Category Archives: Spicy

February 7, 2011 · 9:20 am

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Chili

It’s definitely still the time of year for warm and cozy comfort foods…

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups prepared enchilada sauce
2 chopped celery stalks
2 (14.5 oz) cans olive oil and garlic diced tomatoes (or some other “flavor” if you can’t find those)
2 (15 oz) cans pinto or kidney beans, undrained
1 onion, diced (or 1 tablespoon dried, minced onion flakes)
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

Instructions:
Pour enchilada sauce and canned tomatoes into the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Add beans, celery, onion and spices. Stir to combine. Place chicken on top.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until flavors have combined. Shred chicken and stir back into slow cooker.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Did I change anything? I didn’t use as much onion, maybe half as much as the recipe called for and I left out the celery.

What did the family think? Hubby and I LOVED this! The boys aren’t huge enchilada fans, but they will pick out the chicken and eat that.

from A Year of Slow Cooking

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Make Ahead of Time, Mexican, Spicy, Stew/Soup, Super Easy to Make

November 12, 2010 · 9:57 am

Sausage, Red Beans and Rice

Hubby took one bite of this and said, “I hope you’re going to blog about this.”

Ingredients:
1 cup long grain white rice
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pkg (14 oz) smoked sausage
1 can red beans
Creole Seasoning

Instructions:
Cook rice according to package directions.

Meanwhile, drain and rinse the beans and cut the sausage into coins.

Add olive oil to skillet and cook sausage over medium-high heat. Sprinkle sausage lightly with Creole seasoning. You can always add more spice later, but it’s best to start on the safe side.

Cook sausage for about seven minutes, making sure to stir sausages so that they cook on both sides. Add rinsed beans and heat through.

Serve rice with beans and sausage.

What did the family think? Hubby and I LOVED it. So good. Our youngest ate the sausage and our oldest insisted it was much too spicy. Hubby also added quite a bit more of the Creole seasoning to his bowl.

from kevinandamanda.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Pork, Six Ingredients or Less, Spicy

November 11, 2010 · 10:00 am

Chorizo Enchiladas

If you like it spicy, these are for you.

Ingredients:
12 corn tortillas
1 pound chorizo diced
1/2 white onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped roasted and peeled green chilies
2 cups red chili enchilada sauce
2-1/2 cups grated pepper jack cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place tortillas on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 5 minutes then set aside.

In large heavy skillet over medium high heat fry chorizo until it is no longer pink. Add onion and continue to fry for 5 minutes.

Stir in chilis and sauce then remove from heat.

Oil a square baking dish. Place 4 tortillas in baking dish and top with 1/3 of the chorizo mix and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat to more times then bake for 35 minutes.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked this, but I am glad I had some sour cream on hand to add to it after it came out of the oven to help tone down the spiciness. I had the boys try it, but even our youngest who loves spicy said it was too hot.

from grouprecipes.com

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Filed under Mexican, Six Ingredients or Less, Spicy

September 23, 2010 · 10:52 pm

Mexican Rice

I love it when I realize that I need a side dish in the middle of making the main dish, scramble to figure out what that might be and then am able to throw something together out of what’s already in the pantry.

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup Minute Rice
7 oz salsa verde
8 oz tomato sauce

Instructions:
Heat medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and onions. When onions begin to soften, add garlic. After a few minutes add rice, salsa verde and tomato sauce. Stir to combine, cover and simmer for about five minutes, you may want to add more rice to make the mixture thicker. Remove from heat and let sit for about five minutes.

What did the family think? I don’t think they boys ate it, but Sean and I both liked it. I was impressed that I had everything in the pantry to throw this together.

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Filed under Easy, Mexican, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Spicy, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

September 18, 2010 · 10:30 pm

Baked Mexi Chicken Wraps

These were made out of the need to get dinner on the table, but I didn’t want to go to the store in the pouring rain. The cupboard was bare since tomorrow is grocery store day and I happened to have everything I needed to make these. They turned out pretty tasty too. 🙂

Ingredients:
1 cup bottled salsa, divided
8 oz. sour cream
6 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz. can chopped green chilis
2 cups fresh spinach
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 clove garlic
Cooking spray
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until they begin to soften. Add black beans, green chilis, spinach, cumin, chili powder and garlic. Stir until heated through and spinach is wilted.

In a small bowl combine sour cream and 1/2 cup salsa.

Spread sour cream mixture down the center of each tortilla.

Spread chicken down the center of each tortilla and then continue with the black bean mixture.

Roll tortillas up and place seam-side down in a 11 x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Top with 1/2 cup salad and sprinkle with cheese.

Did I change anything? This was inspired by a recipe I found on-line, but I had to change a lot of things since I was working with only what I had on hand.

What did the family think? Sean and I loved these. They were a little on the spicy side, so the boys just picked through and ate the chicken and maybe a few beans.

inspired by a recipe from Cooking Light

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Filed under Chicken, Mexican, Spicy

July 13, 2010 · 7:37 pm

Curry-spiced Lamb Burgers

Spicy little numbers…

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground lamb
1/2 onion, peeled and cut into chunks
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 tspn. ground coriander
1 tspn. ground cumin
1/2 tspn. turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
Hamburger buns or pita bread
Garnishes: mango, red bell pepper, mayo, lettuce

Instructions:
Preheat grill to medium-high.

Put onion in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Put lamb, onion, jalapeno, coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. (I used my hands.) Shape into four burgers.

Put burgers on grill and cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side.

Serve hamburgers on hamburger buns or in pita bread with garnish. We had ours on hamburger buns because the pitas I bought turned out to me moldy. I HATE it when that happens. We had the burgers with sliced mango, thinly sliced red bell peppers and mayo.

What did the family think? Everybody are it which totally surprised me because these are a bit spicy with the jalapeno. I think what made these super yummy was the crispiness of the red bell peppers coupled with the sweetness of the mango which kind of balances out the spiciness of the burger.
We were going to have these with corn on the cob and some fruit, but I totally forgot about the corn on the cob. I guess we’ll save it for another dinner.

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Filed under Everybody Ate It, Sandwich, Spicy

July 5, 2010 · 11:27 pm

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

If you have never had green sauce with your enchiladas this would be a good place to start. Yum!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 oz. bottle salsa verde
2 cups shredded chicken breast
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1 cup chicken broth
8 corn tortillas
Cooking spray
2/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (or cheddar)
1/2 tspn. chili powder

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl.

Combine chicken and cream cheese in another mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the salsa mixture to the chicken and stir. Reserve remaining salsa mixture.

Bring broth to a simmer in a small/medium skillet. Working with one tortilla at a time, add tortilla to the pan for about five seconds, just until moist. (If you leave it in much longer it will turn to mush. Trust me.) Take out and spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla, roll it up and place it seam side down in an 11×17 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure until you have run out of chicken mixture.

Pour most (but NOT all) of the remaining salsa mixture over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese and chili powder. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

We had these with black beans.

What did the family think? Hubby and I LOVED these. The kids ate the chicken out of the enchiladas. They were a bit too spicy for them.

from Cooking Light

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Filed under Chicken, Mexican, Spicy

June 17, 2010 · 9:26 pm

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

This dish was awesome. I think I am going to just start making the salsa part of this recipe to have with tortilla chips. Yummo!!!

Ingredients:
Salt and pepper
1/4 tspn. cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely diced
2 T fresh lime juice
1 Haas avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks

Directions:
In a small bowl combine 1 tspn. salt, 1/4 tspn. black pepper and cayenne; rub all over chicken.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until done, about 8 to 10 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice. Set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into the onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Did I change anything? I ended making twice as much rub as the recipe above calls for. It wasn’t nearly enough for 4 chicken breasts. I also only used 1/2 of a red onion. The original recipe called for an entire red onion. I felt like 1/2 was almost too much.

What did the family think? Hubby and I could eat that avocado salsa all day long. Not only would it be scrumptious on its own, but it was fantastic on the chicken as well. The coolness of the avocado went along nicely with the spice of the chicken. The chicken was way too spicy for our oldest. The youngest loves spicy things, so he ate it even though he kept wiping off his tongue with his napkin.

We had this with leftover Spanish rice, watermelon and some tortilla chips.

from Everyday Food

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Mexican, Spicy

May 7, 2010 · 4:12 pm

Baked Rotel Chicken

Recipes don’t get any easier than this..

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 c. chicken broth
Rice, pasta or couscous

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook pasta, rice or couscous following the directions on the package.

In a small bowl, combine Rotel, garlic and chicken broth.

Spray an 8- or 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in baking dish and cover with tomato mixture. Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes. Serve over rice, pasta or couscous.

Did I change anything? You might want to have two cans of Rotel on hand in case you want to make it extra saucy.

What does the family think? Hubby loves it because it is spicy. I like it because it is easy. It’s a little too spicy for our kids.

adapted from Doris’ Fat-Free Homestyle Cooking

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Filed under Chicken, Six Ingredients or Less, Spicy, Super Easy to Make

April 25, 2010 · 7:23 am

Taco Soup CrockPot Recipe

This is a great soup to make if you want to have leftovers or if you are going to have company. It makes A LOT of soup, makes your house smell fantastic and tastes yummy, too.

Ingredients:
2 cans of kidney beans, drained
2 cans of pinto beans, drained
2 cans of corn
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of Rotel tomatoes
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 packet of ranch dressing mix
1 lb. of ground turkey or hamburger
Shredded cheese
Sour cream

Directions:
Brown the meat until it is thoroughly cooked.

Add cooked meat to crockpot.

Sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat.

Add the beans, tomatoes and corn.

Stir.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.

Before serving stir well.

Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream as garnishes.

Did I change anything? I think the only thing I changed was that I crushed up some tortilla chips and sprinkled those on top. The crunchy and salty of the chips is good with the spiciness of the soup.

What does the family think? Sean and I both really like this soup. Our oldest thinks it’s too spicy and the youngest isn’t too keen on it either which is too bad for them because it is GOOD.

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Spicy, Stew/Soup, Super Easy to Make