Brown Butter Tortellini with Kale & Peas

Props to Real Simple for this recipe that is, well....really simple!  Go figure.  Now that I have made it, I was bummed that I tried this one on a Saturday night because it is soooooo simple, yet satisfying!  It easily took less than 30 minutes from the time I decided to cook until the time we sat down to eat, which in my book is the best kind of meal for a weekday after hanging out with third graders all day!  Plus, it was delicious!

Ingredients:

• 16 to 19 oz. Bag of frozen cheese tortellini (not frozen would work too but is more expensive)
• 1 C Frozen peas
• 4 T Butter (I used salted, but go for unsalted if your body dislikes excess sodium)
• 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 Bag of Spinach OR 1 Stalk of Kale, stems removed and torn into bite size pieces
• 1 t Lemon Zest (if you are lazy/don't have a lemon, feel free to omit but add more lemon juice)
• 1 T Lemon Juice
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Cook tortellini according to the package directions (Takes about 5 mins once the water boils)
2. With 1 minute remaining on the tortellini, add in the cup of frozen peas.  Strain.
3. Meanwhile, warm a large skillet over medium heat and brown the butter.  To brown the butter, melt the butter in the skillet and allow time to heat for 2-3 minutes.  Watch out for splashes and use a splash guard as the butter heats.  Once it slightly browns and has a nutty fragrance it is good to go.  Be careful not to burn the butter!
4. Once butter is melted, add in the leafy greens and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until your greens are wilted.  About 5 minutes.
5. Once your tomatoes are cooked and greens are wilted remove from heat.  Add the cooked tortellini and peas to the skillet and mix together.  
6. Add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss to coat.
7. Serve warm!  Piece of cake, right?!

P.S.  My husband said it reminded him of his families Christmas Sugar Cookie recipe but trust me, it does not taste like sugar cookies.  I guess he just associates lemon zest and butter with Christmas cookies?  Regardless, try this one!!

Bon Appetit!

Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

     Thanks to the encouragement of my dear friend Angela, I have decided to do some procrastinating and post about these delicious enchiladas instead of attempting to be productive in other areas of my life.  Food is always a priority in my life.  Trust me, the first planning I do for each day or week begins with the food I will be consuming.  Therefore, I decided the other things I planned on doing would just have to wait a few minutes.  People need to eat!

     I am so pleased I decided to try these beauties.  Enchilada recipes in my life tend to fall into two extreme categories: 1. Way too Plain or 2. Way too Crazy.   My Mom makes a delicious, yet rather simple, enchilada recipe which I go to when I am seeking traditional, and the other enchiladas I have made involve pumpkin cream or delicious Asian inspired flavors.  If you don't believe me, check out the Pumpkin Cream Enchiladas or the Thai Chicken Enchiladas.  This recipe, however, falls nicely in between those extremes.  Thank goodness my husband asked me to try something fairly traditional but with more flair (aka more sauce and more spice).  The recipe below meets that criteria to a T.

     The recipe below is from the Colorado Classique cookbook which is a favorite among many of my friends and family members.  I can honestly say I have never made or eaten a recipe from this cookbook that was not 100% satisfying.  So if you like this recipe, GET THE COOKBOOK.  You won't be sorry.

     Anyway, onto the good stuff.  The cheesy sauce pairs nicely with the spicy jalapenos...and grilling the chicken adds some nice flair.  Nothing beats the flavor of grill.  That sounds gross, but you know what I mean.  =)  Plus, the black beans add the perfect touch to bring each bite together in perfect palate harmony.  I hope you enjoy these as much as we did.  They are certainly going to be a dish I go back to time and time again (although, my Mom's will always be popular in the recipe books as well).

INGREDIENTS:
Sauce:

• 1/2 C onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 t coriander, ground
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1 t cumin, ground
• 2 T butter (or you can sub olive oil to make it healthier)
• 3 T flour
• 8 oz. sour cream (I use light, but if you love the real deal, go for it!)
• 2-1/2 C chicken broth (round up or down if that makes life easier)
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, diced fine with seeds (I use seeds from 1 but not both, but I like mild)*
• 4 oz. can of diced green chiles
• 1 C cheese, shredded (Mexican, Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack for more spice)

*For the jalapenos, I used fresh, but the cookbook I used calls for a 4oz. can of jalapenos.

Enchiladas:

• 4 chix breasts, halved (so they grill faster), grilled and cut into bite size pieces*
• 8 medium flour tortillas
• A 15oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 C cheese, use the same that you use in the sauce
• 1 C chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 C sliced green onions

*For the chicken, I make the breast thinner before my husband grills for easier cooking.  I marinated the chicken breast with a small amount of olive oil and some salt and pepper, but they don't need much because the enchiladas are very flavorful.


DIRECTIONS:

1.  Grill the chicken ahead of time if possible.  If you are feeling lazy, you can cook the chicken ahead of time with another method, but I highly recommend grilling.
2. Preheat the oven to 350.
3. In a large sauce pan, saute the onions and spices for the sauce in the butter (or olive oil if you prefer).  Cook until the onions are tender.
4. Meanwhile, stir together the flour, and sour cream.
5. When the onions are tender, add the flour/sour cream mixture to the saucepan and mix well.
6. Stir in the broth, jalapenos and canned chiles.  Stir the mixture until it thickens and the sour cream and flour smooths out.  This can take about 10 minutes.
7. Once smooth, remove the sauce mixture from heat and stir in the 1 C of cheese. 
8. Set aside.
9. Once all your other ingredients are prepped, set up a space to assemble the enchiladas.  I usually have one plate piled with tortillas, one plate where I wrap, and the greased Pyrex all in a row.
10. Mix 1/2 cup of the prepared sauce with your grilled chicken in a small bowl
11. In each enchilada add a spoon full of the chicken, a spoonful each of black beans, diced tomatoes, green onions and a pinch of cheese. 
12. Roll up the enchilada and place it seam side down in the 9x13x2 baking dish.  This helps to keep the tortillas rolled while you fill the others.
13. Once all your tortillas are filled, top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
14. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.  Begin checking around 25 minutes to make sure the cheese isn't burning, and if you run into problems with too much browning, cover the pan with foil for the remaining bake time.
15. Allow time for the enchiladas to cool slightly, then serve warm and garnish with more green onions and tomatoes if you have some left.  Otherwise, it is delicious as is!

P.S. The series premiere of "The Taste" is on tonight and you can bet I will be tuning into that new show!  Get people to enjoy your dish in one bite?  I imagine that could be tricky!

Bon Appetit!

Shakshuka

What is Shakshuka you ask?  Unique.  Tasty.  Healthy.  Vegetarian.  Heart Warming.  DELICIOUS!
In all seriousness, Shakshuka is essentially eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce.  Keep reading!
I read that Shakshuka originated in Tunisia and is similar to Moroccan cuisine.  It is something different to try and I promise you won't regret it!

Shakshuka was introduced to me when my husband and I were living on the east coast for the summer.  His family often reunites throughout the summer and cooking is designated to those who volunteer.  Needless to say, I did a lot of cooking this past summer!  Anyway, my husband's cousins were visiting one weekend and they wanted to cook a vegetarian meal they had discovered and now cook once a week.  We gave it a try and it was an instant hit!  I hope you have the same reaction and take the leap into trying something new!

Shakshuka
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 T Olive oil
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 3-5 Jalapenos, seeded and minced.  (3 = mild, 4 = moderate, 5 = spicy) *See note below
• 5 Cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 t Cumin
• 1-1/2 T Paprika
• 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes  *Note - added flavor is ok.  Fire roasted could be nice.
• 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes  *Note - added flavor is ok.  Fire roasted could be nice.
• 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed (optional)
• Salt, to taste
• 5 - 7 eggs (this depends on the size of your pan and with whom you are dining)
• Feta cheese (for garnish)
• Crusty bread, flat bread or pita bread

 *Note- I seed the jalapenos for the most part but chop a few seeds in with the mix to add some added heat.  Keep in mind I only use 3 jalapenos and have sensitive taste buds.

Directions:

1. Warm olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet or large, deep sauce pan
2. Saute onions and jalapenos until onions are soft (about 5 minutes)
3. Add garlic, cumin and paprika to the pan and stir together
4. Cook 2-3 minutes more, or until spices are fragrant
5. Add both cans of tomatoes with juices and if using, the can of black beans.  Mix well
6. Heat through and bring to a simmer.  Allow time to cook / heat through for 10-15 minutes
7. If your sauce is somewhat thick, make small indentations with your spoon where you plan to crack the eggs.  If your sauce is thinner, no sweat and read ahead!  At this time you should also taste your sauce and add some salt as needed
8. One by one crack eggs into the sauce.  I usually do a circle of eggs with one in the middle to maximize the number of eggs I can use.  Take care to do this quickly so eggs cook about the same amount of time
9. Cook eggs 5-6 minutes.  The yolk will be pretty runny, but then it mixes into the sauce as you eat.  If that freaks you out, cook for 6 minutes, but no more than 6 minutes.  This isn't meant to be hard boiled eggs in spicy tomato sauce! =)
10. Remove from heat.  Serve immediately in deep bowls and garnish with feta
11. Serve with bread (for dipping of course) and enjoy!

Bon Appetit!

Cowboy Salsa

This is the first year I managed to hear that eating black eyed peas will bring you good luck in the New Year!  All thanks to the man sampling "Cowboy Salsa" at Whole Foods.  Since these little legumes bring you good luck, and since the sample we had was oh so tasty, my Mama and I decided to make some Cowboy Salsa at the end of the year.  

Cowboy Salsa - The picture doesn't do it justice

As it is with many bean salads, this is simple to make and all you have to do is put it out with some chips or crackers.  Not only is it delicious, but it is also healthy...so don't let this worry you if your resolutions include weight loss or improved health.

I hope your New Year has started with some luck of your own and I hope you enjoy this dish!

Cowboy Salsa
Ingredients:

• 2 ripe avocados (but not over ripe), diced
• 1/2 C green onions, sliced thin
• 1/2 C fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 C roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 can of corn (I like the sweet, light yellow kind), drained and rinsed
• 1-2 cans of black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 C red wine vinegar
• 1/4 C olive oil
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
 Easy as Pie:

1. Mix first six prepared ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk together red wine vinegar, oil, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Pour dressing over other ingredients and toss to combine.

Now, technically, you should chill the Cowboy Salsa for atleast 30 minutes but I say have at it!
Serve with chips, crackers or bread....or just eat it plain!

Bon Appetit!