Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1/2 bag frozen roasted corn from Trader Joes
1 lb. chicken tenderloins
12 oz. salsa, we love Jack's Cantina Medium from Costco
8 oz. cream cheese
Salt / pepper
Franks hot sauce
Tortilla land uncooked tortillas, or regular flour tortillas
Mexican Shredded cheese to top

Directions:
1.  Add corn, chicken, salsa, salt and pepper to slow cooker.  Cook on low 6 hours.  The last half hour add the cream cheese.
2. Preheat oven to 350.  Use chicken for filling in uncooked tortillas using a slotted spoon.  Wrap enchiladas and top with remaining sauce.  Top with shredded cheese.
3.  Cover with tin foil and cook 15 minutes.  Uncover and cook another 15.
4.  Serve with hot sauce.

Goat Cheese Zucchini Shrimp

This dish tastes very rich without all the heavy ingredients.  

Ingredients:

Linguine cooked according to package

1 lb shrimp

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 jar spaghetti sauce

¼ C extra virgin olive oil, divided into 2 TBS each

12 leaves fresh basil, chiffoned

3 Ounces goat cheese, crumbled

3 green zucchini, cut into thin slices

Juice of two lemons

1 c mushrooms

S & P (salt and pepper)

Procedure:

1. Marinate shrimp: In a small bowl, combine shrimp, juice of lemon, 2 TBS olive oil, a pinch S & P, red pepper flakes, and basil. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes

2. Cook linguine

3. Cook zucchini, mushrooms and garlic  in two tbsp. Evoo.  When soft add shrimp and cook 3 minutes

4. Heat spaghetti sauce

5.  On plates, add linguine top with spaghetti sauce.  Then top with zucchini / shrimp mixture.  Add goat cheese to taste.

Side note:  I made my dish low carb without the linguine, the zucchini was a good substitute since it was sliced so thin.

4. 

Frozen Grape Sangria

This white sangria recipe is perfect for summer. Also, the frozen grapes make the presentation really pretty. Enjoy!!! Ingredients 3 cups green grapes 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped 1 lemon, sliced 1 cup grapes, sliced in 1/2 1/4 cup superfine sugar 2 bottles dry white wine, chilled (recommended: Pino Grigio) 1 cup white grape juice, chilled 1/2 cup vodka Directions Place 3 cups grapes in a freezer about 2 hours before you want to serve your sangria. Combine the chopped apples, lemon slices, grapes halves, wine, sugar, white grape juice, and vodka, in a large glass pitcher filled with ice. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add frozen green grapes to glasses and fill with sangria.fr

Braised Short Rib Ragu

My favorite dish at Macaroni Grill is the Braised Beef Rigatoni. I crave this dish often, mostly when I was pregnant with Stella, but even during the cold winter months. I made this last weekend, and it was pretty close to the real deal, and it turned out delicious! Enjoy!


Ingredients.

2 cans of plum tomatoes (crush yourself) I used Organics Brand
1 large can crushed tomatoes (use 3/4) I used S & W brand
2 tbsp tomato paste, I used Organics brand
5 garlic cloves, crushed, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
red wine (for deglazing) about 1/4 - 1/2 c
sugar about two tablespoons, again to taste
2 lbs. short ribs on the bone
EVOO about 2 tablespoons
Rigatoni Pasta - cooked according to directions
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS.
Pour 2 tbsp EVOO in a sauce pot, heat over high heat. When hot, place salt / peppered short ribs in pot and cook over high heat for two minutes on each side. Ribs should be a dark brown on each side. Remove ribs and place on plate. Turn burner down to medium high heat, saute onion, garlic and carrots. Add tomato paste. When soft, add red wine and turn heat to high, deglaze the pot. Turn down to medium high and let most of the alcohol evaporate. Return ribs to pot, add tomatoes and sugar and turn bring the sauce to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat down to low and simmer all day. When ready to serve, remove ribs to a cutting board and remove meat from bones. Discard bones and return meat to sauce. Serve over rigatoni.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Turkey Chili

Fall is here and when it starts getting chilly my favorite thing to do is cook comfort food. I love comfort food but hate all the calories that the word "comfort" entails. Therefore I have been looking for recipes that are still cozy, just not totally fattening. I made this chili last night and it definiately satisfied the comfort craving.

INGREDIENTS.

Pam

1 onion, chopped

Ground Turkey

2 tsps of chili powder

1 -2 cups of chicken broth

2 sweet potatoes (yams) peeled and cut

1 can of Mexican style stewed tomatoes

Cilantro (for top) chopped

1 orange cut in half

salt / pepper

brown rice

DIRECTIONS.

1. Brown Turkey until it is no longer pink. Drain. Add to crockpot.

2.Combine chili powder, chicken broth, sweet potatoes, onion, tomatoes.

3. Cook on Low 8 hours.

When ready to serve, add salt / pepper to liking and spoon over brown rice. Squeeze orange over top of dish. Top with cilantro.

Healthy Frozen Bananars. Strawberry English Muffins.

With school starting, I have been searching for quick and easy breakfast meals that are healthy and can be made and eaten in rush....I am always late :) I came across this recipe for frozen bananas that I fell in love with because I find that it makes such a convenient and easy breakfast. The Strawberry English Muffin recipe seems like a no brainer, but I would have never invented it on my own.

FROZEN NANERS

INGREDIENTS:
Vanilla yogurt
Bananas
Granola
Skewers
Wax Paper

DIRECTIONS:
Stick skewer into bottom banana. Dip banana in yogurt and then roll in granola. Wrap in wax paper and freeze 2-3 hours.

STRAWBERRY MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:
Whole grain or whole wheat English muffins
Whipped Cream cheese
Honey
Sliced strawberries

DIRECTIONS:
Toast muffins and spread cream cheese, drizzle honey and then top with strawberries. ENJOY!

Sassy Ham Tailgate Sandwiches

I found this recipe in the Taste of Home magazine and decided to try it because it looked so different than the normal run of the mill ham sandwich. Although these are rich, I find that one tiny sandwich is probably enough to fill you up. Two is always better, though! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. (12 count) Hawaiian bread rolls
• 1 lb. shaved Black Forest ham
• 12 slices Gruyere cheese
• 1 tub (8 oz.) Philadelphia® Chive & Onion Cheese Spread
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Cut all rolls in half. Place roll bottoms in 9x13-inch pan.
• Place equal amounts of ham on each roll bottom. Top with Gruyere.
• On each of the roll tops, spread a generous amount of the cream cheese spread. Return the tops to the bottoms making sandwiches.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, Worcestershire sauce, onion and Parmesan cheese. Pour over your sandwiches and let sit for at least 20 minutes. (You can make these ahead of time and allow to sit in fridge overnight.)
• Place sandwiches, covered in foil, in a preheated 350°F oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through. Enjoy! Yield: 12 servings.