stuffed poblano peppers

i'm here, i'm alive, and i'm doing well!

i've been so busy lately, i haven't had a chance to upload and edit photos that were on my camera. but it's too hot out to do anything else, so i thought i'd go for it today! i have been cooking, i promise.

i was lucky enough to get a lot of garden veggies from my uncle when he visited-- things like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions. he's got a great garden. so i chose to make stuffed poblanos since i love to have fresh foods! here's what you'll need for this meal:

1/2 diced onion

2 cloves diced garlic

1 bell pepper

1zucchini

1 can of black beans

1 cup of corn

4+ peppers

preheat the oven to 400 degrees. cook the diced onion and garlic just until the garlic starts to turn a little brown.

add the green pepper and zucchini.

add the beans and (not pictured) corn.

stuff the peppers as best as you can. if you use young peppers, it's hard to do this so that they look beautiful. it's okay. keep them together as best as you can, and stuff them as full as you can.

cook for 20 minutes, then add feta and cook for another 10 or 15 minutes.

if you only have four peppers, like i did, and they're tiny, like mine were, then you'll have leftovers. us them in burritos!

this whole thing was vegetarian and amazing. the beans make it so filling, and husband didn't even realize that it was vegetarian because it was rich and filling. it's great. make it!

using what you have

have you been to the kraft recipes site? it's super convenient when you're sitting on your lunch break wondering what you're going to do with the chicken that is thawing, and hoping you can use at least one of the five cans of black beans you have in your pantry. but really, who has five cans of black beans? it's one of those items i buy all the time (like canned tomatoes) but don't use often (unlike canned tomatoes). all you do is input what ingredients you have, and it brings up some recipe options.

so, i went to the site and it gave me this great idea for a mexican chicken dish over rice.

i cooked two chicken breasts that i'd cut into bite-size pieces, and added about half of a diced onion. when it's all done, i added a can of rinsed black beans, a cup of salsa (or, if you're low on salsa, some salsa mixed with the leftover rotel that's in your fridge), and about a cup of frozen corn (or a can of corn, drained. i didn't have a can).

serve over rice (which was cooking in your rice cooker the whole time you were cooking the chicken), and be prepared to enjoy a delicious supper! i like mine a little spicier, so i added some red pepper flakes. but really, other than that, i didn't add any seasonings at all. the rotel/salsa mix had just what it needed. oh, and the chicken was marinated, but i don't think that made much of a difference.

weekday enchiladas!

i know, i know. the blog has been way neglected. i hope to make up for it this minute.

let's get right to it:

these enchiladas are super simple, and VERY good. nothing too fancy here, folks. i do think that you will add these to your list of recipes after trying them though.

you will need:
 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts- cooked and shredded/chopped
tortillas (medium)
medium jar of Pace Picante sauce
8 or so oz of sour cream (depending on how concerned you are at the moment about weight- i like to use about 10/12 oz)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups of mexican or mon-jack shredded cheese
1 medium onion-diced
chilli powder
+/- cayenne pepper

some of the ingredients you will need

topping:
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
black olives- sliced
green onion-sliced


how to: salt and pepper chicken breasts, place in lightly oiled skillet and cook over medium heat until done- i leave it for about 10 minutes or so- lid on, flip once. no need to mess with it more than that.

while the chicken is cooking, prepare the filling:

mix the following:
1/2- entire jar of picante. (i use whole jar)
at least 8 oz of sour cream (more if using all picante)
can on cream of chx
1/2 tbsp chilli powder (or more to taste)
cayenne pepper to taste

after mixing these ingredients- put 1-1.5 cups to the side

in the remainder of the sauce, add the cooked chicken, onion and 1 cup of the cheese

a kitchenaid mixer makes mixing SO much more exciting!

fill each tortilla with this chicken/cheese filling. fill generously. i can usually fill 8 tortillas.

lay tortillas seam down in glass baking dish, pour reserved mix over top. add remaining shredded cheese.

cover dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil for last 5 minutes.

when done, sprinkle tomatoes, olives and green onion over top!

YUM!

 chow!

grilled flank steak fajitas

i like this recipe because:

-it is easy, and not very time consuming. the most arduous part is prepping the veggies and honestly, slicing a couple of peppers is hardly arduous if you ask me.

-it uses the grill. grill=less mess=less cleanup

-it eradicates the use for the salty flavoring/seasoning packs. no salty packets=healthier

-it is the color of the rainbow. ish. not only is it pretty to photograph and present, a friend of mine once told me that to stay healthy and happy, one should eat foods that represent the colors of the rainbow. she usually knows what she is talking about. wait, what's that?....no people, not like skittles.


ingredients:

1 lb flank or skirt streak (i prefer a non-fatty flank)
2-3 bell peppers ( i like to use one of each- red, yellow, green)
1 red onion
1 tbsp ground cumin
salt
pepper
evoo! (extra virgin olive oil)
1-2 tomatoes
lettuce
cheese
tortillas

method:

season steak with salt, pepper and cumin on each side

slice peppers/onions- thick enough to not fall thru the grill grate, if you want them thinner, lay them on a grill foil on the grate. toss veggies with oil, salt and pepper.

place steak and veggies on lightly oiled grill grate over medium heat, grill for 8-12 minutes (turning steak once) or until veggies are tender and steak in done to your likeness. (i do about 9-10 minutes for a pink center)

while food is grilling, i take the time to cut up lettuce and tomatoes. see my tip for dicing tomatoes by clicking here

when food is done, take off the grill and let rest for a couple of minutes before slicing meat across the grain. i take these few minutes to warm the tortillas over low heat on the grill, less than a minute per side.

serve with rice (spanish, white, etc) and sour cream, homemade guac and salsa.

chow!