Mexican Chicken Casserole

Full recipe can be found here.

1 cup chicken broth

2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 cup evaporated skim milk

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 cup (2 ounces) tub-style light cream cheese

1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese

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.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Soup

I am someone who loves wings. And I do mean love. So when I saw this recipe (and the fact that it calls for Franks!) I jumped on trying it. Here's the original recipe!

2 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium stalks celery, sliced

2 medium carrots, chopped

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Frank's buffalo wing sauce

Mix all ingredients except buffalo wing sauce into crockpot.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.

Stir in buffalo wing sauce and serve.

My husband didn't like how spicy it was with the 1/4 cup of buffalo wing sauce in it, so the second time around I put 1/8 cup and then added it to taste to my own bowl and he was much happier. Something I want to try next time: a packet of ranch mix into the slow cooker or ranch dressing mixed in after the buffalo sauce.

Crockpot Taco Chicken Chili

Full recipe (and picture cred!) here.

1 yellow onion, chopped 

1 16-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 16-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

10 oz package frozen corn kernels

2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies

1 packet taco seasoning 

1 tbsp cumin 

1 tbsp chili powder

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts 

chopped fresh cilantro 

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker.
Place chicken on top and cover.
Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.
Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred.
Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.
Top with fresh cilantro and other desired garnishes.

This recipe was very straightforward and we enjoyed it. Next time I might try some different spices to see how interesting I can make it.

Crockpot Baked Potato Soup

I love my crockpot. Love, love, love. Here's the full recipe. I've cut in half because it makes a ton and there's only two of us.

2 lbs Russet Potatoes, washed but NOT peeled. Diced into 1/2 inch(ish) cubes

1/2 large yellow onion, diced

5 cloves of garlic (I used the stuff that comes in a jar, pre-minced)

4 cups chicken broth (Swanson 99% fat free)

8 oz cream cheese

Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning and chicken broth to slow cooker.
Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
Stir in the cream cheese and allow to melt. Stir every 10-15 minutes until soup is well blended.
Top with your choice of garnishes (bacon crumbles, shredded cheese, green onions) and serve!


We put a TON of cheese on ours because otherwise it's really bland for us. It's also very filling :)

Stuffed Peppers

One of my favorite meals to make and to eat! Full and original recipe can be found here. It's originally vegetarian, but modified it.

1 lb ground turkey

1 10 oz pkg. frozen corn
1 cup salsa
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup shredded cheese (I used the "Mexican" blend)
1 each large red, yellow and green pepper, cut lengthwise in half, seeds removed
1/2 cup water

Cook ground turkey, corn and salsa in large nonstick skillet on medium 5 min. or until heated through, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in rice and 1/2 cup cheese; spoon into pepper halves.

Place filled peppers in 13x9-inch baking dish. Pour water into bottom of dish; cover.

Bake 30 min.; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 10 min. or until cheese is melted.


I didn't cover the dish. It doesn't do anything "bad" to the peppers besides turn them a little brown at the top. You can use ground turkey, beef or vegetarian crumbles like the original recipe calls for. This recipe makes a lot of filling for 3 peppers. I divided the remaining filling up into single serving and put it in ziploc bags and put it in the freezer. It keeps very well! Enjoy!

Corn and Potato Chowder

This is a WW recipe that can be found in full here.

1 medium uncooked yukon gold potatoes     

1/2 cups uncooked celery, chopped   

1/4 cups chopped uncooked onions

2 cups frozen corn

1 cup sweet red peppers, diced   

4 oz uncooked Canadian-style bacon, diced   

2 cups fat-free skim milk   

1/2 tsp table salt   

1/4 tsp black pepper

• Microwave potatoes until tender. Chop into bite sized pieces.
  
• Add celery, onion, corn and red pepper; cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
  
• Stir bacon and milk into saucepan; stir in potato and mix well. Season with salt, pepper; stir to combine. Cover and simmer 10 minutes (do not allow to boil).

We didn't care for this recipe. It's simple and fairly quick, but the original recipe wants you to mash the potatoes, which I didn't do. I also didn't have hot pepper sauce so maybe that would have given it more of a "taste" because it was quite bland. We also try to eat dairy free, so adding milk wasn't something I wanted to do, but did anyway. We haven't tried it again since I made this in late September. 

Spicy Tortilla Soup

I love this spicy vegetarian tortilla soup! It's got a lengthy ingredients list, but luckily the directions are short and simple.The recipe in full can be found here.

2 tablespoons ground cumin


2 teaspoons sweet paprika


2 teaspoons chili powder


1/2 teaspoon garlic powder


1/2 teaspoon onion powder


1/2 teaspoon dried oregano


1 teaspoon coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons light colored oil

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (4 ounce) can diced mild green chiles, drained

2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with spices


1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

2 (32 ounce) containers broth (I used chicken, but you can use vegetable)


2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1. In a small bowl mix together cumin, sweet paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, coriander, salt and black pepper. Set aside.

2. In a large pot heat the oil over medium high. Add the onions and bell peppers. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the spices and garlic; cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the green chile peppers, tomatoes, corn and broth. Cook until warmed through. Add the black beans and cook for 2 minutes before serving. Squeeze in lime juice. Serve in bowls and garnish as desired.

Enjoy!