Burrito Bowls

So here's the deal: I live dangerously close to Chipotle.  By close, I mean I could very easily walk, if I were into that sort of thing.

Now let me loop this in to my pre-wedding diet.  Weight Watchers is OK with Chipotle.  For a mere 13 points (reasonable amount for dinner), I can enjoy my absolute favorite: the burrito bowl..  That was until we met heavy-handed Kate (I don't actually know her name, but I've decided it's Kate).  Kate fills that burrito bowl with at least 4 pounds of food.  I would estimate 3 cups of rice, two full chicken breasts, and I don't even want to talk about the size of the spoon she uses for sour cream.  Mike gets so excited when Kate is working, last time I could actually feel his blood pressure rising when he saw another employee glove-ing up to start working the line. Thankfully, Kate swooped back in and made Mike's 30 pound burrito to his liking.We went home happy, incredibly full, and reaching for the extra large bottle of Tums.

At this point in the game (less than two months till the big day!), running into Heavy Handed Kate at Chipotle is just not a risk I can take. Instead, I decided to make these  lightened up, portion controlled at-home burrito bowls.  These will be a weeknight staple for me; they're fresh, so simple to put together, and incredibly flavorful.  I actually forgot to top these with cheese and neither of us even noticed.  Yum!

Ingredients (for two):
* 2 chicken Breasts
* 1/4 tsp. each: paprika, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper
* 2 c. brown rice, cooked (I love Trader Joe's frozen brown rice)
* 1 tsp. lime zest
* 1-2 tbsp. cilantro (depending on your preference)
* Garnishes, to taste: Romaine lettuce, pico style salsa, light sour cream, lime wedges, sliced avocado, shredded cheese

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium heat.  Combine all seasonings in a small bowl and rub generously on the chicken.  Grill until chicken is cooked through.  Meanwhile, prepare the rice by stirring in lime zest and cilantro.  Add to a bowl, add your garnishes of choice and top with sliced chicken.  Enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Shells

First things first, let me just say that I took probably 50 pictures of these stuffed shells.  Between the low light (days really are getting shorter around here) and brightly colored enchilada sauce, I just couldn't make them look as great as they tasted.  Regardless, I'm sharing them with you because they really were delish!

This recipe is super basic and couldn't be easier to put together.  I use the same method whether I'm making enchilada stuffed shells or traditional enchiladas in tortillas.  The chicken and onion can be cooked in the crock pot so it easily shreds, or you can grab a rotisserie chicken at the store and shred it yourself.  Next time I might try customizing the enchiladas with sauteed peppers or other veggies.

Ingredients:
* 16 jumbo shells pasta
* 2 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
* 1/2 white onion, finely diced
* 1 tsp. canola oil
* 2 c. enchilada sauce 
* 2 tbsp. sour cream
* 1 c. cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Preheat the oven to 400.  Prepare the pasta as directed.  When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and immediately stir in a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce to keep it from sticking together.  Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the canola oil and onion.  Saute until the onion is soft, the add the chicken and 1/2 c. enchilada sauce.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.  Spray a small casserole dish (I used a 9x9) with cooking spray and pour 1/2 c. enchilada sauce in the pan.  To assemble the shells, add a heaping tablespoon of the chicken mixture to each shell place them in the pan.  Once the shells are assembled, pour another 1/2 - 1 c. (depending on how saucy you like it!) over the shells.  Top with cheese, cover with tin foil and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.  Enjoy!

Hash Brown Casserole

Last weekend I decided to some advance prep so I wouldn't be tempted to hit up Bon Appetit first thing Saturday morning.  I must admit, weekends have presented some challenges on the healthy-diet front.  In my opinion, weekends are for red wine, restaurants, and saying yes to the breadbasket.  Alas, this opinion of mine is not helping me get any closer to fitting into my wedding dress. 

This lightened-up version of one of my favorite breakfast treat's actually may be better than the original.  Best of all, you can prepare everything in advance and just pop it in the oven in the morning.  You can even crawl back to bed and sleep off that second (*cough* third*) glass of wine while it bakes.

Next time I'm going to add in some crispy turkey bacon in the mix!

Ingredients:
* 1 (20 oz) bag frozen, shredded hash browns, slightly thawed
* 1 - 1 1/2 c. fat free greek yogurt
* 2 tbsp. minced green onion
* 1/2 c. milk
* 1/2 c. chicken stock
* 1 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine hash browns, 1 c. greek yogurt, milk, green onion, chicken stock, and 1/2 c. cheddar cheese in a large bowl.  If the mixture isn't well coated, add the additional 1/2 c. greek yogurt.  Spray a 9X13 casserole dish with cooking spray and add the potato mixture.  Top with the additional cheddar cheese and bake uncovered 45-50 minutes, until cheese is melted and the edges begin to brown.  Enjoy!

Lisa's Sausage & Peppers

Let me preface this post with a secret fact:  when I made this dish, it was the second time in my life I've ever had sausage and peppers.

Truth be told, I've just never found the concept particularly intriguing.  First and foremost, I absolutely loathe green peppers.  The taste, the texture, the impending heartburn.  I always just assumed sausage and peppers had to be this spicy, green pepper coated monstrosity that only Italian men ate.  Oh, how I was proven wrong!

A few weeks ago we had a carnival day of sorts at work and my coworker, Lisa, brought in this amazing looking dish of sausage and peppers.  The peppers were sautéed with sweet onions, marsala wine, and a touch of tomato paste, until they turned into this sweet goodness that was the perfect compliment to the savory, spicy sausage.  I am officially a sausage and peppers convert, assuming it can always be as good as Lisa's!

Ingredients:
* 1 package of sausage (I used Trader Joe's Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage- they don't kid around with the word 'spicy')
* 3 peppers; I used a red, yellow, and orange, thinly sliced
* 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 2 tsp. basil flakes
* 3 tbsp. olive oil
* 1/2 c. marsala wine
* 1 heaping tbsp. tomato paste

Preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly spray a baking dish with cooking spray and add the sausages.  Bake for an hour, or until sausages are cooked through.  Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the olive oil, onions, and peppers.  Sauté until the vegetables are very soft (about 20 minutes).  Add the garlic and sauté for a minute or so, then add the tomato paste and basil flakes and stir well to combine.  Add the marsala wine and let it reduce until the mixture is thick.  Serve the vegetables over the sausage.  Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower.  It's a revelation.

Seriously, it's possible that i'm in a low-carb state of delusion, but this recipe was SO good.  When the roasted cauliflower is pureed with the creamy garlic, sweet shallot, and combined with the fresh chives, you'll just barely miss a potato.   The flavor is so strikingly similar to a restaurant style mashed potato.  This cauliflower mash made the perfect accompaniment to my Sunday night filet medallions with sautéed mushrooms and red wine demi-glace.  Yum!


Ingredients (makes about 2 cups):
* 1 head cauliflower, trimmed and roughly chopped
* 1 shallot, peeled
* 5 cloves of garlic, halved
* 2 tbsp. olive oil
* 1/4 c. milk
* 2 tbsp. chives, chopped
* salt, pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Lay out a large sheet of aluminum foil atop a cookie sheet and add cauliflower, shallot, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Tightly seal the aluminum package and roast for 1 hour.  After an hour, transfer the cauliflower mixture to a mixing bowl, add milk, and use an immersion blender to puree (if you don't have an immersion blender, blend in a regular blender in batches until smooth; I tried mashing these with a fork first but they weren't fluffy enough for my preference).  Fold in chives.  Enjoy!