Week 8~Chicken, Asparagus and Black Bean Enchiladas

Since yesterday was "Fat Tuesday" or "Mardi Gras", it was my quest to find an amazingly delicious, tempting recipe! And what better than from a cookbook I found in my treasured collection titled: "The New Inter Courses", an aphrodisiac cookbook.
So those of you who have never had asparagus, NEED to try this recipe!

This was a really "fancy" meal. It made me so happy making this, and it went perfect with a Margarita! Yummm.

Let me give you the ingredients first!

1 lb asparagus                                                     2 small red bell peppers, finely chopped
6 slices of bacon                                                  1 tsp ground cumin
1 lb boneless chicken                                           1/2 tsp red cayenne pepper ( or chili powder)
3 cloves garlic                                                      1/2 cup sliced green onions                                                  
1 1/2 cups salsa                                                    6 tortillas                          
1- 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed         approx 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
                                                                            1/2 cup light cream

I used a skillet to blanch the asparagus. Bring water to a boil and cook asparagus until it turns bright green, but still crisp. Rinse under cold water to prevent it from cooking further. Set aside.

In another skillet, cook your bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Crumble.
 SAVE THE BACON DRIPPINGS!

You are going to saute the sliced chicken and garlic in the bacon drippings. DON'T skip this step; it made the chicken amazingly tender, so don't worry about the calories.  :)

In another bowl, mix 1 cup of the salsa, the beans, diced red peppers, cumin and chili peppers. Add to the chicken in the skillet. Simmer for approx 7 minutes, then add the diced green onions and bacon.

                                        This is when everything starts to smell A - MAZING!!!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9X13 baking dish.

To assemble the enchiladas, spoon the bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. I have a really large counter and have found if I lay them all out, I can evenly divide up the chicken. ( my scientist husband taught me that!)

 
                                                   Three asparagus per tortilla was perfect!!

As you can see, then I topped each one with a generous amount of cheese. I buy the mexican blend of cheese, my personal favorite......and I never really measure the cheese. Just pile it on!! ( after all, it was Fat Tuesday!)

Roll up each tortilla and place seam-side down in the dish. These can be prepared ahead of time up to this point and refrigerated. Or make one GIGANTIC mess like I did last night!

   For the topping, mix the 1/2 cup of cream ( I used half and half) with approx 1/2 cup of salsa. Pour over the top of each enchilada.

I baked these for approx 15 minutes covered, then uncovered them and topped with a little more cheese!

                                               Impressive if I must say so myself!!!
                                  (My personal bartender made the amazing Margarita!!)

Week 7~ Gnocchi Soup

I was soooooo excited to try this recipe, given to me by a good friend.  My daughter LOVES the Olive Garden's version of this soup. I think if she was here tonight, she would like mine better! <3

We enjoy our soups hardy and it's filling enough to be a meal , so I increased the amount of chicken and spinach from the original recipe. My daughter, mom and I made homemade gnocchi over last weekend. It was a PERFECT excuse to use the leftovers that I froze in this yummy soup! 

1 TBS olive oil                                                                 2 cloves garlic, minced

4 TBS butter                                                                    2 cups chicken broth

4 TBS flour                                                                      1 cup finely minced carrots

4 cups half and half                                                           2 cooked chicken breasts, diced

1/2 cup (2 stalks) celery, finely diced                                 4 cups gnocchi

1 cup spinach coarsely chopped ( I used 3 cups)                1/2 tsp thyme

1 cup onion, finely chopped                                               1/2 tsp parsley

Saute onion, celery, garlic in butter and olive oil until onion is translucent. Add carrot and simmer.

Add flour to make a roux. Slowly add half and half ; stir until it thickens.

( cook your gnocchi)

Into roux, add the diced chicken, and chicken broth.

Last, add the spinach and gnocchi. Add some black pepper to season.

I served this with a homemade crusty bread! 

Week 7~ Gingered Sherry Pork Roast

I just realized I am posting two pork recipes in a row. However, I only use my crockpot in the winter months, and there are still some recipes I want to share with you!! :D

The first step involves searing the pork roast in 2 TBS olive oil and 1 clove of minced garlic. Brown all sides of the meat and set aside.
In your crockpot, place: 2 dozen baby carrots, 1 cup petite onions (I used frozen pearls) 18 baby red potatoes. Pretty, right?

Then place your seared pork roast ( 2-3 pounds) on top of the vegetables.

Combine the following for a delicious sauce:
1 cup dry sherry
3 TBS hoisin sauce
1 TBS soy sauce
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper

This can simmer on low in your crockpot for 6-8 hrs. If you can, occasionally baste the pork with the sherry mixture.

The pork was VERY tender, and stll had the sauce in the crockpot to put over the meat.

Week 6~ Spicy Citrus Pork with Pineapple Salsa

I absolutely love the colors in this recipe! It called for a 3 pound pork loin, simmered in a crock pot, but I decided to marinade boneless pork chops instead.

1 TBS ground cumin

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

2-3 pounds center-cut boneless pork loin  ( I used boneless pork chops)

1- 16 oz can pineapple chunks, coarsely chopped

3 TBS lemon juice

3/4 finely chopped red bell pepper ( approx one pepper)

4 TBS finely chopped red onion

2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes ( optional)

~If you buy a roast, cook on low in your crock pot. Combine cumin and black pepper and rub evenly on pork. Heat 2 TBS cooking oil and brown pork. Simmer on low.

~Spoon 4 TBS of reserved pineapple juice and 2 TBS lemon juice over pork. ( cook on low in crock pot)

In a medium bowl, combine pineapple, 2 TBS pineapple juice, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, ginger and red pepper flakes. ( I made this in the morning so it had time to combine)

~Served with Basmati Rice, and topped pork with salsa! 

Week 5~ Potato Soup

First.......a confession! I have made this soup once before, and the purpose of my blog was to try all NEW recipes, but this one was so good I had to try it again, and share it! You won't be dissappointed!

6 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
5 cups chicken broth
4 slices of bacon
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cups of light cream ( I used half and half)
shredded cheese and green onions, for garnish

~Combine potatoes, carrot and chicken broth in a 4 qt pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Mash slightly in the saucepan.
~Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels, reserve the drippings in skillet.
Saute the celery and onion in drippings until tender. Add these to the potato and carrots.
~Stir in the cream and season with black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until heated through.
                                         
                                                 Here are the yummy toppings!!

The soup is very hardy! I made a homemade egg bread in my bread maker!