BBQ Chicken Wraps

 {I'm REALLY sorry for my terrible pictures lately.  I am in desperate need of a new camera, I know!}

Last night we had the most delicious, simple dinner.  It was a perfect dinner in my opinion.  I could eat this dinner a couple times a week.  In fact, I had the left overs for dinner tonight and just might have it for lunch tomorrow!  Maybe I love it so much because it is a variation on one of my absolute favorite meals I've talked about before . . . BBQ Chicken Salad.

Here's what we did:

BBQ Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:

fresh tortillas (the ones you get from BB would be awesome, we buy ours at Costco)

boneless chicken breasts, cut in slices

BBQ Sauce (we use Sweet Baby Ray's.  YUM.  It's the best.)

blue cheese dressing (Maria's Blue Cheese is amazing.)

lettuce

green onions, chopped

avocado, sliced

red bell pepper, sliced

tomato, sliced

cilantro, finely chopped

Directions:

Cook your chicken in a large saucepan.  Once cooked through, add the bbq sauce and let cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.  Assemble the chicken, blue cheese dressing, and vegetables onto tortilla.  Wrap up and ENJOY!

See?  Totally simple.  And I promise the combination of all of the flavors is near perfection.

We had Roasted Parmesan Asparagus like Kim talked about here on the side and it was the perfect addition. Seriously, the perfect meal.

 

SPINACH, Oh How I Love You

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I was ecstatic that we received spinach in our baskets this week.  I adore spinach and throw handfuls of it into all kinds of dishes; smoothies, eggs, omelettes, spaghetti sauce, quesadillas, but this week I used our spinach to make one of my favorite dishes.  Technically it's called Mexican Lasagna, but when I first received this recipe I could never remember it's name and we just referred to it as Mexican Whatever and that stuck.  I found this recipe on CuisineNie plus many, many other recipes we love to make. 

Grab that spinach and let's get started...

Mexican Lasagna
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 scallions, coarsely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
Nonstick cooking spray
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 (15.5 ounces) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup prepared salsa (mild or medium)
8 ounces pepper Jack cheese, grated (about 2 cups) (I only use 1 cup)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a food processor, combine cilantro, scallions, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with as much spinach as will fit; pulse, adding remaining spinach in batches, until coarsely chopped.

Coat an 8-inch square baking dish (I use whatever dish is handy) with cooking spray. Lay 4 tortillas in bottom of dish (they will overlap slightly). Layer with half of beans, salsa, spinach mixture, and cheese; repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with cheese and pressing in gently.

Cover dish with foil and bake until bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes; remove foil, and continue baking until golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

**My husband doesn't think this is spicy but I do.  If you don't tolerate spice well, definitely use the mild salsa and use half pepper jack cheese with half Monterrey jack.  I have done that before and it does produce a milder flavor, but still just as delicious!


BTW--if you haven't noticed, my family could eat some sort of Mexican dish every night of the week.  Y-U-M!!!

Black Bean, Corn, and Yellow Squash Enchiladas

There are a few recipes that make me think I could be vegetarian and this is one of those AMAZING recipes.  When I had my son 15 months ago, (where does the time go?) a friend brought us these enchiladas and I have made them many times since. 

The recipe is actually called, Black Bean, Corn, and Zucchini Enchiladas, but I figured the yellow squash would work just as well, and I wasn't wrong.  (I did have one zucchini around and so I used both.)

It has a homemade enchilada sauce and every time I eat these I wonder why I ever purchase enchilada sauce at the store.  Maybe this time I will remember that this is simple and so so tasty! 

ENCHILADA SAUCE
1 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 tsp minced garlic ( i used 4 cloves)
1/2 cup vegetable broth (i had chicken around the house)
1 T chili powder
1 T honey
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (i used 2 small cans diced tomatoes that i pureed)

Heat oil and saute onion and garlic until onion is tender.  Stir in remaining ingredients, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

That's it...told you it was easy!

ENCHILADAS
**adapted from a cooking light recipe.  this is what i used.
1 tsp canola oil
2 cups diced zucchini & yellow squash. 
1 (10 oz) package frozen white corn
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups enchilada sauce (see above)
cooking spray
8 flour tortillas (we have used whole wheat and tonight i used the fresh ones you need to cook from costco--BB tortillas would also work)
1 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese. (i find that if i use medium or sharp cheddar i can use drastically less cheese than recipes call for.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a pan, add zucchini and corn; saute for 5 minutes or until veggies are tender.  Remove from heat and stir in beans.

Spread one cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.  Spoon 1/2 cup zucchini mixture down the center of the tortillas, sprinkle with cheese, and roll up.  Place seam-side down.  Spread remaining enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas. 

Cover with foil, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover, top with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese melts. 

**I do realize we did not get yellow squash (or zucchini) this week, but rather last.  I never got around to making these but just in case there is someone out there that still has not used their squash I thought I would share. Plus, this way you can have all the ingredients on hand so that when we get squash or zucchini again, you'll be ready to make them. 

Enjoy! 

Black Bean Pitas with Avocado Salsa

I can't remember for the life of me where I found this recipe, but it's been sitting in my recipe binder for months, just waiting to be made.  And we finally made it last night.  

I had no doubt that my husband and I wouldn't love it because it has all of our favorite things . . . avocado, cilantro, tomato, onion, and fresh tortillas.  Yum!

I didn't love the mayonnaise/chipotle pepper combination so I just used fat free sour cream and added a few canned green chili peppers and it was perfect.  The chipotle pepper in adobo just had a bizarre taste to me . . . and I felt like I got a mouthful of mayonnaise here and there.  Ugh.  Sour cream with some green chili peppers is the way to go!

Black Bean Pitas with Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

Avocado Salsa

2 large avocados, pitted and diced

1 1/2 to 2 cups tomatoes, diced

4 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped (or more!  We used 4 tablespoons)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all the above ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Black Bean Pitas

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 - 1 teaspoon chipotle peppers in adobo (can be found by the canned green chilis)

***this is where I substituted sour cream and canned green chilis.***

1 cup chopped lettuce

Pitas, wraps, or tortillas

Directions:

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until clear.  Stir in garlic and cumin.  Add beans and salt.  Heat thoroughly.  Lightly mash the bean mixture, cover and set aside.

Combine the mayonnaise and chipotle pepper in a small bowl.  Taste and see how spicy/mild the mixture is and add more mayo or peppers as needed.  ***Or omit this and combine 1/4 cup sour cream with a couple tablespoons of green chilis like I did***

To make the pitas, spread the mayonnaise ***or sour cream mixture*** over the pita/wrap/tortilla, then add the bean mixture on top of the mayo, and top with salsa and lettuce.

Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce

Does your community have a contest for the first baby that is born in the new year and the parents win all sorts of great prizes for being the first to deliver their baby? And you always hope that the baby will be a cute one cause its picture will be posted all over the paper and the news.  Well, I kinda feel like that posting today. I'm the first sister to welcome in the New Year here on Basket 411 and I'm proud  to say that this recipe is a keeper and one that I think will make the year 2011 proud! 

(Now, where's my prize?!?!?!)

I hope that many of you bought the Mexican pack this week and I really hope you read this before using the tomatillos from it. Because this recipe is really so delightful. YUM! 

Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce

 
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb. (6 to 8) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 1 medium white onion, sliced about ¼ in. thick
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• Hot green chiles to taste (2 to 3 serranos, or 1 to 2 jalapeños), stemmed
• 1 1/2 tbs. vegetable oil, plus extra for vegetables and tortillas
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth, plus a little extra if needed
• 1/2 cup Mexican crema, crème fraîche, or heavy whipping cream
• *8 cups cubed vegetables (about 1/2-in.) such as carrots, onions, turnips, mushrooms, and broccoli-see my note about veggies
• Salt
• 12 corn tortillas
• 2/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese likeasadero, or Monterey Jack or cheddar
• Sliced white onion rings, for garnish
• Fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Directions
1. Roast tomatillos, sliced onion, garlic, and chiles on rimmed baking sheet 4 in. below preheated broiler until tomatillos are soft and blackened in spots on one side, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn vegetables over; broil about 4 minutes longer. Remove and reduce oven temperature to 400°F.

2. Scrape tomatillo mixture into food processor or blender. Process until smooth purée. Heat 11/2 tbs. oil in medium-large pot over medium-high heat. When drop of purée sizzles in oil, add remainder of purée. Stir constantly for several minutes until darker and thicker. Add broth and crema, reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes.

3. Spread cubed vegetables on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt, and mix to coat evenly. Place in oven and roast, turning vegetables regularly, until crunchy-tender, about 25 minutes (reduce roasting time for broccoli and other green vegetables by 5 to 10 minutes).

4. If sauce has thickened and is no longer consistency of light cream soup, stir in a little more broth (or water). Taste and season with salt, about 1 tsp. Lightly brush both sides of each tortilla with oil. Stack, wrap in damp paper towels, and microwave on high (100%) for 1 minute to warm and soften.

5. Spread about 1 cup sauce over bottom of 13-by-9-in. baking dish. Working quickly, roll equal portion of roasted vegetables into each tor-tilla while tortillas are still hot and pliable. Place them side by side in baking dish. Douse evenly with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until enchiladas are heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Garnish with onion rings and cilantro sprigs. 

*The veggies I used were: 2 large carrots (my favorite. Use a LOT of carrots. They taste so sweet and savory after being roasted,) 1 yellow squash, 1/2 onion, 8 or so brussel sprouts (were a little bitter, especially next to the carrots, but this recipe is a good way to use them,) 1/3 head broccoli. This amount of veggies only made nine enchiladas. So, I'd add some more veggies (carrots) if you want the full batch of 12. I did have plenty of sauce. By the way, the sauce is so so good. 

Recipe from here

 

Chicken Fajita Marinade

A little over a month ago I posted this amazing fajita recipe.

Tonight, we made chicken fajitas using this recipe.  Holy moly!  It was GOOD.

If you are like me and always looking for a good chicken marinade . . . look no further!

I know we haven't gotten any bell peppers or onions in our baskets for a while, but I did use up some of those delicious cherry tomatoes in the fajitas.  I figured that was a good enough reason to share this amazing marinade with you all!

  

Chicken Fajitas Marinade

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup/2 ounces white wine vinegar
1/4 cup/2 ounces fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Combine ingredients in a bowl or resealable bag. Add chicken, turning to coat, and refrigerate 4 hours or more. Discard marinade and grill chicken by whichever method you choose.

BBQ Chicken Salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, green onions, and tortillas

Okay, so this might not be the most original or creative 'recipe' I've ever posted.  Some of you may be thinking, "Duh.  I thought of that a loooooong time ago."  But for those of you that haven't, I hope I am sharing a little treasure with you.

A homemade BBQ Chicken Salad is probably my very favorite meal.  And I like my BBQ Chicken Salad way better than any I've had in a restaurant . . . yes, even California Pizza Kitchen and Chili's.  It's reallllllly good.  And the best part?  My husband loves it just as much as me!

On Saturday morning, when I came home with two more heads of lettuce (making three in our fridge), I knew this would be at the top of our menu this week.  And I have had it three times already (and I'd eat it three more time this week.  It's that good.)

It's simple, simple and delicious.  So here you go . . . 

BBQ Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

(you decide the quantity for how many mouths you are feeding)

boneless, skinless chicken breasts

bbq sauce (we love Sweet Baby Rays)

lettuce

tomato

cucumber

red pepper

avocado

green onion (we used the bulbs of the onion only)

cilantro (We don't skimp on the cilantro.  It adds an amazing flavor!)

tortillas

cheddar cheese

Directions:

Cube your chicken and cook in a pan on the stove.  While your chicken is cooking, chop your lettuce and veggies.  Once the chicken is cooked all the way thru, add some bbq sauce and a touch of water to the hot pan and cook for a few more minutes until the bbq sauce kind of caramelizes the chicken.  Heat your tortilla in a pan on the stove and melt a little cheese on the top.

Once the chicken and tortilla are cooked and the veggies chopped, put the tortilla on a plate (or a shallow soup bowl . . . that's what we use) and layer the lettuce, veggies, and chicken on top.  Add your favorite dressing (mine is Light House Honey Mustard with this salad) and ENJOY!   

I promise your taste buds will be in heaven!

just for fun friday- Jack-O-Lantern TORTILLAS

Want to be the coolest mom in the neighborhood?  Try making these for an afternoon snack.

They were a real hit!

Jack-O-Lantern Cinnamon Sugar Tortillas

1.  Butter your whole tortilla. (REAL butter, if you ask me!)
2. THEN, with a sharp paring knife, cut out your jack-o-lantern face. I'm sure you can get more creative than I did. 
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
4. Broil in the oven for a few minutes. Watch them closely. They go from not done to done, fast!
5. Enjoy! My kids sure did!

*If we would have had some of the small tortillas left, I would have used those. Then each child could have had their own.

DON'T FORGET...The Giveaway ends tomorrow! Hurry on over and get signed up now!

Breakfast Burritos with potatoes, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and tortillas!

Monday morning was a state paid holiday for us, so we were paid to sleep in and enjoy a delicious breakfast made by my sweet husband.  He did ALL the cooking.  He wouldn't let me help one bit.  He said he wanted to make me breakfast in bed, but since I don't like to eat right when I wake up he said he'd just make me breakfast after bed.

He got real creative and used up lots of our delicious Bountiful Basket goods and made some incredible Breakfast Burritos.  We LOVE Breakfast Burritos in our house and eat a lot of them.  They are fun and easy and can be made different every time!

The best part about this is he only dirtied ONE pan!  We looooove our electric skillet!  Makes for easy clean up.  Great, especially on your day off!

Here is what he did this time to use some of our Basket vegetables...

(I'm not going to get into the specifics of how much of each ingredient.  It just depends on how many people you are feeding.  Or, just how hungry you are!)

Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients:

shredded potatoes

scrambled eggs

chopped onion

chopped peppers

chopped tomatoes

grated cheese

tortillas

Directions:

Cook your shredded potatoes in an electric skillet with cooking spray.  Once cooked, push the potatoes all over to one side.  Add the peppers and onions and saute for a couple of minutes.  Push the peppers and onions over next to the potatoes, and add the eggs and scramble them.  Tada!  Your three main ingredients all cooked in one pan with hardly any mess!  

Melt the cheese on your tortillas.  Layer all the ingredients on top of the melted cheese.  We also love to add cilantro, mushrooms, and/or salsa to our burritos when we have both in the house.  ENJOY!

How About Some Dessert? Fruit Salsa

This recipe is an amazing way to use some of your BB fruit (KIWI, STRAWBERRIES, APPLES) and your BB TORTILLAS.

Fruit Salsa with CINNAMON SUGAR TORTILLAS

 Cut your tortillas into triangles. 

Using a pizza cutter makes this job simple-simon.

 Fry both sides in oil.

Watch the tortillas carefully. They go from not done to done, FAST!

Put the tortillas on a paper towel and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Now, go put the finished tortillas on a HIGH shelf, like I did, or you will eat them all before you even get the salsa made!

Salsa Recipe:

2 Medium apples-chopped

1 cup strawberries-chopped

2 kiwis-peeled and chopped

1 orange

2 TBSP. Brown Sugar

2 TBSP. Apple Jelly-melted

Combine all the chopped fruit. Squeeze the juice from the orange onto the fruit. Melt the Apple Jelly. Add the brown sugar to the jelly and stir to dissolve. Pour over fruit. Stir and serve.

Disclaimer: I actually make this recipe without the sugar or apple jelly. I like the fresh fruit taste and don't feel like it needs the extra "stuff." Give it a try both ways and see which you prefer.

Also, if you don't make the tortillas (or eat them all before the salsa is done. I TOLD you to put it up high!) this salsa is just as good to eat with a spoon. 

Onions, Tomatoes and Tortillas, OH MY!

When I saw them drop 4 onions into my basket on Saturday I thought to myself, "What is our little family of 2 ever going to do with 4 onions this week?"  Then I remembered those last two bags of delicious flour tortillas we got from Bountiful Baskets a couple of weeks ago hanging out in our freezer just begging to be eaten.  So last night I whipped out a favorite fajita recipe of my husband and I's and started choppin' away at  all those onions.

We had some of our dearest friends over for dinner last night and these fajitas were an absolute hit with everyone.  And let me reassure you, this isn't the first time I've served these fajitas to friends who ended up begging for the recipe!

To make it a complete meal, we served a delicious salad, using up some of that lettuce we get every week and the tomatoes and cucumbers we got last week.

Yum!  Yum!  Give these fajitas a try.  I dare you to eat just one . . .

Mission Steak and Cheese Fajitas
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
8 medium soft taco flour tortillas
1-2 pounds beef tenderloin trimmed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh chopped garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
3 medium onions sliced
2 medium green bell peppers sliced
2 medium red bell peppers sliced
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese grated
Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions:
1.  Marinate beef tenderloin in balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, cilantro, 2 Tbsp. chopped garlic, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (I marinate atleast 2 1/2 hours!)
2.  Grill beef to desired doneness and then cut into strips.
3. Saute sliced onions with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic on medium-high heat.  Cook 15 minutes until caramelized and set aside.  Saute bell pepper in same pan on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes and set aside.
4. Spray non-stick cooking spray on skillet.  heat tortillas in a hot skillet for 15 seconds on each side.  Keep warm.
5.  On each warm tortilla, place a layer of cheese and then the caramelized onions.  Next, place an equal amount of tenderloin strips on each tortilla.  Place sliced bell peppers on top and ENJOY!

*You can also garnish these with a variety of other vegetables.  We always put tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro on ours.  These tastes together are to die for!

Recipe Source:  Adapted slightly from a recipe that was printed on the bottom of a coupon I printed for Mission Flour Tortillas.

Not Just for Thanksgiving Anymore...SWEET POTATOES/YAMS

 

Meet my husband. Mr. Meat and Potatoes himself. As you could probably guess, he loves a meal loaded with protein (of the MEAT variety!) And he doesn't like sweet potatoes. AT ALL. But, guess what? He loves these Sweet Potato Burritos. So, if you're hesitant about trying them, take it from this guy...they're amazing!

Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos

Serves/Yields: 12 huge burritos
Prep. Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups canned kidney beans or black beans, rinsed drained and mashed (I prefer black)
1 cup broth
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons prepared mustard, brown or Dijon is best
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes or yams
12 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Heat oil in a medium skillet, and sauté onion and garlic until soft. Stir in chili powder, cayenne pepper and cumin. Then stir in mashed beans. Gradually stir in broth mashing and combining, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in mustard, and soy sauce. Combine with sweet potatoes.

3. Place mixture on warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet. Brush with oil.

4. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

These burritos freeze amazingly. Wrap in tin foil and freeze. When ready to cook from frozen, bake in a 350* oven for 30 minutes, while still wrapped in foil. Then unwrap and bake for another 10-15 minutes to crisp up.

A few hints:

*It takes a lot of sweet potatoes to get four cups. Depending on the size, I'd say anywhere from 8-12.  

*To get the cooked and mashed potatoes/yams, bake them in a 400* oven for about 45 minutes. Cut them in half and the insides will scoop right out. Mash.

*You can freeze the mashed sweet potatoes or yams to use another time. I store mine in the snack size ziplock bags in about one cup servings. 
*You could use any type of squash in this recipe and get very similar and fabulous results.