Spinach, Black Bean, & Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Have I mentioned yet that I could eat Mexican food every single day and not get sick of it? It is, by far, my favorite type of food, and it's a flavor profile that I regularly turn to when cooking at home. There are about a million versions of enchiladas and enchilada casserole out there. As much as I love actual enchiladas, sometimes I just need the ease and convenience of throwing together a casserole instead of rolling them individually. This casserole takes the ease-factor to a whole new level, because you don't even have to spend time layering ingredients - just combine everything in a huge mixing bowl and pour it into the pan! I'll be eating this for dinner most of this week, and I could probably just eat the pan in one sitting. It is addicting!

Spinach, Black Bean, & Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Lightly adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
Serves 6-8

Ingredients 

• 2 chicken breasts, diced 
• 1 tsp EVOO 
• Cumin
• Chili powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 bag of baby spinach 
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 10-oz can green enchilada sauce 
• 10 oz salsa (I use Pace - chunky mild)
• 10 oz plain Greek yogurt 
• 1 cup shredded cheese 
• 10 corn tortillas 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Heat EVOO in sauté pan over medium heat. Add chicken and season with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder, then cook through (about 7-8 minutes, depending on size of pieces). 
3. Place spinach in sauté pan with lid and a few tablespoons of water, then cook, covered, until wilted down. 
4. Remove chicken and spinach to a small bowl to cool while mixing other ingredients. 
5. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce, salsa, and Greek yogurt until thoroughly combined (measurements for these ingredients are not exact: I added the enchilada sauce, then used the empty can as my measuring cup for the salsa and the yogurt. It’s about a cup of each ingredient). 
6. Cut or tear tortillas into bite-sized pieces (I stacked mine in a pile then cut into 8 wedges). 
7. Add tortillas to sauce mixture and stir to coat all the pieces. Make sure to pull apart tortillas so you don’t end up with a big chunk glued together. 
8. Add chicken, spinach, and black beans to tortilla-sauce mixture and stir to combine. 
9. Pour contents of mixing bowl into a greased 13x9 pan and top with shredded cheese (I had a piece of a block of sharp cheddar leftover and a piece of a block of Monterey jack leftover – shredded and combined. Use what you have: Colby jack or a Mexican blend would work well, too. I recommend shredding your own, since it melts the best that way). 
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown around the edges. 
11. Remove from oven and let stand for ~10 minutes before serving.

"Pro" tips

• Top with Greek yogurt and hot sauce before eating – I’ve been using this Chipotle Cholula and loving it! 
• Use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt, if desired
• Use frozen spinach instead of fresh: just thaw and drain really well before adding it to the mix
• Use red enchilada sauce instead of green, if desired

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

Hi there! First of all, I'd like to say a big hello & welcome to anyone stopping by for the first time today - I know I've got some new viewers popping by from the Ocean Spray Facebook & Twitter pages. I'm so excited that Ocean Spray chose to share my recipe for Oatmeal Applesauce Craisin Muffins, and I hope you'll make these quick treats and enjoy them as much as I did. Thanks for coming by! Hope you'll stick around :)

Second, I have a new recipe to share today! It's been a while since I had a good, solid dinner to share, and I must admit - I'm pretty excited about this one! It's an easy weeknight meal that makes great leftovers... what more could you need?

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
serves 6

Ingredients 

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 bottle buffalo wing sauce (I use Frank's)
• 2 T Ranch dressing powder 
• 4 oz light cream cheese 
• 1/2 box multigrain pasta (I use Barilla rotini) 
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 
• Green onions to garnish 

Directions 

1. Put chicken in crockpot and cover with bottle of buffalo sauce and Ranch powder. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, then shred with two forks. (Tip: you could easily use poached chicken or a rotisserie chicken, shredded and mixed with the buffalo sauce. I use the crockpot so that I come home to the chicken already cooked - plus I like that it sits in the sauce all day and really gets the flavor. Any method of acquiring the chicken and combining with the sauce will do, though!) 
2. Preheat oven to 350. 
3. Add cream cheese to shredded chicken and stir to melt and thoroughly combine. If it’s a little dry, add some chicken broth or water to get it good and creamy (sometimes my chicken gets dry if I have to leave it in the crockpot longer than usual – it’ll be fine either way!) 
4. Cook pasta according to package directions, minus a minute or two so that it’s al dente. Drain and put back in pot. 
5. Mix pasta and chicken / buffalo sauce / cream cheese mixture together in pasta pot. 
6. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, and pour noodle mixture into baking dish. 
7. Top with shredded cheddar and panko. 
8. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 10-15 minutes until the top is crispy and golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. 
9. Serve topped with green onions and a drizzle of Ranch dressing, if desired. 

This is a versatile dish - like I mentioned, you could cook the chicken right before you make the casserole, or use leftover chicken diced and tossed with buffalo sauce. I also think this would be delicious with a little bleu cheese mixed in, but my husband doesn't like it, so we skip that. It's great served along side a vegetable (please note that random little piece of broccoli in my picture...) or with a salad. It comes together in no time, and then you can do something else while it bakes (I cleaned the kitchen and swept the floor... gotta love multitasking). Hope you enjoy this as much as we have!

White Bean Chicken Chili

A few snow days ago, my sister posted a picture to Instagram that totally made my taste buds jealous. She was using her day off to make a big pot of white bean chicken chili. I knew I had to recreate it as soon as possible!

My sister and I generally cook chili the same way: throw a lot of things in a pot, and keep adding things until it tastes right. Sometimes the method turns out better than others, obviously, but it almost never goes completely wrong. I knew I could use her picture of her ingredients to make a batch of my own that would be just as delicious.

This past Friday was cold and rainy - typical January weather around here. The Caps were playing that night, my cold was still hanging around, and curling up in front of the TV to watch hockey with a big bowl of chili sounded perfect to me. I had just about all the ingredients I needed to make Nat's non-recipe recipe, so, after a quick trip to the store, I was ready to go. This chili came together in next to no time (maybe 20 minutes!), and then simmered away for a few hours, making the house smell amazing! It was so hearty and delicious that I knew I had to share it here.

Keep in mind, these measurements are generally estimates - chili is very forgiving as far as ingredients go. If you have more specific questions about what I include, feel free to email me. I'll help as much as I can!

White Bean Chicken Chili
makes ~6 servings

Ingredients

• 2-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces 
• 1 onion, diced 
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 can diced green chiles 
• 2 cans diced tomatoes 
• 1 can corn, drained 
• 2 cans great northern beans, drained 
• 2/3 box chicken broth (may need a little more or less) 
• 1/2 cup spicy v8
• Juice from 1 lime 
• Chili powder 
• Cumin 
• Salt 
• Pepper 

Directions

1. In a soup pot, season chicken with salt and pepper, then sauté chicken, onions, and garlic in a little bit of olive oil over medium heat until chicken is almost fully cooked (or fully, if you want to be safe). 
2. Add chiles, corn, diced tomatoes, and beans, and stir to combine. 
3. Add enough chicken broth to just about cover all ingredients, then add V8 and lime juice. 
4. Add chili powder and cumin to taste – start with a few tablespoons of chili powder and a teaspoon of cumin, and add more to taste, if needed. 
5. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. 
6. Serve with crushed tortilla chips, Greek yogurt or sour cream, and shredded cheddar!

Baked buffalo chicken tenders

All was going well with our "eat what we have without doing more grocery shopping" endeavor, but things were getting a little dire and I ended up at the grocery store last weekend after all. As it turned out, my local Giant was having a great sale on chicken ($1.97/lb!) so I picked up a club pack of chicken breasts and also a package of chicken tenders. I generally don't buy chicken tenders, as we just cook up chicken breasts as they come, or pound them thin / cut / cube / slice as necessary - but these were on sale, and I wanted to experiment a bit. So I did!

I knew that I wanted to create baked buffalo chicken tenders, but really couldn't find a recipe that contained all the components I wanted: chicken tenders, panko, baked with zero frying, and through-and-through buffalo taste. So, I created my own! The end result was pretty tasty - dad & husband approved! Due to the high temperature of the oven, the panko stays crispy and your tenders don't end up soggy and gross. Also, incorporating the buffalo with sauce into the egg wash ensures that spicy buffalo flavor in every bite. Check it out!

Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Ingredients 

• 1 – 1 ½ lbs chicken tenders 
• 1 cup flour 
• Salt / pepper / paprika / garlic power (to taste) 
• 2 eggs, scrambled 
• ½ c buffalo wing sauce (we use Frank's!)
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 425*. 
2. Set up three prep stations in shallow dishes: the first is the flour and seasonings mixed together, the second is the eggs and buffalo wing sauce beaten together, and the third is the panko bread crumbs.

   

   I used shallow Tupperware containers for my three prep stations.

3. Set up your baking pan – a cookie sheet, covered in tin foil, with a wire cooling rack over the top. Spray cooling rack with cooking spray. 
4. One at a time, prepare chicken tenders. Coat in flour, dip in egg wash, coat in breadcrumbs. Lay on cooling rack / baking pan. Repeat until all chicken tenders are finished.

   

   Nakey chicken tenders

   

   Mid-way through the process. No action shot; my hands were gross!

5. Spray chicken tenders with cooking spray. 
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping once halfway. Cooking time may vary depending on size of chicken tenders and preferred doneness of chicken. (I actually cooked mine for 40 minutes.)

   

   Golden brown & delicious!

Serve with a side of ranch or bleu cheese dressing. Yum!

Side note - the ingredient measurements are more like suggestions - this is very much an "eyeball it" dish. Use as much or as little of each as you need to coat all your tenders. Everything in this is pretty cheap, so I was ok with tossing the leftovers when I was done. Feel free to be a bit more cautious with your ingredients if you'd like; dumping some in as I need more works for me.