My daughter is always asking for ramen or chicken noodle soup especially during these cold Minnesota winter months. She’s my kindred soup spirit as both of us could eat soup for every meal. It’s so flavorful, full of nutrition, warm and comforting. I’ve indulged her …
Finally, I’m willing to admit that my garden is done for the season. I’ve harvested all it had to offer and preserved much of it for future meals. One of the vegetables that my garden provided in abundance this year was tomatillos. These plants seem …
Simple and savory kale dip stuffed chicken is a dish that shines equally well on your weeknight table or for guests you want to impress with your kitchen prowess. For the filling, a traditional kale dip is modified into a healthier stuffing mixture by combining fresh chopped kale with Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise and cream cheese. Any other sturdy garden green can be used in place of kale as well like spinach or swiss chard for an equally awesome stuffed chicken. If you’re feeling extra fancy, add a chopped artichoke heart or two for a little variation. I’ve also used leftover portions of this ricotta spinach artichoke dip on occasion… not that I usually have leftovers but it’s certainly a creative way to use them up if needed. This kale dip stuffed chicken is delicious served with additional kale prepared as a fresh chopped salad or sauteed in olive oil and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper.
To save time on dishes, I am a huge fan of cast iron skillets, which is what I use for baking chicken dishes like this one. Once cast iron pans are seasoned properly, they are non-stick, are amazing at browning meats and can go directly in the oven (or grill) as well. They also don’t get washed in soap making clean up a bit easier. Simply scrub with a little hot water and salt rub until any stuck bits are removed from your pan, wipe out, and re-apply olive oil. Wipe out any excess oil and you’re done!
I admit I’ve been less than motivated these past few weeks. In part, I blame our out of character April weather patterns bringing a ridiculous dumping of snow upon my Minnesota backyard. The rest of my time has been spent preparing my seedlings in their …
Sub-zero winter temps never fail to make me crave rich, creamy comforting soups. You know the type… those soups that coat the spoon just right and envelop your whole body in warmth and childhood nostalgia. For me, creamy chicken wild rice soup does just that. …
This week my littlest little went off to kindergarten embarking on a new adventure for himself and spreading his wings. Of course, that makes me a little teary-eyed because the house feels a little too quiet but I welcome the change. I’ve been home with my kids for nine years so this is also a new adventure in freedom and opportunity for me to do the things that I’ve been putting off or just haven’t had time to do while I’ve had kiddos in the house full time. For example, this morning I went for a peaceful two-mile run. I hadn’t really been able to do that during the weekdays as I couldn’t leave my little guy unattended and he wasn’t yet fast enough on his bike to ride beside me. After my run, I immersed myself in the kitchen canning tomatoes and making other delectable items of my own choosing rather than dictated by the kids. Country breakfast sausage was one of those delightful items I enjoyed as a post-run brunch this morning with a berry smoothie eaten at a leisurely pace with a big cup of joe and a cat on my lap.
Country breakfast sausage is a savory blend of sage, thyme, pepper, coriander and paprika that I’ve fine-tuned to my liking. I often use a smoked salt to add a hint of smokiness to the sausage as well. This spice blend works well with ground pork as well as ground turkey or chicken. Breakfast sausage is one of my guilty pleasures. I love it more than bacon… and creating it homemade is a surefire way to avoid nasty additives and preservatives that can be found in a lot of commercially purchased breakfast sausage. Mixing the sausage up with your hands ensures that the spices are blended evenly throughout making each bite a perfect breakfasty morsel. After mixing, you can form the sausage into patties like I did or you can cook it as a crumble which I love to do over hashbrowns. Because these are savory instead of sweet, this country breakfast sausage also makes a killer sausage gravy!
Now while the kids are back in school and I have more free time, I’m looking forward to posting recipes here more often and focusing on my professional articles that I create for the athletes at Breaking Muscle. Perhaps I’ll even delve into creating another meal plan! Which by the way, if you haven’t checked it out yet, I have a recently published subscription site with a full month’s meal plan of clean tasty eats ready and waiting for you to try.
Apparently, enchilasagna is an actual word. Well, at least it is on the interwebs. It’s simply the combo of enchilada fixings layered in a pan just like a lasagna. That word seems strange so I’m sticking with easy and uncomplicated and just calling this an …
The first snow of the season (happening now!) always makes me a bit giddy. This can only mean one thing…that the holidays are approaching and spending lots of meaningful time with family is just around the corner. The hubby and I have been hosting his family for Thanksgiving …
If I had to survive on only one cuisine for the rest of ever, it would be Mexican. Or maybe Thai. It’s a tossup. They both have one thing in common. Mexican and Thai flavors are both very cohesive and flavorful through the entire dish and have a lot of heat. I don’t mean just the little bit of kick, kind of spicy. I’m talking about the hit ya in the backside kind of spice but not so much that it knocks you over. THAT is what I like. I don’t even know HOW I’m a Minnesota girl, honestly. My roots are all Scandinavian and German (you know the type: those who think ketchup is spicy… and we dance a mean polka). Yet, somehow, I can’t GET enough hot spicy goodness in my life. I’ll blame it on my travels to Mexico and Asia. I remember a trip to Seoul, Korea where the vendors I was working with were astonished that I was eating whole charred garlic cloves straight off the grill (in multitude). I then proceeded to douse my rice with their chili paste (not for the faint of heart). I had been forewarned that “this is SPICY!!” and that maybe, as an American, I wouldn’t like it. It was fantastic!! I then proceeded to dare my coworker into a “you taste the spicy chili and I’ll taste the sushi” dare (I don’t do sushi… it’s the texture). I won. These amazing enchiladas are a testament to my love affair with spice though they are less spicy than I would make for myself, given the choice 😉 These chicken white bean enchiladas are still kid and Midwestern husband friendly!
Chicken white bean enchiladas start with a slow cooked chicken. Hello, drool-worthy shreddable tenderness! To that, we add a touch of garlic and onion and a tish of that tomatillo salsa which also goes on top. You can use any other enchilada sauce too if you prefer red or green. My go-to sauces when I don’t make it from scratch are the Frontera brand that you can get in a pouch since it doesn’t have preservatives. If you like a nice red (rojo) enchilada sauce from scratch, you can use the red sauce I created for this venison enchiladas recipe both in the sauce and as a “smother” for baking. Add to that a bit of white navy beans, more garlic, and a little lime and spinach , topped with pickled jalepeno and we have ourselves a respectable chicken white bean enchilada. You can make this as spicy as you want simply by altering the type of peppers you use when making the sauce. Less spicy peppers equal less spicy sauce. Or use less of them just be sure to use a variety for a well-rounded flavor. Simple simon… and SUPER delicious!
Happy almost Easter! I survived having the kiddos home on Spring break last week and also hosted four of my daughter’s nine-year-old friends for her birthday sleepover. It never fails to surprise me at how rambunctious and LOUD a small group of young girls can …
