Chicken Encilada Stuffed Shells

Elizabeth gave me the idea for this dinner and then that evening I saw a recipe online for it. I adjusted the recipe to our taste. It was a fun new twist on pasta and enchiladas!

1 box Uncooked Jumbo Pasta Shells (about 15)
1 pound baked chicken breasts (2 to 3), Shredded
5 oz enchilada sauce
1 small can refried beans, divided
1/2 envelope taco seasoning, (1/2 of the 1-oz package)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water.

In a medium bowl, add shredded chicken, enchilada sauce, 1/4 cup of the refried beans, and taco seasoning. Stir together until well blended, set aside.

Fill shells with a spoonful of refried beans and then top with chicken mixture. Place in an 11-inch x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Recipe Source: www.tastykitchen.com

Enchilada Chicken

So, I started Weight Watchers this week. I'm going to work on finding lighter recipes for a while.

This one is from one of the Biggest Loser cookbooks. It was fast and easy.

4 (4-oz) trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp taco seasoning or Southwest seasoning
4 TB mild, medium, or hot enchilada sauce
Olive oil spray
2 ounces (1 cup) finely shredded light cheddar cheese
2 TB finely chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 350.

Season each chicken breast evenly on all sides with the seasoning.

Place a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over high heat. When hot, lightly mist with the olive oil spray and add the chicken. Cook, turning once, for 1-2 minutes per side, or just until the chicken in golden brown on the outside.

Remove the pan from the heat and top each chicken breast with 1 tablespoon of the enchilada sauce, followed by one-fourth of the cheese, and one-fourth of the cilantro. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 4-6 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink inside and the cheese is melted.

Makes 4 Servings
3 WW pts per serving
Recipe Source: Biggest Loser Cookbook

Mexican Lasagna

This is not fancy, but it was tasty. It makes a lot of food, so I thought about cutting the recipe in half next time--but the leftovers were yummy for lunch so I think I'll keep it as is. I used ground turkey instead of ground chicken since my grocery store doesn't carry it. Also, I forgot to add the green onions but Nate thought he liked it just as well without. I couldn't find spinach tortillas, so I just used normal flour ones. The recipe didn't specify how to layer the tortillas, so I didn't end up using all of them. I probably should have used them all...it's up to you.

3 TB olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken breast
2 TB chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 cup medium heat taco sauce (I used Taco Bell mild taco sauce)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
Salt
8 (8 inch) spinach flour tortillas
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or pepper jack)
2 scallions, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 425.

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add taco sauce, black beans, and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2-3 minutes then season with salt to taste.

Coat a shallow baking dish (9x13) with remaining olive oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat: Meat, tortillas, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12-15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with scallions and serve.

Recipe Source: http://www.foodtv.com/

Tortilla Soup

This was a recipe from a viewer of the Rachael Ray show. She called it "White Chicken Chili," but really it's tortilla soup...so that's what I'm going to call it.

1 32-ounce box chicken stock
3 cans white beans, left undrained
5 cups cooked chicken (rotisserie or boiled)
1 16-ounce jar salsa
1 8-ounce block pepper jack cheese, grated
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
Black or white pepper to taste
1/2 cup finely crushed corn chips
Sour cream, for garnish

Place all ingredients except the corn chips in a large pot over medium-high heat until cheese is melted. Add crushed corn chips and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken. Garnish with sour cream and serve.

Recipe Source: Rachael Ray (http://www.rachaelray.com/)