Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Recently back from a little wintermission in Mexico we were in the mood for a bit of a theme dinner :)

As we descended the escalator into the contained wilderness that is the North Avenue Whole Foods, Geof suggested enchiladas.  Hmmm, now there's something I've never made before.  "Let's do it!"

I pulled up a recipe that sounded good and set about tweaking it, Dunmore style :)  It was another success! Here's how it went down:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped (or cubed) cooked chicken (I used Trader Joe's pre-cooked chicken)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups shredded three cheese Mexican blend
• 1 cup low-fat sour cream
• 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas (Trader Joe's has the BEST flour 'tillas!)
• Trader Joe's Enchilada Sauce (I used about half the bottle total)
• 1/2 cup sliced black olives 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix the chicken, onion, 1 cup of the cheese, and 3/4 cup of the sour cream.  If you want some extra kick, add a 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper to the mix :)  Fill each of the tortillas evenly with the mix and roll tightly.  Arrange in a single layer in the baking dish.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt together the remaining cheese and sour cream, and add enchilada sauce as desired (I probably poured 1/4 cup into the saucepan).  Pour mixture over the enchiladas in the baking dish, and then top with the olives.  Pour light layer of enchilada sauce on top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbling slightly.

It was a very tasty dish!  As I mentioned, some cayenne pepper would add some spicy goodness as these are fairly mild.  The cheese sauce was really, really good, and the edges of the tortillas were awesomely crispy.

We ended up having two left over so we reheated them for lunch today and they were just as delicious!

Enjoy!

Ultra Oatmeal

Here's a little somethin' somethin' for those oatmeal lovers out there. 

If you're looking for a change, or have yet to include it in your daily (or somewhat daily) intake, then I recommend giving this oaty delight a whirl.

The cool thing about oatmeal is how versatile it is.  I eat it in desserts, smoothies, plain, in yogurt or just prettied up with some good stuff for breakfast.  Ditch the stuff that comes in a box...you know, the prepackaged stuff with flavors already built into it.  It's processed and full of sugar.  But, I suppse even that is better than a lot of other things... :) 

I was snacking on a lot of walnuts and almonds between meals of late and I decided I needed to reduce the amount of fat I'm getting from those things, and instead fill up on something that will stay with me for longer and help out my aging ticker ;) 

Duh, oatmeal! 

I used to eat it every single day.  My cholesterol dropped almost 100 points in 2010 because of the stuff, but, in 2011, I replaced my daily oats with a daily green smoothie (which is completely amazing and benefits me in a lot more ways).  Heading in for my yearly physical/bloodwork for the health of it recently was a good impetus to revamp an old favorite.  There are so many amazing benefits to eating daily oatmeal, but I won't bore you with all that stuff.  That's what Google is for :) 

In case you were curious, after a year of zero oatmeal, but a TON of greens, veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds, fish and beef, my cholesterol only went up 10 points (but is still considered quite low; hiphiphooray!).  So, oatmeal is not the only way to keep your heart happy, but it sure is one of many tasty ways to do so :)

In any event, here's something I've taken to over the last month or so.  I like to start with plain old fashioned oats (quick oats are fine too, or really whatever kind of raw oats you like).  And this is what I usually come up with:

Approximate recipe:

• 3/4 - 1 cup old fashioned oats
• Handful chopped walnuts
• 1 Tbs. organic raw honey
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• Dash of ground cinnamon
• Dash of ground ginger
• Vanilla soymilk (enough to lightly saturate oats)

Heat and enjoy!  It's a small serving, and I eat it out of a small Tupperware doodad (pictured), but it's more than enough to keep away post-run hunger.

This week I've played around with my "recipe" and have added the following:

• 1 Tbs. raw almond butter (no salt)
• 1/2 sliced banana

It's delicious and extremely filling.  I enjoy mine mid-morning, at work.  Keeps the ol' noggin fresh and alert, and helps stave off my excessive post-morning run stomach growling (which can be sort of awkward when it pops up during a quiet meeting...and you know no one believes you when you say you're just hungry...) :)

Play around with that and try out different things; don't be afraid!  And let me know if you try something totally amazing.  Oatmeal can handle a lot of different flavors!  I think fresh ground ginger could be a real winner (great for fighting off inflammation!), and adding some fresh or frozen berries is never a bad idea either.

Enjoy!

Crunchy Kale and Coconut Bowl

It was a new recipe night again last night.  This time, I snagged one from Joy the Baker's blog, Crunchy Kale and Coconut Bowl.  It was incredible!  So easy to make, and so unbelievably tasty.  It was a very new flavor experience.

As I got to work creating it I was unsure of what to expect.  It smelled downright heavenly, but all the stuff going into it made me question how it would turn out.

It turned out awesome!  It was another huge success!

And, now for the recipe (slightly modified by yours truly):

Makes 4 small servings or 2 large servings

• 1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 cups kale, ribs removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup collard greens, ribs removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
• Two cups cooked basmati rice

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside (I used nonfat cooking spray as we had no parchment paper).

In a small mix together or rice vinegar, soy sauce, and siracha. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking as you drizzle it in so that the dressing emulsifies. You can also place all of the ingredients in a small jar and shake to emulsify.

Place the kale pieces and coconut on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle half (or a bit more) of the prepared dressing over the kale and coconut. Toss around to coat. Bake for 12-18 minutes, until browned and crispy. Remove from the oven. Divide farro and crispy kale into bowls and top with a bit more dressing. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!  It's a fun twist on traditional "comfort food".

Chicken and Noodles with Coconut Curry Sauce

Another success story!  I was really craving some Thai-inspired fare last night so I decided to dive head first into making my own version of one of my favorite Thai dishes.  I found a great recipe for a coconut curry sauce on RealSimple.com and set about procuring the necessary ingredients.  We also had some chicken from Trader Joes that needed to be used up.

I followed this recipe pretty closely, leaving out only the lemon zest (as we didn't have any), and using dried basil rather than fresh (that's all we had at home). 

I cooked up the mixture in our awesome wok while simultaneously cooking a batch of Udon (13-14 minutes in boiling water) and Geof chopped up the pre-cooked chicken.  Once the noodles were done I added them to the sauce mixture in the wok, as well as the chicken.  Stirring occasionally, without the lid, I let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes. 

And that's all folks! 

Super easy, extremely tasty, a fair amount of spice, and very filling!  This recipe was enough for four meals (two meals each).  I used a full package of Udon.  (This was my first time making Udon and I loved it!  The texture is divine.  Udon is pretty salty, though, so if you're watching your sodium intake I would use a flat egg noodle instead...or really any noodle will work; whatever your preference is!)

Here's the sauce recipe as found HERE:                                             

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 1/4 cups light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk, soy sauce, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
2. Place a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add red pepper flakes, zest, garlic, and curry powder and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
3. Add the coconut-milk mixture and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly, 1 1/2 minutes. Add basil. Pour into a bowl.

Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos

I found this amazing recipe on Allrecipes.com and put to use a couple of sweet potatoes I had hanging out on the kitchen counter.  This is hands down one of my favorite recipes thus far!  Delicious!

I followed this almost exactly, except that I used black beans instead of kidney and only used two cans of beans (~4 cups), olive oil instead of vegetable oil, and garlic powder instead of fresh (we were still getting over an overdose of fresh garlic from the previous night's dinner, so we opted to play it safe!).

There was enough for about 10 burritos, so it was plenty for the two of us, for a few dinners.  It even tastes great reheated!

And now for the recipe, as found HERE, enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups canned kidney beans, drained
• 2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 4 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
• 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 saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.
3. Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve

Life, As It Happens

She smiles and laughs faintly.  The room is warm and inviting.  She withdraws momentarily, eyes closed, breathing deeply in long drawn out breathes.  Silence blankets the room.  Eyes dart around nervously at first.  She slowly opens her eyes and shows a little more fatigue each time, but she's smiling again. 
Life is on its way.

A low hum of conversation, interspersed with excited giggles.  The beep of the machines, and the mechanic POOF as the band squeezes around her arm again. 

Grace, calm, painful serenity.  Eager anticipation, hopeful contemplation, comfort, warmth.  This is life, and it's coming right at us.  We are here, we are watching life come at us.  Is it really already time?

Goosebumps trickle down my arms as a barely-contained squeal lets loose in my throat as the excitement begins to bubble over.

The transitions begins...from we to three.  Time to shuffle out.  Time to wonder, time to think.  Time to...wait. 

Darkness falls, and the air outside hangs heavy and wet on this mid-summer's night.  Sleep does not come, though time ticks by.  Excitement builds curled up in the chair.  Little Lotto guessing game, laughing pours out of the room.  Busy night tonight.  Is it a full moon?  Family arrives.  Smiles abound.  Nervous chatter.  Musical chairs, moving around the room.  Low grumble of empty stomachs is the night's soundtrack.  A room of acquaintances becomes a room of friends, family. 

Life brings us together. 

Amidst the laughter and light conversation, a sudden quiet falls upon us, and then he appears.  Two becomes three!  Oozing with excitement and anticipation we pour onto the elevator.  "You're a dad!" 

Staring through the glass, he lays across the room, legs pumping and arms outreached.  A mess of hair atop his head, and eyes wide open.  Only the cooing of his audience is audible as we press against the window.  Dad moves with ease as he hoists him up for us to see.  It comes so natural, so easy.  This is how it was meant to be. 

Eyes wide, searching for a thumb, legs pumping, arms moving awkwardly as he moves within his new environment.  This is life, staring right back at us.  This is what life is.  This is what it's all about.

Suddenly that missed appointment, non-existent morning run, skipped dinner, pile of laundry, household chores...completely forgotten. 

We played a roll in life today.  Life as it should be.  Exciting, new, appreciated, loved. 

When you aren't looking, life happens.  It's all around you.  It is constant.  It is fascinating. 

Stop for a moment and you catch it moving past you.  You can't stop it, but you can enjoy it, you can be a part of it. 

Life comes and life goes.  Make sure you let yourself enjoy it as it comes. 

Life, as it happens.

Nani Hawai'i

("Beautiful Hawai'i")

The Big Island is a sort of living visual aid to the whole idea that out of death comes new life.  Along the Kohala Coast is a sweeping landscape of lava fields, dried and black as the night sky.  Rocky, rutted, barren, harsh.  But then you look close and notice all the yellowy green shooting up between cracks, much like the shrubs you find in the desert southwest.  Plant life is a stubborn thing on the Big Island; lava be damned! 

Hiking across the Kilauea Crater presents an abundance of life bursting through the cracks and sinkholes.  Red, yellow, orange...colors rich and in full bloom.

The air along the coast is intoxicating, a mix of saltwater and plumeria. 

Move south and east, nearer the Kona Coast, and the air smells of a dank but deliciously vibrant coffeehouse.  Lush, tropical rainforests line the roads along the 20 mile wide and 2 mile deep "coffee belt", and house some of the most unbelievable plant life.  And the produce grows wild and uncontrollably...pineapples, avocados, bananas, guava, lemons, and, don't forget the macadamia nuts.

The gentle trill of the zebra dove dances on the tradewinds as they sweep their way from west to east, disarming tourist heads of beach hats, and inner tubes from a child's grip.

The Honu turtle sunbathes lazily on the lava rock beach, and the eels slither along the shore at night.  The koi fish watch you as you make your way down a wooden walkway.  Stop to take in their vibrant colors and they all swarm to your reflection, anxiously awaiting the stray crumb that never falls.  Walk slowly, and they follow you to the end of the pond.  Funny fish, those koi.  I must have looked like a wobbly giant from their fish-eye's view through the turbulent water.

Young boys practice their lassoing in the front yards of farms that push back, deep into the innards of the island, nearer the mountain peaks than the seashore.  The air is crisp and cool higher up.  Tall pines shoot straight up from the ground, towering over you along the road through town.  How different it is just a few miles inland.

The sun bakes.  The winds flex their mighty meteorological muscles and force umbrellas shut, eyes closed, and skirts held tight around the hem.  The relaxation inducing sounds of the ukulele begin to dance through the air as the sun makes its final descent into the ocean.  We sit in the large wooden beach chairs and watch until the final sliver of sun dives beneath the horizon, then wait for the explosion of color to appear as night begins to set in. 

That oh-so-familiar aroma of oil and coconut on sunworn skin.  The tangy freshness of a fresh cut pineapple.  The welcoming smile and "aloha" of passersby.  Birds of every color singing every tune under the sun.  The calm rush of waves on the lava rocks followed by the trickling sound of the tide rolling out.

Every day is the same, yet every day more beautiful than the last.