Sunday, June 13, 2010

Picante Chicken Rice Burritos

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 clove garlic, minced
7 cups shredded, cooked chicken meat
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
1 (16 ounce) jar picante sauce, divided
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 cup sliced black olives
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
12 (10 inch) flour tortillas

Directions
1.To Make Chicken Mixture: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and saute green onion and garlic until soft; stir in chicken, chili powder, 1/4 cup broth and 3/4 cup picante sauce. Heat through, then set aside.
2.To Make Rice: In a large saucepan, bring rice and remaining 2 1/4 cups broth to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups picante sauce, cover and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes or until rice is tender.
3.Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4.To Assemble Burritos: Stir chicken mixture into rice, then add olives and 2 cups of the cheese. Mix well. Spoon 1 cup of filling onto each tortilla, off center. Fold sides and ends over filling, then roll up. Arrange filled tortillas in two 9x13 inch baking dishes and sprinkle remaining cup of cheese on top.
5.Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Yummy! I will recommend lowering the oven temp to 300 and removing them before the tortillas stiffen. I used black beans instead of olives since I don't like them and used whole wheat tortillas. I only made a half recipe. Oh, and I used white onion instead of green since thats what I had. Enjoy!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

I started making this recipe without realizing it was a lighter version of someone's grandmother's made from scratch recipe. We really liked them.

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions
1.In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine the egg, milk, oil and vanilla; add to the dry ingredients just until moistened. Gently fold in blueberries. Fill greased or paper-line muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

I followed the suggestions of some of the reviewers and added 1/2 tsp of almond extract and extra oil (someone recommended using a 1/4 cup). I added a tablespoon of applesauce and used all whole wheat flour. I also added some extra brown sugar since someone suggested using it and that the recipe wasn't sweet enough. And they were done in 20 minutes. The batter looked a little weird but they tasted great!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Herb Grilled Pork Tenderloin

This was our anniversary dinner last night!

Ingredients
3 pounds pork tenderloin
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons ground black pepper

Directions
1.Cut a horizontal slit in the pork tenderloin, leaving the halves attached. Rub tenderloin with olive oil.
2.Insert garlic into the slit and on onto the fatty part of pork. Press thyme and rosemary into slit. Sprinkle tenderloin with salt and pepper.
3.Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
4.Lightly oil the grill grate. Place pork on grill. Cook approximately 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes, to a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees F (72 degrees C).

I think this would have turned out great, except that it was way too much salt and pepper for me. Noah cried because it was too much for his little tongue too. Oops. I used kosher salt, which I thought is supposed to be less potent. I will try cutting that in half maybe next time. I let the meat marinate in the fridge for about an hour and used the oven some too to help cook a little more. Also had to use dried thyme and added some fresh parsley since I had it. Something different and good for the grill! And now we have a TON of meat leftover so I recommend sharing!