Half Assed Kitchen

Chicken enchiladas

Photo courtesy Southern Living 
  
See how half-assed we're getting? The last post, the orange chocolate chip muffins with all the photos, exhausted us. We went on a week-and-a-half hiatus and now we're posting a stolen recipe from Southern Living. We did make these enchiladas, though. Swear. And our son even ate them. Which is a miracle from heaven.

They're simple and scrumptious and we think you should whip them up them tonight.

Rating: 1/2 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (we used boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

2 cups shredded cheese (Southern Living suggests Monterey Jack with peppers. We used cheddar)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 can chopped green chiles, drained

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

8 8-inch flour tortillas

Vegetable cooking spray

1 8-ounce container sour cream

1 8-ounce bottle green taco sauce

Toppings: diced tomato, chopped avocado, chopped green onions, sliced black olives, chopped cilantro

Stir together first five ingredients. Spoon chicken mixture evenly over each tortilla, and roll up. Arrange in a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Coat tortillas with vegetable spray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Stir together sour cream and taco sauce. Spoon over hot enchiladas and sprinkle with toppings.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Orange chocolate chip muffins

We lovingly adapted stole this recipe from the amazing blog White on Rice Couple. Their version, of course, was made with blood oranges and chocolate chunks, but having only Minneolas and Trader Joes semisweet chips in the house, we decided to make due.

We're glad we did. These muffins are moist and zippy and the citrusy orange perfectly counterbalances the creamy chocolate. This recipe makes only a dozen muffins, so you might want to consider doubling it.

Also, we're trying something new with this post and including more photos of our process. Please let us know what you think. Do you enjoy the photography? Is it helpful? Or cluttery and tiresome?

Rating: 3/4 assed (the zesting almost killed us)

Here's what you need and how you do it

1- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Grated zest of three oranges

1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted

2/3 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup chocolate chips, or more to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray muffin tins with canola oil or grease with margarine or shortening.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest.

 
Combine melted butter, orange juice, vanilla and eggs.

Fold into dry mixture until combined, but do not overmix.

 

Add chocolate chips.

Fill muffin tins full.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

   

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Chickpea, chard and tomato stew

Lovely in its simplicity. Healthy and easy. A spicy, creamy, substantial meal. That's what this stew is. We set about making it, thinking it'd be an easy, nutritious dinner for a week night. We didn't expect much more. But to our surprise, we wound up loving it. We wound up craving it a few days after the last drops were scraped from the last bowls. 

We're pining for it even now, planning when we'll next get our hands on two bunches of chard so we can lovingly stir these deceptively humble vegetables (and legumes) together and feast.

You have to make this. Soon. You won't regret it. We adapted it (barely) from The Kitchen Sink Recipes, who adapted it from Food & Wine.
 

Rating: Truly 1/2 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

Olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped into large chunks

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (or 1 Tablespoon if using jarred garlic)

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

2 bunches swiss, rainbow or red chard leaves, chopped

Pinch salt (to taste)

Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon, depending on taste

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Sauté until onion is tender. Add the chard, salt and lemon juice. Stir until chard has wilted. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and chickpeas. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until chard and chickpeas have softened some.

Serve hot. Would go well with Focaccia.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Mexican rice

 

Recently we made Mexican rice as a side for enchiladas. It was easy and satisfying and we didn't follow any particular recipe but, instead, added whatever our hungry little hearts desired. Mexican rice just begs to be tinkered with.

At the time, we didn't know the difference between Mexican and Spanish rice. But we've since done some yahoo answers extensive research and found that Spanish rice always contains saffron, whereas Mexican rice is more flexible in what it's made of and is cooked with a tomato base.

Either way, it's muy delicioso.

Rating: Truly 1/2 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup white rice, uncooked (if you use Minute Rice, cook it with only 1 cup broth)

Olive or canola oil

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 teaspoon garlic

1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed (optional)

1 teaspoon cumin

3/4 cup taco sauce or salsa

Fresh cilantro (optional)

In a saucepan, bring broth to a boil, add rice, bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 30 to 45 minutes, until rice is soft.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil, sauté bell pepper, onion and garlic until just tender. Add black beans, cumin and taco sauce or salsa. Add cooked rice and stir to mix.

Serve topped with cilantro if desired.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Asparagus frittata

 

Asparagus is back in season! Which means it's finally affordable and tastes pretty great. A few nights ago we needed a quick side dish with protein and veggies. We remembered seeing various, lovely photos of asparagus frittatas floating around the interwebs and decided, how hard could it be?

The answer: not hard at all! So easy, in fact, that we give this delicious, satisfying frisbee from heaven:

Rating: 1/4 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

3-4 large eggs, depending on size of your skillet

1 teaspoon butter

Several asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed off

1/2 cup cheese of your choice

1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

In a non-stick skillet melt butter. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and cheese. Pour egg/cheese mixture into skillet. (You want to create a very thin egg layer along bottom of pan, so tip skillet to spread eggs.) Top with onion slices, asparagus, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until eggs are no longer runny. (You may want to cover it toward the end to help steam the asparagus to doneness).

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.