Simple Chicken Guacamole Tostadas w/ Spanish Rice

If you watch Food Network, you might be familiar with Sandra Lee and her Semi-Homemade Meals show. I took a page out of her book last night and I whipped up some simple tostadas, blending some ideas I found on pinterest with my own recipe for tostadas.  If you've never had tostadas or don't usually make them, I like them as an alternative to tacos, just to switch it up - it's basically an open-faced soft taco, but the combinations and flavor possibilities are endless.  I also made a quick cilantro and onion relish and let it marinate while I was doing the rice and mixing together the chicken topping for the tostadas - my husband loved it!  Use the recipes below to create a meal or use them to create elements of a meal.

Spanish Rice
1 Tbsp butter (unsalted)
1/2 c. (jasmine) rice (don't use a minute rice here, use a long cooking one)
1 14.5 oz. can (reduced sodium) chicken broth
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground oregano

In a saute pan over medium-low heat, melt butter and toast rice until grains are solid in color and brown (it should smell toasty), stirring frequently.  Pour in chicken broth and tomato sauce and stir well to combine.  Add in spices and stir; bring to boil and reduce to simmer.  Stir occasionally until rice is cooked through and liquid is absorbed.

Quick Cilantro Onion Relish
1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp. chopped cilantro (I used a prepared cilantro paste I bought in the produce section - it stays fresh so much longer!)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir to combine, and let sit while dinner cooks!  Use to garnish tostadas.

Chicken Guacamole Tostadas
4 fajita-sized tortillas (I used corn, that's what I had on hand)
1 can cooked chicken
1 c. prepared guacamole (I used Wholly Guacamole, purchased from Costco)
1/2 c. shredded low-fat cheese (I used part-skim mozzarella)

Line a baking sheet with foil and preheat oven to 350.  In a medium-sized bowl, mix together drained, cooked chicken and guacamole (chicken should shred nicely).  Place tortillas on foil-lined baking sheet; divide chicken topping into four equal parts and spread on tortillas, as evenly as possible.  Top with cheese and bake in oven until heated through and the cheese is melted and golden in color.

Twice-baked potatoes

My last post of twice-baked sweet potatoes had me thinking about twice-baked potatoes.  I love twice-baked potatoes - and aside from the amount of time they take, they are really very easy.  You can mix anything into the middle that you want - I usually keep it pretty simple.  What follows is my basic recipe.

4 mid-sized potatoes
1/3 c. sour cream
1/2 c. shredded cheese, plus extra for topping
4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 small onion, minced
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt

Wash and prick potatoes and then bake in the oven or in the microwave (I have a potato setting on my microwave, but it is usually about 15 minutes, or almost an hour in the oven).  Slice the tops off and scoop out the potato flesh, leaving about a 1/4 inch so your potato boats are sturdy.  Place the potato flesh into a bowl with the sour cream, 1/2 c. of cheese, butter, onion, salt and pepper; mash well and spoon back into potato boats.  Top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven (or until cheese is melted, bubbly, and brown).  Serve hot.

Twice-baked sweet potatoes

This is a recipe inspired by some of my favorite flavors and one of my favorite ways to prepare regular potatoes - twice baked.  Since the sweet potato packs the biggest nutritional punch for your money in the produce department, this is another great way to get them into your meal rotation.  It does take some planning ahead, since they take a while, but they are well worth it.

4 small to mid-sized sweet potatoes
1/2 a stick of butter (4 Tbsp.), sliced
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
miniature marshmallows

Wash and poke potatoes with a fork to pierce the skin.  Either bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes or microwave until cooked through (I have a potatoes setting on mine, but it's about 15 minutes).  Remove and slice off the top of each and scoop out most of the innards, leaving a boat (with about 1/4 inch of the flesh so your skins don't fall apart).  Place scooped out potato into a mixing bowl with butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt.  Mash well so ingredients are well mixed and butter is melted.  Scoop back into potato boats (it will be heaping full).  Carefully press marshmallows into the top of the refilled potatoes and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until marshmallows are browned and form a delicious, gooey crust on top.  Dig in and eat!

Poppy-seed pull apart loaf

One of my favorite taste memories as a kid is this delicious bread loaf my grandmother's best friend used to make and bring to get-togethers.  Of course, as a child, I didn't like onions, so I tended to pick those out, but now, I love them!  I hope this savory side brings a note of warmth and love to your meals, too.

1 (large) loaf French bread
1 stick butter, softened
2 tsp. prepared (Dijon) mustard
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1/4-1/2 cup minced onions
1-8 oz. package of sliced Swiss cheese

Begin by slicing a loaf of French bread, being careful to not slice all the way through.  Mix butter, mustard, poppy seeds, and onion in a small bowl and place a heaping teaspoon of the mixture in between each slice.  Place half of a Swiss cheese slice in between the slices and wrap in foil.  Bake on a sheet pan in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Serve hot.

I also found a recipe using these same flavors in a quick bread.  I have yet to try it, but I will post it here in case some of you get around to it before I do.

3 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/3 c. butter
1/3-1/2 c. onion, minced
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. prepared mustard

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse a few times to combine.  Cube butter and add to processor bowl and pulse until mixture is crumbly.  Add onions, Swiss cheese, poppy seeds, eggs, milk, and mustard, and pulse until just combined.  Spoon batter in a greased and floured 9x5 inch loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  If bread starts to brown too much, tent loosely with foil after 50 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan.

Grandma Jessie's potatoes

This recipe is very simple and yet very delicious.  The leftovers are great reheated as is, or put into a quick frittata.  If you wanted to shortcut this recipe, you could use some chunky frozen hashbrowns.  I usually cook one medium potato per person, so we'll do this as a four-serving recipe.  This recipe is special to me because it is one of the recipes from my husband's family, something he grew up eating.  It is also one of the first recipes my mother-in-law shared with me.  Grandma Jessie was actually my husband's great-grandmother, so this is a true heirloom recipe.

4 medium potatoes, peeled and largely diced
1 stick butter
2 Tbsp. (olive) oil
1-2 Tbsp. parsley flakes

Place potatoes into a saucepan and cover with cold water; cover with a lid.  Bring to a boil and remove lid - allow to cook for 20 minutes.  Drain potatoes and place into a baking dish.  Cube butter and sprinkle over potatoes.  Drizzle with oil; bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Toss with parsley flakes and serve hot.

Note: to infuse some extra flavor into the potatoes, use cold chicken stock instead of cold water to cook the potatoes.  This is a great alternative to mashed potatoes.  Enjoy!

 

Easy risotto

Creamy risotto depends on using a starchy rice and STIRRING your brains out - not adding cream or milk.  Also, this recipe works as a great base, so feel free to add your favorite mushroom or freshly grated cheese to add even more flavor.

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. butter

Half a medium onion, diced

1 1/2 c. arborio rice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

4-5 c. (low sodium) chicken broth (can substitute one cup of dry white wine (sauvignon blanc) for one cup of broth)

In a large skillet with lid, heat oil and butter over medium-low heat; in a large saucepan, heat chicken broth.  Once butter is melted, add onion and still until slightly translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add rice and stir well to coat rice with fat; stir often over 10 minutes to toast rice.  When rice smells toasted and grains are solidly white, add in garlic, salt and pepper and stir well.  Add one cup of hot broth to pan and stir well - liquid should start to appear cloudy (this is the starch seeping out of the rice, this is what makes risotto creamy).  Stir until liquid is cooked out of pan and add another 1/2 c. liquid to pan, continuing to stir until liquid is cooked off.  Repeat process until 4 c. liquid have been used.  Test risotto to see if rice is completely cooked - if not, continue process.  Serve hot as a side dish to your favorite entree.

Note: it takes me about an hour to make this at our altitude, but it will probably take much less time (about 20-30 minutes) at sea level.

Zucchini gratin

This recipe is my favorite with zucchini, though it also works very well with tomatoes.  You could also use different vegetables like eggplant or potatoes.  Gratin is just a technique and it translates very well to different foods.  Experiment!

4-6 zucchini, sliced

Olive Oil

bread crumbs

parmesan cheese

Italian seasoning

salt

pepper

Layer sliced zucchini in a shallow baking dish coated with olive oil.  Sprinkle over top with bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, and pepper.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.  Serve hot.

*If you use Italian breadcrumbs, you don't need to add Italian seasoning.

Easy and tasty vegetables

I watch a lot of Food Network.  It is family friendly (no swearing, no violence), educational (if you can't watch an hour of Food Network and learn something, you weren't really paying attention), and inspirational (they make some things, like souffle look so easy!).  As a self-confessed picky eater, I have to say that Food Network has definitely inspired me to be more adventurous when it comes to my vegetables.

The biggest tip I've learned from those tv chefs: roasting concentrates the sugars in the vegetables and brings out the natural flavors.  Roasting is easy and requires very little skill or prep and virtually no active cooking.  The only skill point you need to make sure you pay attention to is that you must make sure when chopping up the vegetables that the pieces are the same size, or else you will have some pieces underdone and some pieces burnt.

This is one of those technique things, so I'm not going to label it as a recipe.

Start by washing and peeling (if desired) your vegetables.  If it is something large, like potatoes, squash, or eggplant, break it down into 1/2 cubes.  In a medium mixing bowl, lightly drizzle your veggies with olive oil*, sprinkle with some salt and pepper, and any other seasonings.  The key to this is to remember that the vegetable is going to be the star, so you don't want to over season it; if you pick anything other than just the salt and pepper, thyme is a great choice.

Spread the vegetables in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast in a 350 degree oven for 20-45 minutes, depending on your vegetable; at the least, check them at 20 minutes and shake them around some.  You will know they are done when they smell fragrant, are browned around the edges, and begin to look a little wrinkly.

*Extra Virgin Olive oil has a burn point of 350 degrees.  If you want to roast at a higher temperature, you will need to use a different oil.

Broccoli cheese soup

I love broccoli cheese soup.  In fact, I love Panera's broccoli cheese soup so much that I would eat it weekly if I could.  No joke.  This recipe is so delicious (and easy!) that it definitely rivals Panera's.  And in the bread bowls that my grocery store sells, it's even got the same feeling as eating some Panera soup.  Eat on and enjoy!

4 c. chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 c. cream (or whole milk)

4 oz. shredded aged cheddar cheese

1 c. water

1/2 c. flour

1 Tbsp. onion, minced

1/4 c. carrot, finely shredded

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 c. broccoli florets

In a large saucepan, bring broth, cream, cheddar, water, flour, onion, carrot, and pepper to a boil.  (For best results, whisk together flour and water in a separate bowl, then add to pot.)  Reduce heat to a simmer, and stir in broccoli florets.  Allow to simmer 15-20 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Makes 4 servings.

*Note:  I also stirred in a hefty dash of white pepper and a parmesan cheese rind I had (the very tough part at the wide end of a wedge).  Even without, though, it's delicious

Macaroni and Cheese

I made this for our toddler, so I omitted salt and pepper from the cooking process.  Also, since I used Parmesan, you would need significantly less salt, as it is a very salty cheese.  I used 1 1/2 c. cheddar, 1 1/2 c. Parmesan, and 1 c. cubed American.

1 lb elbow macaroni

1 stick butter

1/2 c. flour

1 c. milk (plus additional, if needed)

1/4-1/2 c. sour cream

1 Tbsp. (dijon) mustard

4 c. cheese

Breadcrumbs (optional)

Salt

Pepper

Thyme (optional)

Cook macaroni 3-5 minutes shy of al dente.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish and preheat oven to 350º.  In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat; whisk in flour.  Continue whisking until roux turns a golden brown (this is important, otherwise your mac and cheese will taste like flour); slowly whisk in milk, continuing to whisk to break up lumps.  When mixture is smooth, add in sour cream, dijon, and salt and pepper.  Using a spoon, stir in cheese and continue stirring until mixture is smooth and melty - you may need to add more milk to create a thick sauce.  Drain pasta completely and transfer to baking dish; pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir to combine.  Sprinkle top of pasta with breadcrumbs (if you want a crunchy top) and season lightly with thyme.  Bake for at least 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

To reheat, moisten slightly with chicken broth or milk and microwave in 45 second intervals until desired temperature is reached.