{ Zesty Chicken Enchiladas }

Submitted by Chelsey
Recipe from Real Simple

I made this last night and it was so yummy!!! It's a new favorite at our house!! Make it!!

Picture From Real Simple

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound tomatillos (papery skins removed), chopped
1 onion (preferably white), chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1 2- to 2 1/2-pound rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/4 cups grated Monterey Jack (5 ounces)
8 6-inch corn tortillas
Pico de Gallo or salsa


Directions:
Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomatillos, onion, poblano, garlic, cumin, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, add the cream, and puree.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, tomatoes, 1 cup of the cheese, ½ cup of the tomatillo sauce, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Warm the tortillas according to the package directions. Spread 1 cup of the remaining sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Roll the chicken mixture in the tortillas and place them in the dish, seam-side down.

Top with the remaining sauce and cheese. Bake until beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with Pico de Gallo.

goat cheese empanadas

These are so yummy, easy, and fancy. I felt so cool eating these. I ate them with sparkling cider- they just needed an extra fancy factor.

2 refrigerated rolled piecrusts
fresh goat cheese
store-bought corn salsa

Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter ( I used a lid from a nalgene bottle) cut out 16 or so circles from the piecrust dough. Add the goat cheese on one side of the circle. I used probably 4-5 oz of cheese total. Lightly dot the edges of the dough with water, fold in half, and press with a fork to seal. Baked on a rimmed baking sheet at 375 until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Serve with corn salsa.

Easy Salsa Quesadillas

 Submitted by Chelsey

Recipe from Real Simple 

This is a fast easy meal that is healthy and oh so good! I made this tonight and it will be one that we make often!! I also made a cabbage salad that goes perfect with this!!

Ingredients:
Bag of  tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) grated Monterey Jack Cheese
1 Jar of salsa, drained
Several leaves of fresh basil or cilantro (I put both)
4 teaspoons olive oil
( I added a little bit of cooked chicken also!!)

Arrange four of the tortillas on a work surface. Divide the cheese, salsa, and herbs among the tortillas, leaving a one inch border. Top with a tortilla. Heat the oil in the skillet or pan over medium heat. Cook one quesadilla at a time, turning once, until the tortillas are crisp and golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining quesadillas. cut into wedges and serve.

*to save time, broil the quesadillas all together.Arrange them on a baking sheet, brush the tops with olive oil, and broil turning once, until cheese melts and the tortillas are golden brown.

{ Yummy Vegetable Soup }

Submitted by Chelsey
From the Real Simple Cook book!!
makes 4 servings
Total time 40 minutes

This is the best vegetable soup! Make this with the cream biscuits on an earlier post by Mal!!



2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3-14.5oz cans chicken broth
1/2 pound potatoes, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1-14.5 oz can died tomatoes
1/4 pound green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces (I didn't put this in)
1 cup chopped broccoli
Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until softened but, not browned, about 5 minutes. Add broth, 1 cup water, the potatoes, thyme, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, and broccoli, return to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with Parmesan on top!

{ Meatball Hero's }

Submitted by Chelsey
Easy recipe from Real Simple and Dave Lieberman

This is a healthy but delicious manly man meal! I made this with Will in mind! And honestly he LOVED it and so did I! If you are short on time just buy some frozen meatballs . . . but these meatballs are really good and worth the extra time! The meatballs take 15 mins to make and 20-25 mins to cook. You could always make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze or refrigerate . . . Enjoy!




4 Submarine rolls
1 jar pasta sauce
1-8 oz bag shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Ingredients for the Meatballs
(or if your short on time buy frozen meatballs)

3 tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1-1/2 cups cooked quinoa(picture below of what kind I bought,$11 a little pricey)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, very finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper






To make the meatballs
preheat the oven to 425F. Heat the canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, partially covered, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Make the Quinoa while cooking the onions. To cook whole grain quinoa: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in 2 qt sauce pan. Add 1/2 cup Quinoa, bring back to boil, cover, cook over medium heat for 12 minutes or until Quinoa has absorbed all the water. Remove from heat, fluff, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Yields about 2 cups.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, quinoa, Parmesan, egg, parsley, salt, pepper, and cooled onions. Stir until a smooth, homogeneous mixture has formed.

Roll the meat mixture into 2-inch balls and set them on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet in neat rows. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until nicely browned but still soft to the touch



How to put it all together
Heat pasta sauce.Heat oven to 250F. Warm rolls on the oven rack. Halve each roll lengthwise. Spoon meatballs and sauce onto bottom of roll and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Sandwich with top half of each roll!