Honey Lime Chicken or Pork Enchiladas

yield: 8 SERVINGS

 

prep time: 1HOUR HR

cook time: 30MINUTES MINS

total time: 1HOUR HR 30MINUTES MINS

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tablespoons honey
• 5 to 6 tablespoons lime juice, 2 to 3 large limes
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon black pepper, I use coarsely ground
• 2 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded - about 4 cups total (see note)
• 8 to 10 (6 to 8-inch) flour or corn tortillas
• 4 cups about 1 pound shredded Monterey jack cheese, (or a combo of cheddar and Monterey Jack)
• 16 ounces green enchilada sauce (see note)
• 1 cup heavy cream, sour cream, or half-and-half
• Additional Toppings, optional: sour cream, chopped tomatoes, extra lime wedges, avocado, chopped cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS 

• In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place the shredded chicken in a resealable bag or other covered container. Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss until the chicken is evenly coated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
• Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.
• Fill flour tortillas with chicken (save the leftover marinade!) and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the leftover marinade and the the cream (or sour cream/half-and-half).
• Spread sauce evenly on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until brown and crispy on top. Serve with chopped tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, extra lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and/or avocado.

NOTES

Nutrition Facts: the nutrition facts for this recipe were calculated based on the enchiladas (but do not include the optional toppings as those are added based on personal preference). 

Chicken: a rotisserie chicken works great in this recipe. Or, this is my go-to quick stovetop method for making cooked, shredded chicken at home. Otherwise, I often throw chicken breasts in the Instant Pot with 1 cup broth and some salt and pepper and cook for 8-12 minutes at high pressure and then shred (discarding liquid).

Sauce: here is an easy, delicious recipe for homemade green enchilada sauce. Green salsa also works for this dish (slightly different flavor profile and the consistency is a bit thinner than enchilada sauce). Also, if you want to skip the cream in the topping all together, you can mix the remaining green enchilada sauce or salsa with the leftover marinade and spread that over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese.

Freezable Meal: freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top. The tortillas may be a bit softer after freezing and baking.

©Mel's Kitchen Cafe — https://www.melskitchencafe.com/honey-lime-enchiladas/

Rachel got me hooked up with this recipe from Mel's Kitchen cafe. (see link above this paragraph)  She said when she made it she used one whole rotisserie chicken meat from Costco.  Click onto Mel's link here to get more details about the recipe.  Below is a picture of Rachel's batch that she made.  She used mission whole wheat tortillas. 

Let's Talk Turkey

 Do you want a stress-free Thanksgiving Day?  Read on......

I remember a Thanksgiving 30+ years ago.  Scott's sister and their family pulled up as I was taking our Thanksgiving turkey out of the oven.  As I went to carve the meat, a bunch of pink juice came out from the pink meat.  Obviously, the meat wasn't done.  Back into the oven the turkey went, and we ate our meal quite a bit later. 

Fast forward 30+ years and what I've learned from that Thanksgiving Day Disaster. 

The answer to the question:  Do you want a stress-free Thanksgiving Day?  Cook your turkey a day or two before Thanksgiving.  These are pictures of Scott and I yesterday (two days before Thanksgiving).  

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Pour chicken broth over the turkey, then cover the pan with tin foil, and into the fridge it goes until Thanksgiving day.  Warm it in the oven just before your holiday feast.  

Now the best part...Enjoy your clean kitchen Thanksgiving morning.   

....that is until you start making the potatoes, stuffing, etc. 

Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

Ingredients

• 1tablespoon paprika
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1teaspoon garlic powder
• 1teaspoon packed brown sugar
• 1boneless pork shoulder roast (2 1/2 to 3 lb)
• 1/4cup water
• 1cup barbecue sauce

Steps

• 1
  In small bowl, stir together paprika, salt, garlic powder and brown sugar.
• 2
  Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Rub paprika mixture on pork to cover completely. Place pork in slow cooker. Pour water around pork.
• 3
  Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours or High heat setting 3 to 4 hours, until extremely tender.
• 4
  Transfer pork to cutting board. Let rest until cool enough to handle. Use 2 forks to shred pork. 
• 5
  Discard liquid in slow cooker. Wipe out slow cooker. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Return shredded pork to slow cooker; stir in barbecue sauce until well mixed. Cover; cook on High heat setting 10 to 15 minutes or until hot.

I got this recipe from the Betty Crocker webpage found by clicking here.  

Sweet Pork

From Mels Kitchen Cafe found by clicking here.  

COPYCAT SWEET PORK RECIPE {PRESSURE COOKER OR SLOW COOKER}

YIELD:  8-12 SERVINGS

 

PREP TIME:  30 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME:  1 HOUR 30 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME:  2 HOURS

INGREDIENTS

SEASONING MIXTURE:

•  1 tablespoon cumin
•  1 tablespoon regular or smoked paprika
•  1 tablespoon onion powder
•  1 tablespoon chili powder
•  1 tablespoon garlic powder
•  2 teaspoons salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
•  1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground)

PORK:

•  3-5 pounds boneless sirloin pork roast or pork shoulder roast
•  1 cup root beer or cola soda
•  1 cup green salsa or enchilada sauce

SAUCE:

•  2 cups red enchilada sauce (see note for homemade version)
•  1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
•  8 ounces chopped green chiles (blend for smoother texture, if desired)
•  1 cup green salsa or enchilada sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all the seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the mixture and save for later. 
2. Cut the pork roast into large chunks (4-6 inches) and rub the remaining seasoning mixture (not the reserved 2 tablespoons) evenly over all sides of the pork. 
3. Pressure cooker: add the root beer/cola soda and the 1 cup green salsa/enchilada sauce to the insert of an electric pressure cooker. Stir to combine. Add the seasoned pork. Secure the lid, set the valve to seal and cook on high pressure for 55-60 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure. 
4. Transfer the pork to a cutting board or pan and shred. Discard all but 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid in the pressure cooker. Add the pork back to the pressure cooker. Add the 2 tablespoons of reserved spices, red enchilada sauce, brown sugar, green chiles and green salsa/enchilada sauce and stir/toss to combine. Heat through using the saute function (stir often to avoid sticking) or slow cooker function (high for 30 minutes or so). Keep warm until serving. 
5. Slow cooker: add the root beer/cola soda and the 1 cup green salsa/enchilada sauce to the insert of a slow cooker. Stir to combine. Add the seasoned pork. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 5-6 hours until tender. Transfer the pork to a cutting board or pan and shred. Discard all but 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid in the slow cooker. Add the shredded pork back to the slow cooker. Add the 2 tablespoons of reserved spices, red enchilada sauce, brown sugar, green chiles and green salsa/enchilada sauce and stir/toss to combine. Cover and cook on high for 15-20 minutes until heated through. Keep warm until serving.

NOTES

Freezing: this cooked pork freezes amazing well. When I freeze, I don't bother heating through on the last step (once the red enchilada sauce and other ingredients are added) since the pork will heat through when thawed from the freezer and ready to serve.

Seasonings: make sure to use seasonings (especially chili powder) that you already love the flavor of. Chili powder, in particular, varies in spiciness so if you don't want a lot of heat, use a brand that is mild. 

Root beer or Coke: I've used both in this recipe (separate batches); delicious results either way.

Salsa/Enchilada Sauce: For storebought green salsa, I've used both Herdez and Trader Joe's. I haven't used storebought green enchilada sauce, but I have used this homemade version. I usually use storebought red enchilada sauce (Las Palmas mild), but I think the enchilada sauce from this recipe would be a great homemade version. Again, just like the seasonings, what is most important is using a brand/recipe of green or red enchilada sauce or salsa that you really, really love the flavor of.

HTTPS://WWW.MELSKITCHENCAFE.COM/COPYCAT-CAFE-RIO-SWEET-PORK-RECIPE/

Black Bean Taco Mix

Ingredients

16 oz package (2 cups) dried black beans

1 Tbs butter

1 large onion 

4-6 garlic cloves

1-2 jalapeño  peppers

1/4 tsp Mrs Dash seasoning (optional)

1 Tbs taco seasoning

1 Tbs cumin seasoning

1/2 Tbs salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 lbs ground beef

2 cups red salsa

1 cup green salsa

Cilantro (optional)

Lime Juice (optional)

Instructions

Cook black beans until soft according to package instructions. When done cooking, add 1/2 Tbs salt and set aside.  (If cooking in Insta Pot, soak beans over night and the next day put inInsta Pot and set it to cook for 7 minutes.)

While beans are cooking, mince garlic cloves, dice chili peppers (remove seeds), and chop onions.  Cook them in butter and Mrs. Dash until the onion is transparent. Set aside. 

Brown meat. When meat is browned, drain off fat.  Add the red and green salsas and cooked onions, chili, and garlic.  Add taco and cumin seasonings (you can adjust seasonings to your taste).  Add black beans and some of the liquid (as desired - I'll add 1to 2 cups of liquid) it was cooked in. 

Add chopped cilantro and lime juice if desired.

The finished product

Since we have moved to Belize a year ago, I have been cooking a lot more with dried beans.  As I have cooked up black beans, I put these ingredients together and came up with this Black Bean Taco Mix recipe.  It is our new favorite recipe to have for dinner. We will serve it on corn tortillas or with tortilla chips, chopped tomatoes, grated cheese, sour cream, salsa etc.   

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Click here or on the link below for the recipe from RecipeTinEats.com:

http://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-cordon-bleu-easy-fancy/

We served this as the main dish at our Belize Mission Zone Conference luncheon.  It was delicious!  I got this recipe from Sis. Flake and these are the changes she made to the recipe:  I followed the "short cut" recipe exactly except I cut the mustard down from 1 1/2 T. to 1 T. dijon mustard.  To make the sauce, I cut the mustard to 1 T.

One-Pot Cheesy Italian Pasta and Chicken

SERVES 6  |  ACTIVE TIME 20 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 30 Minutes

8 ounces baby spinach leaves, divided
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and Italian herbs, drained (about 7 ounces)
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1/2" bite size pieces)
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 pound dry linguine
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock
1 cup (8 ounces) chardonnay wine
4 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded

Combine 1/2 of the spinach with the tomatoes, onion, chicken, garlic, linguine, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour chicken stock and wine over top. Cover and bring to a boil.

Cook 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente (with a bite to it). Toss pasta with tongs occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You will still have some liquid in the pan when the pasta is done cooking. This is going to make the base for our delicious cheese sauce.

Turn off the heat and add the cheese to the pasta. Toss pasta with tongs until the cheese melts into the pasta. Toss in remaining spinach. Serve and enjoy!

DONNA'S SIMPLE KITCHEN TIP: Dried Italian Seasoning is a fabulous convenience ingredient. If you do not keep it on hand, combine 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon oregano and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.

This dish is just spicy enough to make your tongue tingle. For a very mild sauce, reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon.

I know some people are sensitive to alcohol. The wine adds a fabulous rich buttery flavor and a bright citrusiness to the pasta. If you can use the chardonnay, I highly recommend it. However, you can substitute with chicken stock, white grape juice, or lemon water (1/2 cup fresh lemon juice and 1/2 cup water).

Recipe developed by Donna Elick -  The Slow Roasted Italian 

I saw this recipe on my sis-in-law's FB page and decided to post it here.  I'm excited to try it.  You can find the recipe source by clicking here