy treat to share with our church home group.   The gingersnaps and I had a fun time making them, with plenty of snacking involved in the process!  I made the "bites" too big, which meant you either had to eat them in two bites (messy) or had to awkwardly shove the whole thing in your mouth (potentially embarrassing).  So my advice is to make sure and keep them bite-size.  Then just eat a whole bunch!


2 medium bananas, peeled and cut into 10 pieces each
3-4 strawberries, cut in half and sliced to make 20 pieces
6 Tbsp dark chocolate chips
1 tbsp coconut oil (I didn't use this, but I bet it would be delicious)
2 Tbsp shredded coconut (I chopped mine to make it even more fine)
2 tbsp finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Place 20 mini cupcake liners on a small baking sheet. Slice bananas and place 1 piece into each. Do the same for the strawberries.

In a small pot on the stovetop or in a microwave, melt the chocolate and coconut oil on low. Remove from heat and stir well to melt the remaining chunks.

Make a workstation with the bites, melted chocolate, coconut, walnuts, and optional nut butter. Spoon on 1/2 teaspoon of melted chocolate onto a bite and gently spread out. Drizzle on nut butter (optional). Quickly sprinkle with coconut and walnuts. Repeat for the remaining 19 bites.

Freeze for a minimum of 15 minutes. If they are in the freezer for a long time and freeze solid, let them sit on the counter for about 15 minutes to soften up a bit. I put mine in a Tupperware container for storage.

Veggie and Feta Pasta Salad

Here's another great pasta salad that we were satisfied with for dinner.  I made a few changes to the original.

1 pound mixed tri-color pasta
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
6 ounces feta cheese
1/2 cup pitted and chopped Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Cook the pasta and drain. Cook the veggies in a heavy frying pan with a little olive oil over medium heat until crisp-tender - 5-7 minutes. Toss with cooked pasta and olives.

Crumble the feta cheese into the pasta. Whisk the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper together and toss with the pasta.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Asian Turkey Burgers with Sriracha Mayonnaise

These burgers had great flavor!  We followed the suggestion to only use the sriracha mayonnaise as a topping and were satisfied.

Makes 4 burgers

For burgers:
1 pound ground turkey breast
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used one shake so it wouldn't be too spicy for the kiddos)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
freshly ground black pepper
canola oil
hamburger buns

For Sriracha Mayonnaise:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Sriracha Hot Sauce 

Make the burgers. Combine ground turkey, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, green onions, ginger, garlic cayenne pepper, bread crumbs and a generous grind of black pepper in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly by hand. Form into 4 -6 patties. Heat a grilling pan over a medium-high flame (you can use a large skillet, but grilling pan is preferred—you can also grill the burgers). Brush the grilling pan lightly with canola oil and toast the cut side of the buns in batches; set aside.

Brush the pan more generously with oil and cook the burgers until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Use a quick read thermometer to make sure the burgers reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.

Meanwhile, make the Sriracha mayonnaise. Crazy easy. Put the mayonnaise and the Sriracha Hot Sauce in a small bowl and mix with a spoon. Done.

Assemble the burgers. Also easy. Bun, burger and a smear of Sriracha mayonnaise. You can add some lettuce or tomato slices, but I would discourage it. These are quite tasty on their own.

Mediterranean Couscous and Chicken Wraps

Tricia passed on this recipe to me and I've already made it twice!  It was a hit with the whole family and super easy to pull together.  I made the couscous mixture ahead of time, so I put the chicken on the pan to cook literally as my husband walked in the door, held the baby in my other arm, and we were eating 15 minutes later.  The flavors are subtle, but enough to not be boring.  This will be a regular on our summer menu.




1/3 cup couscous (I just used a box and cooked according to directions)
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper
1 lb. chicken tenders 
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cucumber, chopped
10-inch spinach or sun dried tomato wraps

Cook couscous according to package.

Combine parsley, lemon juice, oil, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a bowl.
Toss chicken w/ 2-3 Tablespoons of parsley mixture and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, then cook in skillet until chicken is done, about 5 minutes per side.

Stir remaining parsley mixture into couscous.  Add tomato and cucumber. (Both times I forgot to add the tomato and cucumber, so I just sliced them and served them on the side)

Assemble wraps, putting approximately 3/4 cup couscous mixture on wrap with chicken.