Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

A good, comfy food Senor favorite. They're not too complex and well worth the effort. Make up several batches at once and freeze some for later. If you cook the chicken ahead of time
(or use a Rotisserie chicken from the deli) and use the frozen chopped onion and green peppers, you'll have these on the table in no time!

--3 chicken breasts cooked and chopped up (I prefer breasts with skin and bone boiled then skinned, de-boned and chopped; it just has a better flavor and doesn't dry out); you could also use ground beef if you prefer
--1-2 yellow onions, sliced
-1 green pepper, chopped
--oregano (approx 1 Tbsp)
--cumin (approx 1-2 Tbsp)
--black pepper (approx 1/2-1 tsp)
--chili powder (approx 1 Tbsp)
--garlic powder (approx 1/4 tsp)

For the sauce:
--2 Tbsp butter
--1.5 Tbsp flour
--2 c chicken broth
--1 can cream of mushroom (I prefer the "healthy choice" kind with less fat and salt)
--1 4-oz can diced green chiles, drained
--8 oz low fat sour cream

--Corn or flour tortillas; if you choose to use the corn tortillas you will need to pan fry them ahead of time in a skillet.
--Mexican queso cheese, pepper jack cheese & sharp cheddar shredded (or your choice of cheese)

Garnishes: (optional)-fresh chopped cilantro, salsa, sour cream, guacamole

1. Preheat oven 350F.
2. Sautee onions and green peppers in EVOO til they're soft and begin to brown. Add chicken. Con't cooking (add chicken broth as needed to keep it from sticking). Add seasonings to desired taste. Cook til heated through. Set aside to cool.
3. In a med sauce pan melt butter. Whisk in flour til smooth. Add chicken broth til smooth.
4. Bring to boil and add cream of mushroom and return to simmer; con't stirring continually for approx 10 min (or until sauce is reduced by approximately half and is thickened and coats a spoon).
5. Add in chiles. Con't simmering until desired thickness. I recommend when it's like pudding (before you refigerate it) then turn off the heat. Stir in sour cream and con't stirring until it's cooled off a good bit.
6. In a 9x13 pan (or 9x9 is what I use for us, it's the perfect size for 2 people) spray the pan.
7. Line up your chicken, cheese, pan; sauce. Take each tortilla and fill it with chicken mixture, cheese and then roll up; place in pan side by side til its full with a single layer. Pour sauce over.
8. Bake for 30-45 min (add cheese if you want for the last 5-10 min) until golden brown and bubbly.

If you want to freeze some for later assemble them, pour sauce then wrap them up well with plastic wrap, then foil and freeze.

Carrot Cake

It's kind of Easter season and one day last week I got to thinking about rabbits and that lead to carrots which lead to me think about this which propelled me into the kitchen and whipped my hands into a frenzy making an oh-so-yummy (but it's good for you with all the carrots, right?!) double-layer carrot cake. It's a smoosh of 2 of recipes.

2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice (don't sweat it if you don't have it)

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.

3/4 c sugar
3/4 c loosely packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
Mix together with blender til smooth.

Add in:
8 Tbsp butter, softened
3/4 c plain yogurt (or applesauce)

Mix well.

Stir in dry ingredients.
Now mix in :
2-3 c finely grated carrots
8.5 oz can crushed pineapple (well drained, I mean well)
1/2 c chopped pecans
1/2 c raisins

Preheat oven 350F. Flour and grease 2--8" round cake pans. Divide batter evenly between them; bake for approximately 35-40 min (til toothpick comes out clean). Remove from oven , cool for 5-10 min then remove from pans and cool on rack til cooled completely.

Frosting:
1/2 c butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp vanilla
powdered sugar

Whip cream cheese and butter til smooth. Add vanilla. Mix well. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time til desired flavor and consistency. Use milk if you need to thin it. Keep chilled until ready to use.

Place 1 round cake on cake plate, use 1/3 of frosting to ice the top. Place second cake layer on top and use remaining frosting to cover the entire cake...admire your work, grab a glass of milk and have a slice! Keep cake refrigerated for freshness.

Salty Chicken Salad

This is one of my baby brother's favorites. He asked for it ALL the time. It's technically called Chinese Chicken Salad but he has renamed it Salty Chicken Salad. It's quick, easy and has a nice flavor. Feel free to beef it up or par it down to your liking; it's perfect for the warmer weather.

4 whole chicken breasts, cubed
1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c water
1-3 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 head of green cabbage, finely chopped (I just buy a bag of coleslaw cabbage mix)
3 green onions, chopped
2/3 c almonds, sliced and toasted
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 pkg ramen noodles (not cooked), crushed
**I'd recommend the beef or chicken flavors
2 tsp sugar
1/2 c oil
1 Tbsp vinegar (or more)
seasoning packet from Ramen noodles
1 can Mandarin oranges, drained

1. Stir fry the chicken in the soy sauce and water. Remove from pan and cool.
2. In large bowl combine cabbage, almonds, seasame seeds and noodles.
3. In small bowl whisk together sugar, oil, vinegar and seasoning packet. Add chicken to the cabbage mix.
4. Serve with oranges on each individual serving; add dressing as desired.

I do not ever mix everything together (it doesn't keep well) so if you're hoping to get 2 meals from this; keep everything separate and just make individual servings.