Saturday, June 13, 2009

Like Promised...

Don't miss my update below this post.

Here are the first two recipes. For you Amanda and Sam!!

Mexican Lasagna
1 pkg. cream cheese (I use low fat)
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (I use whatever I have that would be good with Mexican)
1 can enchilada sauce (28oz) (I make my own using McCormick seasonings packet and tomato
sauce...cheaper)
12 (6 in) corn tortillas
3 cups dices or shredded cooked chicken (I use black beans for a vegetarian version)
2/3 c. chopped onion- divide into 3 equal piles

Place cream cheese in a medium microwave safe bowl, and micro on high for 30-45 sec. or until very soft. Add cilantro and 1.5 cups of the cheese, mix well. Spread 2/3 cup of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 3 qt. baking dish. Pour remaining suace into a large bowl and set aside.

TO assemble the lasagna, dip four tortillas into the enchilada sauce in the large bowl and arrange over the sauce in your baking dish (you may want to use tongs), overlapping as necessary. Scoop half of the cream cheese mixture over the tortillas and spread evenly ( I actually use my hands and then a spatula to do this). Top with 1 cup of the chicken and 1/3 of the onion (1 pile once you have divided). Repeat layers one time. Dip the remaining 4 tortillas into sauce and arrange over the second layer. Top with remaining chicken and onion. Pour remaining sauce over lasagna and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese (I sometimes add a little more!).

Bake covered at 350 about 35- 40 minutes, or until center is hot (depends on your oven). You may want to remove the cover for the last 10 minutes or so to make the top cheese nice and bubbly! Feel free to garnish with more fresh cilantro.

Freezer- I made four of these at once and froze all of them. Just assemble the lasagnas, cover with plastic warp and several layers of good foil and keep in your freezer. When ready to eat, thaw completely in fridge and cook according to the regular directions.

Big deal- if you happen to have a pampered chef deep covered baker (totally worth the money) I hope you know that you can use it in the microwave. You can use the stone to cook this lasagna in the micro in 12-15 minutes and it turns out perfect.

P.S.- I have more micro recipes for the deep covered baker. Let me know if you want them. Using this piece you can have dinner and dessert on the table in 30 minutes. YAY!

Chicken Neapolitan

This makes 2 (8 serving) meals for a total of 16 servings

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp pepper
3 Tbp. olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1 c. chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minces
1 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered (I have made this without mushrooms)
2 cans (10.75 ounces each) condensed tomato bisque soup (I have used regular tomato when
I couldn't find this. I just added a little cheese and a splash of cream)
3/4 c. red wine or beef broth
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium- high heat. Cook chicken for 8 minutes. Turn chicken; add onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook for another 8 minutes or until chicken juices run clear (Mine look less than 8 minutes per side. Watch out for hot oil splashed. I had to turn my burner down slightly). Pour into a large bowl and cool (I removed the chicken and veggies with a slotted spoon to get rid of some of the grease).

In a bowl, whisk together the soup, wine or broth, basil and oregano; pour over the chicken. Pour evenly into 2 gallon freezer bags (make sure each bag gets 4 breast halves). Freeze flat.

To use frozen chicken: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Pour into a greased 2.5 quart baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 35 - 40 minutes or until heated through. Serve over noodles or rice (I just make a side of minute brown rice to go with this). Feel free to garnish with olives and parsley if desired.





4 comments:

Samantha said...

Yay! This sounds tasty, I'll definitely try it! I have many delicious recipes, but I don't have any experience freezing things, so I'm always afraid they won't come out of the freezer tasting too good. I guess it's sort of trial and error (ham and potato soup does not freeze well!) but I hate to waste good ingredients. I'll be glad for all the tried and true recipes you post!

Erika said...

Made the lasagna before - actually for the pampered chef party I had last month - yummy!!! Good choice. Will have to try your chicken one, too. So glad you are home and enjoying your summer. We need to plan a visit soon! We're planning our next trip for fair time. You guys need to come down here and hang out at the pool with us for a couple of days - the kids ADORE the pool, and so do I!

Samantha said...

Ooh...post the fettucine alfredo recipe! I think I've got my list about pretty well rounded out (with the addition of that one of course)! I'll probably post it on the sidebar and tick it off as I get around to making things...

Unknown said...

Ok Rach - tell me more about the deep covered baker. I want to get one, but do I need something else to make it work in the micro? I guess I should have had a Pampered Chef party this weekend instead of a PartyLite! Hmmm... :)