Ranch Pesto Rigatoni Bake

Ranch Pesto Rigatoni Bake  


1 box rigatoni 1/2 cup ranch dressing 1/4 cup prepared pesto 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained and slightly rinsed 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided parsley

Cook and drain rigatoni, return to pot. Stir in ranch dressing, pesto, diced tomatoes, and one cup shredded mozzarella. Transfer pasta to a 2 quart baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella and parsley. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes until cheese is completely melted.

Chicken and cornmeal dumplings

Chicken and cornmeal dumplings

Ingredients

•  2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
•  1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
•  1/3 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
•  1/2 of a medium onion, thinly sliced
•  2 cloves garlic, minced
•  1 teaspoon snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
•  1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
•  2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
•  1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
•  1/2 cup fat-free milk
•  1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
•  1 recipe Cornmeal Dumplings (see recipe below)
•  Coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Directions

1.  In a 1 1/2- or 2-quart slow cooker, combine carrots, celery, corn, onion, garlic, rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with chicken. Pour broth over mixture in cooker.
2.  Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. If no heat setting is available, cook for 5 to 5 1/2 hours.
3.  If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting (or if no heat setting is available, continue cooking). Transfer chicken to a cutting board; cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, chop chicken; return to mixture in cooker. In a small bowl, combine milk and flour until smooth. Stir into mixture in cooker.
4.  Using two spoons, drop Cornmeal Dumplings dough into four mounds on top of hot chicken mixture. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean. (Do not lift cover during cooking.) If desired, sprinkle each serving with coarse pepper.

Cornmeal Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•  Dash salt
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon fat-free milk
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

Directions

1.  In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl combine egg white, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened.

Black bean, corn and spinach enchiladas with homemade sauce

Black bean, corn and spinach enchiladas with homemade sauce 

For the Sauce

Ingredients: Makes enough sauce for 1 batch of enchiladas

• 1/2 chipotle chili, diced + 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (if not serving to toddlers, 1 chili and 2 tsp adobo sauce)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium vidalia onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 tablespoon light-brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 cup sherry
• 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup vegetable broth

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a deep pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until the onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, brown sugar, cumin, and oregano and cook 1 minute more. Add the sherry, chipotle chili, adobo sauce, tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a slow boil then simmer for about 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened to stew consistency. 

This sauce can be made in advance and stored up to 3 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. Store sauce in an airtight container and defrost before using if stored in the freezer. I often double the recipe above and freeze half of the resulting sauce for later use.

For the Enchiladas

Ingredients: Serves 6

• 1 batch of homemade enchilada sauce, see above
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 10-oz package frozen spinach, heated, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 12-oz package of frozen corn kernels (I use the Green Giant Steamers)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded double cheddar cheese

Directions

In a large frying pan heat the 1/2 cup olive oil over medium high heat. It’s ready for frying when a small bit of tortilla sizzles immediately when added to the pan. Fry each corn tortilla for about 5-8 seconds per side, turning with tongs. Place the fried tortillas on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

In a medium bowl combine the black beans, spinach, corn, cumin, salt and black pepper. Mix to combine well.

Spoon half of your enchilada sauce on the bottom of your slow cooker. Divide the filling among the 12 tortillas, spooning about 2-3 tablespoons worth of the bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Sprinkle with about 1-2 tablespoons of Monterey Jack cheese, then roll up and place in your slow cooker, seam-side down.

Use the same method for the remaining tortillas, pressing each filled and rolled tortilla snuggly up against the others when placing them in your slow cooker. I can usually get 10 filled tortillas across and two filled tortillas in the empty space on either side of my row. If your slow cooker is smaller than mine and this isn’t possible, you can always do a second row of filled tortillas on top of the first. Just spoon a few tablespoons of sauce between the layers.

When all of the tortillas have been placed in the slow cooker ladle the rest of the enchilada sauce on top of them and sprinkle with the double cheddar cheese. Cook for 2 1/2 hours on high or 4 1/2 – 5 hours on low.

(Note: If you would like to make these enchiladas in the oven you can do so by assembling them into a large baking dish, covering with aluminum foil and baking them for 25 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees F.) 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup 

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped carrot

1 celery stick, finely chopped 

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

4 cups chicken broth

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup milk

2 cups chopped broccoli

2 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used the whole bag). 

Melt the butter in a large soup pot.  Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until tender.  Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 additional minutes.  Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender.  Mix flour with water, add, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened.  Add milk and broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through.  Stir in cheese, allow to melt, and serve.