Freezer Chicken Enchiladas

Freezer Chicken Enchiladas
Serves 4-6 (can easily be multiplied)

Ingredients
1 (29-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 medium onion , chopped
3 cloves garlic , minced
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons minced canned pickled jalapeños
10 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray

To Prepare
1. Blend tomato sauce, onion, garlic, chipotle, cumin, coriander, salt, and broth in blender until smooth. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add tomato mixture, bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until mixture is reduced to 3 1/2 cups, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Toss 3/4 cup sauce with chicken, 1 cup cheese, cilantro, and jalepeños.

3. Place 5 tortillas on baking sheet and lightly coat both sides with cooking spray. Bake tortillas until just pliable, about 2 minutes. Working quickly, transfer one tortilla at a time to work surface, fill with 1/3 cup chicken mixture, and roll tightly. Transfer, seam side down, to large plate. Repeat warming and rolling process with remaining 5 tortillas.

To Freeze
1.Place plate in freezer until enchiladas are frozen, at least 1 hour.

2. Place remaining sauce in freezer safe container and press 2 layers of plastic wrap directly onto surface of sauce. Tightly wrap enchiladas in bundles of 5, first in plastic and then in foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.

To Serve
1. When ready to serve: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Defrost enchilada sauce in microwave on defrost setting, about 12 minutes.

2. Coat 13 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange frozen enchiladas in single layer in baking dish and coat tops with cooking spray. Bake until tops of tortillas are just beginning to flake, about 20 minutes. Remove dish from oven, top enchiladas with 1 1/2 cups sauce, and bake 10 minutes longer. Sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese and bake until cheese melts and center of casserole is hot and bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes.

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Mini Meatball Recipes Pt. 3

Italian Meatball Soup



1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes with onion and garlic

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning, crushed
8 ounces frozen italian style cooked meatballs, or your own from the freezer,about 8
1/2 cup small dry pasta, such as ditalini or orzo pasta (elbows are ok)
1 cup loose pack, frozen mixed vegetables
1 tablespoon finely shredded parmesan cheese or grated parmesan cheese



Directions
- Stir together beef broth, undrained tomatoes, the water and Italian seasoning in a large saucepan, bring to boiling.
- Add meatballs, pasta and frozen veggies.
- Return to boiling, reduce heat.
- Simmer covered, about 10 minutes or till pasta and veggies are tender.
- Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.


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Chile Verde Meatballs
SERVES 4 -6

1 large fresh onion, minced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 (16 ounce) jar la victoria salsa verde
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs frozen meatballs
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup sour cream, for garnish


Directions
- Into a large, heavy pot, add the onion, garlic, salsa verde, broth or beer, and the meatballs.
- Simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally; add the ground cumin and simmer for 15 minutes more.
- Serve with sour cream for garnish, along with rice and beans and tortillas.


**Note: you can also make this in your crockpot on low for 4 hours, adding in the cumin in the last 30 minutes.

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Healthy Bean Burritos

Yes, we all have them. Those frozen brick-like burritos in our freezer. They're so handy for husbands and teenagers to grab in a single serving size and throw into the microwave. But why settle for prepackaged foods when you can keep these on hand? Individual vegetarian burritos are perfect for quelling takeout cravings and eating in a jiffy! ANd you control the ingredients that go into them. Perfection!

Healthy Bean Burritos


3/4 cup rice (brown or white)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeno chile, chopped (ribs and seeds removed, for less heat)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 bag frozen corn kernels, (10 ounces)
6 scallions, thinly sliced
8 burrito-size flour tortillas, 10 inches each
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

To Prepare

- Cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.

- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add onions, garlic, jalapeno, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

- Add beans and 1 1/2 cups water; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Add corn; cook to heat through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in scallions.

- Heat tortillas according to package instructions; fill with rice, bean mixture, and cheese.

- Assemble: Mound 1/4 cup rice, 3/4 cup bean mixture, and 1/4 cup cheese on one side of tortilla. Fold, and hold in sides. Starting from filled end, holding sides in as you work, tightly roll into a bundle. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down, and prepare remaining burritos.


To Freeze
- wrap individually in plastic and freeze up to 3 months.

To Serve
- take from freezer and remove plastic.
- Wrap with damp paper towel and heat in microwave for 3-4 minutes until heated through.

*recipe and photo from Everyday Foods

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Vegetable Enchiladas

Get a freezable Mexican meal rolling in no time with a no-cook filling and a sauce made from pantry ingredients. Jack cheese and a combination of black beans and corn tortillas give this meatless dish complete protein.

Vegetable Enchiladas



Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dishes
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 cups grated pepper Jack cheese (12 ounces)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
16 corn tortillas (6-inch)

To Prepare

- Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add 1 teaspoon cumin, flour, and tomato paste; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

- Make filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, beans, spinach, corn, scallion whites, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin; season with salt and pepper.

- Lightly oil two 8-inch square aluminum baking dishes; set aside. Stack tortillas, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute. Or stack and wrap in aluminum foil, and heat in oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Top each tortilla with a heaping 1/3 cup of filling; roll up tightly and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dishes.

- Dividing evenly, sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 1 cup cheese.

To Freeze

Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place sauce in an airtight container. Freeze enchiladas and sauce for up to 2 months.


To Serve
- Thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight (or microwave on high 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dishes, and pour sauce over enchiladas; cover with foil.

- Bake 30 minutes; remove foil, and bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Cool 5 minutes before serving.


*recipe and photo from Everyday Food

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Restaurant Crisp Chicken Burritos

I don't know how many of you have a Taco Time in close proximity to you, but they have a delightful and not-health-conscious menu item called a Crisp Chicken Burrito. And it is delicious. Well here is my family's version of the recipe and it freezes very well. These are mild and creamy, yet have a slight kick.

Crisp Chicken Burritos

Makes 8

3 -4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 small can diced green chilies, drained
1 brick cream cheese, cut into cubes
8 (10 inch) flour tortillas
vegetable oil for frying

To Prepare
- saute chicken cubes and onion in a pan until just cooked through.
- remove from heat and add chilies and cream cheese.
- stir until combined and a thick and creamy sauce has formed.
- place 1/2 c. chicken mixture onto tortilla. Roll tightly, folding in sides. I like mine long and skinny, but you can roll them however you like.
- fry, seam side down, in 1/2" pre-heated cooking oil until tortilla is golden brown on both sides.
- drain on paper towels.
- serve with spanich rice and a green salad.

Freezing Options
- You can either freeze these after frying and reheat in microwave.
- You can also freeze before frying, seam side down on a cookie sheet and transfer to gallon size ziplock to store. Fry in oil when ready to eat until chicken filling is warmed through.

Hint
It helps get a fine dice on the chicken if you cut it while it is not completely thawed. If starting from fresh, throw in freezer for 30 minutes before dicing.
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Easy Freezy Quesadillas

Mexican food is taking over America and as former residents of the South West we can't get enough. Take a few minutes one afternoon and make stacks of these quesadillas and you can have quick, easy and kid friendly snack all year long! Plus, they are completely customizable so you can have a meal where you eat chicken, your husband eats beef and the kids go with plain cheese.

Easy Freezy Quesadillas



3 packages (10 count) flour tortillas
1 lb. ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 store bought small rotisserie chicken
lots of shredded Mexican cheese blend

Make this like an assembly line...assembling 5 quesadillas at a time. At the end you'll have 15 quesadillas, 5 of each variety. Genius.

Cheese:
- Pre-heat large skillet or griddle.
- Lay out 5 tortillas.
- Top with 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese.
- Top with second flour tortilla and fry in pan, one at a time until golden. Allow to cool.
- place each quesadilla into a gallon size freezer bag, placing a piece of wax paper between each quesadilla.
- Make sure to label outside of freezer bag with date and CHEESE Quesadillas.

Beef:
- Saute ground beef until cooked and add taco seasoning packet.
- Lay out 5 tortillas.
- Top with 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese.
- Top cheese with 1/2 c. cooked and seasoned taco meat.
- Top with second flour tortilla and fry in pan, one at a time until golden. Allow to cool.
- place each quesadilla into a gallon size freezer bag, placing a piece of wax paper between each quesadilla.
- Make sure to label outside of freezer bag with date and BEEF Quesadillas.


Chicken:
- Cool rotisserie chicken in refrigerator until cool enough to handle.
- Remove meat and cut into 1/2" cubes.
- Lay out 5 tortillas.
- Top with 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese.
- Top cheese with 1/2 c. chopped chicken.
- Top with second flour tortilla and fry in pan, one at a time until golden. Allow to cool.
- place each quesadilla into a gallon size freezer bag, placing a piece of wax paper between each quesadilla. - Make sure to label outside of freezer bag with date and CHICKEN Quesadillas.

To Serve:
-Remove desired quesadilla from freezer and cover in slightly damp paper towel. Microwave on high until heated through, about 1 minute.
- Cut into wedges with a rotary pizza cutter.
- Top with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.
- Serve with Mexican Rice and refried beans.
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Toby's Taco Soup

I got this recipe from a real Rancher I knew once. His parents ran a ranch and in the Summer they hired a gazillion Ranch hands to "run" the cattle. This recipe has been cut down by about 10 times, since Toby's mom made it for about 25 starving ranch-men. It has been a staple in our family ever since I got it. Thanks Toby!

Ingredients
1-2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 qt. tomato juice
1 pkg. taco seasoning
salt/pepper

optional additions
2 c. frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes



Directions
- In a large pot brown meat and onions, drain if needed.
- add taco seasoning packet. Stir to coat beef mixture.
- Dump in remaining ingredients.
- Bring to boil. Leave at hard boil for 30 minutes, uncovered.
- salt and pepper to taste.
- to serve top with shredded cheddar cheese, black olives,sour cream, green onions and taco chips.



To Freeze
- portion out individual servings by spooning soup into ziplock disposable bowls. DO NOT COVER with lids. Place on cookie sheet and flash freeze in freezer for 4 hours. Write "Taco Soup" on lids with permanent marker adding a green sticker. Cover with lids. stack in freezer.


To Reheat
From frozen: Open one edge of lid to vent. cook in microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Continue cooking in two minute intervals (stirring in between) until desired temperature. Add toppings or eat plain.

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Beef Tamale Pie

an original recipe by Emilie Ahern

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. minced onion
1 Tbsp. minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 small can tomato paste
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 small can green chilis
1 c. frozen corn
juice from 1 lime
fresh cilantro
8 oz. shredded cheese
1 box jiffy corn bread mix

- In large pot, brown beef with chopped onions. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. - Add all other ingredients through cilantro. Mix well. - Pour into 9x13 pan. Top with shredded cheese. - Make cornbread according to package directions. Spread onto top of casserole. - Bake at 375 uncovered for 35-45 minutes or until cornbread is browned and filling is bubbly.

OR cover tightly with foil, writing directions on foil with marker and adding a green sticker, and freeze.

- To cook from frozen uncover and let sit at room temp for 30 minutes. Then cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for an additional 45 minutes or until cornbread is browned and filling is bubbly.

STEP-BY-STEP

Let's get started. brown 1 lb. of ground beef with one chopped onion in a large saucepot.


after it's browned and drained, add 1 tbsp. garlic and cook for two minutes.

1 packet of taco seasoning,

now you add lots of stuff:
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1 small can of diced green chiles.

next comes chopped cilantro. i don't love cilantro so i don't use very much. for my double recipe i used less than half of what is pictured here. even if you don't like it, i recommend you add it. it really adds to the taste of this yummy casserole.

1 cup of frozen corn

the juice of one lime. the lime juice gives it a kick that is deLISH.

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed,
stir it all together and it should look something like this:

make sure you have your pans ready. i use the throw-away ones when i take food to people, then i don't have to worry about getting them back. i also use them for freezing things so i'm not out a pan when i need it.
now add the mixture to your pan by the cupful until it's almost to the top. smooth it out with the bottom of your measuring cup so it's mostly even.
ignore the manhands.that explanation wasn't descriptive enough, so here's a picture of the smoothed-out casserole:after it's all smoothed out, add cheese. i use the pre-grated kind 'cause it's faster, but you can grate your own if you're so inclined. add lots. cheese = yum.see? lots.
now you have to make the cornbread topping. mmmm, cornbread. you just need one box if you're doing the single recipe, but if you're doubling it (and making three casseroles), you'll need three boxes. two isn't quite enough, and three is too much, so there is a little bit of waste. i guess you could make muffins or something. i just dumped mine out. don't badger me about starving children in africa. i know. i cannot send those children a little bit of cornbread and we wouldn't have eaten the muffins, so there.

first, pour the mix in the bowl. no picture of that, sorry...you'll just have to imagine what that looks like.
then add an egg.
then add 1/3 cup of milk.
mix together and pour on top of the cheese.
smooth it out with a spoon,
and try not to drip it over the edge, like mine is about to do in this picture.now get some foil, and write the contents and cooking instructions with a sharpie. i like the clicker kind, but i'll let you decide which sharpie to use.
then turn it over, spray it with pam,
and cover your freezer-casserole, instructions-side-up.

then bake the non-freezer version at 375* for 30-40 minutes, or until cornbread is browned and filling is bubbly. word to the wise: you may want to put a layer of foil underneath, or else it could drip onto your newly cleaned oven.

Serve with sour cream and devour like a crazy person.

this picture was taken about 7 hours after i made it (it's the left-over plate) so it's cold and doesn't look nearly as delicious as it should. but of course, i forgot to take a picture of the finished product when it was still hot. i had visions of green chile and cornbread dancing in my head.
so there you have it. try it, you won't regret it!

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