Barbecued Chicken Burritos

Cook’s notes: Adapted from EatingWell:  February/March 2005. These burritos include tangy barbecue sauce, some roast chicken (or rotisserie chicken) and vegetables, all wrapped up in tortillas. For the best taste, look for a barbecue sauce without added corn syrup. Start with cooked chicken and dinner can be ready in just 15 minutes. Add a side salad to round out the meal.

4 cups of cooked, shredded chicken meat (from a 2-pound roasted chicken: skin discarded, and meat removed from bones)
1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup canned corn, drained
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
4 10-inch whole-wheat tortillas (use a brand that is marked high-fiber, 100 calories each)

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, barbecue sauce, beans, and corn; stir to combine. Cook until hot, 4 to 5 minutes.

Assemble the wraps by placing a scoop of chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla and top with sour cream. Fold the sides in, roll up from bottom to top. Slice in half diagonally and serve warm.

Best Recipe: Smoky Enchilada Casserole

Cook’s notes: This casserole is an expanded version of Sweet Potato Enchilada Pie. The fire-roasted tomatoes tone down the spice in the enchilada sauce. All of the ingredients came from Trader Joe’s. The hand-tossed tortillas are wonderful in this dish. The smoked cheese mixture is a blend of smoked cheddar, gouda, provolone, and mozzarella. Altogether, this casserole has a mellow flavor that’s just the thing on a rainy fall day. Leftovers are even better the next day.

Smoked cheese blends wonderfully with the sweet potato filling

Yield: Makes 12 generous servings (3 quarts of filling!); ready in about 40 minutes total

12 oz bag sweet potato spears, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (such as Trader Joe’s brand)
1 Tbsp water
1.3 pounds ground turkey (20-oz package or so)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
5 oz chopped crimini mushrooms (half of a 10-oz bag)
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (such as Muir Glen brand)
1 bottle (12 oz) enchilada sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
9 flour tortillas without lard (8 inches); we like the “truly handmade” ones
Up to 2 cups (8 oz) shredded smoked cheese blend (such as Trader Joe’s brand)

Heat the oven to 400F. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine sweet potato cubes and water. Cover and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes or until potato cubes are tender.

Meanwhile, coat a large skillet lightly with cooking spray. Cook the turkey, onion, and mushroom over medium heat, stirring often to keep the meat loose. Cook until vegetables soften and meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the sweet potatoe, beans, crushed tomatoes with their juice, enchilada sauce, oregano, and cumin; make sure all ingredients are well-combined and heat through.

Coat a rectangular 3-quart dish with cooking spray. Place two flour tortillas to cover the bottom of the pan; tear up a third tortilla to fill in the gaps. Layer with a third of the turkey mixture and a third of the cheese (sprinkle a large handful of shreds evenly over the layer). Repeat layers twice. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted.

Turkey Taco Rice

Cook’s notes: I first saw Taco Rice posted as part of a lovely story about Japan and knew I had to make this easy Mexican-style dish immediately. Food.com has a recipe for a mild version of the taco seasoning mix; I’ll try that next time.

3 cups cooked rice
16 to 20 oz (1 to 1.25 lb package) ground turkey
2 Tablespoons taco seasoning mix (see below)
1 cup water
Toppings: chopped lettuce, grated cheddar cheese, and diced tomato

Prepare rice (you can use a pouch of frozen pre-made rice that microwaves in 3 minutes).

Lightly coat a skillet with cooking spray and brown ground turkey. Add taco seasoning mix and water; simmer over low heat until liquid is gone

Make a mound of rice on a plate and top with ground turkey. Layer on toppings. You might also like sour cream and guacamole as toppings.

Taco seasoning:
1 tablespoon chili powder (make sure that salt is not listed as one of the first three ingredients)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

In a small bowl, mix together all the spices. Store in an airtight container.

Menu: Chicken Tostada Night

Cook’s notes: Cooking Light had an amazing tip: Sprinkle rotisserie chicken with smoked paprika to give the chicken “rich, grill-like flavor with no cooking.” We do this all the time now; it really makes a difference in the flavor. Assemble all the items and let family members build their own tostadas or soft tacos.

Everyone builds their own tostada or soft taco

Menu (shown in picture, clockwise from upper left):

• Basil Corn Salad
  • Blender Salsa
  • Guacamole (store-bought) or diced avocado
  • Strawberry Limeade
  • Corn and flour tortillas, warmed (for tostada shells, spritz both sides of a tortilla with olive oil and bake on a cookie sheet until crispy)
• Black beans, rinsed and drained, and warmed with some balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed — sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Diced black olives
• Diced scallions
• Optional toppings: fresh diced tomatoes, sour cream

Blender Salsa

Cook’s notes: It needs a few hours to blend flavors in the fridge, but it really does taste better the next day. For a chunkier salsa, blend the whole tomatoes with the spices and just stir in the diced tomatoes (drained, juice reserved; add juice if needed).

Good even if pureed

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles, including juice
14.5 oz can whole tomatoes, including juice
1/3 cup diced yellow onion
3/4 teaspoon garlic seasoning (Garlic Garni)
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Place all ingredients in a blender and process for just a few seconds until well blended. Place in a quart jar (32 oz), seal well, and refrigerate.

Makes about 30 oz. Store in the refrigerator for 4 to 7 days.

Nacho Bar for 100 People

We are planning to sell nachos at work as a fundraiser and estimate we’ll be feeding 100 people. The Ellen’s Kitchen site, especially the Tex Mex page, was extremely helpful in estimating quantities. I took a number of her suggestions and consolidated them into this list.

Recipes to try: The Tex Mex page on Ellen’s site has several great ideas: a “Walking Taco Salad” for 25 people, a recipe for making taco seasoning mix in bulk, and a Universal Salsa recipe that makes 1 quart. Chow.com had a Texas Queso Dip recipe to feed 8 to 10 people.

Nacho Bar for 100: Shopping List

Ellen recommends the following items at a minimum to make nachos for 100 people. I created the shopping list below, assuming the shopping is done at a warehouse store, but regular grocery store sizes are also provided. A #10 can has 96 oz (3 quarts). If you can only find 15-oz cans of nacho cheese sauce, you’ll need about 18 to 26 cans (too many!). I say buy bigger cans or make a large batch of cheese sauce with Velveeta (serves 24) at that point.

8 lbs (128 oz) tortilla chips:

• Warehouse: 4 x 2-lb bags or 8 x 26-oz bag
• Grocery: 16 x 13-oz bag

2 to 3 gallons (256 to 384 oz) nacho cheese sauce

Heat several quarts at a time in a slow cooker on Low for about 30 minutes to an hour.

• 2 x 1-gallon cans or
• 3 x #10 size cans (288 oz total)

1 gallon (128 oz) salsa. That’s 4 quarts. Get a variety of flavors and heat ranges (mild to hot).

• Warehouse: 3 x 48 oz jars
• Grocery: 8 x 16 oz jar

1 gallon (128 oz) sliced jalapenos. That’s also 4 quarts.

• 1 gallon jar or
• 1 x #10 can (96 oz; 3 quarts)
• 4 x 32 oz jar

Nacho Bar for 100: Deluxe Add-ons

Ellen recommends adding the following items to make your nacho bar special. You probably don’t need the full amount of shredded cheddar, if you have lots of melted cheese sauce. Picante sauce is also low priority (and a little redundant) if you already have salsa.

12 lbs ground beef or turkey (could use up to 20 lbs meat total)

• Add 2 tablespoons/1 envelope taco seasoning mix per 1 pound of meat as it cooks

1 gallon (128 oz) sour cream

12 cans (15 oz each) ranch or chili beans (or 2 x #10-cans)

12 cans (4+ oz each) sliced olives (48 oz minimum)

12 cups (3 lbs) shredded cheddar cheese — there are 4 cups of shredded cheese in 1 lb.

12 cups chopped tomato or 10 pints (160 oz / 5 quarts) chunky picante sauce

8 cups chopped onion or scallion (8 to 10 sweet white onions)

4 cups (1 quart) guacamole

4 cans (4.5 oz each) mild green chiles (16 oz minimum)

Tips from The Low-Fat, Low-Carb Southwest Cookbook

Anne Lindsay Greer McCann has written an excellent guide to Southwest style food, but redone to be healthier. Sometimes, dishes from this region are heavy handed with the fat and cheese. I read McCann’s  The Low-Fat, Low-Carb Southwest Cookbook recently and was quite impressed with her re-do recipes. Here are some of my favorite tips from the book:

• Quick chicken marinade: Mix 12-oz bottle of Italian dressing with 1/8 cup (1 oz) soy sauce and the juice of one lime or lemon. “This adds both flavor and moisture to boneless chicken breasts,” McCann says.
• Drain 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and press between paper towels to absorb most of the oil. Mix with 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds and 1/4 cup chopped scallions. Serve with goat cheese or low-fat cream cheese (note: these ingredients would be great mixed together to make a spread).
• Wrap roasted asparagus spears with thinly sliced smoked turkey and serve with a mustard dip. (McCann recommends blanched asparagus, but we like it best oven roasted).

Menu: Southwest Dinner with Corn Muffins

Cook’s notes: This vegetarian dinner is easy to assemble and absolutely delicious. The colors on the plate are beautiful together. You may even be too full for dessert!

• Double corn muffins
• Balsamic black beans: Rinse and drain 1 can (15 oz) black beans. Heat in a pan with 1/4 tsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, and 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar. Stir the beans, and as they warm through, mash them with the back of the spoon. When all the beans are mashed, add water as needed to keep the consistency smooth.
• Fajita vegetables: sauté sliced sweet onions, sliced mushrooms, and diced red bell peppers with a packet of fajita seasoning. The seasoning packet was mixed with water to make a marinade/sauce for the vegetables.
• Baby spinach steamed with minced garlic and lemon juice
• Diced avocado
• Optional bean toppings: fresh salsa and sour cream
• Dessert: Slices of fresh pineapple and mandarin orange sorbet

Serving suggestion: Use a shallow bowl for serving. Break a few mini corn muffins onto the bowl. Ladle the fajita vegetables over the muffins. Spoon beans and spinach next to the vegetables. Top the black beans with diced avocado.

Breakfast from the leftovers: The next day, use any leftover fajita vegetables in scrambled eggs with cheese. Heat up remaining corn muffins to eat with the eggs. Serve bowls of Greek yogurt with blueberries, the sliced pineapple, a drizzle of honey, and a handful of toasted almonds.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans

Cook’s Notes: Prep time is mostly for handling the sweet potatoes and the chicken. You don’t need to brown the chicken for this recipe. We often have sweet potatoes and black beans on hand. I mixed two recipes to come up with this dinner. We’ll be serving this Latin-style dinner tonight with a pineapple couscous salad. Time: 15 to 30 minutes prep; 5 to 6 hours cook time. SERVES 6 to 8.

1 large sweet potato (20 oz), peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
1 medium onion, diced
12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into squares (we used the “Fire-Roasted Red Peppers” from Trader Joe’s)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Faith’s Special Spice Mix
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into large cubes
14-ounce can reduced sodium chicken broth

Peel and cube sweet potato. Place potato cubes in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Heat 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot; cook onion and pepper in olive oil until the onion softens.

Add spices (cumin to allspice), stir well, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in beans, and pour vegetable mixture into slow cooker over the potato cubes.

Add raw chicken on top. Pour chicken stock over all, and cover with lid. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Serving suggestion: Serve with rice or couscous and a mixed green salad.

Adapted from Recipezaar Recipe #253599 and a Jamaican curry recipe

Tried and Liked: Avocado Chicken Salad

This salad is a delicious variation on salsa and combines chicken, lime juice, tomatoes, scallions, and avocado. It allegedly serves 4, but we were tempted to make it a meal for 2 with tortilla chips.

See the recipe online at seriouseats. Source: Posted by Kristen Swensson, who adapted recipes from Cooking Light and “Mrs. Micah”.