Chicken Bites

This recipe that Steph and I made for Kendra's meet and greet baby shower was a favorite pick.  Unfortunately it is not allergy friendly in ANY way.  Between the dairy, gluten, meat I couldn't have any so I take people word for how good it was.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tsp (or more to taste) garlic powder
• 2 cup cooked shredded chicken
• 3 cans refrigerator crescent rolls

Instructions

1. Mix cream cheese, garlic and chicken until well blended.
2. Unroll crescent rolls and cut each triangle into 2 triangles (when you unroll the crescent rolls, 2 triangles are attached making a big square, I just cut from there following the perforation for one cut and made another cut from the other corners = giving you 4 little triangles)
3. Place 1 tbsp of chicken mixture on the center of each triangle and fold the corners in over the creamy mixture.
4. Place on cookie sheet, lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with no stick spray. Bake at 375 for 10-14 mins.

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Avocado, Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1 whole very firm avocado, diced
• 1 cup of corn, rinse and drained, thawed if frozen
• 1 cup of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• Juice of 1 lime, to taste
• Plenty of chopped cilantro
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate before serving.  Serve with chips, chicken, tacos, etc etc.



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Sweet Potato Enchiladas

These sweet potato enchiladas were amazing.  They were filling and full of flavor.  Definitely a new favorite in my house.



Quickie Green Chile Sauce (I like more sauce so next time I will double this):

• 1 cup light vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in a little cold water
• 1 generous cup chopped roasted green chiles- hot or mild
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin or chili powder, hot or mild, to taste

Sweet Potato Filling:

• 2 heaping cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
• 1 15-oz can organic black beans, rinsed, drained
• 1/2 cup of chopped onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• Lime juice from 1 big lime
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped, more for spicier flavor
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or curry, mild or spicy, as you prefer
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

• 10-12 corn tortillas
• Shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil a pot of water. Boil your sweet potatoes until tender (about 4 small to medium potatoes).
3. While the potatoes are boiling start the chile sauce. Combine the broth, dissolved corn starch, green chiles, garlic and spices in a sauce pan and heating over medium-high heat. Bring to a high simmer. Simmer until it starts to thicken. Taste test. Set aside.
4. When potatoes are finished pull off the peels and mash the insides in a large bowl. Add black beans, onion, garlic, lime, jalapeno, spices, and cilantro. Mix well.
5. Pour about 1/4 cup of the Green Chile Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.
6. In a skillet and heat a dash of oil. Lightly cook the corn tortillas to soften them, one at a time, as you stuff each one. Dip the corn tortillas in the chile sauce on each side, fill with about 1/4 of a cup of potato stuffing, roll and put in pan. Continue with the rest of the tortillas (10-12). Top with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, if using.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Enjoy!

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Spinach Quinoa Bake

Life.  That is my only answer as to why I didn't get this posted yesterday like I promised.   I am loving the evaluation of this blog, from meals I cooked for my family, to food I could eat without getting ill to foods that were low fat, and gluten free, and mostly vegetarian.  The next step to this blog is gluten free, vegetarian, dairy free meals!  However for all my non health freak friends out there I will continue to post an occasional meat filled, fatty, gluten meal!  However I encourage everyone, food allergies or not to try these meals because honestly I every meal I post on here I would eat, healthy life style or not.

 

I thank pinterest and the Internet and other food blogs for my inspiration.  Very few of these meals are actually 100% of my own creation.  Most I mess and play with a bit though.

 

I love green beans however 98% of the time I just steam them and eat them.  However the other night I roasted them, and loved them.  I am a fan of roasted veggies.

 

Roasted Green Beans

 

Ingredients:

• 12 oz green beans, trimmed (make sure they are dry)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum for easy clean-up.
2. Lay green beans out on the baking sheet and drizzle oil over them. Season with salt, pepper and toss to evenly coat.
3. Spread them out on the sheet so that they all lay flat and place on the lower third section of your oven. Bake 10 minutes, shake the pan to turn and add fresh garlic; bake 5 additional minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with grated cheese.

 

 

Quinoa Spinach Bake

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pounds of spinach leaves
• 2 tsp olive oil, plus a little extra for your pan
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups of cooked quinoa
• 1 cup cottage cheese (once again I was short on cottage cheese, so 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup of Gorgonzola cheese)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-by-8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with olive-oil spray. Coat with breadcrumbs; set aside.
2. Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add spinach; blanch until bright green, about 10 seconds. Transfer to ice bath. When spinach is cold, remove from ice bath, squeeze out all water, and finely chop; set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and red-pepper flakes, and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a medium bowl.
4. Add spinach, quinoa, cottage cheese, pepper, and eggs to the onion mixture, and stir until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and place in the oven. Bake until set and edges are brown, 60 to 70 minutes. Slice, and serve warm or at room temperature.

 

 

 

Along with the quinoa and green beans I made some Roasted Broccoli.  Yummy :)

 

 

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Roasted Broccoli

Roasted Broccoli is my favorite I'd have to say!  What I love about it is its so simple to make and taste amazing with just about anything!  Check this post for any future meals that include roasted broccoli.

Roasted Broccoli with Red Pepper

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds broccoli florets, (about 8 cups)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss broccoli and 3 tablespoons oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes. Stir remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat. Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

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Sesame Kale Salad

Kale is a new favorite of mine.  I recently discovered it about 2 months ago or so.  I have only made it a couple times but I haven't tried a recipe I have hated.  Kale is also extremely healthy!

Sesame Kale Salad
serves about 4 as a side

Ingredients:

1 large bunch kale, stems removed, leaves sliced in thin strips (about 4 cups, packed)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
2 tbsp minced red onion
1 carrot, shredded
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl, add the kale, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil and soy sauce. With your hands, massage the kale leaves, for 1-2 minutes, until the ingredients are well mixed. Add the red onion, carrot and sesame seeds, tossing well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let sit at least 20 minutes.

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