Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This Tex-Mex chicken enchilada casserole is a delicious dinner option when you're craving Southwestern-style comfort food. 

Ingredients

 

 4 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups chopped onion, divided

6 garlic cloves, minced and divided

1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

2/3 cup salsa verde

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeño pepper

9 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

 

Preparation

 

 1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side. Place skillet in oven; bake at 425° for 10 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 15 minutes. Remove meat from bones; shred. Discard bones. Place chicken in a medium bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, corn, and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) to chicken; toss to combine.

3. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup onion; sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 garlic cloves; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add onion mixture to chicken mixture; stir to combine.

4. Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups onion, remaining 3 garlic cloves, broth, salsa, 1/4 cup water, and jalapeño in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Carefully pour mixture into a blender; add 2 tablespoons cilantro. Process until smooth.

5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tortillas; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove tortillas from pan; repeat procedure with remaining tortillas. Cut tortillas into quarters.

6. Spread 1/2 cup salsa mixture in the bottom of an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 12 tortilla quarters over salsa mixture. Spoon half of chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers, ending with tortillas. Pour remaining salsa mixture over tortillas; sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Top with remaining cilantro.

Chicken and Cashews

Top tender chicken with an inspired Asian sauce loaded with cashews, ginger, honey, and sesame oil. Pair this entrée with a simple rice pilaf.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided

2 tablespoons dry sherry

4 teaspoons cornstarch, divided

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces $

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided

3/4 cup chopped onion $

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper $

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chopped green onions (about 3 green onions)

1/4 cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted cashews

Preparation

1. Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sherry, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, and chicken in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch, broth, oyster sauce, and honey in a small bowl.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from pan. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Return chicken mixture to pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with green onions and cashews.

Rice pilaf: Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup chopped onion and 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup water, 1/2 cup long-grain rice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro.

What is The Best, Most Useful Cookbook Of All Time?

The Paleo Recipe Book Has 370 Paleo Friendly Meals So You Can Jump Right On Board The Paleo Diet.

Have you ever wondered how to make your own clarified butter (ghee)?
Did you know there are two ways to render your own fat?

Would you like an 8 week meal plan along with a beautifully illustrated Herb & Spice guide ?

You will find the answers to these questions and more on the Paleo diet when you purchase ‘The Paleo Recipe Book’ by Sebastien Noel.  In this eBook bundle you will also receive for free another cookbook ‘Quick & Simple Paleo Meals’, a complete ’8 Week Meal Plan’, a very tasty dessert cookbook ‘Paleo Desserts’ and lastly a ‘Herb & Spice Guide’.

I really do enjoy cooking with Sebastien Noel’s eBooks and would also like to point out his website Paleo Leap - I thoroughly recommend you check it out! There is so much valuable information on eating a Paleo diet and in living the Paleo lifestyle too. All the information provided on his website is detailed and thorough, just like in his eBooks.

Before we take a look inside The Paleo Recipe Book, here is a brief video 
 

Just like it states in the video there are over 370 recipes that are divided into 18 food categories, enough options for what ever you fancy either for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and for those periods in between when you are feeling peckish and want a snack. All 100% Paleo approved.

The benefits of eating Paleo is there are no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no sugar, no unhealthy vegetable oils and no preservatives. So in not time you will begin to feel healthier and stronger and find yourself sleeping like a baby.

Cooking guides, charts and reference sheets

At the start of The Paleo Recipe Book is a handy conversion table along with a guide on temperature and roasting times. I’ve laminated mine and keep them in the drawer in the kitchen. It is a little tip I picked up from a friend – laminating your reference charts, means they last longer and with one simple wipe they stay clean.
When starting out on the Paleo diet one of the first things you will come to understand is what are good fats and what are bad fats. The Paleo Recipe Book will briefly recap what fats we should be consuming with a little more information on what heat to be using when cooking with them. I simply love now that I have learnt how to clarify my own butter in making ghee, there are instruction on how to do this within the eBook. Also in rendering your own fat and the two different methods you can choose from. Animal fat, especially duck fat makes roasting and cooking your food so much more flavorsome.

18 Food categories with many delicious recipes

The 18 categories in The Paleo Recipe Book cover a wide range of foods from cooking with meat & poultry to stews & curries, fish & seafood, stir fries & soups, smoothies even making your own condiments, it is all in there. Each category with tasty recipes to try, here are a couple of  my favorites; ‘Duck al’orange’, ‘Lemon & garlic scallops’, ‘Honey-rosemary roasted figs’, ‘Coconut red snapper & pineapple salsa’, ‘Apple & fennel salad’, ‘Zucchini chips’, ‘Beetroot dip’, ‘Leek & sweet potato soup’, I recommend the ‘Citrus Pork marinade’ and I cannot drink enough of the ‘Pumpkin Smoothie’.
All the ingredients required for each dish are clearly listed, as too the instructions for the preparation involved and serving sizes.

Like to try fermenting and preserving your own fruit and vegetables?

 

Lastly there is a small section on Lacto-fermentation and preserving foods like sauerkraut, gherkins and pickles. I am yet to try this but have recently purchased some canning and preserving bottles so I cannot wait to make the Lac to-fermented peach chutney, of which I think would go perfect with a nice grilled piece of chicken.