Honey Lime Enchiladas

Honey Lime Enchiladas

from Sisters Cafe

1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded

 Sauce:

1/3 c honey

1/4 c lime juice

1 Tb chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce

equal parts mixed together of:

mozzarella cheese, shredded

cheddar cheese, shredded

flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.  Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. (I usually use one 9x13 and one 9x9 but it may vary with how thick you stuff your enchiladas - okay now it's me, Heather, not the original writer of the recipe; I used one 9x13 pan and ran out of chicken.) Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.  Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top - don't be stingy! Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy. 

One of my children is an avowed enchilada hater and he ate a whole one.  The 3-yr-old who "hated it because it wasn't brownies" ate half a one.  Everyone said they really liked it even though it was a little too spicy (mainly because my husband bought 'medium' green enchilada sauce instead of 'mild'.)

Creamed Chicken Over Anything

I like mine over green beans. My husband and the boys like theirs over biscuits. Often we put it over toast. Whichever way you choose to eat it, it's fast, cheap and delicious.

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 c. water
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
2 c. cubed cooked chicken

In a saucepan, melt margarine. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add water, milk and bouillon. (Or you can add 1 1/2 c. homemade chicken broth plus 1/4 c. milk) Bring to a boil; stir for 2 minutes. Add chicken and heat through. Serve over green beans or biscuits or toast. I usually double the 'cream' ingredients for my family.

Chicken Noodle Soup

When the kids get sick they ask for this soup. It heals all and cures all. It does not, however, clean up after itself.

2 lbs. chicken or turkey, cubed and cooked (or less - I only use a few handfuls)
2 medium onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 large carrots, sliced or a few handfuls of baby carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 6 chicken bouillon cubes OR several quarts of chicken stock
1 c. or so frozen peas
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. tarragon
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. rosemary
pepper to taste
pasta

Fill a 6 quart pot about 3/4 full of water (or chicken stock). Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Add the spices and bouillon cubes (if not using stock). Simmer an hour or so. Bring to a boil and add the chicken and pasta. Cook on a low boil for 20 minutes or until the pasta is done. A few minutes before you turn it off, add the peas.

On the days when I have more time to get this on the table I'll fill a big stock pot with water and add a few pounds of chicken breast and wings, some carrots, onions and celery with a few tablespoons of vinegar (to draw out the calcium) and sea salt. I let it simmer for hours, all day if I can. Then I strain the liquid and pull the meat from the bones. Discard all the mushy veggies unless you love to eat mushy carrots. Then I use the newly made stock for the soup and add all new veggies. I still only use a small amount of the chicken and freeze the rest for later.

Enchiladas verdes

We absolutely love these. The sauce can get a little spicy depending on the amount of serrano peppers you use. I used two tonight and it was pretty tame. I've used up to five and it gets a little fiery then. Our kids are wimps so they usually don't eat the sauce. They have chicken on the tortillas with a bit of queso fresco and maybe some cilantro. It's all good. The sauce freezes really well so I usually double or triple it and throw it in a Ziploc bag for later. Enjoy! Oh, I think I got this recipe from allrecipes, but I'm not sure anymore.

2 or 3 bone-in chicken breasts
2 c. chicken broth (I often use bouillon cubes)
1/4 onion
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. salt
1 lb. tomatillos (remove the husks and wash well)
2 - 5 serrano peppers (or less if you don't want it really hot. We have used jalapenos, too)
1/4 white onion
1 clove garlic
12 tortillas (corn or flour -we like flour better)
Queso fresco
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

In a large pot, add first 5 ingredients. Boil for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. I often let it go for several hours. Reserve broth. Let chicken cool then shred; set aside for later. Place tomatillos and peppers in a pot with water, enough to cover them. Let boil until tomatillos turn a darkish green. Strain and place in a blender with 1/4 of the onion, garlic and salt. Pour in reserved broth until it just covers the vegetables by 1 inch. Blend. Pour in saucepan and bring to a low boil. If using corn tortillas, heat some vegetable oil in a pan and slightly fry, drain, then dip in low boiling green salsa. If using flour tortillas, just dip into the salsa. Place 1 to 3 tortillas on a plate. Top with shredded chicken then green salsa. Top with crumbled queso fresco, chopped onion and cilantro.

This can be adapted to be dairy-free by skipping the queso fresco.  You could just not use the cheese or you could substitute cashew or almond cheese.

Chicken Salsa and Rice

This is made in the crockpot. I told you I loved my crockpot! If you don't have one it's pretty easy to adapt to the stove. My family snarfs this up and we rarely have leftovers.

2 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (or the equivalent homemade)
1 1/2 c. salsa
2 cloves garlic, minced or 2 tsp. minced garlic from a jar
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes - low fat works fine, but I like the regular one better
hot cooked rice - white or brown, whatever your kids will eat

Toss all the ingredients into the crock pot except for the cream cheese. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. About 30 minutes before you want to eat, stir in cubed cream cheese and turn off heat. Let it sit while you make the rice and yell at the kids to set the table. Stir it right before serving.

For my family I use two chicken breasts because a) I'm trying to use less meat and b) it's cheaper. You can cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces before you put it in the crockpot or you can throw it in completely frozen and shred it before serving. You could add another can of corn or beans to make it a little thicker and/or make up for less chicken. I also think this would work well without chicken entirely. Hmm...that will be my next experiment. This works really well on pasta too, or over chips or in a tortilla like a burrito/enchilada thing.

Cheater Chicken Mozzarella

Over the years this recipe has evolved from breading the chicken by hand to buying the frozen chicken strips. Either way tasted fantastic. It's fast and the kids gobble it up without complaint.

You'll need:
Enough breaded chicken strips to feed your family - you can go cheap or spend lots of money
a jar of your favorite pasta sauce - we're partial to Ragu Mama's Special Garden Sauce
enough cooked spaghetti noodles for your family - we like Barilla Plus and use 1/2 a box
mozzarella cheese

Cook the chicken however the box tells you to. Boil those noodles. When the chicken is nice and crispy spoon some pasta sauce over each piece and top with mozzarella cheese. Add the remaining sauce to the pasta (drain it first!). Put the chicken back in the oven for a few minutes so the cheese can melt. To serve, scoop some pasta onto the plate and top with a chicken strip or two. Sprinkle with Parmesan if desired.

Helpful hint - I like to get the chicken started first because it usually takes longer than the pasta. When the chicken is about halfway done I start the pasta. Oh, you can bread your own chicken if you want. Just dip in milk then a mixture of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and bake until juices run clear then top with pasta sauce and cheese.

Chicken Curry

I love curry. Love it. If I see a recipe for curry something I want to make it and eat it. Fortunately my family shares my love for it, or at least they humor me by eating it cheerfully. This has a very straightforward curry taste.

1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
2 tsp. curry powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 can (13 1/2 oz) coconut milk
2 tbsp. tomato paste (okay, I leave this out sometimes and it still tastes great)
3 c. fresh baby spinach
hot cooked rice

Throw the chicken and onion in a skillet and sprinkle with curry, salt and pepper. Sauté until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the coconut milk and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until thickened. Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes until spinach is wilted. Serve over rice.

The kids like this a lot, but they tend to push the spinach to the side. I've decided that it's better to not add the spinach to the curry, but to serve it as a side salad. They happily eat the fresh spinach this way. You do what's best for you though!