Chicken Taquitos

I have a confession.  I hardly ever use my freezer.  Sure, for things like soy ice cream, frozen veggies and, of course, vodka it’s great…but I’m a bit of a freezer snob and can always taste when something has been frozen for a period of time.  Blech!

But, I have had to use my freezer a lot more often now that I am in school 3 nights/week and C is on his own. I refuse to let him eat nothing but take-out pizza and Chinese food.  Call me old-fashioned, but I like to be able to provide a tasty meal for my husband even if I’m not home.

These taquitos are perfect – I can make a bunch all at once and throw them in the freezer for C to heat and eat when he gets home from work.  And, from what I hear, they taste just as good as fresh.

Taquitos are not only tasty, but versatile!

I used the recipe from Our Best Bites and tweaked it a bit.  I subbed sour cream for the cream cheese and added tasty goodies like black beans, refried beans and corn.

Whip up some of these today to add to your Cinqo de Mayo festivities!

INGREDIENTS
3 oz. Soy sour cream
1T. Lime juice
1t. Cumin
1t. Chili powder
1/2t. Onion powder
1/2t. Granulated garlic
2T. Green onions, sliced
2C. Shredded cooked chicken
1C. Soy cheese (we always use SoySation 3-cheese blend – but of course feel free to use real dairy if you do not have any dietary restrictions)
Small tortillas (corn and flour are both good)
Kosher salt
Cooking spray

Optional add-ins
3T. Cilantro, chopped
1/4C. Salsa (we opted to dip the taquitos in the salsa instead of putting it in the filling)
1/3C. Frozen corn
1/3C. Black beans
1/2C. Refried beans

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine sour cream, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, granulated garlic, green onions and any of the add-ins that you will use (except for the refried beans).  Add cooled and shredded chicken and cheese and combine well.

Wrap a few tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave 20 seconds, or until soft and pliable.

If using refried beans, spread 1T. on the lower half of the tortilla.  Place 2-3T. of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet.  Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other.  (At this point, if you want to freeze for later, put the pan in the freezer for an hour, then package in labeled Ziploc bags – to cook directly from the freezer, just up the time to 25-30 minutes).  Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Husband Rating – 5 out of 5 – “Yum!  These are awesome!”

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Creamy Ranch Soy Mac & Cheese

Hubs and I both enjoy our usual mac & cheese recipe, but when I saw this one on Taste of Home, I figured it was worth a try (with just a few tweaks, of course).

Soy sour cream is a fabulous addition and helped this mac & cheese be much creamier than usual – the ranch mix also helped cut some of the ‘twang’ often associated with soy cheeses.

I added some cubed turkey kielbasa to the finished dish…it was delish!

INGREDIENTS
1 package (16 ounces) Small pasta shapes
1C. Unsweetened soy milk
1/4C. Butter or vegan margarine, cubed
1 envelope Ranch salad dressing mix (many of these mixes contain dairy, so if you are dairy-free, look for the Lipton brand kosher packets – they are dairy free!)
1t. Garlic salt
1t. Black pepper
1t. Lemon-pepper seasoning
2C. shredded Soy cheese of choice
1C. Soy sour cream
1/3C. Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Cook macaroni according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the milk, butter, dressing mix, seasonings and heat through.

Stir in cheese and when melted, stir in sour cream.

Drain macaroni and stir into cheese sauce.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Very creamy, but also incredibly dense.  A little goes a long way.”

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Bacon, Cheddar and Green Onion Scones

I’ve never been a big fan of scones.  I prefer my sweets after dinner, and not at breakfast.

So, I was very excited to see this recipe for a savory scone on Pink Parsley (recipe is originally from The Pastry Queen cookbook).

I whipped these up last night for brinner (for those of you not in the know … having breakfast for dinner = brinner).  Served warm along side runny eggs  for dipping and a chilly fruit salad and it was the perfect meal!

Next time I think I’ll roll these out just a little thinner…they were quite thick.  Otherwise, I have no changes.  They were great!

INGREDIENTS
3C. All-purpose flour
1T. Baking powder
1t. Salt
2t. Freshly ground black pepper
1/2C. (1 stick) chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2c. Grated cheddar cheese (I used soy cheese)
4 Green onions, thinly sliced
10 Slices of bacon, diced and cooked; then drained of fat
3/4 – 1 1/2C. Buttermilk (I used soy milk)
1 Large egg
2T. Water

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Combine on low speed. Gradually add the butter cubes as the mixer is still running, until the mixture is crumbly and studded with butter-flour bits (about the size of small peas).  Add the grated cheese and mix until just blended.

Add the bacon, green onions, and 3/4C. of the butter milk.  Mix by hand until all the ingredients are incorporated.  If the dough will not hold together and is too dry, add buttermilk 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring lightly with each addition.  Do this until the dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball (I ended up using1C. + 1T. total).  Do not overwork the dough, or the scones will not be light and tender.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface.  Pat into a ball, and roll into an 8-inch circle that is about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into 8 wedges for more substantial scones, or 10 wedges for smaller scones.

Combine the egg and water in a small bowl.

Place scones on an ungreased baking sheet, and brush each scone with the egg wash.  Bake 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Best scone I’ve ever had.”

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Ham and Egg Cups

This, and a big watermelon salad, are the other dishes I brought to my office last week.  These made for a very cute presentation and were demolished by my co-workers…I guess they were good!!

INGREDIENTS
Sliced deli ham
Eggs
Cheese of your choice
Chopped Chives
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
If using a mini muffin tin – slice ham in half and neatly arrange into mini muffin tin well.  Fill with scrambled eggs and a small cube of cheese.  Bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes.  Top with salt, pepper and chives immediately upon removal from oven.

If using a regular muffin tin – Place whole slice of ham in muffin tin well and crack a whole egg into the ham.  Top with shredded cheese and bake at 375 for 15-17 minutes.  Top with salt, pepper and chives immediately upon removal from oven.

Enjoy!

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Bella made some for my co-workers too (and some without cheese for me) we all loved it!”

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Caprese Salad

While at the store picking up ingredients for our Mother’s Day lunch with Hubby’s family I came across these fabulous looking tomatoes.  I knew I needed to get a couple and do something with them.

Caprese salad is one of my favorites because it is so incredibly simple and incorporates two of my very favorite things…fresh basil and fresh mozzarella cheese.  You can’t go wrong!

INGREDIENTS:
2 Large Tomatoes
1 Ball Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
6 Leaves Fresh Basil
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Wash and dry tomatoes.  Slice into 1/4″ rounds and arrange on a large platter.

Slice mozarella cheese and top tomatoes with cheese.

Chiffonade basil leaves and sprinkle over tomatoes and cheese.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and you’re done!

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Husband In The Kitchen With Leftovers

What do you get when you mix a hungry Husband, tortilla chips, cheese and leftover BBQ chicken?

BBQ chicken nachos, of course!

INGREDIENTS:
Tortilla Chips
BBQ Sauce
Pre-cooked BBQ Chicken (see pizza post below)
Cheese of your choice (we use Soy-Sation brand soy cheese blend)
Chopped Fresh Cilantro

DIRECTIONS:
Cover a cookie sheet with foil and set your oven to 375 degrees.

Add tortilla chips to the pan and cover with cheese.  Top with chicken and drizzle with extra BBQ sauce.

Throw on a little more cheese…just to be sure you have enough and cook for about 10 minutes (until the cheese is bubbling and the chicken is warmed through.

Top with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

–

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “That’s me <–“

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BBQ Chicken Pizza

Back in college, when Christopher could still eat regular pizza, we would always get BBQ chicken pizza from our favorite local place right off campus.  It was to die for!  Thick crust, BBQ sauce, smothered chicken, cheese and red onions…yum!  Tonight we tried to replicate that pizza.  My half had BBQ sauce, Hubs likes regular pizza sauce.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Pizza dough – homemade, in a can or pre-made…anything is good.
Boneless Chicken Tenders
1/2C BBQ Sauce
1/4C Pizza Sauce (if using)
1/4C Cheese – we used soy blend, but feel free to use anything you like
Red Onion Slices

DIRECTIONS:
Marinade chicken tenders in your favorite BBQ sauce.

Cook tenders over medium high heat until no longer pink.

Cut into small bite-size pieces and allow to cool slightly.

Prepare pizza dough and put in pan of your choice (a cookie sheet with sides works well, so does 2 pie plates – my personal favorite).

Top with BBQ sauce (or pizza sauce if you’re nutty like my Husband).

Smother with cheese, chicken, red onion and a little more cheese.

Bake for 10-14 minutes at 400 degrees…until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is warm and crispy.

–

Husband Rating – 3.5 out of 5 – “This also makes me miss real cheese.”

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Baked Soy Mac & Cheese

Those of you that know me, or are followers of this blog probably know that my darling husband can’t eat dairy.  Poor guy.  Lately he’s been missing Mac & Cheese like crazy.  So, I looked through a bunch of recipes online for a soy rendition and came up with this.  It’s a hodge-podge of a bunch of different recipes.  Overall, it was quite good.  The garlic powder on the top was perfect.  I’m sure I’ll be making this again.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1lb box small pasta (elbows, rotini, anything will work – I  used pipette)
3C Soy cheese (H likes the cheddar/jack/mozzarella blend found at Trader Joe’s)
1 3/4C Soy milk (Trader Joe’s unsweetened is best)
2 Egg Whites
1T Margarine
Breadcrumbs
Garlic Powder
S&P to taste
Soy Parmesan Cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well.

Return to pot and add cheese, milk, egg whites, salt and pepper.

Transfer to an oven safe baking dish.

Top with breadcrumbs, garlic powder and drizzle on melted margarine.  Top with Parmesan cheese, if using.

Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes, or until everything is melted and bubbly, and the breadcrumbs are nice and crispy.

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