Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Oven Chicken Fajitas

In going through my e-mails to clean them up, I found a link to this recipe (http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/02/oven-fajitas/) that I wanted to try and since I had everything for it in the house yesterday, I decided it would be a great time to make it.  It turned out great and is definitely one that will get into the rotation!  What was great was that I prepped everything ahead of time and just tossed it into the baking pan 45 minutes before we needed to eat and it was ready so fast!  LOVE that!!  You can easily double it (I'd put it into two pans) for a larger group but this fed the 4 of us (the big girls weren't home) with enough for some to have seconds.  Try it!

Oven Chicken Fajitas

Seasoning:
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. corn starch

Fajitas
2 small (or one large) onion
2 medium green bell peppers
1 medium red bell pepper
1 lb. chicken breast
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium lime
8 (6") flour tortillas
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
1/4 bunch cilantro (optional)
* we also served it with guacamole and refried beans*

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Mix all of the ingredients for the fajita seasoning in a small bowl and set aside.
2.  Cut the onion and bell peppers into 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide strips.  Place them in a large 9x13 inch casserole dish.  Slice the chicken breast into very thin strips and add it to the casserole dish with the vegetables.
3.  Sprinkle the seasoning over the meat and vegetables.  Drizzle the vegetable oil over everything and then use your hands to toss the ingredients until everything is well coated in oil and seasoning.  Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, stirring once halfway through.  Squeeze the juice from half of the lime over the top of the meat and vegetables after it comes out of the oven.
4.  Scoop a small amount of meat and vegetables into the center of each tortilla.  Top with a few sprigs of cilantro, a dollop of sour cream and an extra squeeze of lime if desired.

Friday, May 22, 2015

Jambalaya

I've been meaning to make this recipe for a few weeks but only finally made it tonight and it's definitely a hit!!  I changed the original recipe to make this one and it's SOOOO good!!

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
3 Tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, minced (or 3 tsp. dried parsley)
1 lb. fresh chorizo sausage, cut into small chunks
5 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1 large bay leaf
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped into bite sized pieces

1.  Add oil to large nonstick skillet.  Over medium heat, sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery until onion is translucent.  Add parsley, sausage, chicken and bay leaf.  Cook, stirring often, 5-6 minutes.

2.  Add tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce and 1 3/4 cup cold water.  Gently simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

3.  Pour rice into pan and stir well.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until rice is cooked and absorbs much of the liquid.  Stir in shrimp and cook 5 minutes more.  Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.


Sunday, January 18, 2015

Chicken Enchilada Soup

I know it's been a while since I posted but I HAVE been cooking and trying new recipes!  I promise!  I just have been lax in posting them but I'm determined to get the new recipes up in the next week or so.  :)  Otherwise, I just might actually lose them which is not a good thing!

Yesterday, I picked up 13 lbs. of boneless chicken breast for $1.69 a lb. (I've not seen that price in years!) and I cooked it all up, shredded some and diced some so now I have a bunch of chicken for recipes.  Some of it went into this soup that I had prepared last night and put in the crockpot this morning before church and we were able to enjoy it soon after we got home.  It's a hit!  It's definitely not low cal/low fat but serve it with a big salad and I think that will balance it out.  ;)  I don't remember where I got it - I saw it last week and I hand wrote it down but if I can find the origin, I will post it.



Chicken Enchilada Soup

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken stock
1 Tbsp. chicken soup base (like Better than Bouillon)
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper to taste (or leave it out and add tabasco to individual portions like we did)
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (19 oz.) can enchilada sauce
6 small corn tortillas, minced
16 oz. velveeta, cubed
1 cup co-jack cheese, shredded
1. 5 lbs. shredded cooked chicken
1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 bunch green onions, sliced

In a skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat and saute the onions until tender.  Add the minced garlic and cook another minute or two.  Scrape the onion and garlic into the crockpot and add all of the other ingredients except the chicken, corn and green onions.  Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4.  Whisk until smooth (you may want to use a stick blender).  Add the chicken and corn and heat through on high for about 20-30 minutes.  Check seasoning, adjusting if necessary.  Serve topped with green onions.  You can also top it with sour cream, shredded cheese and/or crunchy tortilla strips.