{the dish} cream cheese chicken enchiladas

Amy and I got together last year a couple of times to cook for our families. It was great ... we spent time talking, solving world problems and knock out 2 large casseroles of chicken enchiladas for our families. Of course we had the best intentions of cooking together every other week ... then every month ... now we just get it in when we can ... life sometimes takes precedent. I hope this year we get to spend more time cooking together, inspiring each other and feeding our families and friends! enjoy!

I can not remember where I got the idea of adding cream cheese to my enchiladas, but throughout the years this recipe has changed so many times until this. This is by far the best way to eat chicken enchiladas. Filling and a completely satisfactory meal. A great meal for entertaining a big group of people. They are super easy to make, and I believe taste better then any enchiladas you will get out at a restaurant. I love this recipe.

cream cheese-chicken enchiladas

by amy twomey

ingredients
3 big packs of chicken breasts
1 large yellow onion
4 hatch green chili's
1 bag of shredded Monterrey jack cheese
3 bricks of cream cheese
2 TBS butter
white or yellow corn tortillas
1 box of gluten free chicken broth
buttermilk
salt and pepper to taste
avocado

*avocado salsa verde by ann west
[see ann's post for this here]

Saute your chicken and turn heat off and cool. Move chicken from pan and into a bowl. Use pan to saute butter and chopped onion and salt and pepper until onion is browned. Now shred chicken into the bowl and add into the pan with the onions. Add chicken broth and turn heat to low and cover for 15-20 min. Drain broth. Sometimes I prep chicken the night before I actually make enchiladas and place shredded chicken in a zip lock bag in fridge if you have limited time to cook.

make your Avocado Salsa Verde and set it aside.

in a saute pan saute some butter and add cream cheese until melted. Add in chicken and stir well. May add more salt and pepper to taste.

warm a huge handful at a time of corn tortillas wrapped in a damp paper towel in microwave for 90 sec to 1 min. remove

set out your casserole dishes and fill bottom of each dish with about 1/2 inch of buttermilk.

using a towel hold one warn enchilada in your hand and use a spoon to scoop chicken mixture into center of tortilla and roll it up and begin placing in rows in the casserole dish on top of buttermilk. Continue until dishes are full of enchiladas.

spread avocado verde salsa all over tops of enchiladas, add the chopped hatch green chili's all over and cover entire enchilada's with handfuls of shredded cheese.
cook @ 350 for 25-30 min until cheese is melted.

will serve 2 big families. So invite friends over to share this yummy meal.
We always eat this with rice and my lazy day pinto beans.

{the dish} Chicken Roulade

Here is an easy way to spice up what could be a boring chicken-again meal. Make a Roulade and impress your guest. The flavor of this Chicken Roulade is to die for. This recipe is great for a small dinner party. It will serve 6 easily.


Chicken Roulade
by amy twomey

ingredients
1 c. black olives
6 T. gluten free corn flake crumbs
1 c. sundried tomatoes
4 T. lemon juice
5 garlic cloves
2 t. dried oregano
8 boneless chicken cutlets
olive oil
1 small yellow onion
4 c. white wine
3 c. chicken broth
2 t. cornstarch
1 c. goat cheese


In a Cuisinart blend olives, sun dried tomatoes(after they have soaked in boiling hot water for 5 minutes). And onions. Place onions aside separately.


In a mixing bowl mix up blended olives, sun dried tomatoes, oregano, salt, cornflake crumbs, garlic and crumbled goat cheese. Place chicken in a zip lock bag smashing with a meat grinder on both sides. Remove from bag, place flat and add a layer of the mixture on top of chicken. Begin rolling it and use 3 tooth picks to hold the roll tight.


Add about 1/2 inch of olive oil to a large pot on medium heat and begin sauteing the rolls, tooth picks and all. Flip them to be sure each side gets browned and then remove from heat and place chicken on a plate set aside.


Using the remaining oil add the diced onions from earlier and saute them for a few minutes. Then add the wine and chicken broth. After about 5 minutes, stirring well add the chicken rolls and cover with a lid and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. take out rolls, and remove toothpicks carefully with fingers. Cut up into slices and set chicken aside. Whisk together lemon juice with cornstarch and add that to the liquid mixture stirring well for another 5 minutes. Pour sauce over the chicken when you are ready to serve. I love this dish served over a bed of white rice.

{the dish} Moroccan Tangine Chicken

This dish was inspired from Russel, a dear friend of my husbands who is a fabulous cook. I know this because of the way he talks when he is describing food + I have heard he cooks his family all their meals and makes things using a Tagine! I mean who isn't a good cook if they are using a Tagine? Russel introduced the Tagine to me, and I am so grateful because I am in love with it. I have re-created a few Moroccan recipes for chicken and come up with my own that is pure perfection! I do hope you will consider buying a Tagine, it may just change the way you cook forever.


Moroccan Tagine Chicken
by amy twomey

ingredients
3 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil for browning chicken
2 packages of chicken breasts, cubed in large pieces
pinch of black pepper
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of saffron, in 5 T. of boiling hot water and let sit for 10 min, stir well
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. turmeric
1 t. fennel seeds
pinches of ground cinnamon
1/2 t. Harissa spice
1/2 t. Ras el Hanout spice
2 onions, finely chopped in Cuisinart
2 c. chicken broth
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small round pieces
1 c. green olives
2 lemons, cut into slices
salt to taste


Put your pinch of saffron in a bowl with water and let sit, set aside. Mix the garlic, black pepper, and a big splash of oil in a zip lock bag with the cubed chicken and pound it on both sides with the meat pounder to tenderise it. Heat more oil in a Tagine. Fry the chicken until browned, on medium - high heat. Add all of the spices into the saffron you set aside earlier and stir well. Add blended onions and an entire lemon, cut in half and potatoes and carrots. Stir over high heat for a few minutes.


Add chicken broth to Tagine. Bring to broil. Reduce heat to between medium and low and cover. Cook on medium heat for thirty + minutes. Squeeze in 1/4 of lemon juice from a lemon into pot and stir. Add olives at the very end and stir in well. Add salt to taste.

*Serve chicken over white rice and with a good red wine. Very, very good.

{in the pot} chicken poblano tortilla soup

It was a warm soup on a cold cold day. Raining and dreary!

I can't wait for summer tomatoes!

After roasting the tomatoes, peppers, garlic and onions your house is going to smell amazing. I love when I have cooked something during the day and the kids come home and say, "what smells so good.!" Perhaps its a little love!

This soup was inspired by my good friend Sue. She makes a wonderful tortilla soup and shared the recipe. She continues to share this soup with friends and those who need a little warm soup on a cold day. thanks Sue!

chicken poblano tortilla soup by ann west

4 breast chicken poached, baked or roasted - meat shredded and rinsed.

8 - 10 medium tomatoes roasted

3 poblano peppers roasted

1 sweet yellow onion sliced and roasted

3 cloves garlic roasted

1 1/2 qt chicken broth

1 qt beef broth

cumin

bay leaf

salt & pepper

cayenne

Lightly rub all the vegetables in olive oil and roast in a 375 degree oven until browning and tomatoes have split. In the meantime poach your chicken breasts in your chicken broth until cooked. Remove the chicken, shred, rinse and reserve to the side. Add the beef broth and all of the roasted veggies when they are done. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 min or so.

Whir the soup in batches until all the veggies are minced. Now this is key. Because the success of a great tortilla soup is the broth. Now you strain all of those yummy veggies out. It seems like such a waste. I haven't quite figured out what to do with those bits.

Once you have your broth strained, add all of your seasoning and simmer again.

Once you are ready to serve add the chicken. And garnish with some fresh cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips and salsa if you wish. Serve with a big salad, perhaps some roasted corn and some fresh hot tortillas. My kids like sour and cheese of course. enjoy!

{recipe box} crispy oven-baked chicken

photo by amy twomey

In the name of fitness and being committed to my p90x program I have dug up a few awesome healthy meals. To follow my progress hop on over to our new fitness health & family blog for my 90 days of p90x. This recipe was amazing and a absolute keeper for my recipe box.

{p90x} crispy oven-baked chicken from here

8 6–8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. hot pepper sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp. salt (optional)
2 cups plain bread crumbs (for me gluten free bread crumbs)

1–2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (canola, safflower, etc.)


In a large bowl, whisk together hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and salt (optional). Add the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 12 hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade. Add bread crumbs to marinade and mix well. Coat chicken thoroughly with mixture.

Spread oil over the bottom of a shallow 9"x13" baking dish. Arrange chicken in the dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn chicken over. Reduce heat to 325 degrees; cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. Makes 8 5-oz. servings.

Cooking Time: 20 to 30 minutes

{the dish} cream cheese chicken enchiladas

photo by amy twomey

{cream cheese chicken enchiladas}

I can not remember where I got the idea of adding cream cheese to my enchiladas, but throughout the years this recipe has changed so many times until this. This is by far the best way to eat chicken enchiladas. Filling and a completely satisfactory meal. A great meal for entertaining a big group of people. They are easy to make, and I believe taste better then any enchiladas you will get out at a restaurant. I love this recipe.

cream cheese-chicken enchiladas by amy twomey

ingredients
3 big packs of chicken breasts
1 large yellow onion
4 hatch green chili's
1 bag of shredded Monterrey jack cheese
3 bricks of cream cheese
2 TBS butter
white or yellow corn tortillas
1 box of gluten free chicken broth
buttermilk
salt and pepper to taste
avocado

*avocado salsa verde
[see ann's post for this here]

Saute your chicken and turn heat off and cool. Move chicken from pan and into a bowl. Use pan to saute butter and chopped onion and salt and pepper until onion is browned. Now shred chicken into the bowl and add into the pan with the onions. Add chicken broth and turn heat to low and cover for 15-20 min. Drain broth. Sometimes I prep chicken the night before I actually make enchiladas and place shredded chicken in a zip lock bag in fridge if you have limited time to cook.

make your Avocado Salsa Verde and set it aside.

in a saute pan saute some butter and add cream cheese until melted. Add in chicken and stir well. May add more salt and pepper to taste.

warm a huge handful at a time of corn tortillas wrapped in a damp paper towel in microwave for 90 sec to 1 min. remove

set out your casserole dishes and fill bottom of each dish with about 1/2 inch of buttermilk.

using a towel hold one warn enchilada in your hand and use a spoon to scoop chicken mixture into center of tortilla and roll it up and begin placing in rows in the casserole dish on top of buttermilk. Continue until dishes are full of enchiladas.

spread avocado verde salsa all over tops of enchiladas, add the chopped hatch green chili's all over and cover entire enchilada's with handfuls of shredded cheese.
cook @ 350 for 25-30 min until cheese is melted.

will serve 2 big families. So invite friends over to share this yummy meal.
We always eat this with rice and my lazy day pinto beans.

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