Chicken Tortilla Cake

Chicken Tortilla Cake adapted from Mr. Food
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup sour cream
3/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry fajita seasoning
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Colby-Jack cheese blend
6 scallions (green onions), chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat (or to 375 degrees F. in an electric skillet). Fry tortillas one at a time for 10 to 15 seconds, or until golden. Drain well on paper towels.
In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, hot sauce, and fajita seasoning; mix well.
Place 1 tortilla on prepared baking sheet then spread 1 tablespoon sour cream mixture over the top. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded chicken, 3/4 cup cheese, and 1 chopped scallion. Place a tortilla on top and repeat layers 4 more times, ending with a plain tortilla on top. Reserve remaining sour cream mixture.

Brush tops and sides of tortillas with melted butter then cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and place on a serving plate. Spread top tortilla with remaining sour cream mixture and top with remaining chopped scallion.
Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Modifications:
-I did not use melted butter.

Here's what you'll need:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cook the chicken.  I boiled it for about 20 minutes.

Mix the fajita seasoning, hot sauce, and sour cream.

Fry the tortillas in vegetable oil for about 15 seconds.  Turning once.

Drain on a paper towel and then lay on a greased baking sheet.

Spread sour cream mixture.

Sprinkle the cheese.

Sprinkle scallions or green onions.

Shred the cheese.

Spread over the tortillas.

Add another layer of tortillas and the extra cheese, chicken and sour cream.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cut in to pieces.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

We all loved this dish, even the kids!  This entire pan was eaten right up.

I used whole wheat tortillas and I admit that they probably didn't "fry" or crisp up as much as white flour tortillas.  I was actually a little afraid that they would be soggy but they tasted great!  They were crunchy but weren't soft and soggy, either, as a lot of these tortillas/baking dishes can be.

The sour cream/fajita/hot sauce mixed with the cheese was perfect.  They melted and melded together when put in the oven.

I would describe these as more of a quesadillas.  The chicken had good flavor.  We dipped it in sour cream and salsa.

I served this with Southwest Wild Rice.

Hope you enjoy!
April

Turkey Spaghetti Pie

Turkey Spaghetti Pie adapted from Everyday Light Meals
6oz uncooked spaghetti
5 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup egg substitute
3/4lb lean ground turkey breast
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups meatless spaghetti sauce
1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:  Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain well and cool to room temperature.  In a bowl, combine the spaghetti, Parmesan cheese and egg substitute.  Transfer to a 9 inch pie plate coated with nonstick cooking spray and form into a crust; set aside. 

In nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook turkey, onion and green pepper until turkey is no longer pink; drain.  Add spaghetti sauce; heat through.  Spread cottage cheese over crust; top with turkey mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.  Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Nutrition Facts
One serving (1 wedge) equals
Cal 274
Fat 11g (4g sat fat)
Cholesterol 57mg
Sodium 710mg
Carb 19g
Fiber 2g
Protein 25g

Diabetic Exchanges:  3 lean meat, 1 starch, 1 vegetable

Modifications:
-I just used 3 whole eggs instead of egg substitute (not calculated in the above nutrition facts)
-I did not use a green pepper.
-I did not use the shredded mozzarella cheese.

Here's what you'll need:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Chop an onion.

Brown the ground turkey.

Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions.

Add the onions to the ground turkey

Add the spaghetti sauce to the turkey to warm.

In a separate bowl, pour the Parmesan cheese.

Add the eggs or egg substitute.

Drain the spaghetti, add to the egg/cheese, and mix.

Pour into a coated 9 inch pan.

Spread the cottage over the spaghetti.

Add the meat mixture on top.

Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

My family loved this dish!  Kanin had 3 helpings and even pick Gracie ate it.  The cottage cheese really added an extra gooeyness to the dish but you could also substitute ricotta.

The 2 things I would do different is that I would add more sauce and I would mix everything together and then pour it into the baking dish.  Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing.

Hope you enjoy!

April

West Texas Chipotle Chicken Wrap

West Texas Chipotle Chicken Wrap adapted from Kids Eat Right
½ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
 ¼ cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
 ½ teaspoon diced chipotle pepper
 ¼ teaspoon salt, optional
3 cups cooked chicken, cut in ¾-inch cubes
1 cup chopped tomato
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
6 flour tortillas

Directions:  Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, jalapeno, chipotle peppers, and salt in large mixing bowl. Place the chicken, tomato, avocado, and cilantro in a bowl with the mayonnaise mixture and toss lightly to coat. Top each of the 6 tortillas evenly with the chicken mixture. Roll.

Cooking Tip
This filling can serve as a cold entree, a wrap sandwich filling, or a tasty pasta salad (add 2 cups cooked orzo and increase the seasonings to taste).

Serving Size is 1 wrap.  480 calories, Protein 28g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Total Fat 20g (Sat Fat 4g), Sodium 820mg

Here's what you'll need:

I used this all-natural, pre-cooked chicken from Trader Joe's but you could always just use frozen, fresh or even rotisserie chicken.

Chop up the pepper and tomato.

Mix the mayo and sour cream.

Cook the chicken.

Mince up some cilantro.

Cut up the chicken.

Add the chicken, tomato, and pepper to the mayo/sour cream.

Warm your tortillas.  You can do this by putting two in two paper towels and microwave for 20-25 seconds.

 

Put the mixture onto the tortilla and roll.

 

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

 These little roll-ups were so easy to make and were totally finished in under 15 minutes.  Today was Sunday Funday so I just made these and sat them out on the table and everyone came by and grabbed them when they were hungry.  You can serve them hot or cold.  Although it was just our family today, I think these would be perfect to make and take to a gathering.

To make them even healthier, substitute 1/2 of the mayo and sour cream with Greek yogurt.

You also could roll them all up and put them in a microwave-safe dish, sprinkle with cheese and then microwave for 30 seconds or so.  Serve with sour cream and salsa on the side.

These wraps had great flavor and with the creaminess of the mayo/sour cream, I didn't even need to dip them in salsa.  For a hotter version, add jalapenos or even a can of diced chilies.

Hope you enjoy!

April

Meatball Calzone

Meatball Calzone adapted from Mr. Food
1 bag of frozen small to medium meatballs, thawed
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 bag Italian shredded cheese
1 tube pizza dough

Directions:  Preheat oven according to pizza dough package.  Cut the pizza dough into large enough pieces so that they can be folded over.  Place meatballs on dough, cover with spaghetti sauce and cheese.  Fold dough over to create pockets.  Cook according to pizza dough directions.

Here's what you'll need:

Roll out pizza dough onto a greased baking sheet.

Cut dough into large enough pieces so that it can be folded over.

Place meatballs on dough.

Cover with spaghetti sauce.

Add cheese.

Fold over making sure to close all holes so that the sauce doesn't seep out during cooking.

Spread out on baking dish.  Bake in oven according to directions.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

This was a perfect weekend lunch recipe.  When I first saw this recipe I thought that Scott and Kanin would love it because they love meatball sandwiches.

They both absolutely loved it.  It was so easy to make and took about 15 minutes with little prep. 

We will definitely make this over and over.  Perfect for kids!!

Hope you enjoy!

April