Recipe Review from 12/21/2015

Last week was a rather uneventful week all the way around.  Quiet at work, quiet at home.  I over planned slightly on the Meal Plan not realizing how much the Slow Cooker Enchilada dish was going to make.   A Roasted Red Pepper and Potato soup was pushed back to another day.

Next week, the Husband is on deck for meal planning!   We'll wrap up the year with a final recipe count and start fresh in 2016.   

The Meal Plan:
Sun (book group pm) (L) leftover bean soup  (S) Slow cooked chicken and quinoa enchiladas
Mon (yoga/Legion)   (S) leftovers
Tues -Fried Rice
Wed - leftovers
Thurs - Roasted Chicken, stuffing, veggies
Fri - leftovers
Sat - leftovers

Lunches - Slow cooker chicken and quinoa enchiladas


Slow cooker chicken and quinoa enchiladas  (Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen via Pinterest)  gluten free*
First, definitely watch the cooking times on this, especially if you know your cookers runs hot.  Mine overcooked by about half an hour.

Otherwise, assembly is very quick, the most time consuming bit frying the chicken (or turkey).   I did speculate using chicken thighs straight up, but decided to make recipe as written.  I think thighs would work fine.  While I don't care for ground meats, this worked okay for me because the ground meat texture was lost in the quinoa texture.  We did turn these into burritos for lunches, which worked well since they could be eaten warm or cold.   Recommended.

This made about 5+ lunches for two of us.  Perhaps closer to six lunches?  

photo from Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen Blog

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 can (15-ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 can (15-ounce) diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (depending o the heat level you want)
• 1 cup water
• 1 can (10-ounces) enchilada sauce (check for gluten)
• 2 tablespoons Mexican chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1. In a large skillet, cook the ground chicken until no pink remains. Place in the slow cooker.
2. Add in the uncooked quinoa, the black beans, frozen corn, diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, and jalapeno, water, enchilada sauce, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or until the liquid is all absorbed into the mixture.
3. Remove the lid and stir everything again. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Stir in the half the cheese and sprinkle the other half on top. Replace the lid and let the cheese melt. Top with the chopped green onions and cilantro.

Fried Rice  (Gimme Some Oven by Pinterest)  gluten free, vegetarian optional
As long as you make the rice a day or so ahead of time, this comes together pretty quickly.  I will also note right upfront, use the LARGEST frying pan you have! My 12" was on the small side and the rice steamed more than toasted.

I also used one cup of frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, green beans and corn) in liu of the carrots and frozen peas.  I wanted to add some shrimp to this, but I didn't get home in time to thaw (and peel) the shrimp.

This tasted really good and how I like my fried rice.  It's a versatile recipe - add some ham/spam, some drained baby corn, pea pods, what have you to suit your tastebuds.   I strongly suspect I will be making this again.   Highly recommended.

• 3 Tbsp. butter, divided

  

  photo from Gimme Some Oven blog

• 2 eggs, whisked
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups cooked and chilled rice (I prefer short-grain white rice)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3-4 Tbsp. soy sauce, or more to taste
• 2 tsp. oyster sauce (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add egg, and cook until scrambled, stirring occasionally. Remove egg, and transfer to a separate plate.

Add an additional 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add carrots, onion, peas and garlic, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the onion and carrots are soft. 

Increase heat to high, add in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and stir until melted. Immediately add the rice, green onions, soy sauce and oyster sauce (if using), and stir until combined. 

Continue stirring for an additional 3 minutes to fry the rice. Then add in the eggs and stir to combine. Add the sesame oil, stir to combine, and remove from heat.

Serve warm.