Black Bean and Corn Topped Potatoes

I'm am all for quick and simple dinner ideas that taste good. 

This recipe hits the mark with all three; it can be prepared in under 30 minutes, it's easy to make, and it tastes delicious. Plus, it's meat-free and the ingredients are inexpensive and probably what you already have in your kitchen. 

My kids really liked these bean topped potatoes. The potato toppings have a Mexican food undertone with the cumin and cilantro but you can add a dash or two of hot sauce to spice it up as the current recipe doesn't have much heat. Enjoy!

Black Bean and Corn-Topped Potatoes

4 medium potatoes
cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/4 cup (or more) shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Wash potatoes and poke a few times with a fork. Arrange potatoes in a circle in the microwave; cook on high for 10 minutes or until soft.

While the potatoes cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray; add onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute three minutes or until onions become translucent. Reduce heat to low and add beans, corn, and salsa; cook four minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Once the potatoes are cooled to the touch, spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and place in baking dish. Top each potato half with a generous spoonful of bean mixture, a sprinkle of cheese and pinch of cilantro. It will seem like a lot of bean filling but the more the better as it will cook down. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie...in a Bowl

Last Sunday evening my husband and I were craving something sweet. I had seen this recipe online as a baked oatmeal breakfast served with maple syrup but to me it sounded like a delicious oatmeal cookie in a bowl that should be served à la mode.

I really like this dessert with the limited sweeteners partnered with the nutty flavor of the oatmeal. The taste is delicious but my favorite part was the preparation. It took me five minutes to mix the ingredients (I doubled the batch...one for me and one for the hubs), 20 minutes in the oven, and it was done.

Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal (for One) 

• 1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk, well-shaken
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a small ovenproof bowl.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg white, and vanilla extract. Pour dry ingredients into wet and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour mixture into prepared bowl.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until oatmeal is puffed and set. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Who Dished it first? Healthy Food for Living with slight alterations made by me

Stacked Chicken and Zucchini Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce

Enchiladas are one of my family's favorite meals.

What makes this recipe unique, besides the creamy green chile sauce (I'll get to that deliciousness later), is the idea of stacking instead of rolling the enchiladas. The difference: layer the meat/bean mixture with pieces of whole or torn tortilla, sauce, and cheese. If you're interested in saving even more time, I like to layer enchiladas in a slow-cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours. It saves electricity and keeps the kitchen at a more bearable temperature.

Now to the deliciousness called green chile sauce. Natalie at Perry's Plate first introduced me to this recipe and her comment of drinking the sauce right out of the bowl is believable. I left the jalapenos out of my sauce since my kids are not fans of heat and the green chilis provided enough heat for their palettes. Plus, this creamy goodness is made with Greek yogurt, NOT fattening sour cream, helping me feel less guilty about licking every drip of the sauce.

This recipe calls for roasting chicken for 30 minutes prior to preparing the enchiladas. I've made this chicken by roasting it in the oven, sauteing it on the stove top, and even cooking it in large batches in the slow cooker. Proceed per your pleasure...just thoroughly cook your seasoned chicken and try not to overbake/overcook or it will be dry.

Stacked Chicken and Zucchini Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce

For the chicken:
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T heat-safe oil
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 - 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For the filling:
Heat-safe oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium zucchini, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt

For the sauce:
2 T butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T all-purpose flour
1 15-ounce can of chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
1 8-ounce can of fire-roasted diced green chiles
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
Cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)

For the enchiladas:
12-16 corn tortillas, halved
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Limes, guacamole, and more fresh cilantro for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking dish with aluminum foil.

To prepare the chicken, combine the mustard, oil, chili powder and salt in a bowl. Add the chicken breasts and toss to coat. Place them in the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes then shred with two forks. Set the meat and the juices from the baking dish aside.

To make the rest of the filling, coat a large skillet with the oil and bring to medium heat. Saute the onion for 5-8 minutes or until soft. Add the zucchini and cook for another 6-8 minutes or until zucchini is soft and slightly browned. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt, and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved chicken and juices to the skillet, stir well, and remove mixture from heat. Set aside.

To make the sauce, wipe out the skillet you just used (or grab another one). Melt the butter over medium heat and add garlic and jalapenos. Cook until they're soft, but don't let the garlic brown, about 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another minute, until incorporated. Add the stock and raise the heat to high, bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquids have reduced and the sauce has thickened a bit and become opaque, about 5-8 minutes. Transfer the sauce mixture to a blender or a food processor, add the yogurt, chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne. Puree until smooth. 

To assemble the enchiladas, coat the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with about 2/3 cup of sauce. Layer tortillas to cover the bottom, then add 1/2 of the chicken-zucchini filling, 1/3 of the cheese, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. Repeat layering with tortillas, 1/2 of the remaining sauce, the rest of the chicken-zucchini filling, 1/3 of the cheese, and a sprinkle of cilantro. Finish off the layers with tortillas, the remaining sauce, and the remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes to brown the top. (I broiled it for a few minutes at the end to really crisp things up.) Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with guacamole and lime wedges.

Who Dished it first? Perry's Plate with slight alterations made by me.

Banana Spring Rolls

My absolute FAVORITE restaurant is PF Chang's. I love their lettuce wraps, mongolian beef, spicy chicken, and especially their banana spring rolls. This dessert is packed with flavor but small in portion size since it's loaded with calories. This copycat recipe tastes exactly like PF Chang's version. Delicious!

Banana Spring Rolls
ripe bananas
wonton wrappers
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon chinese five spice mix*
oil for frying

caramel sauce
strawberries
ice cream (pineapple coconut, vanilla, etc)

Preheat two inches of oil to 350 degrees in a saucepan. Set two small bowls side by side, one with a scoop of brown or white sugar mixed with the five spice, one with water. Separate the egg roll wrappers you are going to use, one per half banana.

Cut banana in half crosswise, then coat banana in sugar and place in the wrapper. Spread water all over the edges of the dough and roll it up like a burrito, sealing the ends by folding and pushing the dough together with your fingers. If a halved banana is too long, trim the edges to fit the dough. Prepare all the banana pieces before frying. 

Fry one or two at a time, carefully turning to brown evenly on all sides. Remove from oil and slice rolls in half. Serve warm over pineapple-coconut ice cream, with berries and a drizzle of caramel.

*Chinese five spice is made of: cinnamon, anise, ginger and cloves. if you don't have it, shake into the sugar a tiny amount of those spices instead. a. tiny. amount.

**Variation: layer chocolate chips or shredded coconut underneath banana before rolling.

Who Dished it first? Fashionably Foodie, inspired by PF Chang's

Kale White Bean Soup

I'm trying to incorporate more kale into my family's meals. Kale is a "super food" full of healthy nutrients but eating dark green leafy vegetables can be difficult when you have picky children. This soup is packed with flavor and even my kids ate it up.

Kale with Sausage and White Beans Recipe
1 T olive oil
1/2 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
1 medium onion, sliced thin (about 3/4 cup onion)
2 large garlic cloves
1 pound kale, center thick rib removed, leaves roughly chopped
2-3 cups chicken or vegetable stock ***
1 15-ounce can of white beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the bulk sausage. Cook 3-4 minutes, then add the onion slices and turn the heat to high. Cook until the onions begin to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the kale, salt, and chicken stock. Cover the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes.

Uncover, mix everything well (the kale will have cooked down by now) and add the beans. Cover the pot again and lower the heat to low. Cook another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Let stand 5 minutes, then serve.

***My notes: The original recipe called for 1 cup broth but we like a "soupy" soup so I add an additional cup or two of stock when I make this.

Who Dished it first? Simply Recipes with slight alterations made by me.

Apple Turnovers

If you're willing to spend hours in the kitchen you might as well make a pastry like this. Seriously, this was a labor of love but so worth the effort. Near the end of this pastry-making process my children were anxious to help me with the baking (the sooner mom is done, the sooner they could enjoy the eating) and this is my explanation for the multiple fork creasing shown in the photo below. Annie, the baker behind the recipe, has much prettier pastries.

These apple turnovers were sweet with their sugar dusting, the apple filling had just the right amount of moisture (not too wet resulting in a soggy pastry and not too dry), and I can't say enough times how deliciously flaky the pastry is.

Flaky Apple Turnovers

For the puff pastry:
3 cups (15 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ tbsp. sugar
1½ tsp. salt
1½ cups (24 tbsp.) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
½ cup plus 1 tbsp. ice water
2 tsp. lemon juice

For the filling:
4 large Granny Smith apples (about 2 lbs.)
1½ cups sugar
3 tsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. salt

For the topping:
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon 

Directions:
To make the puff pastry, combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse to combine.  Add in about a quarter of the butter cubes and process until the butter is in dime-sized pieces, about four 1-second pulses.  Add the remaining butter and process to coat the cubes with flour, about two 1-second pulses.  Transfer the mixture to a medium size mixing bowl.

Combine the ice water and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Add half of the liquid to the flour and butter mixture, and toss just until combined.  Keep adding the liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough will clump together with your hand.  Turn the dough out onto a work surface.  The dough will be dry and shaggy at this point.  To fraisage the dough, brace the heel of one hand against the work surface and dragging small portions of the dough forward in short, brisk strokes.  Gather the dough together into a rough mound, using a bench scraper if necessary. Repeat the fraisage a second time.  Press the dough into an 8- by 4-inch rectangle, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.  Place the dough onto a lightly floured large piece of parchment paper and roll into a 15- by 10-inch rectangle.  Fold the dough lengthwise into thirds.  Starting from the narrow end, loosely roll up the dough into a coil.  Press it to form a 6- by 5-inch rectangle.  Repeat the rolling and folding process once more.  Roll the dough out into a 15- by 10-inch rectangle.  (If at any point in the rolling and folding process the dough becomes too sticky or difficult to work with, transfer it to a baking sheet or cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until it becomes workable.)  Fold lengthwise into thirds.  Starting from the narrow end, loosely roll up the dough into a coil.  Press it to form a 6- by 5-inch rectangle.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.    

Roll the dough into a 20- by 15-inch rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, trim and cut the dough into twelve 5-inch squares, and place 6 on each sheet.  (If they aren't all perfect squares, it is okay - you can cover it up once you fold them over.)  Refrigerate the dough squares while you make the filling.  

To make the filling, peel the apples and grate them on the holes of a large box grater (I used my food processor with the shredding disc.)  Combine the grated apples, sugar, lemon juice and salt in a medium bowl.  Remove one sheet of the dough squares from the refrigerator.  Working with one square at a time, place 2 tablespoons of the apple filling (squeezed of excess liquid) in the center of the dough.  

Moisten two adjoining edges of the dough square with a finger dipped in the apple liquid, then fold the top portion of dough over the bottom, making sure to overlap the bottom portion by 1/8-inch.  Crimp the edges of the turnover with a fork.  Repeat with the remaining dough squares.  Return the sheet of turnovers to the fridge and repeat with the second sheet of dough squares.  Refrigerate the filled turnovers 30 minutes, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.  

While the turnovers are chilling, preheat the oven to 375° F.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir together until mixed well.  

While the turnovers are chilling, preheat the oven to 375° F.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir together until mixed well.  Brush or mist the turnovers lightly with water and sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes, rotating the sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time.  Using a wide metal spatula, transfer the turnovers to a wire rack to cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Who Dished it first? Annie's Eats