Freezer Burritos with Spanish Rice, "Refried Beans", & Chicken

Freezer Burritos with Spanish Rice, "Refried Beans", & Chicken
Burritos del congelador con arroz espanola, frijoles refritos y pollo

Here is the link to the recipe I used.  I just added some chicken breast to round things out!

http://www.mamamiss.com/2012/05/11/freezer-burritos/ 

(PS I used 1 part chili powder, 2 parts ground coriander because I ACTUALLY ran out of cumin!)

If you're interested in the differences between the two or making them homemade, here are some awesome flavor boosters used in Latin cooking:  Recaito y Sofrito.

http://myhalalkitchen.com/puerto-rican-rice-doesnt-always-need-goya/

(I used sofrito I found at the grocery store.)

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/07/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole-recipe.html

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 (6 oz) pkg. chicken flavored stuffing mix
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup (see recipe below)
1 tablespoon prepared, Dijon mustard
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces (I boiled mine)
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 cups cooked, chopped ham
6 slices of extra thin Swiss cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Prepare stuffing as directed on package.  Mix soup and mustard in medium bowl; stir in chicken, broccoli and ham. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with cheese slices and stuffing.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.

http://pinchofyum.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

Author: Pinch of Yum

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  15 mins

Serves: 3 cups

Makes the equivalent of about 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup.

INGREDIENTS

• 2½ cups chicken broth (I used homemade stock)
• 1½ cups milk
• ¾ cup flour
• 1 tablespoon seasoning mix (or on your own, ½ tsp. onion powder, ½ tsp. garlic powder, ½ tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. parsley, etc)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the chicken broth and ½ cup of the milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a low boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and seasonings into the remaining 1 cup milk until a smooth, thick mixture forms.
3. Pour the flour and milk mixture into the saucepan with the broth mixture over low heat and stir continuously, whisking as the mixture simmers. Continue to simmer and stir/whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick, 5-10 minutes. The mixture will thicken a bit as it cools.

MONGOLIAN BEEF
(P.F. Chang's copycat from http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/03/pf-changs-mongolian-beef-copycat-recipe.html)

P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe:

(Recipe adapted from Food.com)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup water
¾ cup dark brown sugar
vegetable oil , for frying (about 1 cup)
1 lb flank steak (I used more than that per family)
¼ cup cornstarch
2 large green onions, chopped

Directions:

Sauce:
Heat 2 tsp. of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat.  Don't get the oil too hot.
Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.
Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then increase the heat to medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat.

Beef:
Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts.  Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.  Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.  As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil). Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and sauté until brown. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.  After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels.  Dab excess oil off meat with a paper towel and add to medium saucepan with the sauce in it.  Put the pan back on the oven over medium/low heat.  Add chopped green onions and let sauce simmer until warm. Serve over rice.

Additionally, I included 4 cups of white rice as well as some blanched carrots and zuchinni tossed in Chinese 5 Spice to make it a complete meal!  I apologize...it seems as though the zuchinni did NOT freeze well.  Ours was mushy and gross.  So sorry!

Chicken Caliente Casserole

Chicken Caliente Casserole

Recipe courtesy of Linda Coleman from Food Network

This is a great way to use up left over rice or vegetables you need to use - most veggies work great!

Ingredients:

Butter or non-stick cooking spray, for greasing casserole dish

2 1/2 cups large-diced cooked chicken (I usually substitute 1-2 cans of black beans for the chicken, or sometimes half chicken, half beans)

3 cups cooked rice (1 cup uncooked rice makes about 3 cups cooked rice)

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup sliced green bell pepper

1 cup sliced onion

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons fine salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I omit this as my children aren't fans of hot sauce - my husband adds his own anway!)

3 tomatoes, cut into wedges (can substitute a can of diced tomates)

1 1/2 cup corn chips, crushed

(I usually add 1 c shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese for the last 5 minutes of baking)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish (13” by 9” works great).

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the chips and mix well. Transfer the mixture to the buttered dish, top with the chips, and bake until hot and bubbling, about 30 to 35 minutes. Serve immediately.