Chicken Enchilada Casserole

My husband makes really delicious chicken enchiladas from scratch, but they are quite labor intensive and so we don't have them very often. I made this recipe to be able to enjoy all the flavors of chicken enchiladas with less work.

Easy Mexican Rice

We love this rice alongside (or in) our burritos and/ or fajitas and it is super easy.

Corn Cakes II

The corn cakes we made last week were so delicious my husband wanted them for every meal. Well, that didn't happen, but I did make them again tonight with chili and he thought this second version so much more delicious that I just had to present the variation. The only reason there was a variance is that I was out of ingredients needed to make the other version exactly the same, I was in a hurry, and had a million other things going on. So, the result is this variation (tastier, more delicious) corn cakes.

Corn Cakes

We were looking for a yummy accompaniment for chili and white chili and this goes really well!

 

Breakfast Quiche

Ingredients:
1 medium Russet potato, sliced very thinly (use a mandolin if you don't think you're up to the task)
2 cups corn (I use organic frozen because it's easy, but fresh off the ear would be awesome)
4 pasture eggs
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed (or 1 chopped fresh tomato or about 1/2 cup chopped grape or cherry tomatoes)
1/4 cup whole milk, try to find a good local source
About 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup grated cheese (I used a combination of Manchego and Cheddar, which I had in the house)
Butter (about 2 tbsp. divided) or ghee (try Organic Valley or Kerrygold)
Sea salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper or less)
3 dashes of tabasco sauce (or other similar type sauce)
1/4 tsp chili powder

How To:
1. Prep/ Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 and arrange potato slices in a deep dish pie plate that has been prepared using about 1 tbsp of the butter. Overlap the slices so there are no gaps. When done arranging, pour remaining butter (melted) over top and stick in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes start to brown and are tender. You'll remove from the oven when done and set aside.

2. Prep/ Filling: While the crust is cooking, grate your cheese, dice your peppers and tomatoes as needed, and slice your onions. In a blender, combine the milk, corn, eggs, salt, tobasco, and chili powder. Blend until just mixed but don't over mix. You will still want to see chunks of corn in the mixture.

3. Put it all Together: Sprinkle half your cheese on the bottom of the pie pan (on top of the potato crust). Then pour your egg mixture and arrange the peppers, tomatoes, and green onions on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and stick back into the oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool ten minutes, then slice and serve.

Comments:
This takes about 30 minutes leisurely prep time and then cook time. Definitely not something you would want to make when you were in a rush, but nice for the weekend and you can store in the refrigerator for about a week for quick breakfasts when you really need them. My husband ate half a quiche on his own, so I am not sure what to label the number of servings, but honestly, I think one to two slices for a regular person!

 

Please follow me on Facebook!

 

This post is linked up to Fat Tuesday, Busy Mondays, Freaky Friday!, Foodie Friday, Fight Back Friday, Sunday School at Butter Believer, Whole Foods Wednesday, Waste Not Want Not Wednesdays, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Countdown to 2013: Best Breakfast Recipes.

 

Please follow the links for other great recipe ideas!

Corn Fritters

1/2 cup spelt flour, try this
1/2 cup stone ground cornmeal, I use medium or course grind (try Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 tsp baking powder, try this
1/2 tsp cumin
1 egg
1/2 tsp sea salt
Juice of half a lemon
2 cups frozen corn, thawed (or fresh corn, even better!)
1-2 green onions, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 small red or white onion (about 1/4 cup)
A variety of seasonings totaling about 1 tbsp, try chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper, and cumin
Olive oil, coconut oil, butter/ ghee, and/or lard for frying
About 1/4 cup water

How To:
1. Mix: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cumin. Add egg, lemon juice, and water and mix well. Add corn and all onions as well as seasonings and stir until combined. If the batter is too thick, add a little water at this time to mix, but be careful not to add too much.

2. Cook: In the meantime, heat a medium sized pan over medium heat with enough oil/ butter/ lard (your preference) to cover the bottom. When hot, add spoonfuls (2-3 tbsp of batter) to the pan to form a fritter, pressing down gently after adding. Be careful to use a splatter guard, if possible. Cook 2-3 minutes per side and allow to cool on a plate covered with a paper towel. You'll be working in "batches" about 4-5 at a time.

Comments: Yum! These are easy to prepare and delicious. We served with Mexican Style Dipping Sauce but you could also serve with hot sauce. We actually made these to go with chili and they were a perfect compliment! In fact, we all preferred dipping the fritters into chili versus the dipping sauce.

 

Follow me on Facebook or Google+!

 

This post was featured on Just Another Meatless Monday.

Cornbread Souffle

1 cup whole milk
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth, low sodium
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup stone-ground cornmeal
3/4 cup frozen corn (or fresh corn cut from the ears)
1 tbsp onion, chopped finely
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 or 3 egg whites (2 if eggs are med to large, 3 if eggs are small)
1 tbsp grated parmesan and/or romano cheeses

Preheat oven to 375 and spray a 2 quart souffle dish (or 8x8 square pan) with olive oil cooking spray. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, broth, oil, and honey or agave syrup. Heat until almost boiling. Reduce to low, simmer. Whisk in the cornmeal and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Transfer to a bowl and add corn, onion, baking powder, thyme, and salt.

In a large very clean bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Whisk about a third of the egg whites into the cornmeal mixture (this will lighten it). Then fold the remainder into the cornmeal batter, mixing until just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the souffle dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until puffed and lightly golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let stand in dish for 5 minutes, then serve.

Comments: This is actually pretty easy to make with prep time being 10 to 15 minutes. It is a very nice side dish and if the souffle does not "fluff" don't worry about it, it will still taste good. To ensure proper fluffing, be sure to use a very clean bowl and not to get any egg yolk in the egg whites (no goldfish in the pond). This is not a solid bread, but more of a spoon bread and you will eat it with a fork or spoon. Leftovers will re-heat nicely in the microwave.

Black Bean & Corn Festive Salad

1 15-ounce can of beans, rinsed and drained (I prefer black beans, but have used kidney and any type would probably be fine)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, rinsed and drained
8 - 10 grape tomatoes cut in halves or thirds
1/4 cup onions or scallions
1/2 bell pepper any color, diced
2 T olive oil
Juice from 1/2 to 1 whole lime or lemon
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime Seasoning or cumin and garlic powder to taste

Mix together and let marinate, covered, for a couple of hours in the refrigerator before serving.

This takes about 10 minutes to prepare.