Firehouse Frito Pie

It's finally "cold" out here in Southern California.  The temperature highs are in the low 60's.  I actually wore a jacket to school a few times recently instead of just my little down vest.  Since this is about as chilly as it gets, it's obviously chili weather!  I have a few tried and true recipes I usually turn to, but I found the recipe for Firehouse Frito Pie in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Eating Well and decided to give it a try.  Terry and I really enjoyed this dish and he didn't even notice the shredded zucchini that was snuck into it.  The directions say to fill the bowl with the crisped tortilla strips, the chili, and then the other toppings.  When I had this for lunch the following day I put the tortilla strips on top and preferred it that way because the strips didn't get soggy.  I also thought the flavor of the chili was better the next day, after having time to meld in the fridge.  Eating Well's Firehouse Frito Pie is a repeater, and was certainly comforting on a "cold" Southern California night.

-Heather  

Firehouse Frito Pie

From EatingWell:  January/February 2012

8 servings | Active Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup mild chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 large zucchini, shredded
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth or chicken broth
• 16 5- to 6-inch corn tortillas
• Cooking spray, preferably canola oil
• 2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, rinsed, divided
• 2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese or sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 1 bunch scallions, sliced
• Pickled jalapeños (for garnish)

Preparation

1. Position racks in middle and lower third of oven; preheat to 375°F.
2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and turkey; cook, stirring and breaking up with a spoon, until the turkey is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add zucchini, tomatoes and broth and bring to a simmer. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally and maintaining a simmer, for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, coat both sides of each tortilla with cooking spray. Cut them in half, then cut each half into 1-inch strips. Spread the strips on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Bake, rotating the pans from top to bottom and stirring halfway through, until crisp, about 25 minutes.
4. Mash 1 cup beans in a bowl. After the chili has simmered for 30 minutes, stir in the mashed beans and whole beans. Cook until the beans are heated through, about 3 minutes more.
5. To serve, place about 3/4 cup tortilla strips in each of 8 shallow bowls. Ladle about 1 1/4 cups chili on top. Garnish with cheese, tomato, lettuce, scallions and pickled jalapeños (if desired).

Nutrition

Per serving : 447 Calories; 17 g Fat; 7 g Sat; 4 g Mono; 58 mg Cholesterol; 49 g Carbohydrates; 29 g Protein; 13 g Fiber; 735 mg Sodium; 1067 mg Potassium

2 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1 high-fat meat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the chili (Steps 2 & 4) for up to 2 days.

Position racks in middle and lower third of oven; preheat to 375°F.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and turkey; cook, stirring and breaking up with a spoon, until the turkey is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Add chili powder and cumin; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add zucchini, tomatoes and broth and bring to a simmer.

Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally and maintaining a simmer, for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, coat both sides of each tortilla with cooking spray. Cut them in half, then cut each half into 1-inch strips. Spread the strips on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Bake, rotating the pans from top to bottom and stirring halfway through, until crisp, about 25 minutes.

Mash 1 cup beans in a bowl. After the chili has simmered for 30 minutes, stir in the mashed beans and whole beans. Cook until the beans are heated through, about 3 minutes more.

Remove tortilla strips from the oven.

To serve, place about 3/4 cup tortilla strips in each of 8 shallow bowls.

Ladle about 1 1/4 cups chili on top.

Garnish with cheese, tomato, lettuce, scallions and pickled jalapeños (if desired).

Gingery Turkey Meatballs with Noodles

My goal each weekend is to prepare food that can be cooked, frozen fully, and then defrosted easily for meals during the week.  Meatballs always freeze well so I have been on a search for some unique new recipes.  Traditional meatballs eaten with pasta and red sauce are great, but it’s always nice to change it up a bit.  Cooking Light’s Gingery Pork Meatballs with Noodles seemed like a great new take on the meatball.  Because I have a freezer full of ground turkey and am not a huge pork fan, I will be changing the recipe to Gingery Turkey Meatballs with Noodles.

Gingery Turkey Meatballs with Noodles

(Adapted from Cooking Light's Gingery Pork Meatballs with Noodles) 
September, 2010.

Ingredients

Meatballs:
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound lean turkey (CL called for ground pork)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Noodles:
8 ounces uncooked whole wheat fettuccine (CL called for wide rice noodles)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1 cup julienne-cut snow peas
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preparation

1. Place a foil-lined jelly-roll pan in oven. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; stir gently just until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Divide pork mixture into 20 equal portions; shape each portion into a meatball. Arrange meatballs in a single layer on preheated pan. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until done.
3. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Rinse noodles under cool water; drain. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, peas, salt, and crushed red pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add noodles; toss. Place 1 3/4 cups noodle mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 5 meatballs. Sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons green onions.

Nutritional Information Per Serving 
(According to CL's original recipe including the pork and rice noodles and omitting the turkey and whole wheat fettuccine.)

Calories: 506
Fat: 15.4g
Saturated fat: 5.1g
Monounsaturated fat: 6.2g
Polyunsaturated fat: 3.3g
Protein: 30.6g
Carbohydrate: 58.8g
Fiber: 3.7g
Cholesterol: 138mg
Iron: 3.4mg
Sodium: 700mg
Calcium: 81mg  

Place a foil-lined jelly-roll pan in oven. Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; stir gently just until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

Divide pork mixture into 20 equal portions; shape each portion into a meatball. Arrange meatballs in a single layer on preheated pan.

Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until done.

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Rinse noodles under cool water; drain. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, peas, salt, and crushed red pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add noodles; toss. Place 1 3/4 cups noodle mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 5 meatballs. Sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons green onions.

OMG....Gingery Turkey Meatballs with Noodles are amazing!!  We absolutely loved this.  The meatballs came together easily and the pasta was a cinch.  Slicing the snow peas gave them a great texture and shape.  I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light and it originally called for ground pork.  Ground turkey is an excellent substitute and I look forward to making this recipe again and again.  I will double the recipe next time so that I can have a start to an easy weeknight dinner waiting for me in the freezer. 

-Heather

Chicken Poblano Casserole

There are meals that are ideal for weeknights and also meals which are more labor intensive and only suited to weekends (in my humble opinion.) Usually I am drawn to recipes which come together quickly, but Cooking Light's Chicken Poblano Casserole naturally caught my eye because I love Mexican food and anything that comes in casserole form.  The first day of school was a minimum day so I knew I would have plenty of extra time in the kitchen, what better time to give this a try?

Chicken Poblano Casserole
Adapted from Cooking Light, September, 2006

Ingredients

3 poblano chiles (about 12 ounces)
1 large red bell pepper (about 8 ounces)
3 ears shucked corn
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk (I used skim)
3 cups (12 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided (I used cheddar)
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese
Cooking spray
18 (6-inch) white corn tortillas
3 3/4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 cup thinly sliced green onions, divided

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Cut poblanos and bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place poblanos and bell pepper, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Place corn on baking sheet. Broil 10 minutes or until poblanos and bell pepper are blackened and corn is lightly browned. Place poblanos and bell pepper in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop; set poblanos and bell pepper aside separately. Remove corn kernels from cobs.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a large saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat until slightly thick (about 12 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Combine 1 cup milk mixture and poblanos in a blender; process until smooth. Stir pureed poblano mixture into remaining milk mixture.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine bell pepper, corn, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup Mexican cheese, red onion, cilantro, eggs, and ricotta.

Coat bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of dish. Arrange 6 tortillas over sauce, overlapping slightly. Spread half of ricotta mixture over tortillas; top with half of chicken. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup green onions and 2/3 cup Mexican cheese. Pour about 1 cup sauce over cheese. Repeat layers with 6 tortillas, remaining ricotta mixture, remaining chicken, 1/3 cup green onions, 2/3 cup Mexican cheese, 1 cup sauce, and 6 tortillas. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas. Coat 1 side of foil with cooking spray. Place foil, coated side down, over casserole. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 2/3 cup Mexican cheese and 1/3 cup green onions. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 15 minutes.

Nutritional Info Per Serving

Calories: 369
Calories from fat: 29%
Fat: 11.9g
Saturated fat: 6.1g
Monounsaturated fat: 2.9g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1.2g
Protein: 33.1g
Carbohydrate: 33.8g
Fiber: 3.6g
Cholesterol: 98mg
Iron: 1.8mg
Sodium: 594mg
Calcium: 536mg  

Preheat broiler.

Cut poblanos and bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place poblanos and bell pepper, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Place corn on baking sheet. Broil 10 minutes or until poblanos and bell pepper are blackened and corn is lightly browned.

Place poblanos and bell pepper in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 10 minutes.

Peel and coarsely chop; set poblanos and bell pepper aside separately.

Remove corn kernels from cobs.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a large saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat until slightly thick (about 12 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Combine 1 cup milk mixture and poblanos in a blender; process until smooth.

Stir pureed poblano mixture into remaining milk mixture.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine bell pepper, corn, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup Mexican cheese, red onion, cilantro, eggs, and ricotta.

Coat bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of dish. Arrange 6 tortillas over sauce, overlapping slightly.

Spread half of ricotta mixture over tortillas; top with half of chicken. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup green onions and 2/3 cup Mexican cheese. Pour about 1 cup sauce over cheese.

Repeat layers with 6 tortillas, remaining ricotta mixture, remaining chicken, 1/3 cup green onions, 2/3 cup Mexican cheese, 1 cup sauce, and 6 tortillas. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas.

Coat 1 side of foil with cooking spray. Place foil, coated side down, over casserole. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 2/3 cup Mexican cheese and 1/3 cup green onions. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 15 minutes.

Cooking Light's Chicken Poblano Casserole is pretty darn good...not out of this world...but pretty darn good.  It was similar to many of the other tortilla based casseroles that I have come across.  The roasted pablano sauce was really tasty but the final product needed a little more heat.  Fortunately we had some leftover spicy avocado sauce from a local Mexican market so we added a little to our portions.  I prepared this casserole a day before and then did the baking portion the night we ate it. I will try this again in the future and play with the ingredients a little.  Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to create this dish, it is not a dinner for weeknights!

-Heather

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Garlic and Chile Sauce

During these warm months, softball has ruled our lives as it usually does...Our largest trip this summer to date was to the Denver Colorado area.  This trip was important to me because I really got a chance to bond with the players and parents on our team, especially with Cathy, my softball BF.  We watched a lot of softball, took in some beautiful scenery, and there was even time to catch a Rockies vs. White Sox game.  I was extremely stoked about this because we all know that the White Sox are my second favorite team.  Although I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Kylie do her thing on the mound, on first base and in the batters box, I have really missed my time in the kitchen.  We had almost a whole week at home with no games so I have been going through my "to-try" pile of recipes.  Since I had some frozen shrimp in the freezer, I chose Cooking Light's Stir-Fried Shrimp with Garlic and Chile Sauce for an easy Monday night dinner.   


Stir-Fried Shrimp with Garlic and Chile Sauce

Adapted from: Cooking Light, January, 2009

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (1-inch) slices green onions
• 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

2. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add canola oil to pan. Add shrimp to pan; stir-fry 1 minute or until shrimp begin to turn pink. Add garlic, ginger, and jalapeño; stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in broth mixture; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done and sauce is thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in onions and sesame oil. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information (per serving, as written in the original CL recipe)

• Calories: 244
• Fat: 7.1g
• Saturated fat: 0.9g
• Monounsaturated fat: 2.9g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 2.4g
• Protein: 35.4g
• Carbohydrate: 6.8g
• Fiber: 0.8g
• Cholesterol: 259mg
• Iron: 4.5mg
• Sodium: 371mg
• Calcium: 109mg

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk (I made an extra half batch of the sauce to coat the extra vegetables I added to the recipe).

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add canola oil to pan. Add shrimp to pan; stir-fry 1 minute or until shrimp begin to turn pink (I only used 3/4 pounds of shrimp but also added in about a cup of cooked, shredded chicken).

Add garlic, ginger, and jalapeño; stir-fry 1 minute.

Stir in broth mixture; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done and sauce is thickened, stirring constantly.

(At this point I added about a cup and a half total of steamed broccoli and sauteed red pepper and mushrooms).

Remove from heat; stir in onions and sesame oil. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Cooking Light's Stir-Fried Shrimp with Garlic and Chile Sauce, was served over a bed of oven baked brown rice.  It was simple to make and absolutely delicious.  This dish is reminiscent of a popular menu choice at Yang Ming Restaurant in Orange, which I absolutely adore.  Of course I made some changes because for whatever reason, I can rarely make a recipe as written.  Terry is getting used to eating shrimp and seems to like it, but I didn't want to overwhelm him so I cut the shrimp amount in half and added around a cup of shredded, pre-cooked chicken.  Because I am such a vegetable lover it was natural for me to add in some extra veggies, but they could have easily been served along side.  About a cup and a half total of steamed broccoli and sauteed red pepper and mushrooms were added after the sauce was poured into the pan and thickened.  To coat the vegetables I made an extra half batch of the sauce.  The jalapeno called for in the recipe did not add much heat, I may add two next time.  Lunch the past two days has been leftovers and this recipe seems to improve more and more as the flavors meld together.  This one will work it's way into our rotation...that is once we have a regular rotation again...dare I say I am excited for school to start?

-Heather

BBQ Chicken Pizza with Blue Cheese

My first experience with BBQ chicken pizza was at my best friend Christy’s house.  We were having a last minute and low key dinner.  Christy threw together what she had on hand; she made a nice salad and warmed some frozen pizzas in the oven.  I was shocked by how much I enjoyed it, always assuming that BBQ sauce would be a little too sweet for my liking on a pizza.  My favorite homemade Memphis BBQ sauce was hanging out in my freezer so I decided to try a BBQ pizza at home for myself and Terry on a lazy summer evening.  I went online and found Cooking Light’s BBQ Chicken Pizza with Blue Cheese.

BBQ Chicken Pizza with Blue Cheese
Adapted from Cooking Light, August 2011

 Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) prebaked thin pizza crust (such as Mama Mary's)
• 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
• 1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
• 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 1/4 pound)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 500°.

2. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet. Spread sauce over the crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with chicken and remaining ingredients. Bake 10 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is crisp. Cut into 12 wedges.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 252
• Fat: 8.5g
• Saturated fat: 3.1g
• Monounsaturated fat: 2.2g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 2.7g
• Protein: 16.7g
• Carbohydrate: 27.4g
• Fiber: 1.8g
• Cholesterol: 38mg
• Iron: 1.6mg
• Sodium: 494mg
• Calcium: 92mg

Preheat oven to 500°.  Place pizza crust on a baking sheet (I prebaked my own homemade whole wheat dough).

Spread sauce over the crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

Top with chicken (I coated the chicken with a little more BBQ sauce and at this point I also added 3/4 a cup of Mozzarella cheese).

Top with the remaining ingredients (at this point I also added 1/4 cups red pepper slices and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro). Bake 10 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is crisp. Cut into 12 wedges.

My adaption of Cooking Light’s BBQ Chicken Pizza with Blue Cheese was an excellent change of pace from the usual pizzas that I make.  I think that the quality of the finished product will rely heavily on the BBQ sauce that you use.  The changes that I made were creating my own whole wheat crust from scratch, coating the chicken in a small amount of BBQ sauce, adding about ¾ cups of Mozzarella cheese, adding red peppers along with the yellow ones and finally sprinkling a small handful of cilantro over the pizza before baking.  I had two slices and a chopped salad and Terry had...half of the entire pizza.  We enjoyed leftover slices the following day by reheating them in a sauté pan in order to preserve the crispness of the crust.  This pizza will be made again the exact same way.

-Heather