Enchilada Casserole

Mmmmmm. This was made on a warm spring day for a few of the volunteers that I coordinate with at church. We had invited them over to dinner on Mothers Day and as it was a holiday of sorts, I asked them if there was anything in particular they'd like. "MEXICAN!" was the resounding and immediate answer.

In my mind, this is pretty Tex-Mex, and not true Mexican food. But, it's still good, even if it's not authentic. They seemed to love it, so I call it a win.

This is easy for a weeknight or make ahead meal, as it's pretty easy to put together and it freezes really well. The most difficult part of this is cooking the meat, which I usually do in a crockpot anyway. Also, by simply not including the meat, this dish easily turns into a vegetarian meal. 

The key to making Tex-Mex food? Spices. Know thy spices! While I'm going to list some here, play around with them to figure out what you like. Some people love more cumin, others like more chili powder, and some prefer more cilantro (although I think technically that's an herb).

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded (Or beef or pork) 

12-18 corn tortillas, halved 

1 16 oz can enchilada sauce 

2 cans refried beans 

1/4-1/3 cup water

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 

1-2 cups corn (optional, not shown) 

2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese 

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oregano 

Scallions, Avocado, and sour cream - used for garnish. 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º

In a large bowl, mix together refried beans, spices, and water, until beans reach a 'spreadable' consistency. I find warming them slightly in the microwave helps. Add more water if necessary. 

In a greased 9x13 casserole pan, spoon about a forth of the enchilada sauce onto the bottom of the pan. Layer on about 6 of the tortilla halves, and spoon over those about 1/3-1/2 of the refried beans. Then sprinkle with 1/2 the chicken, black beans, and corn. Repeat - Sauce, tortillas, refried beans, chicken, corn, and black beans. Pour the remaining sauce over the last layer of corn and black beans, and top with cheese. 

Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until warm all the way through. Remove from oven, garnish with diced scallions and avocado, and serve with sour cream. 

Enjoy!!!

Note: The pictures depict a half recipe, as we only needed to serve 4 people. 

Sunday Cinnamon Rolls

It's been almost a year since I've ventured baking something bread-like. For those who don't know, I'm not a huge fan of baking. However, when I made these I was highly motivated for them to turn out well - I was grumpy because the weather should have started to warm up but hadn't, and I'd been eating healthy all week and was simply craving a huge helping of 100% refined, white, and doughy carbs...... So lets just say it was really easy to become a 'baker' for an afternoon.



I found out in the making of these that my Mr. Animator apparently loves cinnamon rolls. He was a big supporter of me making these.

These smell heavenly as they bake. The rich, sweet scent of baking bread gives way to the aromatic wafts of cinnamon with a subtle hint of nutmeg. The scents become tastes as you pour over the soft buttery icing for it's final touches and eat them before they fully cool. Because lets be honest - cinnamon rolls are best when they're warm.



Here is the warning that comes with these - predetermine who you will share them with! They have more than an entire cup of butter in them, are sinfully good, and will impress just about anyone. These are great to take to a brunch, potluck, movie night, or new neighbors, etc, etc, etc.... Whatever you're reason for making them, you've been warned - if you don't have a predetermined reason to share, you are in danger of eating them all by yourself. We almost did.

Ingredients:

Dough:
4-5 cups flour (bread flour is the way to go on this, but not totally necessary)
2 packets OR 4.5 teaspoons dry yeast (I use quick acting)
1/2 cup salted butter - melted
3/4 cup milk (almond milk is OK)
1/2 cup water
1/2 sugar
1 egg

Filling:
1/2 cup butter - melted
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg

Icing:
1 1/2 cups powder sugar
2 Tablespoon salted butter - melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 Tablespoons hot water

Directions:
Make the dough, roll the dough, fill the dough, roll the dough, cut, bake, ice (as in icing), eat.

To make the dough - mix the flour, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl, and set aside. Then warm the butter, milk, and water in a small sauce pan until it reaches 120º-130º F, stirring constantly to make sure the butter is melted. Pour the warmed milk mixture into a standing mixer (KitchenAid or the like), add the egg, and beat until combined. Start mixing in the flour 1 cup at a time, until the mixture is doughy, but not overly gooey. It will be sticky, but you don't want it too dry or too wet. Think a texture similar to canned biscuits, but a little more doughy.
Mix/kneed dough for about 1-2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (I turn my oven on to 350º for 3-4 minutes, so it's nice and warm, but not anywhere close to 350º, then I stick the dough in there), and let rise until dough is about double. Maybe 20 minutes if you're using fast-acting yeast.

Meanwhile, prep the filling by mixing the sugar and spices together, and melting the butter in a separate small bowl.

Once doubled, turn down out onto a clean, well floured surface. **If you've never floured a surface before, you basically sift/scatter a bunch of flour on your counter top. Your goal is to not have the dough stick to your hands or your counter.**

PREHEAT YOUR OVEN NOW -  375ºF

Gently kneed the dough into a ball, then roll into a large flat rectangle. The thinner it is, the more spirals you'll have. I roll mine to about 1/4 inch.

Spread the melted butter for the filling evenly over the dough, then the sugar filling. If you need more filling due to added surface area, don't hesitate to make and add more!

Then roll the dough into a giant log, long side to long side. Using dental floss or a large, sharp knife, cut into 2" wide circles. Place circles loosely into a large 9x13 baking pan lined with parchment paper. You don't really want then touching, as they'll expand during cooking. Given them about a 1/4-1/2 inch 'personal space' bubble, and once they cook, they'll have grown into that space. You can also divid the circles among two large cookie sheets so they stay perfectly round and separate as they cook. I personally like them mushed into a pan together.

Bake at 375º F for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on the parts not covered with caramelized. cinnamon and sugar.

Meanwhile, make the icing by mixing together all the icing ingredients until smooth.



Once the rolls are done, and cooled slightly, top with icing, and serve while warm!



Hope you enjoy!

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

Fruit purees are something that I love about the warmer months. They not only satisfy a sweet tooth, but they cool you down and give you a serving or three of fruits (and sometimes veggies if you can sneak those in).

This strawberry frozen yogurt is tart, sweet, and extremely satisfying. It's also pretty darn easy. Because strawberries are naturally both sweet and tart, you don't need to add much extra sweetener. Also, the greek yogurt adds a nice creamy texture to this tasty frozen treat, without having to pile on the dairy or calories. A huge plus for me.

As shown here, you can mix and match fruits for additional flavors (Strawberry Mango has been my favorite so far!), but the idea is the same - blend the fruit and enjoy it frozen.

Here are some tips to keep in mind before you start:

• Resist the urge to add liquid to help it blend better! Just keep mashing down the frozen mixture until it starts to blend. Then blend until smooth. 

• Before you start, pick out a resealable glass container that you'll put the finished product in. If the frozen yogurt can go into a pre-chilled bowl, it will harden up faster and not melt as fast when you take it out to serve.

• Add sweetener as you go. You can't undo it if you overdo it, but you can always add more until you're happy. Agave Nectar, honey, sugar, even maple syrup are all decent options. 

Ingredients:

6oz Plain or Vanilla Greek Yogurt
4-5 Cups Frozen Strawberries*
Sweetener to taste (2 Tablespoons Honey and 2 Tablespoons white sugar is what I use)

*Strawberry Mango: 2 cups frozen strawberries, 3 cups frozen mangos

Directions:

Blend frozen strawberries, yogurt, and sweetener in food processor until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Freeze for 30 minutes, and remove at serving time. 

Be quick, this tasty treat melts fast! 

ENJOY!!!!!!

Classic Lemonade

I recently heard someone say that August was like the Sunday of Summer. I feel like lemonade, especially homemade lemonade is something that should be in hand on a lazy Sunday afternoon at the end of summer.

It's fresh, light, tangy, and just sweet enough to quench your craving for something sweet in between lunch and Sunday dinner. If I had a deck, balcony, back or front porch, I would take a full pitcher of this with me and read until the pitcher was empty and my mind was full.

Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 part lemon juice
1 part sugar
4 parts cold water

Or, if you'd like your measuremtns in cups, use these:

1 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
4 cups cold water

Directions:
Mix everything (in a large pitcher) like a rock star, and drink it like royalty.

Sweet Potato Curry Recipe

As a curried soup, this has a lot in common with other curry dishes. One of the problems with using curry, in my mind, is that it generally over powers most other flavors. To counteract that you need to use another strong flavor - pomegranate, coconut, or pineapple, just to name a few non-meat choices. In this case, it's paired with coconut and, most shockingly, sweet potatoes. 

Not only are sweet potatoes great for you, but it means that you don't need to add ANY sweeteners to this dish to expertly blend the curry and coconut. Also, the coconut is really just a supporting flavor in this dish, as opposed to some other dishes it is debuted in. 

Another nice thing about this is that the flavors come in waves - first the sweet and savory coconut is present, quickly followed up by a more distinct starchy sweetness that only sweet potatoes have, and finished with a peppery kick from the curry. 

As food goes - this is easy, fantastic, and a great conversation starter for dinner. 

Ingredients: 

5 cups packed, cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 sweet or yellow onion, diced OR 1 teaspoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
5 cups chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk (original recipe calls for light coconut milk, but I think you loose some of the needed flavor when you do.)
1 1/2 cups apple sauce
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon curry powder

Directions: 

1. In a large pot, heat coconut oil and sauté onions just until translucent (if using onion powder, skip this step, and add all ingredients after step 2. 

2. Add stock and bring to boil - add remaining ingredients and mix well. (It might be 'stringy' at this point - that's okay!)

3. Cover, reduce to medium low, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, or until onions are tender. 

4. Blend soup until smooth and creamy. An immersion blender works best, but if you don't have one of those, carefully (it's HOT!) ladle it by batches into a standing blender, and blend until smooth. 

Serve hot, or chill and serve cold (my preference). 

If desired, top with additional coconut milk.

**This freezes really really well too, which is why it's great for batch cooking. 

Clockwise from top left: Nutmeg, ginger, onion powder, curry powder.

Roughly 5 cups of sweet potatoes here - yum yum yum!!! 

There are nine potatoes here - the can gives a good size reference.

Topped with coconut milk for an extra bit of contrast.

Chopped Greek Salad with Homemade Greek Vinaigrette

This has been a go-to favorite for lunches for the past two weeks. It's easy to prepare, and easy to transport (can you say "Hello plastic bag?!"), so it makes total sense if you're trying to eat right but have a busy life. 

What is also nice about this salad is that it's filling, packed with great veggies and nutrients, and entirely satisfying on warm spring days.... not that we've had many where we are right now.... but for the rest of the world enjoying spring, this is truly a great dish. The crisp, crunchy sweetness of the peppers and the cool, delicately mellow taste of the cucumbers are contrasted by the gently herbed tang of the dressing. 

Also....the savory pop of the cherry tomatoes is fantastic, especially when you can find great heirloom tomatoes that just burst with flavor. And the dressing - honestly, it is amazing. It has the tangy punch from the vinegar, the herby, earthy hold from the oregano, and the rich depth given by the extra virgin olive oil. I made a whole bottle just to have on hand - that is how good it is. 

Another nice thing about this is that it can be served as a side dish or a main lunch. If you're looking for more protein, toss in cut up grilled chicken or drained garbanzo beans. 

Serves 2 for main dish, 4 for side dish.

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (no substitutions!!)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano (or 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, crushed)
salt/pepper to taste


Salad Ingredients:

3 bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange - one of each is my favorite), diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 cups diced cucumbers (mini cucumbers work great)
1/4 cup  thinly sliced red onion (about 1/8th of an onion)

1 cup crumbed feta


Directions:

1. In a small bowl or jar, whisk or shake together all the vinaigrette ingredients. Add salt and pepper to preference- set aside.*

2. In a large bowl combine all of the vegetables and gently toss together. Top with feta cheese and gently pour dressing over everything.

Serve immediately at room temperature, or chill before serving.**

Notes:
*Dressing can be made ahead, and if desired, mix the onions in as well and let them marinate a bit. This reduces the sharp edge of the onion flavor and allows ingredients in the vinaigrette to blend together better.

**If you make this salad ahead of time DO NOT mix in the dressing or the cheese. If you mix in the dressing or feta and then chill the salad, it tends to pull out water from the veggies, making the veggies limp (rather than nice and crisp) and the dressing watery. 

Batch Cooking and Eating Healthy

Batch Cooking

Today I tried batch and freezer cooking for the first time in earnest. IT WAS EXHAUSTING!!!!!

I've been known to make a large pot of chili or soup and freeze what we didn't eat in portion size containers for consumption later. However, today I tackled four meals.... in bulk.... at once. IT WAS EXHAUSTING!!!!!  I have decided that 1) it's a learned skill with a learning curve and 2) takes a certain amount of endurance (did I mention that it was exhaaaaaaaaaaausting?!). However, as I look at my clean kitchen - dishwasher loaded, pots and pans washed, and a freezer and fridge chock-full of lunches and dinners for this week - I feel satisfied and very accomplished.*

Hot dang. Would you look at that pretty girl. She worked hard today.
I'm about to give her a mop and maybe declutter the corner. 

The bunny trail that led to my undertaking this newfound lovely insanity started with me reading this post that I saw on pinterist, then reading about twenty different posts on the same site (Organize Yourself Skinny) - not exaggerating either - and reviewing previously found literature. My interest in taking charge of my life was renewed.

Here are the thoughts that gave me the motivation to tackle it:
• Time is a premium this week, thus no time for healthy cooking (for any meal really, double bummer).
• I honestly want to be healthy and loose weight (in that order). No more hiding!
• The idea intrigued me. Why not give it a shot? If I'm going to chop one pepper, why not three?
• I have to think about food at some point, why not think about it all at once?

Having similar thoughts? Keep reading.

My fridge and freezer are full of pre-made salads, healthy soups, and snacks. Way to go me!

Eating Healthy 

It's all about education. One of my favorite quotes is "What I do depends on how I feel about what I know." Apply it liberally.

What do I know about my body? About food? What do I know, through experience or study, how they interact optimally? What do I know about regular exercise and it's affects on me personally?

Personally, I believe bodies are a gift from God that we get to learn how to manage properly. Thankfully, I also believe that He's given us health guidelines. (I'm not getting preachy, just personal.)

How do I feel about those things will reflect in what I do. I decided it was time for me to care a little more and take charge of this aspect of my life.

In regards to healthy eating here are some of my basic and repetitive thoughts:

• It's a lifestyle, not a phase.
• You need to think about your food.
• The more you learn, the better off you are and will be.
• Always keep learning.  Use various sources (Doctrine and Covenants 89, Dr. Fuhrman's book Eat For Health, OYS) but use critical thinking skills.

In conclusion: Knowledge is power. Get educated. Come to care about it enough to act on it.





*Studies (that I remember studying, but don't now have the references for) have shown that people who  exert all their available efforts to and are fully committed to the pursuit of meaningful and worthwhile goals are happier than their counterparts. My personally summary of it was "There is deep satisfaction in work." ....and not necessarily 'I get paid for this work', but the more generally definition of 'exertion'.