Sunday, January 17, 2010

Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Please take my word for it - these are the best enchiladas EVER. Yes, I think they are even better than all the other enchiladas I've posted on here. You need to make these, definitely. Don't let the cottage cheese part throw you off - I promise, these are AMAZING! Recipe from allrecipes.com. I served these with chips and salsa.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (omitted)
* 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - boiled and shredded (I baked)
* 1/2 cup chopped onion (omitted)
* 1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
* 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix (I used hot and spicy)
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 2 cups cottage cheese
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 pinch ground black pepper
* 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
* 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used a four cheese mexican blend)
* 1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce (I used a garlic flavored enchilada sauce)

DIRECTIONS

1. To Make Meat Mixture: Heat oil in medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, onion and green chile peppers and saute until browned, then add taco seasoning and prepare meat mixture according to package directions.
2. To Make Cheese Mixture: In a medium bowl mix sour cream with cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper; stir until well blended.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. To Assemble Enchiladas: Heat tortillas until soft. In each tortilla place a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of cheese mixture and a bit of shredded cheese. Roll tortillas and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with any remaining meat and cheese mixture, enchilada sauce and remaining shredded cheese.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
NOTE: I made these a little differently to make life easier - I baked the chicken on its own and then just combined the shredded chicken with the cottage cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning, and green chile peppers all into one bowl. Place chicken/cheese mixture on enchilada and top with the shredded cheese, roll-up, and cover with enchilada sauce and some more shredded cheese.

Feta Arugula Chicken Pizza

I love eating different kinds of pizza (i.e. buffalo chicken, bbq chicken) and this pizza was no different. This may be one of my favorite pizzas I've ever made. Recipe from allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 unbaked pizza crust
* 6 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce
* 3 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced (omitted - ew tomatoes)
* 1 (8 ounce) package seasoned goat cheese (I used feta)
* 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
* 1 cup fresh arugula
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* Added: chicken breast, cooked and shredded

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven according to pizza package instructions.
2. Dab pesto onto the center of the pizza base, and spread toward the outer edges. Cut the goat cheese into thin coins, and spread or crumble across the pizza. Arrange tomato slices over goat cheese. Sprinkle with garlic. (Add chicken). Brush the crust edges lightly with olive oil.
3. Place pizza directly on preheated oven rack. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust edges are golden.
4. After taking pizza out of the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes so that the cheese has time to set.
5. After a couple of minutes, cover the pizza with a few handfuls of arugula. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Pepperoni Lasagna Roll-ups

I looooooove lasagna roll-ups and I love pepperoni, so I definitely needed to try this recipe. These were really good! Recipe from Taste of Home.

INGREDIENTS (I doubled the recipe below to make enough for the 2 of us)

* 3 lasagna noodles
* 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
* 1/2 teaspoon minced chives
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 24 slices pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni)
* 3 slices Swiss cheese, cut into thirds (I used mozzarella instead)
* 1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
* 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (omitted)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Combine the ricotta cheese, chives, oregano and basil; spread 1/4 cup over each noodle to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with pepperoni and Swiss cheese; carefully roll up.
2. Place seam side down in a greased shallow 1-qt. baking dish; top with spaghetti sauce. Cover and bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.
3. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breast

This was a great simple weeknight dinner that was super tasty. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

* 2 chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally 3/4 of the way through (so you can stuff the inside)
* Appx 1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
* Seasoning to taste - I used some dried basil and dried parsley
* Minced garlic to taste
* 1/4 cup dried italian bread crumbs
* Spaghetti sauce to top - flavor of your choice - I used garlic herb flavor

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, seasoning, and garlic.
3. Open each chicken breast up and spread the ricotta mixture inside. Fold chicken back over to original shape. Use toothpicks to hold if needed.
4. Dip chicken in bread crumbs to coat. Place on baking sheet.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
6. Add warm spaghetti sauce on top.

Chicken Enchilada Roll-ups

Sadly I forgot to take a picture of these... but I made them for our annual holiday get together last month. These are SOOOOOO good! I will definitely be making them again the first chance I get. Thanks Macaroni & Cheesecake (originally from Cook Like a Champion).

INGREDIENTS

* 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
* 1 1/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
* 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
* 1 teaspoon cumin
* cayenne pepper to taste
* salt to taste
* 1 large can chunk white chicken breast, shredded (I baked a few chicken breasts and used those instead... I can't stand canned chicken!)
* 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
* 4 green onions, chopped (omitted)
* 10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes (omitted)
* 1 package jalapeno cheddar tortillas (I used jalapeno cilantro flavor)

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix cheeses together until well blended.
2. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
3. Place one heaping spoonful onto tortilla.-Spread to edges using a metal spatula.
4. Roll and cut into slices.