Grilled Chicken Fajitas

I feel like a broken record, but if you are looking for a tried and true recipe...for anything, check Annie's blog. I haven't been disappointed yet. These fajitas have inspired me to try and grow peppers, cilantro and onions in the garden so we make these a very regular dish in our house!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
6 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1½ tsp. brown sugar
1 jalapeño, seeded, ribbed and diced (I omitted as I'm trying to avoid spicy food right now)
1½ tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. pepper
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied (6 halves total), about 1½ lbs.
1 large red onion (about 14 oz.), sliced into ½-inch thick slices, rings not separated
2 large bell peppers (about 10 oz. each), stemmed, quartered and seeded
8-12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 4 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, jalapeño, cilantro, salt and pepper. Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade; set aside. Place the chicken breast halves in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Brush both sides of the onion rounds and peppers with the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, using a large chimney starter, ignite 6 quarts of charcoal briquettes and burn until the coals are fully ignited, about 20 minutes. Empty the coals into the grill, spreading them in a single layer. Place an additional 20 unlit coals over the lit coals on one side of the grill to create a tw0-level fire. Place the grill grate over the coals and allow to heat for 5 minutes. Scrape the grate clean with a grill brush. (For a gas grill, light all burners to high, cover and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave one burner on high and turn the rest down to medium.)

Remove the chicken breast halves from the marinade and transfer to the hotter side of the grill; discard the left over marinade. Place the onion rounds and peppers on the cooler side of the grill. Cook the chicken until it is well browned, 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken and continue grilling until it is no longer pink inside (or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 160˚ F.) Meanwhile, cook onions and peppers until spottily charred and crisp-tender, about 8-12 minutes, turning once or twice as needed. When the chicken and vegetables are done, transfer them to a large plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

In 2 or 3 batches, transfer the tortillas in a single layer to the now empty grill on the cooler side. Cook until warm and lightly browned, about 20 seconds per side. When the tortillas are done, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel or foil.

Separate the onions into rings and place them in a medium bowl. Slice the bell peppers lengthwise into ¼-inch strips and add them to the bowl with the onions. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved unused marinade and toss well to combine. Slice the chicken into ¼-inch strips and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of reserved marinade in another bowl. Arrange the chicken and vegetables on a large platter with the warmed tortillas and serve.

Source: adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles, originally from Cook’s Illustrated

Annie's Benchiladas

I promise, we are not withering away to nothing over here at Casa de Happy Meals. We are all keeping our pounds right where they are, and then some :) I've got a handful of posts to get caught up on, I've just been busy over at My Happy House. Promise, I'll make more of an effort to stay on top of the food business.

So...onto the good stuff. Meet benchiladas.
I had some chicken thawing, and wanted to do something new. We were getting tired of the regular rotation players. I remembered Lindsay raving about some enchiladas she had made, and that made my decision easy. They come from the wonderful Annie, at Annie's Eats. These are new candidates to the starting line up. Thanks Annie...and Lindsay!

INGREDIENTS

* 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

* 8 oz. reduced fat sour cream (we used fat free)

* 8 oz. ranch dressing (we used light)

* Flour tortillas (10-15)

* Jar of salsa (we used red enchilada sauce instead)

* Shredded mexican cheese - as much as you want!

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook chicken breasts by preferred cooking method until cooked through. Set aside to cool a bit.
2. While chicken is cooling, mix up the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the sour cream and half of the ranch dressing. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sour cream and Ranch dressing. Stir both until well combined. Shred or chop the cooked chicken and add to the large mixing bowl. Mix well with sauce.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan (and possibly another, smaller pan if needed). Take one tortilla and top with a little less than 1 tbsp. of the sauce from the small bowl. Spread over the tortilla in an even layer. Add some of the chicken mixture to the center of the tortilla. Top with salsa to taste. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, to taste. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients (usually makes 10-15 enchiladas).
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (30 for a crispier tortilla). Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

Chicken Quesadillas

I love love love quesadillas. I used to order them all the time at restaurants, but I decided to give them a go at home. One thing to know is that I love cheese...so I loaded that up!

Ingredients:
2 tortillas
1 large chicken breast
1/4 red onion- chopped to 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 green pepper- chopped to half inch pieces
1/2 package of taco seasoning
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese


Process:
Cook the chicken in a little olive oil. Add the taco seasoning as instructed on the package- usually includes adding water. Add the green pepper and onion and simmer until liquid evaporates and vegetables soften.

Heat a skillet to medium-high. Spray one side of the tortillas with non-stick cooking spray. Lay a tortilla in the pan, spread 1/4-1/2c of the chicken mixture on one side of the tortilla, sprinkle with desired amount of cheese and fold the tortilla over. Repeat on other side of pan with the second tortilla. Allow each side to cook for 1-2 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole.

I actually preferred these the second day. I also really liked them with taco sauce as opposed to salsa- yum!

Lindsay's Taco Stuffed Shells

I stole this right off Lindsay's Blog. They looked to be right up our alley and they were! I cut this recipe in half and we barely had enough for the two of us. Next time I would definitely make the whole batch...but then again we like leftovers.

Ingredients

* 1 lb. ground beef (we used ground turkey)
* 1 package taco seasoning
* 4 oz. cream cheese (we used non-fat)
* 12 jumbo pasta shells (we used 16)
* 1 cup salsa (we used a little more)
* 1 cup taco sauce
* 1 cup cheddar cheese
* 1 cup monterey jack cheese
(we used 2 cups Sargento mexican blend)
* 1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips (we omitted)
* 3 green onions (chopped)
* Sour cream

Directions

1. In a frying pan cook ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions.
2. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely.
3. While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don't stick together.
4. Pour salsa on bottom of 9x13 baking dish.
5. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in 9x13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce.
6. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
7. After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes.
8. Add any condiments you'd like (onions, black olives, etc.) Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa. Enjoy!

My Own Easy Beef Enchiladas

I could eat Mexican pretty much every night, seriously. But that would make for a boring blog, so I have to mix it up occasionally. Luckily though, I haven't blogged these bad boys yet, so now...for your viewing (and perhaps one day eating) pleasure, behold: MY SUPER EASY BEEF ENCHILADAS!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning (I always use Ortega)
1 cup cooked white rice (yes that says cooked. I'm not explaining how to cook it, just do it now)
1 can refried beans (not warmed!)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 jar of salsa
10-12 burrito size tortilla shells
2 cups Colby Jack Cheese (or whatever yummy blend you'd like)

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan. Brown the ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning and 1 c water. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add in the rice and stir it up real good!
2. Take the tortilla, spread a spoonful of refried beans on the tortilla. Spread 1/4 c of the meat mixture on top of that. Sprinkle with cheese and roll it up. Put the rolled tortilla seam side down into the 9x13 pan. Repeat until all your tortillas are gone- or the meat mix is gone.
3. Combine the cream of chicken soup and the jar of salsa in a bowl. Mix well. Pour the mix over the tortillas in the pan. Sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese.
4. Put the pan in the oven for 30 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove, cool and enjoy! I like to serve with a side of sour cream and sometimes extra salsa. YUM!

Notes: Ok, so I used to use an actual recipe for this, but now I just do my own thing...so I'm calling these mine. Really, they are easy and quick and ALWAYS get rave reviews. Plan on each person eating two enchiladas if you don't serve it with anything else.

Tropical Chicken Fajitas

I told Carl to pick tonight's dinner. He chose chicken fajitas. He's been missing his grill. Really, this isn't a recipe, but I'll throw in my few tips for fajitas here. We used 2 large chicken breasts, Kroger's Spicy Tropical Mango 30 Minute Marinade, a quarter of each of a green, red, orange and yellow pepper, a 1/4 red onion- sliced, sour cream, cheese and salsa. We grilled both the chicken and vegetables for about 10 minutes. I also made Zattarans Black Beans and Rice. It was pretty delicious if I do say so myself!

A food saving tip! When you don't need to use the whole pepper or onion- wrap it in a paper towel before putting it back in the bag. Trust me...it will last so much longer!

Molly's Mexican Dip

I've made this dip so many times and when my sister said she was lacking appetizers for my nephew's birthday party, I jumped at the opportunity to make it.

Ingredients:
1/4 c sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
1 jar of salsa
2 cups shredded monterey jack/colby cheese
1/4 c chopped olives
1/4 c sliced green onions

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the cream cheese and sour cream in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Spread the mix into a 9 inch pie plate. Cover with salsa, then cover with the cheese. Sprinkle with the olives and place in the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the onions- serve with tortilla chips.

Please forgive me for the craptastic picture. I knew this dip wouldn't last long so I took it while it was in the oven...before I even put on the onions. It was a good thing I did...it got devoured immediately!!!