Comfort Chicken Casserole

This family favorite is a creamy chicken Mexican style casserole that I believe my mom invented. I've been tweaking it lately to make it healthier and a smaller amount.





3 cooked chicken breast cubed (for the crock-pot version I cook them alone from morning till afternoon and then remove them and chop them up and re-assemble everything in the crock to cook for a few more hours till dinner time)

1 package soft taco size flour tortillas
2 cups mexican style cheese
1 jar salsa (green or red)
1 small can green ortega chilis
1 16oz light sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 of a minced onion (or dried minced onion)

Cut tortillas into 2 inch strips. Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl till well combined and tortillas are well coated. If mixture is too dry and difficult to mix, add about 1/2 c milk to mixture. Pour mixture into a sprayed glass 9x13 pan or into a sprayed crock-pot. Sprinkle with extra cheese on top. Bake @ 350 for about 45 min. or until cooked through
or cook in crock-pot on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4 hours or until heated through and onion is cooked.

Serve with sour cream, salsa, diced tomatoes, avocado, sliced olives, chopped cilantro....

Variations:
~use chopped turkey instead of chicken
~use shredded pork instead of chicken
~use lowfat or nonfat ingredients

Two Beef Pot Pies

You can make these pot pies with regular pie crust or you can use phyllo dough as a healthier option. These directions are for the phyllo crust version. If using pie crust just pour the filling into an unbaked pie crust and top with another pie crust.

Filling:
3-4 cups cooked meat
6 yukon gold potatoes or 3 large russet bakers
2 c chopped carrots
3 celery stalks
1/2 a chopped onion
1 tsp italian seasoning
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 tsp pepper
salt to taste
olive oil

Gravy:
You can make a gravy out of the meat juices using butter, flour, the juices and water as needed. Be generous with the gravy amount because the pie will soak some of it up and you want some gravy with it when it's served.

If you don't have the juices from your meat cooking, you can make a simple beef gravy by using these ingredients:
2 beef bullion
4 cups water
no salt (because the bullion is high in salt already)
pepper
garlic

Pie Crust:
1 package phyllo dough...about 10-15 layered sheets for each pie.


Using a clean counter space, layer the phyllo dough spritzing it with olive oil in-between each sheet of dough. Be sure to separate each sheet of thin phyllo. It's a good idea to have another spray bottle of water to spritz the dough to keep it moist. If it starts to dry it will get crispy and you won't be able to fold it. It will just crumble. So, keep it moist.....another idea is to lay a wet cheese cloth or towel over it till you are ready to use it. Lay the phyllo dough sheets in alternately turned directions so that you get a large pile that will cover a pie dish well.

Cook the meat, set aside. Cook the veggies and seasonings in the olive oil (top list of ingredients) until cooked. Add the meat to this mixture. Make the gravy and add the gravy to the meat and veggie mixture.




Place the phyllo pie crust that you made into a sprayed pie plate. This recipe will make enough for TWO pies. Once filled, fold over the phyllo dough that is hanging over the edge. Spray the top with olive oil.












Bake 350 degrees for approx. 30 min.
Freeze the other pie uncooked for another night.

Veggie Pancakes

I'm trying to use up the bounty of my parent's garden while they are out of town for a month. My mom used to make these....here's my version:

4 cups shredded veggies (squash, zucchini, beats, carrots, etc.)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 large egg whites (or whole eggs if desired)

Spray skillet with olive oil. Mix ingredients together. Scoop onto skillet and flatten like a pancake. You can make these large or small. Flip when browned on one side. Be sure to cook through because of the egg.

Serve with sour cream basil recipe (I found from Eggs on Sunday) :
3/4 c sour cream
1/4 c chopped fresh basil (or 1 tbsp dried basil)
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives (can omit)
1/2 tsp salt or less to taste
dash of pepper


Served warm and fresh these are amazingly good! Of course there is no way my kids will eat them or my husband for that matter. But I served them to friend and she and I slowly enjoyed devouring them. They can be served for lunch with a salad if made large enough OR you can make small appetizer ones as a nice little luncheon side dish.

I had so much squash and beets to use up that I made about 4 batches of these and froze them for some easy healthy lunch options for myself. But I have to admit they are much better hot off the griddle like regular pancakes!

Kale Soup

My mom has been cooking kale in her soup for quite some time now and I love the flavor of it. Dad grew so much of it in his garden this year that I've been enjoying the benefits of it. I chopped it up and added it to this chicken broth veggie soup I made and it was so good. Going off my other recipe for tortellini soup I figured adding tortellini to it I couldn't go wrong and I was right.

I can't remember the measurements but it went something like this:
1 box of chicken broth
4 c water
diced carrots
diced celery
3 c frozen tortellini
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 tsp Italian herbs
I'm sure there was some garlic in there too
1/4 chopped onion
2 c washed, de-ribbed, chopped fresh kale

We sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on top of the soup.

Kale has a really mild taste when cooked that is so smooth....it's really not bitter at all. Want to know more about why Kale is so good for you?....here, I dug this up on the net.....

When you mention kale, the majority will look up with raised eyebrows and mumble "What"? "What's that"? An old, hardly spoken of and powerful green food. Kale is a leafy green vegetable with a mild earthy flavor. The season for kale is between mid winter and early spring where it can be found in abundance in most produce sections of the local grocery store. However, one can find kale year round. Thankfully, kale is starting to garner well deserved attention due its nutrient rich phytochemical content which provides unparalleled health promoting benefits.

Kale absolutely rich and abundant in calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K. Kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein. Kale is rich in Vitamin C not to mention the much needed fiber so lacking in the daily diet of processed food eating Americans. The "Icing on the Kale" are the natural occurring all important phytochemicals sulforaphane and indoles which research suggests may protect against cancer. Let's not forget the all important antioxidant Vitamin E. Rest assured kale spares nothing in providing one with much needed nutrients and associated health benefits.

The naturally rich sulfur content of kale deserves a bit more discussion. Science has discovered that sulforaphane, helps boost the body's detoxification enzymes, possibly by altering gene expression. This is turn is purported to help clear carcinogenic substances in a timely manner. Sulforaphane is formed when cruciferous vegetables like kale are chopped or chewed. This somehow triggers the liver to produce enzymes that detoxify cancer causing chemicals, of which we all are exposed on daily basis. A recently new study in the Journal of Nutrition (2004) demonstrates that sulforaphane helps stop breast cancer cell proliferation.

Baked Marsala Chicken

I love Chicken Marsala (especially this recipe that I made up myself) but the other night I was wanting to make it but was pressed for time and didn't want the mess so I took a chance and invented a new version of it. Shocker, it turned out good!



4 frozen chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
1 can drained and rinsed artichoke hearts
1/4 c Marsala cooking wine
a sprinkling of capers
olive oil
plain bread crumbs

Brush olive oil on glass 9x13 pan. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Lay chicken in pan and pour wine over chicken breasts. Sprinkle with capers and artichoke hearts. Sprinkle the chicken with the bread crumbs, cover with foil, and bake for about 30-40 min. or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Remove foil and bake for about 5 more min. to brown the top a bit.

Serve over brown rice or noodles. OR serve beside mashed potatoes.



This turned out so good! How easy for company too...and impressive flavor! For some reason I kept thinking you could give it a Greek twist by adding Greek olives....

I don't see why you couldn't prep this and make it a freezer meal either.

Stuffed Shells

This is one of my favorite freezer meal standbys. It freezes so well that I've made it a week ahead of time, pulled it out and served it to company and everyone was impressed without the slightest idea that it had been in the freezer. It's one of my favorite meals to bring to another family in need as well. Serve with a loaf of french bread made into garlic bread, a green veggie, and a salad and you're set to go. Make this vegetarian meal into a meat meal by serving up with some Italian sausages.

1 package Jumbo Pasta Shells (approx. 36)

1 large jar pasta sauce (or 2 20oz jars)

2 15oz containers of ricotta cheese (low fat optional)

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

parsley (optional)

(extra Parmesan and mozzarella for topping)

1. Boil shells until softened (they will cook the rest of the way in the oven). Drain and rinse in cold water till cool to touch. (this can be done day before for ease-store in frig in Ziploc with some olive oil to avoid sticking)

2. While shells are boiling, mix ricotta cheese and eggs together well. Then add Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. Mix well.

3. Spray 9x13 glass pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour small amount of pasta sauce into bottom of pans and spread around. Spoon filling into each shell and press sides of shell gently together to slightly close. Place open side up in pans. When pan is full, pour pasta sauce over all the shells and top with extra mozzarella and Parmesan cheese (and parsley if desired).

4. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for about 45 min. (These freeze uncooked great. Cover with saran wrap and then foil and freeze. Remove saran wrap before cooking and you will need to extend cooking time if frozen.)

Quick Lasagna (using Raviolis)

This is such a fast way to make lasagna it's not even funny! The best part is that you can prep it ahead of time and then freeze it or refrigerate it till you're ready to make it. It's a wonderful freezer meal or fast throw together meal.


cooked ravioli
cooked ground turkey, beef, or Italian sausage (season your turkey or beef to taste like sausage)
pasta sauce
Parmesan cheese


Layer your casserole dish with sauce, then raviolis, then meat and repeat. Top with Parmesan cheese and bake for about 45 min. at 350 degrees. Longer if frozen and shorter if you are working with already hot ingredients.



You can also omit the meat and make this vegetarian.



It's been requested that I post what goes well with these main dishes whenever possible. I'm pretty flexible when it comes to side dishes and such but I'll attempt to put some suggestions. Personally I think Caesar salad goes well with Italian style dishes...not only that but Caesar salad is so easy it's my standby salad when I'm in a time crunch. Corn, green beans, and broccoli all go well with this meal. You can't forget garlic bread...that goes with everything! =0)

Taco Soup

Again, I don't really have a recipe for this...tried to find one for awhile and get one from some ladies that have made some good batches of this but I've never gotten a recipe so I decided to try throwing it together myself and this is what I came up with. It turned out quite well and was pretty healthy. Taco soup has never looked appetizing to me so I was quite surprised to discover that I love it.

You can also leave the meat out and make this completely vegetarian if you like. You really have total control over the measurements and ingredients. This is what I used to make mine the other night but you surely could add more ingredients. I've had it with sliced olives and corn in it and all kinds of yummy things.

2 cans pinto or black beans drained and rinsed.
1 can Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 lb cooked ground turkey
1/2 diced yellow onion
1 taco seasoning packet
2 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 cans water

Brown meat, garlic, and onion in a large pot with a little olive oil. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a low boil. Simmer for about 10-15 min. Serve with cheese (I use Mexican style cheese), salsa, sour cream, and chips.

Variations:
~omit the meat and make it vegetarian.
~add more ingredients like corn, olives, more tomatoes, etc.
~make it in your crock pot and keep it on low till dinner.
~make it as a freezer meal.
~if your kids don't like beans, try mashing them and stirring them in which will thicken your soup so you may need a little more water. You can make it as liquidy as you like.

Stuffed Peppers

I started making this without a recipe a few years back and my husband loves them. I've slowly perfected my own version for our family and maybe you can do the same for yours. These are pretty healthy and they make a wonderful vegetarian meal as well. This is also another opportunity to sneak in some pureed veggies....I use zucchini in this recipe. I still don't have a written recipe so here's my best guesstimate on measurements. =0)

What's great about these is that they can be incredibly healthy....whole grains from the brown rice and packed with vitamins from the peppers, zucchini, and cooked tomatoes.

6 bell peppers

2 c cooked brown rice

2 c cooked ground Italian sausage or ground beef or ground turkey, or chopped portobello mushrooms

1-2 c pasta sauce (depends how saucy you like it)

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp anise seed

optional: 1/2 pureed roasted peppers and 1 c pureed zucchini or less

1 can tomato soup

1 c milk

Wash and cut the tops off the bell peppers. Remove seeds and membrane. Set in a sprayed glass deep baking dish. In a bowl, mix together tomato soup and milk and set aside. Mix the remaining ingredients together and spoon mixture into bell peppers. Pour tomato soup mixture over peppers. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 45 min. or until peppers are cooked through and tops are browned. Serve with sour cream.

Variations:

~ make it vegetarian with mushrooms instead of meat or poultry. IF you use mushrooms instead of meat, I would use a little more rice because the mushrooms really cook down. Probably an extra cup of rice.

~ omit the tomato soup and milk sauce

~ omit the pureed veggies if you don't have them but you'll need to add about a cup of extra pasta sauce

~ use white rice instead of brown

These would probably make a great freezer meal as well.

This is a great one dish meal since it's packed with grains and veggies. But you could always serve it with a nice salad.

Also, I don't use green bell peppers because they are harder to digest. A green bell pepper is an unripe pepper. They turn yellow, orange, and red when they are ripe.

Chicken Enchiladas Verde

I showed you Chicken Enchiladas Verde in the crockpot so now I'm going to show you how to do them in the oven. You use the same seasonings and sauce as stated before. I like to use either leftover chicken, chicken I cooked in the crockpot with the seasonings or without that was all done ahead of time. That saves time when making these the day of. You can use either diced onion or dried onion flakes. If you use diced onion you need to cook the onion with the chicken ahead of time so that the onion is for sure cooked through.

Next, spray a 9x13 glass pan with olive oil (I always use First Cold Pressed Extra Virgin).

Put the sauce in a skillet and warm it to warm your tortillas-making them pliable.

Fill them with chicken and jack cheese (monterey, colby, whatever kind)

Roll them and top with cheese down the center.

Spray a piece of foil with olive oil so that it won't stick to your enchiladas and cover them.

Cook till heated through (350 degrees for about 45 min.)

Variations-

-you can do this exact thing with shredded beef

-you can use red enchilada sauce instead of green

-these do make a great freezer meal.

I'll show you the process in pictures.

Tomato Soup

This recipe is from my friend, Sandi who got it from her friend, Judy Zanders. I don't know Judy but thanks, Judy! It's yummy! You can use this tomato soup as a base for other soups as well such as making veggie soup or minestrone. This recipe is a canning recipe so it makes a LOT of soup. You can also freeze it in a deep freeze instead of canning it and you can also use it fresh for a large group (say a dinner at church or family reunion....etc.).



Ingredients
12 quarts of tomatoes (1/2 bushel or 25 lbs)
7 med. onions
½ bunch of celery
3 bay leaves
1.5 cups of flour
1.5 cups of butter
½ cup sugar
2 tsp pepper
Salt to taste

Cook onion, celery, bay leaves in small portion of chopped tomatoes. Blend the onion/tomato mixture in a blender and then run through a sieve. Add this blended mixture to the remaining chopped tomatoes and cook in large pot until everything is hot and cooked down to a liquid. Pour mixture into a blender and run through a sieve. Cream butter and flour, then whisk 2 cups of the tomato mixture slowly, this will make a rue to thicken the soup. Add sugar, salt & pepper. Whisk flour mixture into soup slowly. After it is thickened ~ fill sterile jars 1 inch from the top, screw on lid with ring. Process the jars in a pressure cooker, 10 lbs of pressure for 10 minutes. Remove from cooker and gently place on cooling board leave over night, do not remove jars from the cooling board until cooled, as it can compromise the seal.

Makes approx 26 pints or 14 quarts.


When I'm serving it just as tomato soup, I add about 1 cup of milk to a pint of the soup to make it creamy.