Green Chili and Quinoa Enchiladas

I was making these enchiladas last week. And I realized my brown rice was all the way downstairs in my storage room. But my quinoa was sitting on top of the fridge. I was way too lazy to walk all the way down stairs so I decided to substitute the quinoa instead. And it worked. It really worked! And was totally delicious. And now I feel super trendy because I used quinoa. 

These enchiladas turned out really good. They were a little spicy because I subbed 1 can jalapneos for my normal green chilis and they had a good ratio of creamy chicken and chili mixture to quinoa. 

Ingredients:

Filling:

2 chicken breasts, grilled and shredded

1 cup plain greek yogurt (or sour cream)

2 small cans chopped green chilis

1 small can chopped jalapenos (if you don't like the heat, you can just use another can of green chilis)

Mix all ingredients in large bowl, season with garlic salt and pepper as desired. 

1 cup shredded cheese

2 cups cooked quinoa (I do the rice cooker method and it turns out perfect every time)

8-10 tortillas

1 large can green chili enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture, quinoa and cheese. Roll up and lay seam side down in the enchilada sauce. Pour an additional 1 cup of enchilada sauce over tortillas and top with cheese. Bake at 400 for 15-20 min. Switch your oven to broil and broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese on top is bubbly and starts to brown. 

Serve warm and enjoy!

Tinfoil Tacos

 Have I mentioned how much I love camping? I do. In fact I do it for a living. But more on that later.
I love the hiking, and the fire, and the fresh air and trees and the food. Mostly the food. It might be my favorite part of camping. Ok fine, it IS my favorite part of camping! And I like getting creative with camping food. Like these tacos.

Tinfoil dinners are pretty classic, and they are pretty good. But not my favorite. So I spiced them up and made tacos! They were a huge hit with the group we went camping with. They are easy, delicious and quick. 

 You can mix it up with soft shell and hard shell tacos, different kinds of beans and so on. Here's how you do it:

2 lbs hamburger- seasoned with taco seasoning, cooked and stored in an airtight bag
1 package small tortillas
1 package hard shell tacos
1 can beans (black or pinto work great)
Shredded cheese

Stuff torillas/taco shells with meat, beans and cheese. Wrap in tinfoil. Place in coals/fire for 10-15 min. Tacos are done when you can hear the cheese sizzling through the tinfoil. Open carefully with tongs and top with toppings:

Sour cream
Salsa
Lettuce

Honey Almond Chia Seed Pudding with Strawberries

I first had this little guy at a work retreat.  One of our chefs brought it as an example of a creative way to use a healthy grain. She gave a presentation about how to use quinoa in salads and incorporating millet and farro in soups and such. It was a cool presentation, but this visual aid was my favorite. And the best part? It is so stupid easy to make. 

Chia seeds do this really cool thing when they get wet. They expand and form a jelly like coating that instantly thickens whatever they were added to. I love them in my smoothies or you can even add them to plain water. They remind me a bit of tapioca, so if you are not a tapioca pudding fan, you probably wont like this. Just a heads up. 

And like with most of my recipes, it is easily adapted to fit your dietary needs and taste preferences. But here is how I made it, and it turned out delicious. 

Ingredients:

1 cup Honey Greek Yogurt (I recommend Greek Gods brand)

3/4 cup Vanilla Almond Milk (unsweetened)

2 Tablespoons whole chia seeds

1/2 cup sliced strawberries

1 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons sliced/slivered almonds

Directions: 

Combine yogurt, milk and chia seeds in bowl. Mix well and let sit for 10 min. In a separate bowl toss strawberries and honey and let sit. When ready to serve, spoon pudding, strawberries and almonds in to a bowl, parfait style if you want. Enjoy!

Salmon and Veggie Stir Fry

A few months ago my sister in law and brother in law came for dinner. We cooked some fish, threw together some veggies and added a little this and that. And it was delicious. So we decided to try and recreate it for this week's "Healthy Recipe of the Week". I messed with the amount of veggies and I like a lot of sauce to go with my rice, so I made more of that too. As with all my recipes, it is easily adapted and changed to fit your taste bud's desires.

Salmon and Veggie Stir Fry

4 pieces salmon (4oz)

Dash of olive oil

1 yellow squash, chopped

1-2 zuchinnis, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1/4 cup hoison sauce (found in most grocery stores)

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons grated ginger (try freezing it and zesting it with a zester)

A dash of red pepper flakes

2 cups Brown Rice, for serving

Heat pan to medium heat, add oil and cook salmon. Break in to pieces. Add all veggies and sauce ingredients stir well. Cover and let cook for 5-7 minutes until veggies are al dente. Serve warm over rice. Serves 4. (300ish calories per serving!)

One Tasty Salad

Do you remember when you used to go play at a friends house and you were there around dinner and so the mom would invite you to stay? And then you would have to borrow the phone (house phones of course) and call your mom and ask if you could stay for dinner. Good times.

This recipe reminds me of eating at my childhood friend's house. They used to have this salad at almost every meal. To be honest, it was good, but not my favorite as a kid. But as I got older and wiser, I really came to love it. What really makes this salad is the dressing. It is simple, easy to adapt to your tastes and very healthy. Give it a go.

Salad:
1 head Red or Green Leaf Lettuce (chopped)
1- 2 tomatoes, large dice
1 avocado, sliced
1/8 red onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:
1 Tbsp lemon juice (FRESH!)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp black pepper

Whole Wheat Kernel Buttermilk Pancakes in the Blender

These are pretty wonderful pancakes. My mom found the recipe just a little while ago and every time we come home to visit she makes them for us. There are only a few ingredients and making them in a blender means they take no time at all.

These pancakes work best if you have a high powered blender (my Blendtec is pretty much the most amazing thing ever), but I think they will be ok in a normal blender. 

Whole wheat kernals make these pancakes rich and almost nutty. I assume you can buy them at a grocery store, or at least a healthy food store. I stole mine from my mom.... so I am no help.

The recipe makes the batter quite thick, which I enjoy, but it does mean you have to spread the batter yourself with a spoon. If you don't want to worry about this and enjoy thinner pancakes, go ahead and add a little more buttermilk. 

Wheat Kernel Buttermilk Blender Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat kernels

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1-2 Tbsp sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1egg

Combine wheat kernels and buttermilk in blender. Blend on high for 60 seconds, until mixture is smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend for an additional 30 seconds on high. Pour or scoop batter on to butter greased skillet. When small bubbles begin to form on pancake, flip over and cook for another 30 seconds. Serve warm with butter and syrup. 

Creamy Parmesan Tilapia

According to "Women's Health Magazine" Tilapis is only the 14th healthiest fish to eat. Apparently they say Catfish is #12... So I don't know if I trust them. In any case, most people agree that fish in all forms is still pretty great for your heart and has omega 3s  and good stuff like that. Anyways, I use Tilapia because it is cheap. If you are feeling rich, go ahead and try this recipe with Salmon or Mahi Mahi.

I think I first saw this recipe on Pinterest. It was originally a recipe for chicken, and since it worked so well with the chicken, I thought I would give it a try with fish.

No pictures yet, I will put them up as soon as I make it again.

Ingredients:
4 Tilapia Fillets
1 cup Mayonnaise*
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
Dash of Garlic Salt
Dash of Pepper
3/4 cup Italian Breadcrumbs

Spray an 8X8 baking dish with cooking spray. Lay Tilapia in bottom of pan.
 In separate bowl, mix mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese. Spread mixture over the top of fish, covering fish completely. Sprinkle bread crumbs over cheese mixture and top with garlic salt and pepper to taste.
Bake at 400 degrees for  12-14 minutes, until breadcrumbs begin to brown and fish flakes easily.

*Substitute Plain Greek Yogurt for healthy dish

Banana Cream Pie Crepes

I love random holidays. Especially the ones involving food. It's like your week's menu was planned out for you by the universe. I mean, once you know March 2nd is Banana Cream Pie Day, how can you not make a Banana Cream Pie?

Except I didn't feel like making a pie crust. So I got creative and made these Banana Cream Pie Crepes. Pretty genius, I know. They were a big hit with the boys (no surprise there when you serve dessert for breakfast). 

And they are super easy. Crepe, sliced banana, vanilla pudding, whipped cream. 

Here is the crepe recipe I used. I liked it. I don't know if it is the very best one out there, but it worked. 

1 cup flour

2 eggs

¾ cup milk

½ cup water

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp melted butter

Combine all wet ingredients, except butter. Sift in flour and salt and whisk until smooth. Add butter.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Enjoy with any variety of toppings. 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I really like hot wings. Not the burn your stomach, can't breath or taste for the next day, send you to the emergency room type hot wings.Those are just silly. But I like a nice, spicy wing that makes my mouth burn for a bit but still has good flavor. My favorite place to go for these perfect wings is Jim's Wings in Ft Collins. We learned a few years ago from a secret source that they use Frank's Ret Hot Sauce for their wings and ever since then, that is the only sauce I use. Frank's website has a great Buffalo Chicken Dip that I decided to try as part of our Superbowl menu. It turned out fantastic.

Buffalo Chicken Dip
adapted from Frank's Red Hot

8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup to 1 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded


Combine all ingredients in saucepan and cook until heated through and cheese is melted.
Or
Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Pour into casserole dish or pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Serve warm with celery stick and chips.

Black Bean Soup

I love posting recipes because I  try to remember where I got them and what memories are associated with them. A lot of my food memories involve my two best friends who were sisters. I guess we did a lot of eating together. 

This soup recipe is one of their's and reminds me of "staying for dinner" at their house. They always had a fruit salad at dinner, which was awesome because I thought fruit salad was dessert. I still remember their vinyl tablecloth and dishware. I was so sad when they moved my senior year of high school, and so happy when we became roommates in college. I still call and ask them for recipes of dishes I remember having at their house. This is one of my favorites. It is so quick and easy and super tasty. 

Black Bean Soup

Collet Family

1 c salsa 

2 (15 ½ oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can chicken broth

1 t lime juice

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

Sour cream to garnish

Tortilla chips

Heat salsa over medium heat, stirring often, for 5 min. Stir in beans and broth. Boil, then lower and simmer for 15 minutes.

Ladle half of the soup into blender and puree. Return pureed soup to pot. Stir in lime juice & cilantro just before serving. Serve soup warm w/ dollop of sour cream. Eat w/ tortilla chips. Makes 4 servings.

Tortilla Soup

My friend and I had this tradition in high school. We called it Tortilla Soup and Secrets. We would eat tortilla soup from the night before on my bed and talk. And that was all, and it was awesome. 

This soup is awesome. It is tasty and easily adaptable. You can substitute low sodium, or low fat ingredients if you want. Or just enjoy it in it's full fat glory. Don't worry, it's still healthy.

Tortilla Soup
From the kitchen of Fern Woodbury


In a large pot, combine the following:
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 can Rotel tomatoes
2 cans (16oz each) whole peeled tomatoes, blended until pureed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Garnish with toppings and enjoy,

Optional Toppings:
Cheese- cheddar, monterrey jack, pepper jack, colby
Sour Cream
Avocado
Tortilla Chips
Salt to taste

Simple Cheesecake

I'm not really a huge cake fan. I will eat it at a party, and I will even make it on occasion, but if given the choice I would go with a brownie, ice cream or pie. For our wedding we had peach cobbler instead of a wedding cake. When I was a kid I used to ask for pumpkin pie for my birthday, we would put candles in it and everything. And this year, I made a cheesecake for the special day. 

I looked up all sorts of recipes online, each claiming to be the best or most authentic in the New York style. But I ended up going with a recipe my mom had. It was simple, easy and delicious. 

Cheesecake can be a little intimidating. It seems so fancy, and some recipes require a lot of careful work. But this one is totally doable. And if you do mess up, it's not the end of the world. There were 2 cavernous cracks running through the cheesecake when I let it cool, hence the sauce and mounds of raspberries. But no one would have known, until I told you just now. 

Simple Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

Crust

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

4 ounces butter or margarine, melted

Filling

1 cup granulated sugar

3 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 8-ounce carton of sour cream

Sauce

2 cups raspberries (1 cup pureed in a blender, 1 cup fresh for topping)

½ cup sugar

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions:

Combine graham cracker crumbs with 2 tablespoons of sugar and the melted butter or margarine. Press into the bottom of a springform pan. Set aside.

Cream the softened cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add the sour cream, which should be at room temperature.Pour into graham cracker crust. Bake for half an hour at 350 degrees F. Turn off the oven, leaving the cheesecake inside for another half hour. Chill and refrigerate for at least 4-8 hours.

In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add lemon juice and one cup of raspberry puree, turn heat to medium high and let boil for 3-4 minutes until thick. Let sauce cool before pouring on cheesecake. Top with fresh raspberries. 

Collet Salsa

I had some really amazing friends growing up. They were sisters, which was cool. And we lived on the same street, which was convenient. And their dad made the most delicious salsa ever, which is awesome.

I got special permission to share the recipe, so enjoy!

Dallas Collet's Famous Salsa

1 large can whole, peeled tomatoes

1-2 serrano peppers, depending on desired heat

1/2 white onion

dash garlic salt

dash pepper

1/2 green bell pepper

1 bunch cilantro

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

Sometimes a little fresh garlic too

Dice (or food process) serrano, onion, bell pepper and cilantro very fine. Combine with tomatoes in blender and pulse or blend until deisired consistency. Add salt, pepper and lime juice to taste. 

Baked Crab Wantons

This last week I have been on an Asian food kick. I love Asian foods but have always been a little afraid to try and make them on my own. After a complete and utter failure at trying Orange Chicken in the crock pot, my fears were further confirmed.

This last week has renewed my hope however as I have found some tasty and easy oriental food to try out. This first recipe was an appetizer I made for the fireworks party up in Bountiful.

I tried the recipe a couple different ways and found a winner. The plate of wantons was empty in seconds, and they got pretty good reviews. And so without further ado, Asian Kick Recipe #1

Baked Crab Won Tons (Rangoon)

Ingredients:

1 can (8 oz.)? white crabmeat, drained and chopped
1 package cream cheese (8oz), softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
5 green onions chopped

A dash or two of garlic salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
24 won ton wrappers

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine crab meat, cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, ½ of green onions, garlic salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.

3. Push 1 won ton wrapper in each mini muffin cups. The edges of the won ton wrappers will extend beyond the mini muffin tin cups and may need to be folded slightly. Spray all wantons down with cooking spray. Bake empty wantons for 10-15 minutes, until edges are lightly browned and bottoms look baked.

4. Fill the center of each won ton cup with crab mixture. 

5. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until edges of cups are golden brown and filling is heated through. Top with additional green onions and serve. 

*Note: It may be tempting to just fill the crab mixture in the unbaked wanton wrappers and bake it all at once. I tried this. I ended up with soft wantons. I guess they tasted ok, but there wasn’t that lovely crisp and crunch that you need in a wanton.