{recipe} Chicken Spinach Quesadillas

Weekly Test Recipes - week 40!

Here are some simple, easy, and fast quesadillas that are perfect for a weeknight meal.

CHICKEN/SPINACH/RICOTTA QUESADILLAS (pieceofcakerecipes)

You will need:
* chicken (I used rotisserie)
* fresh spinach
* tortillas (I used spinach wraps)
* cheese - Mexican blend, pepper jack, mozzarella - whatever you like
* ricotta cheese
* diced onions
* olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook a few minutes until tender. Add spinach and cook a minute or two until wilted. Place onion/spinach mixture on paper towel to drain. Shred chicken and mix with cheese and ricotta. Spread chicken/cheese mixture on half of tortilla. Top with spinach. Fold in half and cook in skillet over medium heat until cheese is melted and outside of tortilla is crispy. Flip to get both sides crispy.

This was very good! Since I used rotisserie chicken it was very quick to make. I think next time I'm going to try adding some fresh mushrooms. And I'm going to add some cayenne pepper or chili powder to the chicken/cheese mixture for some added spice.

Rating: GOOD

{recipe} Texas-Style Egg Rolls

Test Recipes Week 15!

I like to check allrecipes.com daily just to see the photos of the day. I have bookmarked sooo many recipes just from doing that. The most recent bookmarked recipe being Southwestern Egg Rolls. I think it was the yummy-looking picture/mostly healthy ingredients that drew me to check it out. I'm going to go ahead and say this recipe was adapted from allrecipes because I actually changed it quite a bit - a few ingredient changes, baked not fried, proportions doubled, and a name change ;) Below is the recipe as I made it:

TEXAS-STYLE EGG ROLLS (adapted from allrecipes.com)

2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 can (12.5 oz.) canned chicken (can also use chx breast or grocery store rotisserie)
1/4 cup minced green onion
generous 1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
2/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I used fresh - steamed, cooled, and drained)
1/4 cup diced green chiles
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 pinches ground cayenne pepper
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
12 egg roll wrappers

Next time, I am going to use jalapenos instead of the chiles because I wish these were a little more 'pica' (spicy).

Doesn't that look YUMMY?!

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in green onion and red pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes until tender. Dice chicken and mix into the pan with onion and red pepper. Mix in corn, black beans, spinach, chiles, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in cheese so that it melts. Spoon even amounts of the mixture onto each egg roll. Roll tightly around mixture (*see below*). Arrange on cookie/pizza sheet and bake 350* for 10 minutes; turn over and bake 10 more minutes.

 How to Roll an Egg Roll

(based on a quick internet search...please comment if you know better)

place filling in bottom half

dampen all edges with water and roll bottom corner tightly around filling

fold in sides

and roll the rest of the way up!

after first 10 minutes, before flipping

Look at the yumminess!!

These are definitely rated EXCELLENT!  I would rate them double-excellent if I could :)  This would also be yummy with Margaritas!  Based on some of the recipe comments, I decided to serve with this dipping sauce. So glad I did!

CILANTRO LIME CREAM SAUCE (allrecipes.com)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 (7 ounce) can tomatillo salsa (I used leftover diced green chiles from the egg rolls)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon celery salt (I skipped this b/c I didn't have any, and it still tasted great)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in a serving bowl. Makes 2 cups. I made 1/4 of the above recipe and it was twice as much as I needed for a dozen Texas-Style Egg Rolls. The website says this makes a great dip or can be used as a sauce for chicken/fish. This one's going in the favorites file!  It definitely earns an EXCELLENT rating.

not very healthy, but dang good

South of the Border

Test Recipes Week 11!

I've had these Taquitos from Our Best Bites bookmarked for a while now, and decided to test them out this week.  Then I noticed the Brazilian Lemonade link on the same post, so this week's test recipe sort of has a theme.  (If you've never checked out Our Best Bites before, go do so.  I have so many recipes bookmarked from their site that I'll be able to do a 2nd year of test recipes in 2011...)

CREAMY CHICKEN TAQUITOS (OurBestBites)

1/3 c. (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. green salsa (I used regular, because that's what I had on hand)
1Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. sliced green onions
2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 c. grated Pepper Jack cheese
small corn or flour tortillas (about 12)
kosher salt

Combine cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well. 

Slightly warm your tortillas so they don't break while rolling.  Place a spoonful of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can.  Place seam side down on the baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. 

Bake at 425* for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.  Dip in salsa, sour cream or guacamole, or use your favorite toppings.

These were super yummy and super easy to make!  They also tasted very good when reheated.  I dipped them in sour cream and that's it.  This one is rated EXCELLENT.  There was also a drink recipe linked to the taquitos recipe.  The ladies over at OBB were raving about this drink, so I decided to try it out at the same time as the taquitos.

**********************************************************

BRAZILIAN LEMONADE (OurBestBites)

4 limes (with thin, smooth skin)
1 c. sugar
6 c. cold water
6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

Mix cold water and sugar until dissolved.  Chill until ready to use. This step can be done ahead of time.  Wash limes thoroughly with soap Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into eighths.  Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.  Add 1/2 of the sugar water, and pulse 5 times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Repeat with remaining limes and sugar water. Add sweetened condensed milk.  Add more sugar or milk if it's too bitter.  Serve immediately over ice. Serves 4.
 
OBB said this does not keep well, so only make the amount you think you'll need (I made a half recipe).  This was another 'oops' recipe for me.  I don't own a wire-mesh strainer, so I attempted to strain (SLOWLY) through a paper towel.  A couple times some rind spilled over into the pitcher, but I just scooped it out with a spoon.  Overall, I rated this recipe GOOD.  It was a little too bitter for me, even after adding more sugar.  I would attempt it again (using an actual strainer), and try even more sugar.
 

{recipe} Mexican Chicken

Test Recipes Week 6!  (I actually tested two recipes this week, but already posted about one of them.  Read about the Raspberry Crumb Bars HERE.)

My sisters and I have a blog together to keep in touch, as we're spread out all across the country.  We post lots of updates about our lives, but also include things like recipes we've tried out.  At the end of 2009, my oldest sister compiled most of the recipes into a booklet, along with lots of our old family favorites.  It's a really neat thing to have.  She even scanned in some recipes that were handwritten by our mother.  I'm excited to print it off and put it into a binder, where I can add my own favorite recipes over time.  This week's test recipe came from that book.  It's super easy and practically effortless to make.  Gotta love crockpot recipes!  I love coming home from work to an apartment full of the aromas of a ready-to-eat-supper.  Comfort food to the max.

MEXICAN CHICKEN (Pam Kautz)

frozen chicken breasts
salsa
sour cream
tortillas
additional toppings of your choice (i.e. lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped tomatoes)

Place frozen chicken breasts in crockpot, add salsa, and cook on low 5-6 hours or on high 3-4 hours.  Turn off heat and drain excess juice from crockpot.  (I didn't do this when I made them, and they were VERY drippy and messy to eat.)  Stir to shred chicken.  Add 1/2 c. sour cream and stir.  Serve in tortilla shells with favorite toppings.

I am fortunate enough to be able to go home for lunch, so I threw this all in the crockpot over lunch, and cooked on low while I went back to work.  I love having supper ready for me when I get home from a long day at work.  Super yum and super easy.  I rated this recipe GOOD due to the drippy-ness, but I think it could be moved to EXCELLENT if I tried it again.