tex-mex beef enchiladas

Serves 4 | Prep time: 1 hour| Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

This recipe is easily doubled; you can bake one batch tonight and freeze another for a no-fuss weeknight meal.

2 T. olive oil
1/4 cup flour (spooned and leveled)
1 can chicken broth (14.5 ounce)
1 1/2 T. chili powder
1 small canned chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 pound lean ground beef
salt & pepper
8 corn tortillas, 6 inch (I used whole wheat)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (need on serving day)

Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat 1 ½ tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle and adobo sauce, and ¾ cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Make filling: In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat remaining ½ tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, and beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. (If freezing, don’t place any sauce in baking dish; see To Freeze, below left.) Spoon ¼ cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside. Make enchiladas: Stack tortillas; wrap in foil, and warm in oven, 10 minutes. Fill each with a heaping ¼ cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese; tightly roll up.

Raise oven heat to 450°. Arrange enchiladas, seam side down, in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve garnished with cilantro and, if desired, a green salad.

Note: To freeze: Make sauce and enchiladas; arrange enchiladas in baking dish without sauce (so tortillas don’t become soggy). Place sauce in an airtight container. Cover dish with plastic wrap and foil. Label, date, and freeze enchiladas and sauce. Use within 2 months; bake without thawing (see opposite page).

To bake from frozen: Thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 450°. Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dish. Pour sauce over top, and sprinkle with cheese; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about

15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; serve.

If baking right away: Spoon ¼ cup sauce in the bottom of baking dish; pour the rest over the enchiladas.

source: http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/recipes/Tex-Mex_Beef_Enchiladas.html

 

Notes: I doubled the recipe except the sauce because it makes 3 cups of sauce! With larger whole wheat tortillas, I came out with 10 tortillas for each entree. This sauce tastes very authentic like what you would get in a restaurant. Not really like the canned enchilada sauce from the store.

Honey Curry Pork Chops

6 pork loin chops, approx 1 inch thick
3 slices bacon, diced
1 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup lemon juice (you will want to reduced this to 1/4 if freezing in quantity! Lemon gets stronger in the freezer.)
2 T. honey
1 T. curry powder
2 t. chili powder
1/4 t. salt (I did not add this, bacon & soy sauce & salt???)

Cook bacon in skillet until browned. Add onion and garlic; cook until tender. Add in soy sauce, lemon juice, honey, curry, chili power, and salt. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow sauce to stand for 1 hour until flavors are blended. (I let it cool for longer than that!) Put chops in a bag and add the sauce. Place in freezer or marinade in fridge.

Serving day: Thaw. Drain pork chops and save the marinade. Place the chops on broiling pan and place in oven 4 inches from heat. Broil 12-15 minutes; flip and broil 10-15 minutes more. Brush chops with marinade a few times while they are broiling. Or you can grill these and brush with marinade while grilling.

Maui Grilled Chicken {Sandwiches or Wraps}

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1/2 t. garlic powder
2 t. Worcestershire Sauce
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. black pepper
1 T. cooking oil
2 T. Water
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 pineapple slices

(if you make these into wraps or sandwiches)

4 sandwich buns or tortillas
4-8 slices of provolone or Swiss cheese
fresh pineapple slices
lettuce, tomato, & mayo

 

In a mixing bowl, stir together all ingredients except chicken and pineapple. Place chicken and pineapples in a freezer bag. Pour marinade over chicken and pineapple and freeze.

Serving Day:

Allow chicken to thaw. Pour marinade from the bag into a saucepan. Heat to a boil and continue boiling for 2 minutes. Grill chicken until done. During final minutes, place cheese on the chicken (if desired) until cheese gets soft but not melted. Remove chicken from grill and place on toasted buns with pineapple slices. (you can grill the pineapple too! yummy!) Spoon marinade over the chicken and then top with whatever you like on your sandwich.

 

From: More Don’t Panic It’s in the Freezer.  Seriously, if you freezer cook, you need this cookbook!!!

Twice Baked Potatoes

twice baked potatoes
4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.
Bake for another 15 minutes.

Spicy Peach Chicken

Spicy Peach Chicken

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup peach preserves
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
hot pepper sauce to taste
1 (2 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces, skin removed
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning

DIRECTIONSPreheat the oven broiler.In a small bowl, mix peach preserves, honey, spicy brown mustard, and hot pepper sauce.Arrange chicken pieces on a medium baking sheet. Season with Creole seasoning. Brush with the peach preserves mixture, reserving some of the mixture for basting.Turning occasionally and basting often with reserved peach reserves mixture, broil 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Hellman's Grilled Asian Kabobs

Hellman's Grilled Asian Kabobs Appetizer (shrimp) Recipe
1/2 tsp ground ginger
scallions
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 c apricot preserves
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce .
8 raw shrimp, shelled & deveined, can use chicken too .
1 garlic clove, finely sliced .
2 lemons, cut into wedges .
1 c mayonnaise

Directions
Step #1 Combine first 6 ingredients & reserve 1/3 of a c.
Step #2 On soaked bamboo skewers, place a shrimp, a piece of scallion & a lemon wedge.
Step #3 Brush the kabobs with remaining sauce & grill until the shrimp turn pink.
Step #4 Serve with the reserved sauce.