Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

 A firm family favourite from Ina Garten's Modern Comfort food! I make Claire's with ground veggie meat in place of the shredded chicken.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

1 1/2 to 2 pounds cooked shredded chicken*

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground chipotle powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups chicken stock (I use Better Than Bouillon)
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 ½ cups crushed tomatoes, such as San Marzano
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed in your hands

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion
½ cup seeded and small-diced poblano pepper
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro

8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
8 ounces creamy goat cheese
6 ounces grated extra-sharp cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking constantly, for one minute, then whisk in the chili powder, chipotle powder, and cumin. Add the stock, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, oregano, and 1 tablespoon salt, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium sauté pan, add the onion and the poblano pepper and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Off the heat, stir in the shredded chicken, black beans, cilantro, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper and set aside.

To assemble, spread 1 cup of the sauce in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Lay one tortilla on a board and spread it with 3 tablespoons of the sauce. Spoon ¾ cup of filling down the middle of the tortilla. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on the filling. Roll the tortilla up tightly and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat to make 7 more enchiladas and place them snugly side by side in the dish. Spread the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with Cheddar.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot with garnishes like sour cream, jalapeños, cilantro and avocado.

* A Costco rotisserie chicken or a package of their shredded rotisserie chicken works well

Christmas Tourtiere

I discovered this recipe two years ago on David Lebovitz's website. It comes from the New Joy of Cooking, which I had conveniently given Hugh for Christmas. You can make your own crust, but I just buy a good quality crust (in the US, Marie Callender's work well). Now a Christmas tradition.

Christmas Tourtière

Crust suitable for savoury pie

1 pound (450g) ground beef
1 pound (450g) ground pork
1 large onion, diced
1 large russet potato, diced 
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne or red chile powder
1 bay leaf
1 cup (250ml) beef or chicken stock, or water
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

In a Dutch oven, brown ground beef and pork over medium heat until it's browned and cooked through. With a slotted spoon, remove the meat to a plate or bowl, and drain from the pan all but 2 tablespoons of fat. (Any meaty juices that are in the pan should be reserved to add later.)

Add diced onion to the Dutch oven and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes, salt, spices, and bay leaf, coating potatoes and onions with the spices. Stir the cooked beef and pork back into the pot along with the stock, and any reserved juices from the previous step.

Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice while cooking. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, remove the bay leaf, and cool to room temperature or chill in the refrigerator.

To assemble the tourtière, scrape the meat mixture into a dough lined pie pan, then drape a second disc of dough over the pie. Crimp the edges together and chill the pie for one hour, or freeze it for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Brush the egg yolk over the top of the pie dough, cut a hole in the center, and make any decorative marks you wish in the top with the tip of a sharp paring knife. Bake the pie until the top is golden brown, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Arugula Salad with Bacon, Apple and Cheddar and Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

It's all about this vinaigrette for me. I use it on almost all my salads right now. The salad recipe comes from Maddie Vock (munchinwithmaddie)'s Instagram account. She also has a marinade for grilled chicken to serve with the salad. I'm happy with the salad as-is. 

Arugula Salad with Bacon, Apple and Cheddar

4-5 cups arugula

1 apple, chopped

1 cup old cheddar cheese, grated or cubed
6oz cooked bacon, crumbled (bake at 400F for 20ish minutes)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or toasted pumpkin seeds 

Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt + pepper 

Thai Sweet Potato Red Curry

Claire's home for a few weeks, and I'm working on my vegetarian repertoire again. Found this recipe on the BBC Good Food blog. Easy and tasty. A definite make again. Served with jasmine rice. (I think you could add a mild white fish or chicken for a non-vegetarian option.)

Thai Sweet Potato Red Curry

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch knob of fresh ginger, grated

3 tbsp Thai red curry paste

1 tbsp natural peanut butter

500g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

400ml tin coconut milk

200g baby spinach

juice of one lime

chopped peanuts and cilantro

Melt coconut oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft - about 5 mins. Add garlic cloves and ginger, and cook for 1 min until fragrant.

Stir in curry paste, peanut butter and sweet potato. Then add coconut milk and 200ml water.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 25-30 mins or until the sweet potato is soft.

Stir in spinach and lime juice, and season well with salt. 

Serve with cooked rice and top with chopped peanuts and/or cilantro.

Souvlaki Style Pork Tenderloin

This marinade recipe come from Rick Stein, From Venice to Istanbul. He recommends using it for cubed pork shoulder on skewers (souvlaki) but we also like it on pork tenderloin. Recipe is enough for two tenderloins. Marinade for 1-2 hours then grill.

Souvlaki-Style Marinade

30ml fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp each ground cumin, cayenne, and salt

1 garlic clove, grated

Crockpot Baked Beans

This recipe for Crockpot baked beans started with the one from ricardocuisine.com. Minor tweaks. It's  great! It requires planning ahead (due to the bean soaking step and then an all day cook). Otherwise easy and tasty! We served it with sausage from Starsky.

Crockpot Baked Beans

4 cups (1 litre) dry white beans

1 cup (250 ml) maple syrup

1/2 cup (125 ml) ketchup

1/2 lb (225 g) bacon, diced

2 onions, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon (15 ml) Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt

1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground pepper

Place beans in large bowl. Cover with water and soak overnight at room temperature, making sure beans are always covered. Rinse and drain.

Combine all ingredients in Crockpot. Add 6 cups cold water. Cook for 8 to 9 hours on low, or about six hours on high.