Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Salsa

I love tostadas.  It is everything that you love about tacos, on a crunchy base shell.  I think I love tostadas because I love Mexican pizzas at Taco Bell and can't replicate those close enough to make myself happy, so the next best thing is tostadas.

I saw this on Sarah's blog when she first posted them and thought they sounded to die for.  I pinned them and had good intentions to make them, but never did.  I received her for a recipe swap back in early February and made these for the swap, but ended up posting about the amazing Egg Sandwiches with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto instead.

Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Salsa
adapted from A Taste of Home Cooking
Ingredients
1 cup tomato, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
4 fajita-size tortillas
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz. can of corn, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup queso fresco, cheddar or Mexican cheese blend
2 cups shredded chicken mixture from Chicken Suiza Pockets, or 2 cups shredded chicken

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Combine tomato, avocado, onion and cilantro together in a small bowl. In another small bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, cumin, pepper and salt. Pour over the avocado mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3) Add a splash of olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the skillet until puffy and lightly browned. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
4) Divide black beans, corn, chicken and cheese among tortillas. Transfer tortillas to a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, or until chicken is warmed through.
5) Divide the avocado salsa among the tortillas and serve immediately.

These are like I thought, absolutely to die for.  I couldn't get enough of the avocado salsa, and kept sneaking little tastes while I was cooking.  I thought the flavors all worked together well to create a great dish.  My only comment about this is that we chose bigger sized tortillas and these came out massive.  I made it half-way through mine and even though it was the best dish I've had in a long time, I couldn't finish it.  So I'd recommend doing taco sized tortillas and maybe just eating additional tostadas if need be instead of creating a mammoth of a tostada like I did.  Either way you serve them, they are definitely delicious.

Chili Blanco

It is time for another recipe swap, hosted by Sarah at A Taste of Home Cooking.  The theme this time was Blogger's Choice and I received Dawn's blog: Simple Gourmet Cooking.

 

While looking through Dawn's blog, I discovered an old favorite: Mexican Stuffed Shells, so I made that one night.  Then, I was looking around her blog and came across this chili.  I have been looking for a good chile recipe that isn't a red-base chili, so I thought I'd try this one as my swap recipe. 

Chili Blanco
slightly adapted from Simple Gourmet Cooking
Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey
1 pound lean ground pork
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Knorrs Concentrated Chicken Broth tubs
1 can Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
2 15-oz cans Great Northern Beans, undrained
1 15-oz can golden hominy,  undrained
1 4-oz cans diced green chile peppers, undrained
4 large fresh jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
Directions
1) In a 4-quart Dutch oven cook chicken, pork, onions and garlic over medium heat until pork is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat.
2) Stir in concentrated broth, enchilada sauce, beans, hominy, green chile peppers, jalapeno peppers, lime juice, cumin, and white pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 40 min, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro.

When going through my cupboard for ingredients, I realized that I only had one can of green chiles, but I had an extra can of green chile enchilada sauce.  So, I added that in addition to everything.  Apparently the commissary on base doesn't like stocking different types of peppers, so they only had jalapeno peppers instead of poblano, so I just grabbed more of those instead. 

While it isn't as white as Dawn's, due to the enchilada sauce, I decided to keep the name.  I thought this chili was fantastic.  Jacob said that it was different enough and good enough to enter into a chili competition, which in my mind is a huge stamp of approval from him.  I served this with an herbed cheddar bread that has the texture of cornbread.  It was great for some of the dreary weather we've faced the past couple of weeks.  Definitely put this on your menu if you're looking for a non-red chili.

Please check out the other great dishes from the Blogger's Swap below.

Mexican Steak "Pitzas" with Cilantro Sour Cream

Since I've been staying at home, lunch is often a challenge.  My husband doesn't wake up until about 2 p.m. for lunch since he works nights, so it is difficult finding something that is filling but not too much to ruin dinner.

When I had Joelen's blog for a recipe swap, I ran across these Mexican Pitzas that sounded like they'd make a great lunch.  I prepped the Cilantro Sour Cream that morning before I sat down to work, and when he woke up, it was super easy to put together. 

Mexican Steak "Pitzas" with Cilantro Sour Cream
barely adapted from What's Cookin' Chicago?
Ingredients
lb beef flank steak, finely chopped
1/2 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Cilantro
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon canola oil for cooking
4 whole wheat pitas
1/2 cup shredded mexican blend cheese
1 can Refried Black Beans
1/2 finely diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
2-3 tablespoons water

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) In a skillet over medium high heat, add the cooking oil, onions and garlic; saute until softened.
3) Add the beef and seasonings and cook until browned.
4) While the beef is cooking, place your pitas on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes to soften the pitas. Remove the pitas from the oven and set aside.
5) When the beef has cooked thoroughly, spoon the Black Bean refried beans onto the pita, and top the beans with the beef to cover completely.
6) Top the beef with the shredded cheese and bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese has melted.
7) While the pitas are baking, prepare the cilantro cream by combining the cilantro, sour cream and water. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
8) When the pitas are done baking, remove from the oven and top with the cilantro cream and chopped tomatoes; serve.

                             

These are a little hard to maneuver, but the flavor is fantastic.  We tried them one day without the beans and one day with the beans, and they held together much better with the beans.  The Cilantro Cream was fantastic.  It was really easy to put together and added so much flavor.  I'll definitely put these back on the lunch menu in the future.

Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish and Avocado Cream Sauce- Guest Post for a 6th Blogiversary!

Today I'm guest posting over at A Taste of Home Cooking. Sarah's blog recently reached the six year milestone, and she's celebrating by doing a series of guest posts this week. I could choose any recipe from her blog to make, and I chose these delicious Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish and Avocado Cream Sauce. Go check out my post on her blog, and be sure to congratulate Sarah on her 6 year milestone!

Shrimp, Black Bean, and Pineapple Foil Packets

Shrimp is one of those foods that I try to stay away from.  They seem like the "perfect" stage only lasts for short window and then they are overdone.  Plus, they are so expensive, that I feel if I mess up, I will have wasted a lot of money.  I saw this foil packet recipe awhile ago and pinned it on Pinterest.  When we received our Blogger's Choice recipe swap where we could make anything, I kept gravitating towards this foil packet recipe, and Chicken and White BBQ Potatoes.  I made them both, but decided for the swap, I'd share the one that my husband "ooh"ed and "aah"ed over. :)

Shrimp, Black Bean, and Pineapple Foil Packets
slightly modified from Prevention, RD
Ingredients
8 oz raw, medium sized shrimp (peeled, deveined)
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup pineapple, finely chopped
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2-1 jalapeno pepper, minced (depending on the amount of spice you want)
2 tablespoons pineapple juice, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 avocado, diced

Directions:
1) Preheat grill to medium.
2) Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Set aside.
3) In a medium bowl, combine the black beans, pineapple, red onion, and jalapeno. Stir in 1 tablespoon pineapple juice, coriander, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin.
4) Spray two large pieces of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Spoon half of the black bean mixture into the center of each and top with half of the shrimp. Pour the remaining pineapple juice over the shrimp. Bring the edges of the foil together and fold down, sealing well.
5) Place the foil packets on the grill, cover, and cook for 10-12 minutes, until shrimp are opaque.
Carefully open the foil packets and stir the contents. Top with the diced avocado and sprinkle with cilantro.

 

My husband kept talking about how much flavor these packets had.  I guess he was a little surprised, haha.  I thought they were amazing as well.  The shrimp were actually perfect, and so was the avocado (my avocados are never perfect).  So this turned out to be a very successful meal. 

I found out in the middle of making this that I didn't have lime juice, so just substituted the pineapple juice.  I put 1/4 of a jalapeno in each packet because Jacob isn't a fan of jalapeno spice, but I found that it definitely needs more than that, because it got lost in all the other flavors.  I also would have added more onion because those got a little lost too.  But definitely will eat these on days where it is too hot to turn on the oven, but we don't want something too heavy from the grill. 

Steak Tostadas with Black Beans and Mango Salsa

Rarely do I run across a meal that is so memorable that I want to make it every week until I get tired of it.  This is one of those meals.  I was looking for a recipe that had mangoes in it, to use up the mangoes I got on sale, and this fit the bill.

This recipe has a lot of ingredients and requires a little bit of preparation, but the results are mouthwatering.  I can't wait to make this dish again.

Steak Tostadas with Black Beans and Mango Salsa
slightly adapted from Food Network 
Ingredients

Mango Salsa:
1 red onion, finely chopped

1 large ripe mango, peeled and finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/4 cup honey

3 limes, juiced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steak Marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

3 lemons, juiced

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (2-pound) piece top round

Black Beans:1 can black beans, drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Tostadas:Vegetable oil, for frying
4 corn tortillas

Toppings:
Mango Salsa
Sour cream, optional
Grated cheese of your choice, optional

Directions
1) For the steak: In a large shallow bowl or baking dish whisk together the soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, onion, jalapeno, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the skirt steak, cover and refrigerate. Marinate for at least 1 hour, preferably several hours.
2) In a bowl, combine all ingredients for the mango salsa and set aside for 10 to 20 minutes for the flavors to marry.

3) For the beans: In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine all ingredients and let simmer for 20 minutes.
4) For the tostadas: Heat about 3 inches of oil in a large pot to about 350 degrees F. Carefully slide 1 tortilla into the oil and fry until crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
5) Preheat a grill pan or grill to medium-high. Place the steak on the grill and grill about 4 to 6 minutes for medium-rare to medium.  Discard the remaining marinade. Remove from grill to a cutting board and let rest for about 5 minutes. Slice into thin pieces at a diagonal.
6) To serve: Place fried tortillas on a large platter or individual plates. Spoon some of the black bean mixture in the middle of the tortillas. Top with steak slices and the Mango Salsa. Garnish with sour cream and your choice of grated cheese, if desired.

The only complaint that I had about this meal was that the tostadas get soggy, and they become pretty hard to manage.  I remedied that the next day and just turned them into tacos, and they were just as amazing.  The flavors in this dish all work together to create a flavor explosion in your mouth that you won't be able to get out of your mind.   

Oriecchiette with Sausage, Spinach and White Beans

Last week, I meal planned partially from cookbooks instead of just finding all my recipes from blogs.  I have a ton of cookbooks that sit on my shelves collecting dust.  I justify every week why I can't use one or the other: "I'm not in the mood for casseroles." "All the slow cooker recipes in that book are super unhealthy."  So usually my go to cookbooks are my healthier ones, which is where I got this recipe from.  I've seen a version of this floating around the blogs with mascarpone cheese in it.  I thought this might be a healthier version.
 
Oriecchiette with Sausage, Spinach and White Beans
adapted from Cook this, Not that
Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound Turkey Sausage
1/2 pound spinach
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning divided
1/2 pound orecchiette, or any shell type pasta (I couldn't find orecchiette in my store)
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 can white beans
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions
1) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil, then the sausage. Break the sausage into small pieces and cook until it browns, about 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic and one teaspoon of the Italian Seasonings, and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2) About 5 minutes into the cooking time of the sausage, return the large pot of water to high heat to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Cooking time varies from brand to brand, 8 minutes is about average, check after 6.
3) When the sausage is cooked all the way through, add the spinach and cook until wilted.  Add the chicken broth, white beans, and the rest of the Italian Seasonings.  Cook until broth and beans get hot.

The chicken broth was very flavorful and everything was very tasty in this dish.  I really liked the beans and the pasta because it made for a meal with more substance.  I liked the broth as the sauce, but I think next time, I'd make more, because it doesn't really stick to the pasta as well as normal pasta sauce does.  I have to say my husband missed the pasta sauce on this dish, so I guess it isn't really a "guy dish".  But I think overall, it was a good dish.

Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas

This recipe has been on my list of things to make for awhile.  I was intrigued by the beans in the enchiladas because besides refried beans, I hadn't thought of beans and enchiladas really going together.

I also had never made enchiladas without canned sauce.  The recipe that I normally use for enchiladas takes awhile to put together, so making sauce from scratch just seems even more time consuming.  I think that I may start to use this sauce on my go-to enchiladas now.  The sauce is easy and tastes lighter and fresher than the canned stuff does.  Definitely worth the few extra minutes.

Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas
slightly adapted from Skinnytaste
Ingredients

Chicken and White Bean Filling 

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 cup minced white onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles

15.5 oz can Navy beans

2 cooked shredded chicken breasts

1/2 can water

1 chicken bullion

1 tsp cumin

1 teas

Green Chile Enchilada Sauce:
1 tsp butter
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 tbsp flour
1 cup fat free chicken broth
7 oz can chopped green chile
2 jalapeños, chopped
salt
1/2 cup light sour cream 
8 medium low carb tortillas
chopped fresh cilantro and scallions

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 375°.
2) For the Filling: In a medium pan, heat olive oil on low. Add onions, garlic and saute until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add green chiles, beans, water, bullion, and cumin. Mix well and cover. Simmer on low 15 minutes. Remove cover, add chicken and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until it thickens and liquid boils down. Set aside.
3) Green Chile Enchilada Sauce: In a large nonstick pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add flour and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth. Whisk until the sauce becomes smooth. Cook over medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Add green chiles, jalepeños, and salt to tatse. Cook another minute then remove from the heat. Stir in the sour cream.
4) Assembly: Spread about 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish. Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup of the chicken/white bean filling. Roll the tortillas and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling remainder of the tortillas.
5) Pour the enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with cheese. Cover with aluminum and bake 20-30 minutes, until the enchiladas are hot and the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with fresh cilantro or scallions. 

It's a bad picture, but these were fantastic enchiladas.  The beans provide a more substantial filling for these enchiladas.  We usually eat two enchiladas apiece for dinner, and we each only had one of these and were full.  I thought the sauce was great because it didn't drown out the taste of the filling in the enchilada.  These make for a great meal!

Garlicky Red Beans and Pork

I have never made a meal with dried beans before. When I read through this recipe, I thought it sounded good, so I figured I'd try something new.
I realized when I walked into the living room with the recipe that this didn't have a picture, and I am usually horrible at making things without a picture.  The picture provides an end result goal for me and it seems like without it, I don't know if I'm doing anything right or not.  I had doubts the entire time I was making this meal.  I kept saying 'I didn't know it was going to be so stew-like.'  My husband reminded me that it would turn out however it turned out, but for some reason, I didn't find solace in that.

Garlicky Red Beans and Pork adapted from SparkRecipes
Ingredients1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 lbs lean boneless pork loin, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 red onion chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 cup dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon cumin
3 green chiles, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 cup water

Directions
1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the pork and pepper; cook, stirring as needed, until the pork is cooked through and lightly browned, 8-10 mins. Add the onions and garlic; cook, stirring as needed, until the onions are tender about 8 mins.

2. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, chiles, cumin and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the beans are tender, 80-120 mins.

I realized that dried beans are another thing that take FOREVER at high altitude.  I tasted them at 50 minutes like the recipe said, and the beans were still rock hard.  I soaked them for 10 hours, so I know I did followed the process correctly, I guess the altitude just plays more of a part than I realized.  It ended up cooking for about 2 hours at our house before it was done.  Just taste everything along the way.

The good part of everything cooking for 2 hours is that the flavors melded so well.   It was warm and filling on a cold Wyoming autumn night.  The thing that I loved about it was that the pork tasted amazing.  It is probably the best pork that I have ever eaten.  It flaked really easy and was juicy and flavorful.  When I got full, I picked all the pieces of pork out like a kid does with a meal they don't like and just ate all the pork.

My husband says this meal would be great with some kind of bread.  Since it was chili-like he kept mentioning cornbread, but I didn't have the stuff for it.  I thought it was great, although I'll have to tackle the beans in a different fashion next time.