Vegetarian Enchiladas

My hubbie and I have finally agreed on 3 meatless nights a week...sweet for me because I am no longer going to have cook 1 meal for the boys, 1 for my hubbie & mom and 1 for me and/or my mom. So, his first attempt is a very mild, easy enchilada.

Veggie Enchiladas

Enchilada Sauce: (you can make & freeze like me or use the canned variety)
1 28oz can of Organic Tomato Puree
2T Chili powder
2t garlic powder
3t Cumin
3t sweetener (agave, sugar, etc...)
1c water

Combine and simmer.

Enchilada Filling:
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper (I used roasted red peppers I made the other night)
oil
1 can Organic Black Beans
1/2 bag of frozen Organic mixed veggies
1 small cluster of Broccoli (I put in the food processor to hide it)
2 cloves minced garlic
1c enchilada sauce
1/2c feta
Salt and Pepper

Soft Tortillas
Shredded cheese

1. Saute onions and peppers in a bit of oil. While they saute, drain and rinse the beans. Then, mash about half the can with a fork. Once onions and peppers are tender, add garlic only for a minute (let is smell great but not burn). Then add in beans, pulverized uncooked broccoli :), and frozen veggies to the pan with the onions. Combine together with 1/2c of enchilada sauce and simmer.

2. Heat oven to 400 degrees and pull out a pan for your enchiladas. Put a few spoonfuls of sauce on the bottom of the pan enough to just cover...don't make it soupy. Then, removed bean mix from heat and stir in the feta. Roll up the enchiladas placing seam down in your pan. (I had a small ceramic dish so I did my enchiladas in 2 layers).

3. Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce (about 1/2-3/4c) and put a bit of cheese if you have on top. Cover in foil and bake for 10-15 minutes!

Chicken Souvlaki Dinner Recipe

I was really exicted to make this dinner because I have wanted to make homemade pita for quite a while. I was hoping it wouldn't be too much work because I didn't start the whole process of making this dinner until 4:00pm and we usually eat at 5ish. So, I started with the pita recipe which I found at Cate's World Kitchen. 

Here is the recipe:

Pita

2 cups bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 tsp sugar

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 1/4 cups warm water (NOT HOT)

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

1. Combine the yeast, 1/4 c water and sugar. Allow to sit for a few minutes until it starts to foam. (Now if it is not a hot day, then start your dryer...just trust me...start the dryer)

2. Add in the remaining ingredients and start to mix. You can do this easily in a standup mixer or you can do it on your own by turning it onto a lightly floured surface and kneading for 10 minutes. Now, put it in a hot place to rise. I put it in the dryer and it rises in like 20 minutes. Just make sure it is nice and hot! (Start Marinating the chicken...check Souvlaki recipe)

3. Once it has doubled in size, fold it over on itself a few times and then cut the ball into 8 pieces. Cover with a damp towel and let sit for 20 minutes. (Again, I shoved in my hot dryer for maybe 10 minutes...they puffed up a bit). Don't forget to turn the over on to 450 degrees. ( Make the tzatziki and start cooking hicken)

4. Roll each ball to 1.8" thick...if you leave it thicker you will have really thick pita. Trust me...1/8" thick! Then, place 2-3 at a time on a cookie sheet and bake in oven for 2-3minutes before flipping. Bake 1-2 minutes on the other side. Repeat until all are baked and then serve.

 

Chicken Souvlaki Recipe

 

3-4 breasts of chicken, sliced thin or chunked

2 cloves, minced garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 T greek yogurt (you can use reg. yogurt if you prefer)

1/4 c olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Pinch of Mint and Oregano

 

Mix everything together and marinate for as long as possible ( I did it for like 20-30 minutes and it was perfect).

 

It is best on kebob sticks and grilled, but since we are out of propane and time is short. I cooked it in a griddle pan.

 

Tzatziki

1 small container of plain greek yogurt or about 1/2 c plain yogurt

1/2 cucumber (peeled, deseeded, grated, & squeezed dry)

2 cloves Garlic (yep 2 more cloves..gotta love garlic)

1T lemon (less is more here or your Tzatziki will be runny)

Optional: Add a dash of dill or mint if you have or a shot of Ouzo ( I know...who has that right...yeah, we have like 3 bottles thanks to our Greek customers, so I opted for the Ouzo)

The customary Salt and Pepper

 

Throw it all together and let the tastes meld together in the fridge until you ae ready to serve. Best served cold!

 

 

How do you throw this all together...I serve a plate of pita, a plate of chicken and the Tzatziki. Oh and I had a plate of fixings on the side...you know some lettuce, nice ripe sliced tomato, onion. Make yourself and voila!

 

This wasn't that bad. I managed to get it on the tabel by 5:30 btween cooking, ranging my 2yo and answering work calls. If I can do it, so can you...and it is OH SO worth the work!

 

 

In my search for Homemade...Cheese Itz!

 

I am really working on more homemade copycat type recipes. Things I feel good about feeding my toddler...I am also going to try to take more pictures of the steps to help with the cooking/baking process. I can't say I will do this for all postings because it is very time consuming. Between working, taking care of a 2 y.o. and managing our other photo heavy blog, this one doesn't get much attention in the photo department. Ironically though, I only like reading cooking blogs with photos...anywho! I had planned to always post pics, but I was not please with how the photos were turning out so I quit! I will try to post more pics, at least a finished product pic.  That being said...I confess now, I am not a professional photographer and although I have Photoshop I have not figured out how to use it...so here is my best attempt! Enjoy!  

My Homemade Cheese Itz!

1/4 c oats, ground or Oat Bran

1/4 c flour

2T butter, cut into pieces

1/3 bag cheese, any type your prefer

 pinch of salt

pinch of sugar

2T water

***Note: I had a ton of left over sliced Swiss cheese, so, I finely sliced it so it was similar to grated cheese.

 

I used oat bran, but you can use plain old fashion oats. Just put 1/4 whole oats in the food processor and process until ground. Then, add four, butter, cheese, salt and sugar to food processor.

  

Process until combined, then roll together in a ball on a piece of plastic wrap.

  

Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

  

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Then, roll out dough to 1/4" thickness and cut out any shape you would like. I made little stars, circles and rectangles. Then, place cutouts into a greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes (less if rolled thinner). 

  

Remove and allow to cool. Keep in a airtight container for a few days! Enjoy...Simple and Homemade!