Cabbage Enchiladas

Credit http://healthylivinghowto.com/1/post/2012/01/winner-winner-beef-enchilada-dinner.html for this recipe.

A weird thing happened. My kids asked what we were having for dinner (8,000 times) and every time I told them it was cabbage enchiladas, they said things like, "That sounds yummy!" & "Mmmmm". It was kind of weird, but I ran with it. In the end, everyone liked the meal. I didn't even have to remind them to stop staring at the food and put it in their mouths. And this enchilada sauce is super good. I'm officially saying goodbye to the canned stuff.

• Enchilada Sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
• 1 C. Beef broth
• 5 oz. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Directions

In saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together all ingredients except olive oil.

Bring to low boil then reduce heat to low to keep warm.

Before pouring over cabbage rolls, whisk in olive oil.

 Beef Enchilada Cabbbage Rolls

• 1 lb. Ground Beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• medium head cabbage
• shredded cheese
• 2-4 avocados

In a large stockpot, add a couple of cups of water and bring to boil.

Remove core from cabbage and very carefully peel off 10-12 leaves.

Place leaves in boiling water and turn off heat.

While cabbage leaves are softening, pan fry ground beef, onion, salt and pepper in skillet.

Once ground beef is cooked though, remove from heat and add crushed garlic.

With tongs, remove one cabbage leaf at a time, fill with beef mixture, roll tightly and lay in glass baking dish.

Cover cabbage rolls with enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Serve with avocado slices and sour cream and enjoy!

Lentil Tacos

Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa
12 taco shells
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons fat free sour cream
Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly.
Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream.
Footnotes

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (2 tacos) equals 364 calories, 11 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 17 mg cholesterol, 815 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 22 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 lean meat, 2 starch, 1-1/2 fat.

Canned Salsa

Not to brag, but I pretty much mastered this on my very first attempt. Delish! It's time consuming so make sure your day is pretty open if you're going to do this. And you might as well make a lot of it while you're at it, but it's definitely worth the time.

I cut this recipe in about half and ended up with 10 1/2 pint jars. It took two large pots to cook it.

Assume that all the ingredients are either chopped or run through the food processor, depending on your preference. Me? I prefer the ease and the texture from the food processor.

10 qt. tomatoes, peeled and squeezed of excess juice and seeds
5 bell peppers
5 jalapeno peppers (with seeds)
2 yellow peppers (I omitted)
1 red pepper (I omitted)
2 long annaheim peppers (I used 3)
2 C. celery chopped (I omitted)
4 med. onions
1-2 bunches of cilantro
8 tomatillos
6 cloves of garlic or 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. paprika
1 C. white vinegar
1/4 C. salt
3 Tbsp. white sugar
2 Tbsp. black pepper
4 tsp. cumin

Combine all the ingredients and cook for about 3 hours or until it's the consistency you like. (Mine took about 1 1/2 hours and was actually pretty thick)

Bottle cold pack for 25 min. (This is correct time for our high altitude)

Chili Relleno Casserole

This is a great way to use up those peppers from Bountiful Baskets. I've tried several different versions of this and this one is by far my favorite. Much more filling and much more flavorful. If anyone has other ways to use the chilis, I'd love to hear it. Also, I discovered freshly made corn tortillas at Harmons. They're soooo much better than the regular ones you find in grocery stores, so I recommend trying those. If your kids don't like spicy, they can easily remove the peppers from their portion after it's all cooked.

*4-8 hot peppers, roasted, skinned, seeds removed
several corn tortillas (10ish), torn into 1-inch strips
1/2 lb. each Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese
2 to 3 tomatoes, sliced
8 to 10 eggs
1 tsp. each: salt, pepper, ground cumin and garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion salt

Preheat oven to 350°F; grease 9 x 13 pan. Cut chilies in half; lay out flat on bottom of pan. Cover chilies with half the tortillas, half tomatoes and half cheeses. Repeat for second layer. Beat eggs and spices; pour on top. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake 40 minutes, uncovered, until knife inserted comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

*To roast peppers, just place them on a pan on the highest rack in your oven and turn the broiler on. Let them cook until the skins char and bubble. You may want to turn them over so it does that on both sides. Then cool in a paper bag. The skins should easily come off, and if it doesn't, just leave it on.

Southwestern Egg Rolls

1 C. chopped chicken
1/2 Tbsp. parsley
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped red bell pepper

Combine those ingredients and cook. When chicken is fully cooked, add:

2Tbsp. gren onion, chopped
1/2 C. corn
1/4 C. black beans
2 Tbsp. chopped spinach
1 Tbsp. jalapeno, chopped

Cook until warm, then add:

3/4 C. cheese


Cut a raw flour tortilla in half. Place a spoonful of filling near the straight cut. Fold in the sides and roll it closed. Repeat until chicken mixture is gone.
Place rolls on baking sheet sprayed with Pam

Bake at 350 for 20-30 min. Turn them over halfway through the baking time.

Dressing:
Favorite ranch dressing
A couple tomatillos
small bunch of cilantro
lime juice

Blend together and dip rolls in. Yum!

Tostadas

This is a great go-to meal. Easy to make and yummy to everyone.

1 lb. ground meat
1/2 C. chopped onion
1 pkg. dry enchilada seasoning
1 1/2 C. water
8 oz. tomato sauce
16 oz. refried beans
1/2 C. evaporated milk

Toppings:
Cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, gr. onion, chips, etc.

Brown meat & onion. Drain if necessary. Stir in enchilada seasoning, water and tomato sauce. Simmer 15 min.

Stir in beans & milk, heat through. Let it sit a bit if you want it to thicken up.

Serve over chips and add toppings.