Chicken Tacos (left over roast chicken)

25 Oct 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish Tags: ,

The night after I made this roast chicken I made some of the left overs into filling for some tacos.  They were delicious!  You have total creative control here-I just used what I had on hand.

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Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup left over chicken, shredded or chopped into small bits (I used white meat only)
  • 3 tbsp low sodium chicken broth
  • a pinch to a dash of cayenne pepper, ancho chili powder, ground cumin and chiotle chili powder
  • 2 small soft taco shells
  • toppings like avodaco, fat free sour cream, salsita hot sauce, lettuce, grated monterey jack or cheddar cheese etc..

Instructions:

  1. In a small sauce pan set over medium heat add the broth and chicken. Add the spices and cook until the broth is evaporated, the chicken is still moist and is hot. It will take maybe 10 minutes.  Stir it occasionally.
  2. Warm the tacos in the microwave the top with the chicken and any other toppings you may like.
  3. Enjoy!

This made 2 pretty stuffed tacos.

Roast Chicken

24 Oct 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish Tags:

What can you say about roast chicken? It’s delicious, it smells amazing, you have leftovers that you can do a ton of things with (see subsequent posts) and it’s generally pretty easy.

I roasted what I believe is my 4th chicken ever this past weekend (I have to do this more often). It was certainly the largest weighing in at about 7.5 lbs. My local grocery store had them on sale for $.99/lb last week so I bought one and invited my Mom and Grandmother over for a Sunday evening roast chicken supper and Scrabble game. We’re all cut-throat scrabble players and get together often and play. It’s so much fun.  We use all of the words we’re not supposed to-proper names, abbreviations, foreign words-whatever we can as long as it’s able to be identified by someone else playing. It’s way more fun that way.

So while we had some appys of cheese and crackers, olives, hummus and some wine we played and laughed and argued over words. And the chicken roasted. And it gave off that gorgeous smell that only a roast chicken can. And then before we knew it the chicken was ready and it was delicious. Crispy skin, tender moist meat.  Just the way we all hope that they will be. I didn’t bother putting it on a pretty plate for a photo. We just cut right into it and served ourselves. Here’s how to do it:

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Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 1 7lb roasting chicken (I used a Perdue Oven Stuffer Roaster)
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 medium onions, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
  • 1 large lemon
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425. Let chicken and butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove the gizzards and the popup timer if there is one. Rinse under cold water, inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. In a roasting pan place the onions in 2 rows touching each other. 
  3. Rub butter all over the chicken. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Put the lemon, thyme and garlic into the cavity, tie the legs with kitchen twine. Place on top of the onions.
  4. Roast for about 30 minutes-you’ll notice the skin start to get nice and brown–this is what you want to happen–then reduce heat to 340 and cook until a thermometer reaches 180 in the breast and/or 190 in the thigh.  When poked with a fork the juices should run clear. It took about 2 hours for mine.
  5. Remove the chicken from the oven and tent with foil in the roasting pan (not touching the skin or it will get soggy). Allow the chicken to rest for at least 15 minutes. Carve and serve, discarding the lemon, thyme and garlic.

You  may serve the onions along with the chicken or use them to make a gravy as outlined in the original recipe from Martha Stewart which I’ve changed up quite a bit. Perfect Roast Chicken from Martha Stewart Living, September 1997.

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Tangy Spicy Shrimp Tacos

21 Oct 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish Tags: ,

A few weeks ago I ate some shrimp tacos that I enjoyed immensely at a local restaurant. A pub. A pub that has some really darn good pub food that’s a little above the usual.  The tacos stood out to me on the menu because I wanted something a little lighter. And I admit-I was intrigued that they were even on the  menu-stuck in there between the fish and chips and the (really amazing sounding I’ll have one next time) cheeseburgers.  And the tacos were just right-a bit hot, a bit cool, a bit tangy, a bit warm and cold and they were the perfect size.  I thought about them for days. It’s funny where you find your favorite version of something isn’t it?

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So after that I was on a mission. A mission to make them at home for a fast weeknight meal that is as delicious as it is easy to make. And here you have it. I know that the list of ingredients SEEMS long but it’s really not and I’d bet you have most of the ingredients on hand already. I broke the list up into which components they belong with so it’s a snap to put this together.  No kidding-30 minutes or less start to finish. Plus eating time of course 🙂

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Tangy Spicy Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients:

*Spicy Cream Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
  • 1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • juice from 1/2 lime

*Dressing for Shrimp and Slaw:

  • 3 tbsp light mayonnaise
  • 1&1/2 tsp sriracha
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

*Shrimp:

  • 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined.

*Slaw:

  • 1&1/2 cups packaged cole slaw mix (veggies only)
  • 2 tbsp diced red onion
  • 3 tbsp diced fresh mango
  • kosher salt

*Remaining Ingredients:

  • 4-5 small soft flour taco shells
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • sliced avocado
  • thinly sliced red onion
  • freshly grated monterey jack cheese
  • fresh cilantro

Instructions:

  1. Put all ingredients for the Spicy Cream Sauce in a small bowl and stir until evenly combined. Set aside.
  2. Put all ingredients for the Dressing in the bowl of a small food processor and pulse until smooth.
  3. Place the shrimp in a bowl and add 2 tbsp of the Dressing. Stir to coat and set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl toss the cole slaw mix, mango, red onion and the remainder of the Dressing. Set aside.
  5. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until opaque-about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate, chop into small bite-sized pieces.
  6. Microwave the soft tacos for about 15 seconds.  Put a bit of the Spicy Cream Sauce down the middle of the taco, then cheese, then shrimp, slaw and top with the avocado, onion and cilantro.  Fold the sides up and secure with a tooth pick. Repeat for each taco.
  7. Serve immediately.

Makes 4-5 small soft tacos.  Dressing for shrimp and slaw courtesy of foodnetwork. The rest and assembly is all mine.

Southwest Chicken Salad

18 Oct 2013 3 Comments

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish, Salad

I love discovering new salads. The flavors in this salad really come together nicely-the slight heat from the chicken, the tangy dressing and creamyness of the avocado make for delicious bite after delicious bite.

When the chicken is cooking is a great time to prep the veggies and cheese and make the dressing and then it’s just a matter of chopping the chicken and putting it all together on a plate.

You can serve this as a lunch, a light dinner or a side salad.  The original recipe included fried tortilla strips but I omitted them and replaced with the crispy noodles.

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Southwest Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 6 ozs boneless skinless chicken breast halves
  • kernels from one ear of corn cooked (or 1/2 cup frozen or canned kernels)
  • 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 2 tbsp freshly graded Colby Jack cheese
  • 1/2 cup crispy lo mein noodles

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 425. In a small bowl combine the first 4 ingredients above and mix to form a paste. Place the chicken in a small baking dish and coat the chicken with the spice paste. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked completely.
  2. While the chicken is cooking prep the veggies and cheese and set aside. Then make the dressing (recipe below) and set aside.
  3. When chicken is cooked remove it from the oven and set aside for  a few minutes until it’s cool enough to touch. Then cut it into small cubes.
  4. Toss the lettuce, tomato, and corn with most of the vinaigrette (set a little aside to drizzle over the chicken).  Put the veggies on a plate, top with the avocado, crispy noodles, cheese and chicken. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette and serve.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (1 lime)
  • 1 tbsp cider vinegar
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/8 red onion, sliced
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

  1. Place all ingredients into a small food processor and pulse until it becomes a fine paste.  Add the olive oil and turn on until emulsified.

Slightly adapted from www.sotastysoyummy.blogspot.com for this month’s swap of lunch foods graciously hosted by Sarah from http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/.  See the rest of the recipes in the swap here:

Enchilada Stuffed Shells

07 Oct 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Main Dish, Uncategorized Tags: , ,

Enchiladas are one of my favorite things to make so I was intrigued when I read the title of this recipe–it sounds so good–and something a little different.  And they turned out delicious!! One thing I really like about this recipe is that you can really adjust the flavor of the filling to exactly what you want-spicy or mild, beef or turkey or vegetarian even. I opted for ground turkey as I had some on hand.

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Enchilada Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

  • 1 12 oz box jumbo pasta shells
  • 1 lb ground lean turkey
  • 2 10 oz cans enchilada sauce
  • 1 tsp dried minced onion
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 shallot
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed  to a pulp
  • chili powder to taste
  • coriander to taste
  • salsita sauce to taste
  • 1 16oz can fat-free refried beans
  • 2 cup freshly grated colby jack cheese

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350.  Spray an 11×7 baking dish with non-stick spray and spread half of one of the cans of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan. Set aside. 
  2. Cook pasta shells as per box instructions. Rinse with cold water to stop cooking and set aside.
  3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat cook turkey. Drain excess fat, reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the onion, shallot and all of the spices.  When combined add one can of the enchilada sauce and the refried beans. Stir until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
  4. Using a tea or tablespoon fill each cooked pasta shell with the turkey mixture.  Place the filled shells filling side up next to each other in the baking dish until the dish is filled. It’s ok to smush them in a bit-they should be tightly set in the pan. You may have a few shells left over. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the shells.
  5. Cover the pan with a sheet of foil and bake for 20 minutes. remove the foil, sprinkle with cheese, and return to oven for 10 more minutes.
  6. Serve either plain or with any toppings you’d like-sour cream, scallions etc..

This made about 20 shells but that # will depend on how much you fill the shells and how many you can stick into the pan.

I printed this recipe out years ago.  I don’t know who’s it is.

Butternut Squash Soup

04 Oct 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Main Dish, Soup Tags:

This soup is a hug in a bowl.  It’s one of those warm comforting soups that make you feel better when you have a cold or just warm you up on a chilly evening. It’s nothing crazy or a new spin on what’s always been a great soup-it’s just a really really darn good soup. It’s so easy to make and took about 1 hour start to finish-including prep.  Since 30 minutes of that time is the soup just simmering unattended it’s certainly week-night friendly. I have a feeling that this will be put into regular rotation at my house.  It stores and reheats beautifully. 

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Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 1&1/2lb  butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup grated carrot
  • 3/4 cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
  • 2&1/2 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream plus a little extra for the pretty swirls
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • sliced scallions or crumbled bacon or anything else you’d like for a bit on top

Instructions:

  1. In a large pot melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the squash and onion and saute for about 10 minutes, then add the carrot and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and leave for 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the cream and salt.
  2. Place the contents into a blender (work in batches if you need to). Be sure to remove the center of the lid and just use a kitchen cloth to allow the steam out of the blender.  Blend until smooth.
  3. Serve with a little extra cream swirled in and some sliced scallions.

Adapted from Cooking Light, Sept 2009 issue.

Cornbread

27 Sep 2013 3 Comments

by sparksfromthekitchen in Bread, Side Dish Tags: ,

I don’t think there’s anything that goes better with chili than fresh cornbread. Sure you can buy a boxed mix or muffins but it’s so easy to make from scratch why bother with either of those? 

Husband and I had planned to go out and watch Sunday football this past weekend but were unable to due to unforseen circumstances. So we decided to make it a fun day inside instead. I served this bread with Sunday Aftenoon Chili.

Here’s an easy recipe that delivers a tall bread perfect for dipping or sopping up or just enjoying plain. It’s got that slightly sweet cornbread taste, isn’t gritty, and is delicious hot but also very tasty cold for left overs. The crust is beautifully crisp. It contains corn kernels which adds a nice texture and taste but you could just as easily leave them out or replace with something else-scallions, bacon pieces or anything else that you’d like. See those yummy kernels in there?

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Cornbread

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 cup corn kernels

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350.  Spray a 9×9 pyrex or similar baking dish with non-stick baking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl whisk ingredients cornmeal through and including salt.
  3. In another bowl beat together the eggs, buttermilk and butter. When combined add the corn.
  4. Add the wet mixture to the dry and fold until just combined.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.
  6. Remove the dish from the oven and let the cornbread rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Recipe from Brother Jimmy’s BBQ cookbook.

Sunday Afternoon Chili

27 Sep 2013 1 Comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Freezer, Lunch, Main Dish, Thaw/Reheat & Serve Tags: , , ,

The fall bug has bitten! I can’t wait to make up all kinds of soups and stews and have a gray afternoon with something simmering on the stove all day.

As I wrote in the post for the cornbread that I served with this chili, Husband and I had a Sunday football day at home instead of heading out to the bar with friends. That cornbread and this chili was our dinner and it was delicious. This chili is meaty, it’s bean-y, it’s got some underlying spice and heat but it’s not spicY or hot. You can always add a squirt of hot sauce if you’d like but I like to keep the heat factor down a bit and go up from there.

The original recipe called for smoking the meat but since we don’t own a grill or a smoker we skipped that step.

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Sunday Afternoon Chili

Ingredients:

  • 1&1/2 lbs ground sirloin
  • 2 cups diced Spanish onion (about 1 large)
  • 2 cups diced green pepper (about 2 large)
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed to a pulp
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, diced, seeds and spine removed
  • 1&1/2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1&1/2 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1&1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 32 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
  • 2 15 oz cans dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 6 ozs beer (we used Belfast Bay Lobster Ale-a red ale)
  • toppings of your choice-fat free sour cream, grated cheese, scallions etc..

Instructions:

  1. Brown the beef until almost cooked through in a heavy bottomed stock pot, drain the excess fat, then add the onion and green pepper, garlic and jalapeno and cook until beef is cooked through.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 90 minutes.
  3. Serve as is or top with a dollop of sour cream, grated cheese, squirt of hot sauce, scallions etc……

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Adapted from Brother Jimmy’s BBQ cookbook Smoky BBQ Chili.

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

25 Sep 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Main Dish Tags: ,

I will warn you before you start reading this-this is not a fast 30 minute recipe. In fact it’s more like 90 minutes but most of that time is simmering or reducing or things you can do while paying attention to other stuff so don’t be afraid of it. But it’s worth it! These came out so great. I did cook them on a weeknight so it can be done. Perhaps next time I can prepare the chicken and sauce over the weekend ahead of time and then just heat/bake to serve. That would make this a super fast dinner to put together. In any event they’re surprisingly filling and very very very tasty.  Don’t skip the sauce reducing or the chicken poaching-those steps develop very delicious flavor levels. 

I served these with the sweet corn and bell  saute on the side. Very nice together.

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Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups cold water
  • 2 cups fat-free lower sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
  • 5 garlic cloves crushed
  • 2 6oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 2 celery stalk, chopped coarsely
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 serrano pepper, cut in half most of ribs and seeds removed (remove all or none to taste. The more seed/ribs the hotter it is)
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into wedges
  • 1 7oz can salsa verde
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup tomato, seeds removed and chopped
  • 1 tbsp dried cilantro
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 4 ozs whipped greek yogurt cream cheese (or regular cream cheese)
  • 8 10 inch tortillas
  • cooking spray
  • 2 ozs freshly grated low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
  • fat-free sour cream for topping
  • salsa for topping

Instructions:

  1. Combine the first 9 ingredients (water through and including onion) in a pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook it for 8 minutes or until chicken is done (time may vary depending on thickness of chicken pieces).  Remove the chicken and set aside. Drain the cooking liquid through a colander over a bowl. Keep the liquid and discard the vegetables.  When the chicken is cool enough shred it with two forks and set aside.
  2. Pour the cooking liquid back into the same pot and add the salsa verde and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until it’s reduced to about 1&1/2 cups (30-40 minutes). Reduce to low heat, stir in whipping cream. 
  3. Preheat oven to 400.
  4. Spray an 11×7 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  5. Place the chicken into a medium mixing bowl. Add tomato and next 5 ingredients (through and including cream cheese). Stir to combine.
  6. Dip each tortilla into the liquid for a few seconds then shake to remove excess. Place 1/3 cup of chicken mixture onto the tortilla and roll it up. Place the filled tortilla seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat until you can’t fit any more tortillas in the dish. Spoon some of the liquid over the top of the tortillas and then sprinkle all of the cheese evenly on the top.
  7. Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
  8. Serve immediately with toppings suggested above or anything else you’d like.

Adapted from Cooking Light, October 2013.

Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Squares

24 Sep 2013 3 Comments

by sparksfromthekitchen in Cookies, Dessert, Sweets Tags: ,

This past weekend was the autumnal equinox and it’s finally fall! I can’t think of any other time of year that I like more. That being said it’s time for pumpkin.  Husband and I were heading over to my Grandmother’s house for lunch on Saturday with her and my Mom and I wanted to bring something with me for all of us to have as a treat after our lunch. This was a perfect recipe to make! I started a little later than I wanted to on Saturday morning so the tasties didn’t have time to cool completely but it was ok-I put them in a container with an ice pack and they were nice and cool by the time we got to her house.

They’re not overly spiced or overly pumpkin and using dark chocolate is the right way to go. They’re just right.

Make sure you buy pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling (has the spices in it).

And how cute is this photo? That’s Timothy, our dog,  and while he really wanted a piece I couldn’t give him any because of the chocolate. He got a biscuit instead and was fine with it.  I think I should rename these Timothy squares-they’re the same colors as he is.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1&1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • (you may sub 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice for the last 5 ingredients above)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1&1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 12 ozs semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350.  In an 9/13 baking pan or dish lay one piece of aluminum foil the long way and press into the pan. Then lay another piece of foil the short way. In both directions leave enough extra foil to have a  bit of an overhang so that you can pull the squares out easily. Set it aside.
  2. In a medium bowl add the flour, pie spice or spices, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine thoroughly and set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar together using medium-high speed until smooth.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined then add the pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled but that’s ok). Change the speed to low and add the dry ingredients a bit at a time until just combined. Remove the bowl from the stand, add the chocolate chips and gently fold them into the batter using a spatula. Be careful to not over-mix.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared dish-spread to even out. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out with just a few crumbs attached.
  5. Move pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

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From marthastewart.com

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