Cheesy, yummy baked Quinoa Enchilada Casserole

This is so very easy to make. If you are craving enchiladas and their cheesy goodness, this is a way to make it a little healthier. This is a perfect weeknight meal. A co-worker who has the same love for quinoa as I do shared this with me, she found it on someone else's blog. I don't have that original link, so thank you to whoever came up with this idea! I think the original recipe had some chopped cilantro mixed in, I accidentally left it out the first time, and didn't miss it, but you could try adding that if you wanted to. I also think the original had you adding some toppings after you baked like tomato and avocado. You could totally do that too, but honestly it's yummy just plain!
 

Baked Quinoa Enchilada Casserole

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 can mild red enchilada sauce
• 1 4.5 ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
• 1 can corn kernels
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• Garlic salt and black pepper
• 3/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Cook quinoa by bringing quinoa and 1 3/4 cup water to boil. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook until all the water is gone, about 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375 and lightly spray a baking dish with nonstick spray (I use Pam with Olive Oil)
3. In a big bowl combine your quinoa, enchilada sauce, chiles, corn, beans,  cumin, chili powder, garlic salt and pepper. 
4. Still in half a cup of the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. 
5. Spread the mixture in the baking dish and top with the remaining cheese 
6. Bake for about 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

*Makes 4-6 servings depending on how hungry you are. 

**It's a 2 on Bryce's Dish scale. 

Grilled Pork Chops and Cherry Tomatoes with Garlic-Thyme Butter

This is a classic meal in our house. We make it for guests all the time and it's one of my favorite things to grill. We found it in an old Real Simple magazine and have tweaked it a bit over time. The key is to use really good thick bone-in pork chops. I didn't even know I liked pork chops until we found this recipe. It's good with just a simple salad as a side or something lighter because the tomatoes on top act as a nice vegetable too. 

GRILLED PORKCHOPS WITH CHERRY TOMATOES & GARLIC-THYME BUTTER

• 5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme (divided) 
• 4 1-inch-thick bone-in pork chops (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• Garlic salt and lemon pepper seasoning 
• 2 pounds cherry tomatoes

1. In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic, and 1 tablespoon thyme. Set aside.
2. Season the pork with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Just a little on each side. 
3. Put tomatoes in foil that you will make into foil pouch. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and one tablespoon thyme leaves. Close foil to make sealed pouch. 
4. Grill the pouch alongside the pork, gently shaking occasionally. 
5. Pork chops and tomatoes will take 15-20 minutes. 
6. When you pull the pork chops off the grill, top with about a tablespoon of the garlic-thyme butter and some cherry tomatoes. Add just a smidge more butter on top of the tomatoes.

**Serves 4

**On Bryces dish scale its a 1. Other than the cutting board and the bowl you make the butter in, it's done on the grill and is an easy clean up!

Delicious (and slightly intense) Chicken Tortilla Soup

I don't often post super intense and complicated recipes. This one has quite a few steps and takes a long time to make. However, the pay off is worth it. Plus, all the hard work is on the front end, then you get to let it simmer. This is absolutely the best chicken tortilla soup recipe I have ever found. I spent a lot of time searching for it. and loved that it has you make your own broth (kinda) and includes zucchini. The original comes from a post on food.com. This is pretty close to the original except I did find a few shortcuts and add and get rid of a few ingredients. It has just the right amount of kick. You can top it with whatever you want, but we love it with some avocado, a little cheese, pre-made tortilla strips and a squeeze of lime. 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

• 2 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
• 8 cups (2 cartons) low sodium chicken broth
• 1 lb yellow onions, 3/4 of them peeled and quartered, 1/4 chopped 
• 2 small zucchini, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 10 sprigs cilantro (plus more for topping) 
• salt and pepper
• 2 medium tomatoes, cored and quartered
• 1 poblano pepper, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (you find this in a can in the Mexican food isle) 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

To top soup:

• More cilantro
• Shredded Cheese, I use Colby-jack or Mexican blend
• Avocado, chopped or sliced
• Tortilla strips ( you can usually find these in a bag in the salad or produce section, it's sold as a salad topper)
• Sour cream or greek yogurt (I don't actually use this, but a lot of people like it as a topping) 
• lime wedges

1. In large pot bring chicken, broth, 1/2 of quartered onions, 2 garlic cloves, cilantro and a little salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) to boil over medium-heat; reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked, about 20 minutes.
2. Pull chicken out and set aside on plate.
3. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer, discard solids in strainer, and save broth.
4. Let chicken cool, then shred using a fork until it's bite size.
5. Puree tomatoes, remaining onions, remaining garlic cloves, chipotle chile, and 1 teaspoon adobe sauce in food processor until smooth. 
6. Heat oil in a dutch oven. 
7. Add puree and some more salt. Cook until it darkens, about 10 minutes. 
8. Stir in your broth, poblano pepper, zucchini, and chopped onions.
9. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes
10. Add chicken and simmer until heated again. 
11. Serve with whatever toppings you want!

**Makes about 6 servings, depending on how hungry you are.

**This is a 5 on Bryce's dish scale. We got 2 pots, cutting boards, and the blender or food processor used to puree is a pain to clean. So worth it though. 

Great use for whole-wheat penne: Pasta with Eggplant, Tomatoes &Mozzarella

 This is a great winter pasta, even though I realize the picture doesn't make it look quite as appetizing as I think it is. The mint adds a freshness and picks up some great flavors from the other veggies. This recipe comes from Real Simple. I stumbled upon it when I came home from the Farmer's Market with too much eggplant and wanted to do something different with it. It makes great leftovers and is pretty healthy. Penne is my favorite whole-wheat pasta so I made that change and a few other flavor changes from the original recipe.  I almost always add to the garlic a recipe calls for because I LOVE garlic. If you aren't a big garlic fan, you should probably reduce almost all my recipes by a clove. 

Whole-wheat Penne with Eggplant, Tomatoes & Mozzarella

• 1box whole-wheat penne
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces 
• 1/2 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, halved 
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 
• kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces 
• 1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. I add just a drop of olive oil to the water as it boils to keep the pasta from sticking together
2. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add the eggplant, a little salt and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally until it softens and browns. About 8-10 minutes. 
3. Add the tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes and a little more salt and pepper. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, tossing it around until the tomatoes are soft.
4. Combine pasta and vegetables mixture in a big bowl. Add mozzarella and sprinkle with mint.  

***Makes 4 servings.

***On Bryce's dish scale it's a 3. Skillet, pot, bowl, cutting board. Not a huge mess, but plenty of dishes. 

Yummy Asian Style Cole Slaw

L

 This is just a side dish, but I've made it for my family a couple of time and each time it's a hit. I made it combing a couple of different Asian style slaws I found on pinterest. It's good for a couple of days, but because of the ramen noodles- doesn't last long. You don't want to make too far ahead. The work that goes into though - is worth it!

Asian Cole Slaw

  

• 1 (14 oz) pkg. prepared cole slaw, shredded
• 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
• ½ cup sesame or sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 package ramen noodles (seasoning discarded)- crunched up into pieces
• ½ cup green onions chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey 

1. Melt butter in skillet. Throw in almonds, sunflower seeds, ramen, and sesame seeds and toast until brown.
2. Toss nut mixture with Cole slaw, cabbage and green onions.
3. To make dressing: wisk together oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, honey & sugar.
4. Put on the dressing right before serving.

This makes about 6 servings and can easily be doubled!

Pesto Quinoa with Chickpeas and Spinach

This is a perfect meal when you want to be healthy but have no time. The leftovers are just as good as the main meal. I can't stress to you how simple this is. No cutting. No washing. Nothing. Yes I take the easy way out and buy pesto and don't make it from scratch. It's the perfect way to use a little leftover pesto if you have it from something too. We eat this as a main meal and it's super filling. You could definitely do it as a side dish in smaller portions too.

 

Pesto Quinoa with Chickpeas and Spinach

 

• 2 cups quinoa (you'll need 2 and 3/4 cup water to cook it in)
• 1/4 cup of pesto
• 4 cups spinach (I kinda tear it up a little as I mix it in)
• 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup shaved parmesan to top with

1. Cook quinoa the normal way (rinse in strainer, bring quinoa and water to a boil, knock down to simmer and cover for about 15 minutes until all the liquid is gone)
2. While the quinoa is still warm - mix in the pesto, grated parm, chickpeas and spinach together
3. That's it. Serve with shaved parm sprinkled on top!

**Makes 4 healthy servings as a main dish.

**On Bryce's dish scale it's a one. No cutting. One pot. One bowl.

5 Minute (buffalo) Salmon

Before you start judging, yes, this is a recipe to make salmon in the microwave. I don't care what you say, It's delicious. And oh so easy. I have now used this method to do other types of Salmon (I'll share those later). The recipe comes from a cookbook my parents got me called "Eat What You Love Everyday." It's all about making your favorite meals a lot healthier. It has a ton of great stuff, but a lot of them are too difficult for me to make during the week. Obviously microwave salmon is not. I barely changed this recipe other than subbing a few ingredients, and adding a little salt. This recipe explains how to remove the skin easily, if your salmon is skinless, skip that step. We serve it with a side of easy brown minute race to make it the fastest and easiest weeknight meal ever, I barely even dirty any dishes! P.S. I highly recommend the cookbook too!


Microwave Buffalo Salmon

• 2 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt
• 4 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Sauce (The regular or wing style are both good, wing style is a little bit thicker)
• 2 salmon filets
• 4 green onions sliced
• garlic salt and pepper

1. Mix together Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon of water and a little salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Place salmon on a microwave - safe plate (I use paper plates). Sprinkle the side without skin with a little garlic salt and pepper. Brush with half the hot sauce. Flip the sauce side down on the plate. Cover with plastic wrap tightly.
3. Microwave for 2 minutes.
4. Pull out of the microwave. Discard the plastic wrap. If your fish has skin - using a fork, it should pull off very easily. Scrape off the dark meat here too.
5. Sprinkle the side with the skin now removed with a little garlic salt and pepper. Brush the remaining hot sauce on this side. Flip it over on the plate. Recover with new plastic wrap tightly.
6. Microwave one minute if the fish is less than an inch thick. 1 and a half if its a inch thick.
7. To serve, cover with sauce and sprinkle green onions on top.

**Makes 2 servings
**On Bryce's dish scale this one is a WINNER. only think we use is the bowl to mix the sauce in.