Erin's Easy Eats

Mac ‘n Cheese with Spicy Things

May 19th, 2008 by Erin

The bulk of this recipe was stolen from my favorite foodblog, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I will admit to making very few changes, but I wanted to share this with you because it is not at all like mac ‘n cheese, but more like… well, everything I ate in Scotland, meaning it has corn in it. And as you all should know by now, corn makes things better.

Coming down the pipe in the next week or so: another coconut shrimp recipe (I can never find one I really like,) ice cream cake (a really lazy version that you can only make if you have connections, people, connections are important) and perhaps, just maybe, some secret things. That I can’t talk about here. Even though I don’t think Rick reads this. Shhh…

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into medium sized, cookable pieces (I’ll explain in a minute)
• Chipolte chili powder (optional, I imagine, but I used it)
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped (are you noticing a pattern?)
• 1 1/2 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1 c. cream (I used light cream)
• 1 4oz. can chopped green chilies (there’s chopped again!)
• 1 c. corn (frozen and thawed, if you like, or from a can, if you’re feeling the laze)
• 4 cups cooked curly pasta (somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 of a pound)

Set your water to boil for your pasta - the rest of this will be done faster than you think. Boil as soon as the water is ready, and cook it until just al dente, because it’s gonna hang out with some cream and some sauce and get soft but you don’t want it to get squishy.

I cook my chicken in large chunks rather than to chop it all up at first because I find the texture to be better. By this, I mean cutting a breast into thirds, seasoning it, cooking it, and then slicing it after it has a chance to rest. By all means, do it the other way, cutting into bite sized pieces and then cooking, if you like.

Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of chipolte powder. Cook about 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Set aside and let rest.

Over medium heat, add jalepeno, garlic, red pepper, and onion with a little olive oil, and sautee until just soft. Add corn and diced chilies. Let it hang out while you cut your chicken into bite sized pieces. Throw the chicken in there. Add the pasta, cream, and cheese. Stir until it is all melty. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Posted in chicken, dinner, fast, mexican, pasta, recipes || 1 Comment

Shrimp Tacos with Two Kinds of Sauce

May 7th, 2008 by Erin

As planned, we whipped up some shrimp tacos and made the mayo salsa from the chicken biscuit “sandwich” from the other day. I also made up some pico de gallo, because it was requested.  They turned out very well, and other than the ton of chopping, cooked up quite quickly, too.

Shrimp:

Peel and devein about a pound of shrimp.  I sprinkled some taco seasoning mix on mine, and just sauteed them until they were just finished - I used large shrimp, so I didn’t overcook them for once.

To refresh your memory, the mayo salsa:

Salsa Mayo

• 1 c. chopped tomatoes (2 plum or 1 large regular tomato)
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I was done with chopping at this point, ugh)
• 1/2 c. mayo
• 1/2 Tbs. lime juice
• 3 shakes Tabasco (see mom and dad, I eat it now!)

Mix everything together in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pico de Gallo - Essentially everything in the salsa mayo but without the mayo

• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 jalepenos, deveined and seeded to your liking (the more seeds/veins you leave, the spicier it will be)
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 c. chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbs lime juice (maybe a little more)
• salt and pepper to taste

Stir it all together.

Posted in dinner, fast, mexican, recipes || No Comments

Mexican Marinated Chicken with Pepper Casserole

February 21st, 2008 by Erin

The pepper casserole is from one of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks: Moosewood Cookbook. It’s the 15 year anniversary edition, so things have been lightened up a bit. The pepper casserole is also great on a baked potato (especially if you do a twice baked thing with some salsa and black beans. Mmm…) Maybe I’ll make a potato for leftovers for lunch… I serve it now with some tasty chicken recipe I half invented/half copied, and some warmed tortillas.  (Forgive my lack of burrito rolling skills, as discussed previously.)

Pepper Casserole:

• 2 c. sliced onions
• 6-8 sliced bell peppers - a mix of colors if possible (I use two bags of the tri-color pepper mix from Trader Joe’s, when I can get it)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 tsp. dried coriander
• 2 Tbs flour
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 c. shredded cheese
• cayenne, salt, and black pepper to taste

Heat a deep pan with a little olive oil. Add onions and saute 5-8 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add peppers, salt, cumin, coriander, mustard, black pepper, and cayenne. Saute an additional 8-10 minutes, then sprinkle with flour. Cook another 5 minutes, until peppers are very tender. Transfer to baking pan. Beat together eggs and sour cream. (If you have some fresh cilantro on hand, some chopped would go very nicely in with that mixture.) Pour over peppers. Top whole shebang with cheese, cook at 375 40-45 minutes until firm in the center.
Mexican Marinated Chicken:  This isn’t really a marinade so much as it is a “schmear” to put on your chicken.  It makes it quite flavorful, though.

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I halve mine to make them cook easier)
• 1/2 Tbs. dried oregano
• 1/2 Tbs. cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard (I use country Dijon - I like the flavor better)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed with press
• 1 Tbs olive oil

Throw all of that into a gallon sized zip-lock baggie for about 20 minutes, then remove chicken and either grill, or cook in a non-stick pan for about 6 minutes per side.

I also sometimes make quesadillas with this chicken - there are two kinds I make, and perhaps I will post the recipe sometime soon

Posted in chicken, dinner, mexican, recipes || No Comments

Mexican Mac ‘n Cheese

February 12th, 2008 by Erin

Don’t be put off by the amount of ingredients in this one, it really came together quickly (about 5 minutes) and the majority of them are spices/pantry staples. I might have put too much chili powder in mine (because I added some to the cheese sauce) because it was quite spicy. We’ll see how things shape up in leftover land - it will either be unbearable tomorrow or quite pleasant. For some reason, I can stand spiciness as long as it’s not Mexican food. Something about Asian spicy (think Thai) is much more bearable.

Also, I’m realizing that all of the food I like to eat is not photogenic and really just looks like mess. But I promise they are all delicious messes.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey or beef
• 1/2 lb corkscrew pasta (or anything, really)
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 gloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalepenos,chopped (I didn’t pull out all of the seeds or veins, so this could be why it was really spicy)
• 2 Tbs. chipotle chili powder
• 1 Tbs. ground coriander
• 1 Tbs. ground cumin
• 2 Tbs butter
• 2 Tbs flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Cook pasta according to package directions - right to al dente (really, don’t overcook it.) Brown meat with coriander, cumin, and chili powder. When meat is done browning, add onions, garlic, jalepeno, and diced tomatoes. Let that hang out and simmer while you make the cheese sauce. In a small saucepan, whisk flour and cold butter together until all melty and bubbly. Add milk, whisking slowly. Bring to a bubble. Add cheese slowly, stirring to melt. Stir in cilantro. Mix everything together - meat mixture, cheese sauce, and pasta.

Posted in dinner, mexican, pasta, recipes, turkey || No Comments

Enchiladas, Mommy style

January 30th, 2008 by Erin

These are lazy, not-really-enchilada enchiladas. But they are delicious. My mom used to make them a lot, (she still might, who knows?) and I’ve modified the recipe slightly by using different beans and adding corn. The recipe is quite versitile - add or remove what you like to make it your own. My mom (a diabetic) cuts back on the rice, and uses black beans. I like pinto beans a lot, so I use those instead.

This makes a LOT of food, so have some hungry folks around to help you devour it. (Back in my single days, I’d freeze them too, but those days are gone from me now, and Mexican food disappears with a speed I previously thought inhuman and impossible.) Hi mom!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken, cooked and shredded (or chopped)
• 1 c. cooked rice
• 1 can pinto beans, drained
• 1 can mexicorn, drained (or plain corn, your choice)
• 1 can Rotel chillies
• 2 cups Mexican cheese blend
• 2 small cans enchilada sauce (or one big one)
• 1 package burrito sized tortillas

Mix chicken, beans, corn, rice, chillies, half the cheese and one can (or half of a big one) of enchilada sauce in a big bowl.

This delicious mess is about to become better. (That’s my purple spatula on the right.)

Spray a 13×9 pan with cooking spray. Roll up tortillas with a little less than 1 cup of mixture in each (fold as you like, it’s always an experiment with me to see what technique works the best.) Top with the other can of sauce (spread it around,) the cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, let stand 5 before food carnage begins.

Posted in chicken, dinner, mexican, recipes || 1 Comment

"Mexican Pie"

January 8th, 2008 by Erin

This was cut into and half devoured before I could even think of getting my camera out. Next time, folks!
This was inspired by a “Mexican fajita bake” or something equally weird sounding in the El Paso boxed section of the international foods aisle. Hubby reports this is better than the boxed stuff. He’s great. It’s sort of a Mexican take on lasagna. (Real lasagna tomorrow! Not an easy eat by any measure, but deeeeelicous.)
Also, does anyone read this? Comment if you do, I’m feeling sort of lonely and unappreciated here in food blog land.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (or beef, if you prefer)
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilies
1 c. salsa
1/4 c. nacho cheese (or a good hunk of Velveeta)
1 package taco seasoning
4 tortillas (fajita sized)
2 cups Mexican cheese blend
1 can beans (kidney or pinto work best), drained

Preheat oven to 350.
Brown the meat until fully cooked. Add 1/4 c. water and taco seasoning. Cook until slightly thickened. Add tomatoes/chilies, salsa, nacho cheese, and beans. Heat until warmed through (or until your Velveeta is all melty.)
Spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray. Put in one tortilla. Put about 1/4 of the meat mixture on top, and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat layering until all of your meat mixture and tortillas are gone (you should end with cheese on top.)
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream if you like.

Posted in mexican, recipes, turkey || 3 Comments