beka stays real : my favorite way to eat

Seriously.

For all of my devotion to baked goods, meals like this are my favorite way to eat: plain, simple, and healthy.

I made this for lunch on Saturday (i.e. after this and before this). With no clear cut ideas for lunch I went straight for the things I really wanted and ended up with what’s pictured above: carrots and kale with a spoonful of hummus, 1/2 a grapefruit, 1/2 an Ezekiel muffin with peanut butter and sliced banana.

Sometimes I make meal planning too complicated. This is a good solution.

Amen.

beka stays hungry : weeknight enchiladas

I actually made something that did not require the use of a crock pot this week.

And I actually made it from a recipe designed for the use of a crock pot…but that also had adaptations for non-crock pot cooking.

Shock and awe!

What can I say? I was hungry and short on time! I didn’t have 6 hours to wait for dinner!

I’m sure this recipe would turn out great in a crock pot, but I’m actually glad I went with the just-stick-this-pan-filled-with-enchiladas-in-the-oven method (that’s the scientific terminology, for those of you who were wondering). The hardest part is willing the tortillas into submission without all of the filling spilling out everywhere.

Clearly, I have some room for improvement when it comes to willing tortillas into submission.

But really, this was beyond easy. And the best part is that they really held up well all week long. I made them on Sunday night and just had one of the last ones for dinner last night, and it was as good as the first!

That’s the mark of a staple recipe, right there.

Weeknight Enchiladas

lightly adapted from the Kitchn

Serves 4-6

1/2 yellow onion, diced small
1/2 bell pepper, diced small (any color)
1 clove garlic
1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used Adzuki beans. I’m a rebel. And they were on sale.)
1 cup frozen corn (I used canned. See: rebel. See also: sale.)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup cheese, shredded (I used low fat mozzarella, but I’m sure they would be great with any shredded cheese.)
1 cup salsa
6 6″-8″ tortillas, flour or corn (I used Father Sam’s Whole Wheat Wraps for the first time ever…SO good!)
Optional: 1 cup leftover meat – chicken, pork, hamburger, or shredded beef (I opted for chicken.)

Directions:

To see the real slow cooker directions, click on over to the Kitchn’s recipe here.

To make these bad boys in the oven (preheated to 400), I started by sauteing the onions, peppers, and garlic in just a little olive oil. Then I added some uncooked chicken breast strips and the seasonings and let that sizzle for about 5 minutes or so, until the chicken cooked through. Removing from heat is a good next step. Then, in a large bowl, I mixed the corn, black beans, 1/2 of the salsa, and 1/2 of the cheese. Once the pepper and onion mixture had cooled slightly I added it to the aforementioned bowl and mixed everything together. Then, with some degree of vexation, I rolled each enchilada until I had enough to fill a 9×13 pan, which turned out to be 6 enchiladas. Wonderful! Here is where I would have hypothetically put the remaining 1/2 cup of salsa on top the the enchiladas had I not forgotten. But I apparently decided to skip that step and went straight for covering the pan with foil and putting it in the oven for 20 minutes. Once 20 minutes have elapsed I removed the foil and added the rest of the cheese to my otherwise naked enchiladas and let them bake, uncovered, for about 3-5 more minutes, until the cheese was melted and tortillas were a bit toasty.

The fact that I just narrated that entire paragraph instead of giving you actual step by step directions illustrates perfectly why I will never write my own cookbook. Good luck!

But really, if you can figure those instructions out, it’s super easy and well worth trying.

Rating: 4/5, with the potential to be 5/5 if I remember to add the salsa to the top next time. Great weeknight dinner!

(But if you decide to eat them on a weekend, that’s ok too.)

beka stays hungry : salsa chicken

Riddle me this:

Why did it take me so long to start making real food for dinner?!

Cereal, frozen dinners, takeout leftovers…it’s time we went our separate ways. It’s nothing personal. We’ll still meet up every now and then. But the truth is…there’s a new meal in town. His name is Salsa Chicken.

He’s LATIN!

Enough said.

This recipe (from Wegmans Menu Magazine, Winter 21012) really took me by surprise. I wasn’t sure how much I’d love a dinner covered in salsa. I mean, I regularly cover tortilla chips in salsa and while I occasionally consider that dinner it’s actually not. So I had my doubts.

Half a bite in…I was a doubter no more. I immediately started planning when I could make this again, which is basically the mark of a true winner.

I only made two minor substitutions. The recipe calls for chorizo but since I already had Wegmans Sundried Tomato Chicken Sausage in the freezer from last week’s dinner I used that instead. Also, the picture in the magazine shows corn as a side…and it looked really good…so I just decided to add 1/4 cup of corn in at the end (when the chicken and olives are added; see below).

Like always, I cut the recipe in half. Otherwise I’d be looking into alternative freezer (and waist) space by now. One last thing – the recipe calls for a braising pan, which I’m sure is helpful, but I made mine in a deep casserole dish because that’s what I had on hand and it turned out great!

Here’s the recipe, from Wegmans website:

Salsa Chicken, Chorizo, and Whole Grain 5 Blend

Wegmans Menu Magazine, Winter 2012

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Wegmans Basting Oil
1 link Wegmans All Natural & Fully Cooked Chorizo Pork Sausage (Meat Dept), sliced on the bias in 1/4-inch pieces
1 pkg (8 oz) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Chopped Onions
1 pkg (8 oz) Food You Feel Good About Whole Grain 5 Rice Blend
1 jar (16 oz) Food You Feel Good About Roasted Tomato Salsa
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 lb Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken Breast (Cooked) (Prepared Foods), diced (about 3 cups)
1/3 cup Goya Alcaparrado (Manzanilla Olives, Pimientos & Capers), chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Add basting oil to braising pan on MEDIUM-HIGH. Add sausage; sear 2-3 min until browned. Remove from pan; set aside.
2. Add onion to pan; cook, stirring, 3-4 min, until onion begins to soften. Add grain blend; cook, stirring, 4-5 min, to toast grains. Carefully, to avoid spattering, add salsa and water. Return sausage to pan. Stir. Bring to a simmer on HIGH; cover.
3. Transfer to oven. Cook 25 min.
4. Remove from oven. Sprinkle chicken and olives over top. Return to oven; bake 10 min.
5. Remove from oven, let rest 10 min. Before serving, fold chicken and olives into grains.

(Side note: I topped mine with a small dollop of Greek yogurt, because that’s how I roll. It was delicious!)

These recipes just keep getting better and better…I think this was my favorite one yet!

The Rating:

Difficulty: Non-existent

Preparation Time: QUICK

Dumpster Dinner, Not Bad, Good, Really Good, or Unbelievably Amazing: Unbelievably Amazing

Overall Rating: 5/5 – This is something I’m already planning on making for my husband and children who do not currently exist. That’s how good this is: I’m feeding it to imaginary people.

beka stays healthy : new goods in the grocery bag

When it comes to grocery shopping, I’m a creature of habit. Actually, when it comes to life, I’m a creature of habit. But occasionally I break out of my rut and try new items. Sometimes it’s a good decision (see: Barbara’s Chocolate and Peanut Butter Puffins Cereal, Arnold’s Multigrain Sandwich Thins, Sabra Spinach and Artichoke Hummus). Sometimes it’s not (see: Fair Trade Purple Sticky Rice). But from time to time, it’s WONDERFUL. As follows:

Winner #1: Stacy’s Pita Chips

I bet I could finish off an entire bag of these in one sitting. Which is to say that they’re good as-is. But they also make a great topping to yogurt parfaits, oatmeal. or roasted fruit. My favorite so far is the cinnamon sugar, but the gingerbread is a close second!

Winner #2: Seeds of Change Ready to Heat Rice

OH MY GOODNESS. Talk about a time saver! I absolutely love incorporating whole grains like brown rice and quinoa into meals, but they take about a lifetime to cook. Seriously, it feels like I age a few decades while waiting for whole grains to cook. Consequently, I’m head over heels in love with these precooked, preseasoned, microwavable packets for the nights when I don’t have a few extra hours to make dinner. (Which is pretty much…all the time.) I’ve only tried the Seven Grain variety…but good news! There are 5 other kinds to sample…Indian and Caribbean among them! Can’t wait!

Winner #3: Pacific Foods Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Soup + Aforementioned Rice + Kale = Hearty Bowl of Lunch or Dinner Lovin’. (And Cashew Carrot Ginger? Minestrone with Chicken Meatballs? Oh, we’re going to be BFF’s soon. Just you wait.)

Winner #4: Westsoy Chocolate Peppermint Stick

I often wish that the Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks did not have 500 calories and half as many ingredients. And here is the answer to my prayers! This is great straight up cold, warm with a dollop of whipped cream, or – my favorite – mixed with a good cup of coffee.

I might start imposing a one new item per week rule to keep digging out of the grocery-staples rut. It’s for my own good. Clearly!

Have you guys tried anything new lately? Any reviews or recommendations? Do tell!