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.

If any of you are interested in my sweet potato enchilada recipe, it is as follows:

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1-2 sweet potatoes (or 1 butternut squash)
2 packages of tortillas (corn or white flour; whole wheat does not work as well)
1 can of sweet corn (or 3 cups frozen)
1 can of black beans (or 3 cups cooked)
1 taco seasoning packet
4 oz cream cheese
1 onion, diced
You can also throw in any veggies- red pepper, jalapeno, summer squash, have all worked well)
8-16 oz of mexican blend shredded cheese

Enchilada sauce:
either canned OR
28 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup chili powder
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp onion powder, garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup canola oil.


For the enchilada sauce, bring a pot to medium heat, add in canola oil. using a whisk, incorporate the flour and spices. slowly pour in the tomato sauce. let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

For the enchiladas:
poke holes in the sweet potatoes and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Let cool, and peel the skins off. mash the sweet potatoes, cream cheese, and taco seasoning together. (I use an immersion blender for ease, but hand mashing is fine). Add in the beans, corn, onion, and any other veggies. 

Layering:
Spray a 9X13 pan with canola oil. layer tortillas on the bottom. You can either make roll ups with the enchilada mix and tortillas, layering in the pan, or spread the enchilada mix on the tortillas, layering lasagna style. Either way, make sure there is a layer of tortillas on both top and bottom. Cover with enchilada sauce to taste and top with shredded cheese.

bake at 450 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until cheese melts and enchiladas are warm.

Ole'!

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

So pungent that my 6 month old reached for it.  Or maybe he's just tired of squash.

Easiest recipe ever, from Allrecipes.com: 

Makes 8 servings with these ingredients:

• 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer

• 1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce
• 8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.

Be Italian

I'm feeling pleasantly Italian with a big pot of Ragu simmering on my stove. This one is loosely inspired by this Smitten Kitchen recipe. I've added carrots and white beans to beef it up nutritionally, and the resulting pasta sauce is both decadent and healthy! All quantities are fairly approximate, since I just dump in more tomatoes etc.. until everything looks right. 1 T olive oil 1 T butter 1 package sweet italian turkey sausage 1 can Cannellini Beans, drained 1 package chopped mushrooms 2 carrots, minced (I throw them in my food processor b/c carrots take forever to cook when I just cut them up) 2 cloves garlic 1/2 onion, chopped Fresh basil, chopped, to taste (I use a whole package) 1 cup white wine 1 big can whole tomatoes (or diced or crushed or whatever) drained, reserve the liquid splash of balsamic vinegar Salt and pepper to taste Remove sausage from casings and crumble. Sautee, along with the onion and garlic in the butter and olive oil until browned. Splash in a little balsamic vinegar. Add mushrooms, basil, and carrot and sautee until mushrooms have given off their liquid. Add the drained tomatoes and the white wine. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the alcohol has cooked off the wine, then add the beans. Add the tomato liquid if the mixture seems too dry, turn your heat to low, and simmer for at least an hour. Serve over pasta, with cheese if you like. *note- while you're chopping carrots in the food processor- you could easily toss in other veggies like celery or brocolli if you want to hide them in this sauce. :)

Baked Potato / Mashed Potato Soup

I adapted the 'freezer baked potato soup' here: http://momonamission.me/potato-soup-is-freezer-friendly/ and a similar recipe here: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Mashed-Potato-Cheese-Soup-498042?columns=5&position=4%2F57  to make it vegetarian:

Also, last time, the soup I made seemed so small, that this time I made 6 batches to divide between four of us, so each person got about 1.5 batches, FYI. (I find there is SO much variation in how much soup a recipe makes!)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsps butter
• 1 shallot (large, finely chopped) (I used a regular onion)
• 1 clove garlic (or two small, pressed)
• 2 tbsps all purpose flour
• 6 cups mashed potatoes 
• 2 cups chicken stock (I used vegetable stock)
• 3/4 cup half and half (I could only fit about 1/4 cup per recipe in the pots and I didn't want to add more for fear it would be too thin - but once it cooled, I saw how thick the soup was so I ended up adding more milk when I cooked my litttle batch.  You may want to do the same, depending on what consistency you like.)
• 8 ozs shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• salt (and pepper to taste*)
• 
  
• 
  
• Recommended garnishes:
• bacon (if you don't care about vegetarian)
• green onions
• sour cream
• or serve with grilled cheese sandwiches 

Three Bean Cheesy Casserole (by Shelly)

This recipe is inspired by the Santiago Salsa recipe from The Kitchn.

 However, they are laboring under the misconception that this is a dip- I think it's more of a casserole (although it could easily double as a filling for vegetarian tacos, or serve as a dip, I suppose, if you have some really strong tortilla chips!)

3 Bean Cheesy Casserole

 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
 1 (15 ounce) can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 can rotel tomatoes (use mild for a mild version)
 1/2 of a sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
 1 can green chiles
 1/3 can of Chipotles in Adobo sauce (dice the peppers and be sure to add the sauce as well)
 2 cups shredded mexican cheese blend (or cheddar or whatever), divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika

 Reserve 1 cup of cheese and mix the ingredients well. Pour into an oven proof baking dish, and top with remaining cheese. If unfrozen, bake at 350 for 30 minutes. If frozen, thaw, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

 Serve with any of the following: Cornbread (recipe to follow), tortillas, sour cream, salsa, sliced avocado, cilantro, green onions....

 (My recipes tend to be more like guidelines- so here's where I add that you can put just about anything you like into this casserole- I've added cilantro, green onions (diced), banana peppers, pickled jalapeno wheels (in lieu of the chipotles), chopped fresh tomato, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, etc.... with good results. You could probably add some brocolli or shredded cabbage without going too far off course if you want more green veggies!)

 Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

 1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (even Southerners take short-cuts, y'all!) :)
 1 egg
 1 cup milk (buttermilk is best)
 1 cup shredded cheddar
 1/2 can pickled jalapeno wheels

 Combine ingredients- adding more milk if batter seems too dry. Pour into a greased oven proof baking dish. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

 (For a mild version, leave out the jalapenos. Some canned corn kernels are a nice addition if you leave out the peppers.)

 If frozen, thaw, then wrap in foil (or in the case of the frozen cornbread I'm providing- leave in the pan with the foil on top) and bake at 350 until heated through.