Week 42: Vegetarian Enchiladas

Let me start off by saying that it would be difficult to find any Mexican-inspired food that was NOT delicious in my eyes. As long as it has at least three of the following ingredients, I'm a happy girl: cheese, tortillas, sour cream, salsa, black beans...

Something I really liked about this vegetarian dish is that it wasn't too vegetable-y. Because vegetarian really means that it doesn't have meat, not that it's overloaded with healthy veggies. Sometimes I just don't feel like eating something that TASTES healthy, and tonight was one of those times.

I only added ONE healthy thing. I had some fresh baby spinach in the fridge. I gave it a chiffonade (I'm fancy...I know...), and intended to mix it in with the filling, but forgot, and ended up mixing it in with the sauce that went on top of the enchiladas. It actually worked great, and made me feel like I was being good, without really being able to taste it.

Year of Yum Rating: 3 1/2 STARS
(It would have been higher if it hadn't been so runny.)

INGREDIENTS
•2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (just eyeball it)
•4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
•3 tablespoons flour
•2 cups stock (we used chicken)
•15 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes, drained
•1 tablespoon tomato paste
•1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
•1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
•8 ounce container of lowfat cottage cheese (1%)
•15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
•Handful of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (about 3-4 tablespoons)
•8 whole wheat tortillas
•4 ounces colby jack cheese
•Kosher salt
•Freshly ground black pepper
•Sour cream, optional




DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil and garlic in a small sauce pan over medium heat, until the garlic is fragrant and golden. Whisk the flour into the oil, and cook for a few minutes until the mixture turns golden. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the sauce can simmer. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Season to taste with salt. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the filling, combine the cottage cheese, black beans, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the enchiladas, spread about one cup of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Then, for each enchilada, spread 1/8 of the filling in the center of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the filling, and place in the baking dish. Top the 8 rolled enchiladas with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the dish is bubbly and the cheese is golden. Let rest for 15 – 20 minutes prior to serving. Serve with sour cream and additional cilantro, if desired.

Week 41: Mushroom Bourguignon

I know Abby and I just did a mushroom-based dish last week, but this recipe looked too yummy to resist. It was a recipe originally from a little blog I follow called Smitten Kitchen, and she is just so amazing that I rarely even attempt the amazing things that she makes. This recipe took a little more time that our usual Year of Yum fare, but it was so worth it. The overall flavor was great...and a couple glasses of wine made all that time in the kitchen that much more bearable...

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices (save the stems for another use) (you can use cremini instead, as well)
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef or vegetable broth (beef broth is traditional but vegetable to make it vegetarian; it works with either)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
Egg noodles, for serving
Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid — about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.

Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and a several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add the pearl onions and simmer for five minutes more.

Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.

To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (optional) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.

Week 40: Balsamic Roasted Mushroom Risotto (...ish)

REALLY, it was "Balsamic Roasted Mushroom Rice." When I was last-minute-shopping for ingredients, I had trouble finding the correct type of rice. Apparently you need arborio rice to make risotto. Something about the slow-releasing starch that makes it nice and creamy. I got brown basmati rice instead, and even though it was delicious, it definitely was NOT risotto. It also posed some problems when we cooked it, and we ended up adding more liquid, and cooking for additional time with the lid on the pan until the rice was no longer crunchy!

I also used two different kinds of mushrooms: regular white and baby portabellas. The variety was nice.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
•24 ounces mushrooms (white, cremini, baby portabella or a mixture)
•2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
•3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
•1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
•2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
•1 cup arborio rice
•2 shallots, diced
•3 cups vegetable broth
•1 cup water
•1/4 cup dry white wine
•1 tablespoon butter
•2 tablespoons freshly grated romano cheese
•sea salt and black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove stems from mushrooms (discard) and thinly slice the mushrooms. Combine with garlic and rosemary. Toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place on a foil lined baking sheet, spreading the mixture out, and roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the broth and water in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warmed. Heat the remaining oil (1/2 tablespoon) in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the shallot, about 1 minute. Add the rice, stirring to coat with oil, and cook about 2 minutes. When the rice begins to take on a light golden color, pour in the wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed.

Add half of broth and water mixture to the rice a 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir in the roasted mushrooms and any accumulated juices. Add the remaining broth mixture to the rice a 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 10 minutes more.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter and romano. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Week 39.5: Chicken Cordon Bleu with White Wine Sauce

This is one I did on my own. I didn't really have a reason to cook, besides it being something to do, and this had been a recipe that had caught my eye earlier this week. Here are some things that I learned in this kitchen this afternoon:

1. Cooking with wine makes almost anything taste fancy. And it totally made me FEEL fancy.

2. Chicken is kinda gross to work with(chalk a point up for my "I could definitely be a vegetarian if I wanted/needed to be" argument...).

3. I can improvise in a recipe, and it just might turn out okay. In this case, I made the following alterations:

-It called for "dry white wine" but to be honest with you, I don't really know what that means. I just used whatever I had in my fridge...

-I was supposed to use heavy whipping cream in the sauce, but only had half and half, so just used that.

-I took out some aggression...I mean...methodically crushed some bouillon cubes since I didn't have "granules."

4. Sometimes it's okay...and even necessary...to use tools from your toolbox while cooking. Today: needle-nosed pliers. Clean, of course.

5. I need to stop cooking way more food than I can possible eat. I have so many left-overs in my fridge right now, it's ridiculous. Anyone want to come have lunch with me?

Anyway, this CCB with WWS was pretty delicious. I got a few bites, and then threw the rest in the fridge where it will wait to go to left-over heaven. It was a little more labor-intensive than I am used to when cooking alone, but I think it was worth it. I ended up cutting the chicken, cheese, ham, and butter in half because I just wasn't getting out of the chicken breasts what I needed to. I ended up with three good, usable pieces, and then a ton of little pieces that wouldn't work for CCB, but will be great in stir-fry or calzones later.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
6 thin sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 slices Swiss cheese
6 slices ham
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon paprika
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS
Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. This is something I had to experiment with. I ended up kind of threading the toothpicks through the chicken edges, kind of like a safety pin...does that make sense?

Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.



Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.


I wasn't sure if I would be able to tell when the sauce was thick enough, but it ended up being kind of obvious when it would part to see the bottom of the pan before slowly filling in.

Week 39: Taco Soup

This recipe came from Abby's staff cookbook from her school. I would probably go so far as to say that it was the most delicious taco soup I've ever had. I've just tried a lot of taco soup that lacked the flavor that I was looking floor. This soup just did it for me. It might have been the V8 as the "broth" that sucked me in. Not to mention the fact that it was so incredibly easy to make...


Year of Yum Rating: 5 STARS

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. cooked ground beef (we used 93/7...and we didn't drain it after we browned it)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can garbanzo beans (drained)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can whole kernel corn
1 48-oz. jug of V8 juice
1 package taco seasoning
Can add green peppers and onions if desired (OF COURSE we desired, we put in a whole of each)

DIRECTIONS
Drain beans and combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil for at least 30 minutes. Serve. If you are anything like me, don't even THINK about serving it without sour cream.

(See, I told you it was easy!)



With a cold Boulevard Wheat...perfect.

Week 38: Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf

I saw this on one of my food blogs, and knew that I would be making it at some point because I LOVE the flavor of buffalo sauce. Buffalo chicken sandwiches, buffalo chicken calzones, buffalo chicken dip...I like it all.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

I really enjoyed the flavor. I would have considered given this recipe the coveted 5 STARS if the texture were just a little more palatable. It was a little wetter than I was looking for. Maybe a little less milk next time? Perhaps I should cook it longer also.

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil spray
2/3 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup fat free milk
1/3 cup hot sauce, plus more to sprinkle on top
1 lb extra-lean ground chicken breast
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat blue cheese



DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly mist a 9” x 5” x 3” nonstick loaf pan with olive oil spray.

Combine oats and milk in a medium size mixing bowl. Mix well. Let stand for 3 minutes or until oats are softened. Stir in hot sauce until well mixed. Add chicken, celery, carrots, onion, egg whites, and salt. With fork, mix ingredients well. Add blue cheese and gently mix.

Transfer mixture to pan and spread so that top is flat. Sprinkle on a couple shakes of hot sauce and spread evenly. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Cut into 8 slices. Makes 4 servings.




This meatloaf clearly wasn't very photogenic, especially after I already tried to cut into it before Abby reminded me that I might want to take a picture. Please don't hold that against it.

Week 37: Pioneer Woman's Cauliflower Soup

Today Abby and I had a snow day! What better to make on a snow day than soup?

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS (only because there's sour cream in the bottom of our bowls!)

INGREDIENTS
1 stick Butter
½ whole Onion, Finely Diced
1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
1 whole (to 2 Whole) Cauliflower Heads (roughly Chopped)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Or Dried Parsley (chopped)
2 quarts Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Half-and-half
2 teaspoons To 4 Teaspoons Salt, To Taste
1 cup (heaping) Sour Cream, Room Temperature


I got to use my giant knife for the first time to "whack" this head of cauliflower in half!





DIRECTIONS
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown. Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine. Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.





In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.
Serve immediately.