Roasted Shrimp Enchiladas with Jalapeño Cream Sauce and Guacamole Rice

This recipe turned out to be such a wonderful surprise. I made these on a whim last night for dinner, and my husband and I both agreed that these enchiladas made it into the top five of our all-time favorite things I have ever made.
I controlled the heat on these a few ways (noted below) as we don't like really spicy food. The result was just enough kick for flavor without an overpowering amount of spice.
I can't say enough how delicious these are, and the really great thing is, the filling isn't full of cheese or a heavy sauce, it's light and just so tasty.
I added the Guacamole Rice as a side and it was perfect also. All in all, a perfect Mexican dinner that we will definitely be repeating in the future.

Roasted Shrimp Enchiladas with Jalapeño Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce (I only added the sauce from this, none of the actual peppers-this controlled the heat)
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I didn't add this to keep the recipe mild)
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese 

  
Jalapeño Cream Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 jalapeños, seeded & minced (I used the canned chopped versions of these, they worked great!)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place shrimp onto the prepared baking sheet. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste, and gently toss to combine. Place into oven and roast just until pink, firm and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add cabbage, carrot, spinach, chipotle pepper, oregano and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach just begins to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. Add shrimp and gently toss to combine.
• To make the sauce, melt butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken stock and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Add jalapeños and garlic powder and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
• To assemble the enchiladas, lay tortilla on a flat surface and spoon 1/3 cup of the shrimp mixture in the center; sprinkle with cheese. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down onto prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and shrimp mixture.
• Pour half of the jalapeño cream sauce evenly over the top. Place into oven and bake, covered, until lightly golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
• Serve immediately with remaining jalapeño cream sauce, garnished with cilantro.

Adapted from the original recipe on the blog Damn Delicious. Above photo also from this blog.

Guacamole Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and diced (I added a second avacado--this is really personal preference)
• Juice of 1-1/2 limes
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups cooked white or brown rice, quinoa, barley or couscous
• 1 garlic clove, crushed with press, or minced and ground into a paste
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (I only add some of the seeds to the dish. Do as you please.)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mash together avocado, lime juice and salt. Add remaining ingredients, toss to combine well. Serve warm or cold.

Original Recipe (and photo above) from the blog Foxes Love Lemons.

Japanese Steakhouse White Sauce

My husband and I love hibachi. When we lived in Myrtle Beach, SC, there were countless inexpensive very good hibachi places. Oddly, when we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, there are fewer affordable options, and at first, we had trouble finding any restaurants near where we live.
Because of this, I have mastered (somewhat) making our own at home. But we HAD to have the white sauce that was always served with our meals. I searched the internet and finally found a great recipe. This really tastes like the sauce we loved in restaurants, and it is super easy to make.

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise *

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Dash cayenne pepper

*This brand was highly recommended by the person submitting the recipe, but I have used other kinds, even generic store brands, and they work fine.

Directions:

Using a fork or a whisk, blend all ingredients together thoroughly until well mixed and the sauce is smooth. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend. Bring to room temperature before serving.

White Chicken Chili

My crock pot has been working overtime lately. I actually have two of them, and I can barely keep one clean to use it between cooking meals. My work schedule has made it harder for me to cook as much, something I absolutely love to do, so I am so thankful that we are still able to eat really great meals that my husband can throw together during the day, or I can prepare on the weekend to be enjoyed when I come home from work.

This recipe was actually a combination of a few versions I found on Pinterest, and it turned out really good. It will definitely go into our rotation of favorites, especially in the fall and winter.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts (about a pound of chicken)- I used frozen and threw them right in the crockpot

 3 (15-ounce) cans cannellini or great Northern beans, drained (or a mix of both kinds of beans)

1 large onion, chopped,

1 teaspoon cumin

1 packet ranch dressing mix (dry)

1 can Rotel tomotoes, undrained

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth

8 oz light cream cheese

2 cans corn (I used frozen)

Directions:

Put chicken breasts in crock pot and add all other ingredients. Stir often. When it is cooked, shred chicken breasts with two forks and mix in completely with all other ingredients.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. 

Baked Ham and Cheese Poppyseed Sandwiches

I accidentally found this recipe on a blog one afternoon- I can't remember the original location, and there are variations on this recipe all over the internet. But, I still have this one, so I always use it. Sometimes I throw on some extra meat and mix it up with both turkey and ham, etc, but the spread is what makes these so good.

 

Ingredients:

Kaiser rolls
2lb thin sliced ham
Cheddar cheese slices
1 stick butter very soft
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp mustard

 
Directions:

Blend butter, poppy seeds, onion, and mustard to make a spread. Spread on both sides of rolls. Add ham and cheese. Wrap individually in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Potato and Double-Corn Chowder

I was really skeptical about this recipe. If I am going to make soup, I want it to be truly homemade. The frozen potatoes worried me, but the end result put my worries to rest. Now that I don't work from home every day, I am open to shortcuts as long as it turns out as delicious as this. I did make some additions and changes, which I have included in the recipe below. You can find the original recipe here.

Whatever you do, do NOT skip the french fried onions when serving. I added these last minute as I had some leftover from Thanksgiving cooking. I think they MAKE this soup.

Ingredients:

• One 32 ounce bag frozen diced southern-style potatoes, thawed (I used Ore-Ida Hashbrowns diced Southern-Style Potatoes)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (15.25 ounces) whole kernel corn, undrained
• 1 can (14.75 ounces) cream-style corn
• 1 medium onion 
• 8 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (or more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or more to taste)
• French's french fried onions for serving
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

 Directions:

• Spray 3 to 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix all ingredients except evaporated milk and french fried onions.
• Cover; cook on low heat setting 6-8 hours until potatoes are tender. Just before serving, increase heat to high setting. Stir in milk; cover and cook for 5 minutes or until chowder is hot.
• Serve with french fried onions sprinkled on top.

Million Dollar Spaghetti

We eat spaghetti a lot around here, it is one of my husband's favorite meals. For me, it's an easy dinner to make, and I usually throw some frozen garlic bread in the oven, too. I use jarred sauce, my personal favorite is Newman's Own spaghetti sauces, which are all excellent.

When I came across this recipe, I was worried that it would be too rich, too heavy, and it was a little more work than my usual spaghetti dinner. But, oh my goodness, is this ever yummy. It isn't too rich at all, it has quickly become our favorite, and I honestly don't know when I will make plain old spaghetti again. For this recipe, I use whatever jarred sauce is on sale, usually something with a lot of garlic- as we are garlic lovers. I use low fat or fat free cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese, and it doesn't affect the flavor at all. (I found this recipe through Pinterest, it's original location is here).

Ingredients:
 

1 lb. of Ground Beef

1 jar of Spaghetti Sauce

8 oz of Cream Cheese

1/4 cup of Sour Cream
1/2 lb. of Cottage Cheese
Whole Stick of Butter
8 oz. of Noodles
1 1/2- 2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Directions: 

Set your over on 350. Boil the noodles. While they are boiling,  mix the cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese with a hand or stand mixer until completely combined. In a skillet, brown ground beef completely, drain, and then add jar of spaghetti sauce and mix together in the skillet and heat together. Take a few slices of your butter and put them in the bottom of the casserole dish, Then layer HALF of the noodles in the bottom of the dish. Pour the cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese mixture on top of the noodles and spread it across the length and width of the dish on top of the noodles. Then add the rest of the noodles and put a few slices of butter on top of those noodles. Pour the spaghetti sauce and meat mixture on top of the last layer of noodles, spreading it out evenly. Place the casserole in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Then, take the casserole out of the oven, add the shredded cheese on top, and put back in the oven for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Vegetable Beef Soup (Crockpot)

I LOVE vegetable beef soup, especially in the fall and winter. I have tried countless recipes, but hadn't felt like I had found THE go-to recipe. Until now. This soup resulted in what I consider the perfect fall soup, and my husband has said several times now, "Don't mess with this recipe- this is the one!" You can't argue with that.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs stew beef chunks
• 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 1 lb baby carrot*
• 2 stalkscelery, with tops Sliced
• 2 onions, Diced
• 4 red potatoes, Diced*
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 beef bouillon cubes
• 15 ounces corn*
• 2 cups fresh green beans, snapped and cut into 1 inch pieces (frozen is ok)*
• 10 ounces tomato soup
• 10 ounces water (soup can)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a 6 quart crock pot and stir well.
2. Cover and cook on high for 6-8 hours. If you cook on low, you need a minimum of 12 hours.
3. *One note, I used frozen veggies for the carrots, celery, potatoes, corn, and green beans. Turned out perfect!