Recipes – Page 73 – The Pajama Chef

Mexican Rollups

October 25, 2012June 5, 2015 Sarah

So, I think I’ve mentioned a time or two that the first Sunday every month I organize food for a church event. It usually appears on my Menu Plan as an “appetizer and dessert” night. Sometimes “organizing” means planning, shopping, recruiting help to cook/bake, and setting/cleaning up the actual event. Other times, things are a little more involved. For one reason or another, I end up doing most of the cooking and baking. And that’s okay. For the most part, I don’t mind since I love food. But sometimes that gets a wee bit time consuming. So those months, I turn to something easy and delicious that I know everyone will love. Something that is always a hit are my Mexican Rollups. I think I’ve made these on [or had a friend make them] no less than three separate occasions. For someone who’s an avid nonrecipe repeater, how could I not when I had a cheesy, spicy hit on my hands? Each of these two-bite appetizers is absolute packed with taco spiced deliciousness. Black beans and corn. Two kinds of cheese. Cilantro. Onions. Salsa. All wrapped up in a soft flour tortilla. Amazing. Though they aren’t really healthy, I do have ideas for healthifying them [add spinach, cut down on cheese, etc.]… but I just haven’t. Sometimes you gotta be a bit excessive. Besides being tasty, these Mexican Rollups are incredibly easy to throw together in about 15 minutes or less. You can even make them a day or two ahead–for ease on the day of a party or get-together, as well as for better marriage of flavors. All you gotta do before serving is cut them up. Perfect, right? Or guess what… if you happened to not be making these for an event, I won’t tell anyone if you just eat them burrito-style. I may have done that a time or two…. shhhh! Just kidding. But now I am uber-tempted. Seriously though–these rollups are simple and well-loved. Every time I make them, I get so many compliments and recipe requests that I figured it would be easier to just blog about them. No one gets tired of them and they are always devoured [and I always make a double batch. Wowsers!]. One bite of this fresh yet indulgent Mexi-flavored app and you’ll see. 🙂 I guarantee anyone who tries them will agree… even those who say they don’t like black beans. There’s so much other good stuff in there. I don’t usually say that you have to try something… but you have GOT to try these. Enjoy!

Mexican Rollups

Servings: 80-100 slices, approximately 20-25 servings total
Time: 15 minutes + 2 hours to chill
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12 ounces cream cheese, softened [I used Neufchâtel]
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese [I’ve used Sharp Cheddar and a taco blend]
½ bunch cilantro, diced
6 green onions, chopped
1 package – 2 ounces – taco seasoning
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
20 flour tortillas

Combine cream cheese, corn, black beans, cheese, cilantro, onions, and taco seasoning in a large bowl. Add sour cream and salsa gradually [if it seems too runny use less of either]. Microwave tortillas to just warm up before adding filling. Spread evenly in each tortilla and roll up tightly. Don’t overfill; you don’t want it to be difficult to roll. Place all tortillas in a baking dish, separating each layer of rolled tortillas with foil or wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into small slices–approximately 4-5 per tortilla, and continue separating each layer with wax paper or foil.

Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes

Mom’s Lasagna

October 21, 2012 Sarah

So, I’m super excited about this pasta recipe I have to share with you today. It is my absolute favorite of all time. I know people say [myself included] that something is their favorite, or the best, and most of the time, that’s a huge exaggeration to emphasize how good something is. But this time… I am 100% serious. My Mom’s lasagna is my absolute favorite pasta dish, or dinner for that matter. It’s my Grandma’s recipe [the same Grandma of the famed blueberry muffins] and it can’t be beat. I just call it Mom’s Lasagna cause a) the recipe is from my mom, b) the recipe originated with her mom, and c) that’s how it’s written on the recipe card. That’s a lotta mom, so it’s gotta be good.

This lasagna is the perfect mix of cheesy goodness and rich tomato meat sauce. I recently started making my own sauce, and I can’t wait to share the recipe later in the week, btw. It’s made in the crockpot and it’s super easy and flavorful. But that recipe will have a chance to shine later–right now it’s lasagna’s turn. 🙂

I know a lot of lasagnas favor special ingredients like Italian sausage, veggies, or fancy cheeses, and those are good. I’ll never turn down a hearty slice of lasagna… but those aren’t the cozy, comforting lasagna from my childhood. I can’t tell you how many birthdays or weekend visits home from college featured this lasagna, and I’ll never get sick of eating it.

The base of the cheesy layer [aside from the mozzarella and parmesan] is not ricotta cheese, as many expect, but rather cottage cheese. I know that’s a semi-common substitute that may not sound the most appealing… but I promise promise PROMISE that using cottage cheese is not only a more frugal choice, but actually a creamier choice that highlights the flavor of the smooth mozzarella, sharp parmesan, chewy noodles, and sweet, bold tomato sauce. If you want to sub ricotta I won’t be offended [and actually have tried it myself], but I prefer cottage cheese in this and use ricotta other times.

Every bite of this saucy, meaty, cheesy hearty lasagna is savored, cherished, and devoured in our house. It’s actually a little embarrassing how much of the pan we can chow down on when it’s piping hot out of the oven. Now you can enjoy it too!

For the record, I’m not entirely sure why I haven’t shared this recipe on the blog yet, but I am glad I hadn’t. See, a few weeks ago I got an email from Sarah at Yahoo!’s Shine Supper Club inviting me to join the monthly recipe challenge club. Each month has a theme, and October’s happened to be favorite pasta recipes. So this was totally perfect!! If you have a blog, definitely check it out and see how you can get involved. I’ll be back later to link up other entries for this month so be sure to come back and check those out too.

We love this lasagna and hope you do too!

What’s essential to your favorite lasagna?

Mom’s Lasagna
click to print

Ingredients:

9 lasagna noodles [regular not no-cook]
1 pound ground beef
28 ounces spaghetti sauce [homemade or your favorite jarred sauce; can really use 24-36 ounces]
16 ounces cottage cheese [or ricotta]
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2-1 cup grated parmesan cheese [depending on preference]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Begin by heating a large pot of water to boiling to cook the lasagna noodles. Next, brown ground beef and drain, then stir in spaghetti sauce.

Meanwhile, stir together cottage cheese, eggs, oregano, garlic, and black pepper. When water is boiling, cook noodles almost to al dente [I usually cook them a minute or so under the time on the package]. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water.

Prepare lasagna by first placing a layer of sauce [about 1/5 of the sauce] in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Top with 3 noodles, then 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture, 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese, and a 1/3 of the parmesan cheese. Repeat twice, ending with a layer of sauce.

Bake, uncovered, for 60 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Time: 90 minutes [20 minutes active].

Yield: 8 servings.

Main Dishes, Recipes, Soups

30 Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup

October 18, 2012October 23, 2015 Sarah

So, Thursdays are always really busy evenings for us. Ben and I usually get home around 5:20, 5:30ish and then it’s rush rush rush to eat dinner, clean up, play with the cats a bit, and make it to our church small group at 7. [Well, 7ish… I’m naturally a pretty punctual person, but sometimes make it a habit to be places late when I know everyone else is going to be late and it’s awkward to be early. Know what I mean?] Basically this means we need to leave by 6:45 at the latest to be there relatively on time, thanks to the massive amounts of road construction in Bloomington right now.

Lots to do in an hour or so. That’s our Thursday. You can probably relate, yes?

Our routine used to be that Thursdays were leftover nights. I’m not sure where that got derailed, but it did, and so that left us with a gaping hole in the fridge [and our stomachs] last Thursday. Fortunately, I was able to whip up this incredible soup to fill the gap!

I know Chicken Tortilla Soup is nothing original, but I was proud of myself for a) making this recipe up as I went along [after perusing a few recipes online earlier in the week, and no, I don’t have a photographic memory], and more importantly, b) making this WHOLE SOUP in under 30 minutes!! Yes, the whole soup… chopping, cooking, and all. All I did was let the chicken and [homemade] chicken broth defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Then when it came time to make the soup, I started preheating the stockpot as I chopped the onion and minced the garlic, then cut up the chicken as the onion and garlic were cooking. As the chicken was cooking, I measured out the rest of the ingredients in assembly line fashion, added them when appropriate, and was ladling up this spicy, aromatic soup by 6 pm! I was quite pleased with myself for this timely performance.

And boy, was I even more pleased once I took the first bite of this Chicken Tortilla Soup! The broth is spicy, but not too hot–you can really taste the different flavors and the subtle heat that comes from paprika versus cumin versus chili powder. Nothing too intense, but it blends nicely with the chicken that is cooked with a dose of taco seasoning. Then, accompanying the chicken in the broth is corn and two kinds of beans; my favorite black beans and also another Mexi-food staple: pinto beans. Rounding out the soup is a bit of fresh cilantro and lime, as well as some cornstarch to thicken it up a bit. Then you can top the soup with whatever toppings you desire. I liked the combination of chopped tomatoes, avocado, and tortilla chips the best. Oh! And cheese and more cilantro. Just too many to remember, I guess. It was just so good…

There’s no doubt that this Chicken Tortilla Soup requires a speedy, dedicated-to-cooking 30 minutes, that’s for sure, but it has a tasty result at the end so I suggest you give it a try next time you need a hearty dinner in a hurry! The leftovers ain’t bad either–this is definitely a soup that improves with age. Off to my busy Thursday–wish I had everything to make this soup again for dinner tonight. 🙂

30 Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup

Servings: 6
Time: 30 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons taco seasoning [this is my go-to]
6 cups chicken broth
15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups corn
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in just enough warm water to be pourable
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
freshly ground black pepper
toppings: salsa, avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, green onions, tomato

Directions:

In a large stockpot set over medium heat, saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until soft. Add chicken and taco seasoning to the pot, then stir to coat. Cook for another 5-6 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Pour in chicken broth, then stir in beans, corn, paprika, oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cornstarch, lime juice, and cilantro, then season with black pepper to taste.

Serve with toppings as desired.

Chicken, Main Dishes, Recipes

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce

October 16, 2012October 19, 2012 Sarah

So, if you’re on Pinterest, you probably have the same problem as the rest of us: you pin about a kazillion things on all your boards but never actually do any of them. Sigh. In order to remedy this, Lisa at The Splattered Apron has started an every other week linkup called Pinteresting Recipes. This is my first time to participate, and I am so excited!!

I love Pinterest and the ability to find great blogs and new ideas, as well as the obviously ability to save and share things for later. However, I absolute hate the way some people discuss the popular pin in the name/comment section. “Some pinner says…” Then they usually talk about how this is the best or most wonderful thing ever. Ugh. Don’t know why, but that just bugs me. And it kinda makes me want to boycott all pins that have those words attached to them, since they’re somehow tainted. Tainted with what? Popularity? I’m weird. But for this post, I decided to suck it up and try one of those popular pins. Because they must be good if they’re so popular, right?

I chose White Chicken Enchiladas from Joyful Mama’s Kitchen.

Here’s a photo of the original:

The pin of this recipe that I then pinned was labeled as “According to many pinners-THE BEST white chicken enchilada recipe ever!! Easy too.” See? Pet peeve right there! But is it worth the hype?

Here’s how mine turned out.

I must say, these White Chicken Enchiladas were pretty tasty and easy. The best? Well, I’m not sure I’d go quite that far, but they were delicious.

We loved how each bite of these enchiladas was full of flavor: tender shredded chicken and sharp cheddar cheese absolutely drenched in a luscious white sauce made with sour cream and sweet green chilies. The original recipe used all white cheese [Monterey Jack], but when I made these my grocery store was completely out, so I had to improvise. I’m sure they would be awesome either way–cheese is cheese, after all!

Will I make them again? Sure thing. They aren’t healthy or authentic Mexican food, but they do provide a good dose of cheesy comfort food. You can never have too many comfort food recipes. 🙂 So thanks to Pinterest for pointing me to this awesome new recipe and blog. On that note, I’ll close with a link to a post I recently read about Pinterest/blogging/internet etiquette. It’s a great read, so I hope you check it out. 🙂

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce [from Joyful Mama’s Kitchen]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded cheese [Sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack]
10 soft tortillas [I used wheat]
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
4 ounce can diced green chillies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, stir together chicken and half the cheese. Divide bewteen tortillas, roll up, and place in pan.

Next, make the sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for one minute. Slowly pour in broth and whisk until smooth, then heat until sauce thickens and begins to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and chilies.

Pour sauce over enchiladas, then top with the rest of the cheese.

Bake enchiladas for 22 minutes, then broil for a minute or two until cheese becomes brown and bubbly.

Time: 45 minutes [15 minutes active].

Yield: 5 servings.

Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Apple Peanut Butter Muffins

October 15, 2012October 15, 2012 Sarah

A few weeks ago on a lovely Sunday afternoon, Ben and I took a trip to Anderson Orchard with some friends from church. We had a great time picking apples [Ben climbed the trees to get the best ones!], eating yummy apple cobbler from the concession stand, and just spending time with friends, of course.

Our apples were a mixture of Jonathan, Jonagold, Red Delicious [totally different off the tree than the boring, overly waxed hotel lobby variety], and possibly some others. We just wandered the row We just love apples… you can never have too many!

Except honeycrisp. I’m the weirdo who doesn’t like honeycrisp.

But back to the apple orchard… Aside from the peck of apples we picked [about 10 pounds], we also bought a half peck in the farm store that was pre-picked. So we came home with close to 15 pounds of apples… only some are shown below… this was when our bag wasn’t full yet.

Soon after getting home from the orchard, we made a big batch of crock pot chunky applesauce. I had big plans to bake and bake and bake lots of apple deliciousness. Then I got busy with my thesis, then I got a cold. Excuses, excuses. So I just ate tons of sliced apples with gobs of creamy natural peanut butter. Yum, yum. Then comes Friday night.

Being the exciting couple that we are, Ben and I went running after he came home from work then made some stellar black bean quesadillas for dinner. We cleaned the apartment, did laundry, carted a bunch of Goodwill donations to the car, and watched some Parenthood, Netflix style [I’m a season behind–no spoilers please!]. Then at 10:30 pm, I decided I needed to bake. NEEDED TO BAKE. It was like, a necessity. I wasn’t sure what to make, but it was too late to wait for butter to soften so muffins it was!

Ben retreated into his video game room [aka the guest bedroom] while I made a mess in the kitchen, eventually emerging with these amazing treats of joy. Yes, that’s their actual name. Well, it should be.

Apple Peanut Butter Muffins are a great spiced muffin–the perfect combination of warm fall spices [cinnamon! apple cider!] as well as a nod to the quintessential healthy snack combination [apples and peanut butter]. I cannot even begin to express my feelings about these muffins. I just cannot stop eating them and savoring each chunk of apple that dots the light and fluffy muffin.

Wait–light and fluffy, you say? To keep something peanut butter flavored light and fluffy, I had to reach deep into the pantry for a solution. In the past, I have found that adding straight-up peanut butter to muffin batter usually renders them a bit dense. So, I decided to use peanut butter chips instead. And let me just be so bold as to say that this was a fabulous decision! To mimic the peanut butter burst enjoyed when dipping an apple slice in peanut butter, I clustered the peanut butter chips in the center of the muffin. However, if you want to share the love, feel free to mix the chips into the batter. I’m sure that would be great too!

I thought the best way to enjoy these muffins was with a fresh dab of natural peanut butter on top, but Ben would completely disagree. He’s just weird though. 🙂 I say more is better. Enjoy!

Apple Peanut Butter Muffins [heavily adapted from an Apple Muffin recipe I wrote down from a friend/roommate/someone a long time ago and didn’t credit…sorry!]

click to print

Ingredients: