Recipe Review: White Chicken Enchiladas

White chicken enchiladas.
YUM.
Even the idea of them sound good to me. :)

However, this is not my recipe.  I don't even really adapt this recipe.  We just eat this recipe.
A lot.
One of the things that can stink about the internet is the sheer number of recipes to sift through.  Once you choose one, gather your ingredients and God willing, find time to cook....well, finding out you picked a 'dud' is just about the worst thing ever.
I hate that.
So recipe review was born.  We see it, we try it....we tell you what the real result is. Makes your life easier, doesn't it?

I'm starting easy, because honestly....this recipe is delicious.  Isn't everything she makes?

White chicken enchiladas.  They are definitely not your health food fix, but they are great comfort food. You can find Pioneer Woman's recipe HERE.

First impression:
She takes beautiful pictures of food.  Usually I'm frantically trying to scroll PAST the pictures to get to the real recipe, though, because it looks so good I'm salivating and enough with the eye candy already I need to make this NOW.  Ahem.

Here's what I did differently:
Not much.  I've made this several times now, and usually I use homemade broth instead of the reserved liquid.  When I used the reserved liquid, I thought the taste was a little bit blander.  I didn't rinse my chicken (I'm a rebel).  I also used half/half or milk instead of heavy cream (by the way, a little bit of milk works fine in a pinch).   I  have used both flour tortillas and corn tortillas that haven't been crisped in oil first.  Both were totally fine, although we like flour better.  The corn we use because it makes the recipe gluten-free, and I think next time I will try to crisp them first just to see if it makes a difference for us.

Verdict:
This is a perfect 'guests are coming' or 'bringing a meal to a new mom' recipe.  It's relatively painless to make (once the chicken is shredded), and usually I double it and freeze one. It freezes well (BONUS!).  It's the perfect hit-the-spot cheesy recipe.  We like to eat it with mexican rice and a salad or vegetable (review on the mexican rice another time).

Yes.  If you like cheese, or enchiladas, or chicken, or anything in this recipe, it's a definite win.  It's quickly becoming one of our favorites for a special splurge meal.  This recipe gets a big YES from my entire family, kids included!

Have a recipe you wish we'd review?  Send it to us at dandelionsprouts@gmail.com, and we'll see what we can do! :)

Very Veggie Chili

With Sarah moving her family and all earthly belongings to a new house soon, you're probably going to get a lot of me for the next week or so (for that I am very sorry).  Sarah pretty much awes me with her ability to juggle large amounts of things, so she may pop up and post more than you would expect, but either way, she WILL be back, I promise.  In the meantime, I'll try to keep you busy so you forget that she's the interesting one and is occupied elsewhere ;)

One of the things my family has always loved is a good bowl of chili....chili with the cheese all melty, and the cornbread all YUM.
I'm making myself hungry.
This is my go-to recipe when I'm making chili.  It's been lovingly developed over time at my house, and as a matter of fact, we're having this for dinner again tonight.  Oh yes.
Not only do my sprouts ask for this recipe, it freezes well and is packed with veggies, so it really can be a complete meal in one bowl.  I highly suggest you get a very large pot, because I almost always double this and throw the extra in the freezer for a quick meal some other night.

VERY VEGGIE CHILI

1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey, browned and drained

1 chopped onion

olive oil

1 T. minced garlic

2 cups cooked (or 1 can rinsed and drained) kidney beans or black beans

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cups organic frozen sweet corn

3 large carrots, chopped

2 cans petite diced tomatoes

2 cups water

 1 1/2 T. chili powder 

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp dried oregano 

2 tsp. salt

cheese for topping (skip if you need this dairy free, of course!)

Firstly, please note that all of these spices are 'to taste'.  Most of my kiddos like their chili mild, so we make this recipe and then daddy adds his spicy ingredients to his own bowl. These amounts will get you to where my family likes it--if you like it stronger, experiment until the taste is right for you! 

In a large stock pot, saute onions and garlic in a little olive oil over medium heat until onions begin to soften and turn clear.  (BTW, often I will throw my meat in there and brown it at the same time).
Add carrots, green peppers, corn, beans, tomatoes, and water into the pot.  Add spices and stir well to combine.  Bring to a boil and then simmer on low, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and veggies are at desired tenderness  (I've simmered for as little as about 25-30 minutes, and I've simmered much longer according to my needs.  Don't forget to taste test for your spices!)  Serve hot, topped with cheese or sour cream.

NOTE:  This recipe can also be adapted for your slow cooker--throw your ingredients in and let it simmer in there instead!

One day soon I will share my GF cornbread recipe that we often eat with this chili.  Perfect for GF tummies AND regular tummies, too! :)

Chunky Monkey Mac 'n Cheese

Hi guys! I'm sitting here with my 3 little ladies and they've just finished eating one of their absolute favorite recipes ever! I thought I'd take a break from the packing chaos (we're moving in A WEEK! How is it that all of our "stuff" keeps multiplying??!!) and upload this recipe for you all! I created this recipe as a weight-gain recipe and it sure does a good job! If you stick around to read more on this blog, you'll probably realize that I LOVE using coconut milk in many of my recipes! It is super thick and creamy and can be used to replace many other types of milk in recipes! In only 1/4 cup it boasts 100 calories and 10 grams of fat so it really packs a punch for those needing to gain weight! Many Mac n' Cheese recipes call for evaporated milk or whole milk, so I figured why not coconut milk? I promise you this recipe does not taste coconut-y at all! For those of you whose children are dairy free, I'm still playing with this recipe and trying to substitute a sweet potato puree in place of the cheese but so far my attempts haven't been a big hit with the little ladies! We are low-dairy here, and one of my girls is low carb due to blood sugar issues, so this is definitely a rare treat for my girls!

My oldest loves this recipe so much that as soon as she hears I'm making it, she repeatedly squeaks, "Thank you Mama....Mac n' Cheese....Love it! Thank you Mac n' Cheese Mama!!!" all while hugging me over and over. I kid you not! When my littles were younger I used to make this recipe and put it in the blender with some warm bone broth and make it into a puree! It's a hit with all of the little ladies here (and Mama has been known to sneak a few bites here and there too!!)

My favorite type of gluten free pasta to use with this recipe is brown rice pasta (Tinkyada brand). One of my girls had a rice sensitivity for some time so we've also used quinoa pasta as well (although it doesn't have the same smooth texture as brown rice pasta in this recipe).

You can serve it as the main dish or as a side dish, whatever meets your family's needs! This recipe keeps well in the fridge for about a week.

Well now that you're all amped up to try a recipe to fatten up the little ones in your house, here you go!

CHUNKY MONKEY MAC N' CHEESE

8 ounces shell pasta of choice

1 can whole fat coconut milk (13.5 oz)

3 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

2 bags shredded mild cheddar cheese (I've also used many other types of cheeses-whatever I have on hand!)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (alternate option: replace all of half of the milk with bone broth)

2 large eggs, whisked

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. mustard powder

1 tsp. pink sea salt

Dash of black pepper


Begin heating water for the pasta in a small saucepan.
In a large saucepan, heat coconut milk, butter, and coconut oil.
Whisk 2 large eggs and stir into the warm mixture in the saucepan.
Add mustard powder, nutmeg, sea salt and pepper and stir.
Add 1 bag of shredded cheese at at a time and mix until both bags are melted.
Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes while the pasta cooks.
Boil pasta and drain.
Pour pasta into cheese sauce mix and let sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
Enjoy!

(I apologize for the lack of pictures. As soon as we're settled in our new house I will take some pictures and add them!)