Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

June 10, 2013 by Mackenzie

Although there are some amazing restaurants here in Jakarta, Mexican food is a rare find. I find this is quite tragic because I love Mexican food – ah, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Well, to solve this dilemma, we made enchiladas for dinner last Friday and boy, were they good! We combined several recipes to make these – an old enchilada sauce recipe that Tom had, a Rick Bayless enchilada recipe, Grandma Olga’s enchiladas and our own creative whims 😉 They turned out exactly how we wanted them and our Mexican cravings were satisfied.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
Recipe adapted mostly from Rick Bayless
Makes one 9×13, serving 8-10

Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:
4 14oz cans tomatoes, drained
2 green chilies
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups vegetable stock

Directions:

In a small skillet, char 2 green chilies until black over medium heat. Place in a blender, whole, with the drained canned tomatoes and blend until smooth. Transfer to a large pot, add spices and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer and reduce for 30-40 minutes, until it reaches a soupy consistency. Then, add 1-2 cups vegetable stock and again, simmer for 30 minutes or so, until it reaches a pizza sauce consistency.

Black Beans

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups black beans, soaked overnight and cooked for 2 hours in water
Same spices as above

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a medium fry pan and add onion and garlic. Cook for five minutes until onions are softened. Add spices in same proportions as enchilada sauce. Add black beans and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 recipe for enchilada sauce, above
1 recipe for black beans, above
1 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
16 flour or corn tortillas, 8-inch, warmed in the microwave so they are more pliable
Mexican cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1/4 of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 glass baking dish. Then mix in some of the enchilada sauce with the chicken.

2. Take one tortilla, spoon a couple tablespoons of sauce down the middle, then some black beans, some chicken and some cheese. Roll one side over the filling and tuck it under then roll it up and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat with all tortillas or as many as you can fit in the baking dish.

3. When all the enchiladas are prepared, spread the remaining enchilada sauce over the top and cover with cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Gnocchi in Tomato Vegetable Sauce

May 26, 2013 by Mackenzie

Well, here I am in Indonesia! I’m spending six weeks living with my aunt and uncle, doing an internship with Standard Chartered Bank and experiencing the rich culture of this country! I’ve been here just over a week and have had a phenomenal time thus far – but that explains my absence from posting recipes: I’ve been too busy trying indonesian food, working long days and playing golf in some pretty intense heat and humidity.

But, tonight – Uncle Tom and I made quite a feast and I’ll have plenty to post over the next couple of days. First, the main dish – gnocchi in tomato vegetable sauce.

I’ve never made gnocchi before but have enjoyed it when I have ordered it at restaurants. We found the recipe in the Smitten Kitchen cookbook, which I brought with me to give to my aunt and uncle because I enjoy the book so much! The recipe was is bit time consuming but not too difficult, didn’t require any special tools and turned out FANTASTIC!

We made a couple changes to the original recipe, the most significant being that we did not strain out the vegetables from the tomato broth but rather, left them in to make the broth more of a pasta sauce. That was definitely a key decision and took this dish to the next level.

It was fantastic and will definitely be made again soon!

Gnocchi in Tomato Vegetable Broth
Serves 4-5
Recipe adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients:

Tomato sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium carrots, halved and diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
One 28oz can of stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped plus more for garnish
2 cups vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Parmesan, shredded for garnish

Gnocchi:
2 lbs russet potatoes, about three
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 to 2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. Bake potatoes: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash, scrub, and pierce each potato several times. Bake for about one hour – until a thin knife can slide through potato easily. Meanwhile, prepare tomato sauce.

2. Tomato sauce: heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots and onions and cook for five minutes, reducing heat if they begin to brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Next, add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half – about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, basil and stock and let simmer for about 45 minutes, to reduce and thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Gnocchi: let potatoes cool for 30 minutes or so, after baking. Then, peel and grate them over the large holes of a grater. Let cool to lukewarm then add the egg and salt, mixing to combine. Next, add the flour, a half cup at a time, until the dough comes together and does not stick easily to your hands. (We had to add quite a bit of flour, but we also had used four potatoes – which could have made the difference) Knead the dough briefly for about a minute then divide into quarters.

4. On a floured surface, take one quarter of the dough and begin to roll it into a long rope. The rope got quite long, so it was easier for us to use two sets of hands to roll it out – see if someone can help you here! Roll it to about 3/4 inches thick and then cut into 3/4 inch pieces, little pillows 🙂 Place the pillows onto a cookie sheet and repeat the rolling and cutting until all the dough is prepared. If you have time, place the cookie sheet with the pillows in the refrigerator for about an hour to firm up. You can also freeze them at this point.

5. To cook: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, begin reheating the tomato sauce at a low temperature on the stove. Place about 20 gnocchi into the boiling water and cook for 2-4 minutes, supposedly until they float but ours never did (and turned out fine – I don’t think you can over cook them so letting them cook an extra minute is fine). Drain the gnocchi in a strainer.

6. Assemble: using a ladle, pour one to one and a half cups of tomato sauce into a wide, individual bowls. Place 10-15 gnocchi on top and garnish with basil and shredded parmesan. Serve immediately.

Caprese Grilled Chicken

May 14, 2013 by Mackenzie

One of the things I look forward to most in the summer is having family and friends over and grilling on the back deck. The weather is warm, there is lots of good conversation and of course, lots of good food! This past weekend Suzy and Steve came over and we made a delicious dinner – this Caprese Grilled Chicken and a Lemon Couscous Salad with Asparagus and Tomatoes (it’ll be my next post!). It was a perfect Saturday evening in my mind!

This chicken was light, fresh and full of summer flavors! Once the chicken was grilled, I spread a homemade pesto on it, layered some tomatoes and topped it all with mozzarella cheese. We closed the lid of the BBQ to let the cheese melt and voila! A healthy, delicious dish!

Caprese Grilled Chicken
Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste
Makes 8 chicken cutlets (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
Pesto:
1 cup basil
1 large clove of garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)

Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally (or 8 chicken breast cutlets)
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium tomato, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Pesto: In a food processor, pulse the basil, garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper until smooth. Add the olive oil in a slow drizzle while pulsing, then add the pine nuts and pulse to desired consistency. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to put on the chicken. You can store the extra in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freeze for later use (although we didn’t have much left)

2. Chicken: Wash and pat dry the chicken with a paper towel. Slice breasts in half horizontally and season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken over medium heat on both sides until just cooked through. Lower heat and then spread 1-2 teaspoons of pesto on one side of the chicken, top with 1-2 tomato slices and mozzarella cheese and then close the lid of the grill to let the cheese melt. Enjoy!

Quinoa Peanut Soup

March 9, 2013 by Mackenzie

I made this soup for dinner last night because we had most of the ingredients already and we needed to use up the produce before we all left for break! The recipe comes from the most recent Eating Well magazine and it just sounded so good that I had to make it!

The proportions we used are quite different than the original recipe because we wanted to use everything in the fridge – almost all the veggies are doubled from what it calls for. But I think that made it better because we ate this as our main dish instead of as a first course or a side and so all the veggies made it more substantive and filling. The peanut butter gives it a really distinct flavor – transforming it from a traditional vegetable soup to one with some South American flare.

After every drop was cleaned from our bowls, I thought of one addition we should have made – peanuts. I think they would have complemented the existing flavor really well and been a perfect texture addition. Alas, I will have to try that next time!

Quinoa Peanut Soup
Recipe adapted Eating Well Magazine, April 2013
Serves 2, easily doubled

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 large red potato, fist sized, cubed, skin on
1/4 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1/2 of a red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup peanut butter (more to taste – we added one more spoonful)
1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley (optional)
1/2 tablespoon hot sauce, tobacco (optional)
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the carrots, potato, quinoa, broth and water. Bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover and cook for 18 minutes, until the quinoa is cooked and the vegetables are tender. Stir in red pepper and cook for another 3 minutes. Microwave the peanuts butter for 39 seconds or so to thin it out. Then stir it into the soup, mixing well. Remove from heat, stir in the parsley, hot sauce and pepper and serve!

Tomato and Quinoa Bisque

February 14, 2013 by Mackenzie

Here’s a great soup recipe for a cold winter day! It’s easy to prepare, healthy and delicious!

I especially liked this soup because the quinoa gave it texture. I like my soups to be full of veggies or to be a little more exciting then pureed “something”. This was a great soup because it gave the classic tomato soup a little boost! Plus, it was a protein-packing boost!

Tomato and Quinoa Bisque
Recipe Adapted from Good Life Eats
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 15oz can whole, peeled tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 can of water
1/2 cup quinoa, dry but rinsed
1/2 cup almond milk
Grated cheese to garnish

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for five minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and italian seasoning and saute for 3-5 more minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce, mixing well. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add to thin it out a bit (you may not need the whole can, or you may need more – I would have done less if I could do it again). Add the quinoa, bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked.

3. Remove the soup from the heat and cool slightly. Transfer half of the soup to a blender (all of the tomato chunks) and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, remixing with the non-blended half. Stir in the almond milk and additional spices if necessary (chili flakes!).

4. Serve warm, garnished with freshly grated cheese and with a toasted english muffin!
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Whole Wheat Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce, Cauliflower, Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts

February 5, 2013 by Mackenzie

I have a confession.

I am obsessed with butternut squash. Obsessed.

I suppose I could have worse obsessions… At least I’m obsessed with a vegetable! 😀

Libby and I made used butternut squash in four different recipes in one week! Ha! We convinced the checker at the little grocery store on campus that the decorative butternut squashes were for sale… and so we were able to get two big ones for three dollars – with meal points! Haha! Even better!

One of the recipes we made was this butternut squash sauce pasta. It was SO GOOD and SO EASY and will DEFINITELY become a staple for us when we are cooking regularly (in our apartment!!!) next year!

(Sorry the picture is so bad)

Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce

Serves 5, adapted from Skinnytaste

Ingredients:

1 lb butternut squash (half of a large one), peeled and diced
1 tbsp olive oil
10 oz whole wheat pasta
1 cup cauliflower and broccoli (total, whatever combo you have or want)
1 cup brussel sprouts
1/4 cup shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan/Romano cheese (We found a delicious combo at Trader Joes, but just Parmesan would work fine)
4 sage leaves, slice thin
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Boil water in a large pot. Add butternut squash and cook until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove squash using a slotted spoon and place into a blender, blend until smooth. Keep water for pasta.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 2 minutes, add cauliflower and broccoli and the brussel sprouts for the last minute. Drain but reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water.

3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute shallots and garlic until soft, 5-6 minutes. Add pureed butternut squash and enough of the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce to your desired consistency (I think we only used 1/3 cup or so). Add spinach, cheese and sage and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Toss the pasta and vegetables with the sauce mixture. Top with more cheese and enjoy!

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