Leftovers Recreated

Now that it is October and January was months ago my poor New Year’s resolutions have been a bit forgotten. If you happen to remember they were to cook from some of the neglected cookbooks that are on my shelf and to create my own recipes. Tonight I somewhat resurrected my resolutions by creating my own quesadilla recipe. Apparently the only things so far this year that I am creating on my own are quesadilla recipes, but to my credit both have been very good.

Tonight I had several tasty leftover ingredients in the fridge that I didn’t want to go to waste, so I decided to combine them all for a tasty quick dinner. The ingredients I had were fresh spinach, goat cheese, and grilled chicken all of which go together really well. I sautéed the spinach with a little bit of chopped onion until it was wilted. Next I took the tortilla and put it in the nonstick skillet that I coated with cooking spray and layered the spinach, goat cheese, and chicken on top. I then topped it with a little more cheese and another tortilla. I let it cook until everything was heated through, the cheese had melted, and it was a browned on both sides. I served it with salsa and sour cream.

This was a super fast meal that was very tasty. The goat cheese complements both the spinach really well and the chicken adds a heartiness to the meal. I love fresh spinach and it cooks so fast and is such a beautiful color that it really makes the meal. These could not have been easier and while far from gourmet they were a perfect quick weeknight dinner. Russ rates the quesadillas an 8.

New Year's Cooking Resolutions

I know that it is now several days into 2008 and I still haven’t quite finalized all my New Year’s Resolutions. However, there are two cooking related resolutions that I have decided to give a go this year. The first is to cook out of some of my underused, but not unloved cookbooks. I love cookbooks and have quite a collection and while there are several that get used very frequently there are others that don’t… in fact there are several that have never been used. So, I am going to make a big effort to cook out of the underused cookbooks this year. My other cooking resolution is to try to create more of my own recipes. By more I mean other than my Chicken Taco Salad recipe which really isn’t that creative. I tweak recipes frequently by adding more or less of certain ingredients, adding additional ingredients, making substitutions, and other changes, but I almost always use a recipe as a guide. This year I’d like to try to break away from the recipes sometimes and try to create dishes on my own. I am not sure how original they will be or how many times Russ will need to call for pizza to be delivered, but I am going to give it a try.

So, tonight I started working on my second cooking resolution and created my own version of chicken quesadillas. Since I am not very experienced with creating recipes I decided to try something that I felt was fairly fool proof and not totally foreign to me – quesadillas. I put one large boneless, skinless chicken breast in a small pot of water to cook. While the chicken cooked I started sautéing sliced white onions and red pepper in a pan with a little canola oil over medium heat. Once they had softened I added a can of black beans (which I had drained and rinsed), about a cup of frozen corn kernels, about 2 teaspoons of cumin, about 1 teaspoon of chile powder, and some salt and pepper. I let this sauté until everything was hot. Then I put them in a bowl to the side. By now the chicken breast had cooked, so I removed it and shredded it. Then I placed the shredded chicken in the pan over low heat with one chipotle chile and about a teaspoon of adobo sauce and mixed them together for about a minute. Then I removed the chicken and set it aside. I sprayed my non-stick skillet with a little Pam and placed a flour tortilla in it. I then put a little cheese (I used a shredded Mexican mix) on the tortilla and topped it with a layer of the vegetables and then chicken. I then put a little more cheese on it and topped it with another flour tortilla. I left it alone until the bottom tortilla was slightly brown and then I flipped it and let the other side brown. I served the quesadillas with a little sour cream and salsa and did a simple salad as a side.

For one of my first tries the quesadillas turned out really well. I really liked the flavor combination of the onions, red peppers, black beans and corn. The seasoning turned out very well where it had some spice and heat to it without overwhelming the other flavors. Russ and I both really enjoyed them and Russ rates them a 9.

Reba’s Chicken Quesadillas
Serves 2

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 chipotle pepper and 1 teaspoon adobo sauce

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 red pepper, sliced
1 large white onion, sliced
1 cup frozen corn
1 14 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
Kosher salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 and half cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

Cook the chicken breast in a pot of water until just cooked through. Then shred. While the chicken cooks heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil has heated add the onion and red peppers and sauté until they have softened. Then add the corn, black beans, cumin, chile powder, salt and pepper. Continue to sauté until the seasoning is mixed in and all the vegetables are hot. Then remove the vegetable mixture and set aside. Add the shredded chicken to the pan with the chipotle chile and adobo sauce over low heat and mix them together for about a minute. Then remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Spray the non-stick skillet with a little Pam and then place a flour tortilla in it (over medium to low heat). Then add a layer of cheese, then vegetables, then chicken and top it with more cheese and another tortilla. Leave it alone until the bottom tortilla is slightly browned. Then flip the quesadilla and let the other tortilla brown slightly. Remove from the pan, cut into four triangles and serve immediately. Serve sour cream and salsa on the side.

Chicken Taco Salads

Russ and I went and played golf this afternoon (well, Russ played and I attempted to play), so I knew we would be getting home late and would want a quick, easy, and light dinner for tonight. I decided to repeat a meal that we did a month or so ago when we had some leftover chicken, Chicken Taco Salads.

For the chicken I boil a boneless, skinless chicken breast in water (1 breast is plenty for 2 people). When it is cooked I shred it and toss it in a skillet with taco seasoning and water. Last time we didn’t have any taco seasoning packets around, so I created the spice blend. This time I had the packet and used a little over half of it. Let this cook over low heat until the water is gone and the chicken absorbs the seasoning. While it cooks I chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. I toss all of this together and add shredded cheese to it. When the chicken is done I toss it with the salad and top it with sour cream and salsa. We serve it with tortilla chips.

This is a super easy dinner that is both yummy and filling. These salads have joined our list of meals that we go to when we don’t have lots of time, but want to eat at home and have a healthy meal. I also like that you can add whatever you like and have around to them (such as avocado, green onions, fresh cilantro, black beans, pinto beans, guacamole, jalapenos, pico de gallo etc.) Russ rates the salads a 9.