Twofer: Making 2 meals in less than an hour is a snap!

All of us love a bargain, me just as much as the next person.  Well, let me tell you, a twofer can help you save money and time in the kitchen too.  I have learned through being a working mom who is determined to feed my family good, homemade food most nights of the week, that a key to success is learning how to make 2 meals at once.  As I embarked on this challenge years ago, I found that it's easy to make 2 at once without increasing your normal dinner prep time, it just takes a bit of planning.  This type of meal can be done using any type of protein and veggies you like, you just have to pick two dishes that share most of the ingredients and you are golden.  For my example, I made my oh so famous Tomatillo Chicken Enchiladas and Tex-Mex Chicken Salad.  Try these 2 out, and I'm sure you will be pleased to find that this isn't as hard as it seems.  Plus you save yourself a whole night of cooking without sacrificing your family's home cooked meal.  This is absolutely perfect for those weeks where you only have 1 night to spend in the kitchen and you don't want to spend all the rest of the week eating from a drive-thru.

Prep It

• To make food prep for this go quickly, I like to use a Rotisserie chicken (you could also pre-bake chicken tenderloins as well).  Either way, de-bone, skin and cut your chicken into 1 inch pieces ahead of time
  
• Chop all fruit and vegetables (celery, onions, grapes, cilantro) and store in seperate zip-lock bags overnight

What Goes In It: Don't freak out, this list is for BOTH recipes (Enchilada only ingredients are blue and chicken salad only ingredients are green--all others are common between both recipes)

• Cooked boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 red onion
• 2 tbls minced garlic
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Cilantro
• 2 containers of Store bought Tomatillo Salsa (I prefer the Market Pantry Target brand, should be about 32 oz of salsa)
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/4  cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 10 large flour tortillas
• Shredded cheese (mexican blend or cheddar)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tbls Chicken Grill or Montreal seasoning
• 2 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 tbls McCormick Smokehouse Maple seasoning
• 2 tsp Creole seasoning
• 1 cup seedless purple grape halves
• 1/2 cup celery
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbls red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tbls worteschire sauce
• 1 tbls orange juice

How to Make It

Start with the Enchiladas

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add half the onion and cook until soft and caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, ½ tablespoon of salt and 2-3 tsp cracked black pepper then cook for another minute. 
3. Add the flour and whisk to cook the flour without burning. 
4. Add the chicken stock followed by ½ the tomatillo salsa and sour cream. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens.
   
     
5. Add 2/3 of the chicken, stirring until all chicken is coated in the sauce.  Squeeze lime juice into chicken mixture.
   
6. Check seasoning and season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed and add ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro.  Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 mins.

Meanwhile begin prepping for the chicken salad…

1. Put the remaining onions, chopped celery and chicken into a non-reactive bowl (glass or plastic works best with a lid).
   
2. Add remaining cumin and chili powder plus the garlic powder, paprika, grill seasoning, creole seasoning, and smokehouse seasoning to the bowl.  Add grapes and set aside.
   

Back to the Enchiladas…

1. Lightly coat a 9x12 inch Pyrex dish with non-stick spray. 
2. Pour about ¼ cup of the reserve salsa into bottom and spread around so that it lightly coats the bottom of the dish. 
3. Heat the tortillas in the microwave wrapped in damp paper towels for 30 seconds to soften.   
4. To begin assembly of the enchiladas, set up an assembly line of the tortillas, cheese and chicken mixture.
   
5. Pour the remaining salsa into a shallow bowl.  Dip each tortilla into the salsa so that it is lightly coated on either side. 
6. Put 1 tablespoon of cheese followed by 2 tablespoons of chicken mixture into the tortilla and top with another 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese.
   
7. Starting at one end, roll the tortilla up like a cigar, being careful to tuck the ingredients in as you go. Tip, if you put the inside ingredients closer to one side of the tortilla, it makes it easier to wrap.
   
8. Place wrapped tortilla into the baking dish seam side down.  Repeat this step for each tortilla until all of the chicken mixture is used. 
   
9. Pour any reserve salsa over top of the enchilada, then top with ½ cup shredded cheese.  
   
10. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until cheese is bubbly and tortillas begin to slightly crack around the edges.
    

While the Enchiladas are baking, finish the chicken salad... 

1. Add mayonnaise, vinegar, and orange juice to the bowl.  
   
2. Stir until all chicken is well coated.  Taste and adjust seasoning to taste. 
   
3. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

To serve the Enchiladas, top with fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes and/or sour cream.

To serve the chicken salad, put a healthy ice cream scoopful on a Hawaiian roll or croissant and serve with chips.

Voila!  Two dishes and only 1 night of cooking.  Now that’s what I call a TWOFER!  Enjoy!

Extra Tips/Shopping List

• What You'll Need
• Cilantro
• Tortillas
• Chicken Grill Seasoning or Montreal seasoning
• McCormick Smokehouse Maple Seasoning
• Grapes
• Orange Juice

What You Should Have Stocked

• Everything else!

Extra Tips

• Using a food processor to chop the veggies will make everything go faster and assure a good fine chop--especially if you have picky kids who like to pick things out of their food!
• Always use a non-reactive bowl when using vinegars--if use a metal bowl, it can alter the flavor of your dish
• If you are worried about overcooking the tortillas in the microwave, you can heat them on a griddle pan or if you have a gas stove, over the open flame on low. Just put the tortillas directly over the fire and heat on each side for 20-30 seconds.
• Wrap the tortillas in damp paper towels or in plastic wrap
• This same meal method could be done with spaghetti and beef enchiladas, which would almost be better because you'd also have a ton of leftovers!

Until next time,

the Gourmet Mommie

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East Meets West: A Southern Classic with a Touch of Asian Flare

One of the main things that I am known for with my family and friends is turning almost everything I cook into a creole dish.  My motto is Tony’s Seasoning is good for everything, right!  Well, if you ask my sister I need to pump the brakes on the Creole seasoning periodically due to the higher sodium content.  This mindset combined with my new found desire to create healthy meals that my kids will love has caused me to explore other spices to really expand my definition of creole fusion.  For last night’s meal, I decided to combine a classic Chinese dish with a Southern favorite.  Plus if you’re watching your salt intake, my Asian Inspired Country Style Ribs, which I served with a Green bean and mushroom stir fry and basic fried rice, is the perfect way to keep all the flavor but lose a lot of the salt!  I created these recipes on the fly using only things that I had on hand so I promise the grocery list for this meal should be fairly short (if you stocked your kitchen the way I recommended) AND you can easily swap my choices out with spices and veggies you have on hand.  The thought behind this recipe is more method and experimentation rather than sticking to a rigid ingredient list. In this case, my experiment paid off, the family loved this and kids cleaned their plates. Having fun in the kitchen by combining new flavors is always goal and hey when in doubt trust your nose.  If it smells good, it will taste good.  If it doesn’t, well you might want to rethink your choices :-). 

Prep It

• This is one of those meals that benefits from day ahead prepping.  I made it on a Sunday so I did all my prep work in the morning right after church, but all of this can easily be done the night before or on your normal prep day in order to cut down on time during the week.
• If frozen, take out the meat the night before and place it in sink over night to allow adequate time to thaw.
• Make the marinade and place in an airtight container in the fridge or if your house is fairly cool (70°C or below) you can leave it on the counter for up to 8 hours
• Wash and prep your green beans by snapping off the tough ends.  If you plan to store these in the fridge, wrap a paper towel around them and place in a zip lock bag.  This will keep the moisture off the beans and they will last longer
• If serving with rice, cook it a day in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use

What Goes In It

• 1 ½ lbs Country Style Boneless Ribs
• 2 tbls Chinese Five Spice Powder
• 2 tbls Pork Rub (I used McCormick Brand)
• 1 tbls Kosher Salt
• 2 tbls brown sugar
• 4 tbls bourbon (I used Southern Comfort)
• 4 tbls Lite Soy Sauce
•  2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbls BBQ sauce or Hoisin Sauce
• 3 tbls honey

How to Make It

1. In small bowl, combine the five spice powder, pork rub, brown sugar and kosher salt.  Rub the rubs with the spice mixture then place in to a large zip lock bag.
2. Using the same bowl, mix together the bourbon, soy sauce, garlic, BBQ sauce, and honey. Rub the pork belly with the marinade mixture and marinate for a minimum of 2 hours on the counter or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
4. Hold up the pork for a few seconds to allow excess marinade to drip off, and then place each piece on the griddle pan, cooking for 3-4 minutes per side. (NOTE: DO NOT THROW OUT YOUR MARINADE).
   
   
   
   
5.  Immediately remove the ribs from the griddle pan and place on a broiler pan that has been lightly brushed with sesame oil. Brush with the reserve marinade.
6. Roast the ribs for about 25-30 minutes.
7. The ribs are done when the center of the rib strip feels firm or the internal temperature reaches 145°F. (medium rare) and 160°F. (medium) on a meat thermometer inserted at the thickest part.
   
8. Remove the ribs from oven and let it cool for 3- 5 minutes. Arrange the ribs on a plate, top with sliced green onions or toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Extra Tips/Shopping List

What You’ll Need

•  Country Style Ribs
•  Pork Rub
• Chinese five spice powder

What You Should Have Stocked

• Kosher Salt
• Brown sugar
• Bourbon or other alcohol such as Southern Comfort
• Soy Sauce
• Garlic
• BBQ sauce or Hoisin Sauce
• Honey

Extra Tips

• Taste your marinade before pouring it over the meat and adjust your seasoning.  If a sauce tastes good raw, it will be even better cooked!
• Placing a paper around or in the same bag with veggies keeps moisture away and prevent premature molding
• Cutting the green onions on an angle makes your dish look more elegant and finished
• Sesame oil has a low burning temperature so be sure to keep your grill pan heat at Medium
• If you don’t have sesame oil on hand, vegetable oil or non-stick spray can be used
• If you are looking for a substitute for Chinese Five Spice Powder, you can make your own.  This will make more than you need store any reserve in an airtight container. I like to save empty spice bottles for this purpose.
•  ½ tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper
•  1 tbls ground cinnamon
• 4 tsp ground all spice
•  1 tbls of fennel or dill seeds
• If you are not great and using the touch test for meat doneness (yes I made that word up), get a meat thermometer, it takes all the guess work out of trying to figure out if you are medium, medium rare or well done!
• Have fun experimenting and trying new flavors!

Until Next Time Happy Cooking,

the Gourment Mommie

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