Empanadas

•  Ingredients:
• 1 large potato, diced into 1/4” cubes (or a handful of uncooked fries, chopped
• 400g ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, grated
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 1 rib celery, finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (115g) chilled butter, cubed
• 1 large egg, room temp
• 1/3 cup ice water
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Method:

1. Pulse the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the butter, 1 egg and ice water, pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Shape the dough into a ball. Tightly cover the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 min.
2. If using raw potato, place potato cubes into boiling water for about 3 min, until tender.
3. Cook ground beef, onion, celery, and carrots in a large skillet. Add potatoes and cook until beef is brown and vegetables are softened (about 8 min total).
4. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and beef broth. Cook 1 minute.
5. Add peas and simmer on medium heat until liquid is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Preheat oven to 375° (190°C).
7. Remove dough from fridge and divide into 10 equal parts (60–65g each). Roll each ball on floured surface to make circles of about 7” diameter.
8. Add about 1/3 cup of filling on one side of each circle.
9. Use egg wash to dampen the edge of the dough (about 1/4”wide). Fold the dough in half over the filling. Use a fork to press the edges together. Arrange empanadas on parchment paper and brush with egg wash.
10. Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Really Good Chili

Nothing fancy; just really good chili. Great for doubling the recipe and freezing. One batch makes about 10 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground beef (=1 kg)
• 1 L (2 500ml boxes) diced tomatoes (tomatostukjes) 
• 1 L (2 500 mL boxes) tomato sauce or sieved tomato
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 2 cans red beans, drained

Method:

Brown meat, drain, and set aside. Sauté onion, celery, and bell pepper until softened. 

Combine ingredients in large pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Taco Seasoning

Delicious blend of taco seasoning. Mix a batch and store it!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Combine ingredients. Use in recipes that call for taco seasoning

Southwestern Casserole (Emeril’s Cowboy Casserole)

A piquant casserole with southwestern flavorings, made with tortilla chips. Originally posted by Emeril as Cowboy Casserole. Can be frozen.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
2 bay leaves
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, smashed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound white button mushrooms, wiped clean and stems trimmed, quartered
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
12 cups tortilla chips
2 cups finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped bell peppers
2 jalapeno peppers, stem and seeds removed, finely chopped, optional
8 ounces grated Pepper Jack
8 ounces grated Cheddar
1 tablespoon Emeril's Southwest Seasoning (see below)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup chopped drained canned tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, drained

Emeril's Southwest Seasoning:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano

Directions

Combine the chicken, chicken stock, wine, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, peppercorns, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the oregano, and bay leaves in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the poaching liquid for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and tear or cut into bite-size pieces. Reserve the chicken. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over high heat until foamy. Add the mushrooms, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are golden brown and all the liquid has evaporated, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour, stir to blend, and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved chicken cooking liquid, stir, and cook until very thick and flavorful, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Place the tortilla chips in the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass casserole. Crush the chips with your hands so they form a thin layer on the bottom of the dish. Pour 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid over the tortilla chips and allow them to soak up the liquid. Scatter the chicken over the top of the tortilla layer. Spread the chopped onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos evenly over the chicken. Top with half of the grated cheeses. Sprinkle with the Southwest Seasoning, chili powder and ground cumin. Spoon the reserved mushroom mixture evenly over the top of the spices, then top with the tomatoes and green chiles. Cover with the remainder of the cheeses. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the casserole is heated through. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Slow-Cooker Carnitas

An easy crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 (4 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 2 cups chicken broth

Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl. Coat pork with the spice mixture. Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the pork on top. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.

Cover and cook on Low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 10 hours. Turn the meat after it has cooked for 5 hours. When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker, and shred with two forks. Use cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat.

Favorite Enchiladas

Our favorite enchilada recipe. It’s the sauce that makes it! Reposted and adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons chili powder (*not cayenne!)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Enchiladas

• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
• 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into small 1/2-inch pieces (*or see substitution below for using pre-cooked shredded chicken)
• salt and pepper
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans or lentils, rinsed and drained
• 8 large flour tortillas
• 3 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese
• 1 batch red enchilada sauce, or 1 can store-bought enchilada sauce
• (optional: 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Prepare your enchilada sauce: Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk together over the heat for one minute. Stir in the remaining seasonings (chili powder through oregano). Then gradually add in the stock, whisking constantly to remove lumps. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened.

For enchiladas: heat oil over medium-high heat in large saute pan. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add diced chicken and green chiles, and season with salt and pepper.  Sauté for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble the enchiladas, set up an assembly line including: tortillas, enchilada sauce, beans, chicken mixture, and cheese. Lay out a tortilla, and spread two tablespoons of sauce over the surface of the tortilla.  Add beans in a line down the middle of the tortilla, then add in a spoonful of the chicken mixture, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Roll up tortilla and place in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.  Then spread the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas, and sprinkle on the remaining shredded cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve immediately, garnished with chopped fresh cilantro if desired.

Healthy Taco Casserole

A recent family favorite. Low in carbs (21g/serving), and high in protein (19g). Reposted and adapted from HASfit. The recipe is pretty adaptable—can use chicken in place of beef; if I don’t have a green pepper, I’ll use a can of green chilies; I sometimes add a few handfuls of lentils along with the quinoa (or in place, if I’m out of it).

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef (or chicken)
• 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• ½ medium onion diced
• 1 can black beans (do not drain)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 tablespoon each of  garlic powder, cumin, chili powder
• Chopped cilantro
• ½ cup cheese (or more!)

Preparation:
Over a medium high heat brown meat and add onion and bell pepper allowing them to soften. Add in spices and allow to sauté for 2 minutes.
Add in beans, tomato, and add in 2-3 tablespoons of broth or water if the mixture seems dry.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and add cilantro. Remove from heat and stir in the uncooked rice.

Pour the mixture in an 8X8 casserole dish, top with cheese and additional cilantro. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Serve and enjoy!