Cilantro Lime Chicken Quesadilla

aka Make Yerself a Dang Quesadilla, Napolean!

(imagine the heavenly voices of cilantro angels singing in chorus)… ♪Ahhhhhhhh!♫

Our menu called for quesadillas tonight, but I wanted to change things up a little. I’m a pretty lazy with my quesadilla assembly: cheese, grilled chicken, cheese. Blah. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good…and cheesy (did I mention the cheese?), but…blah.

Anyway, I’ve been growing some herbs in my windowsill the last few weeks (you can see my basil and cilantro in the picture above!), and have been dying to do something with the cilantro. I just happened to have some limes on hand as well. And nothing pairs with cilantro better than lime. I can’t believe I actually had them BOTH at the SAME TIME! Now, you may call it luck. And you may call it fortune. But meself, I call it fortuosity…(I can hear an Irishman singing “"Fortuosity"” in my head now. You too? Uncanny!) *ahem*

So I grilled up a couple of chicken breasts seasoned with seasoned salt and then shredded them. Then I chopped up the cilantro really fine. I watched this video and this video on how to chop herbs and found them very instructive. (I can’t do it like the second guy, but it was fun to try anyhow.) I added a dash each of cumin and garlic powder. Then I squeezed half a lime over the chicken and gave it a quick toss. I layered the chicken with shredded mozzarella between two medium flour tortillas and voila! Quesadilla City, baby. Population: us.

As a means of self-gratulation, I would like to add that the “Picky Three” scarfed these down almost as fast as I could make them. The youngest, pickiest of the gang even ate his full share. That. Is. Amazing.

Next time, I think I’d like to add some black beans and red or green peppers, and this would be fantastic with Sarah’s guacamole.

Here’s the breakdown:

Cilantro Lime Chicken Quesadillas

(makes 5 quesadillas)

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
dash ground cumin
dash garlic powder
juice from half a lime
1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
10 flour tortillas

In a small bowl, combine chicken, cilantro, cumin, and garlic powder. Add lime juice and toss. On a flour tortilla, layer chicken mixture with 1/4 cup cheese and top with a second tortilla. Place in quesadilla maker and cook 6 minutes or until slightly crispy. Serve with sour cream (we like to substitute plain yogurt), salsa, and guacamole.

I used a quesadilla maker, but you can also bake two quesadillas at once on a cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes at 400°.

Enjoy!

Simple Sour Cream Enchiladas

Okay, I’ll admit it. I haven’t “actually” tried this recipe (it’s on my ever-growing list of recipes to try). BUT, the list of ingredients is similar to that of the Chicken & Cream Cheese Casserole Adrie & Josh love so much (except it uses sour cream instead of cream cheese). It looks DELISH! Centsational Girl provides a fully illustrated how-to on her blog. Check it out here!

Also, if you haven’t tried the aforementioned Chicken & Cream Cheese Casserole, feel free to email me & I’ll send it to you (I can’t post it here unfortunately because it’s copywrited, sorry).

Mandy

Photo belongs to Kate at Centsationalgirl.com

**UPDATE**

So, I tried the recipe tonight. In a word, yum! This made enough to fill an entire 9x13'” pan as well as an 8x8” pan, so keep that in mind when you make it…you may need to half the recipe. Also, next time I make this, I’ll probably just dice the chicken because, let’s face it, shredding chicken sucks.bigtime. And canned chicken…also.sucks.bigtime. ;)

If you wanted to give this recipe a little extra “something,” I think a little lime and cilantro would be fantastic. Just fyi.

Best Queso Dip EVER

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2 lb package Velveeta, cubed
1 lb Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage
1 8-oz. package of cream cheese, cubed
1 can of Ro-Tel (either regular or extra hot)

Brown sausage, drain any excess fat and reduce to medium-low heat. Add velveeta cubes to skillet. When cheese is almost melted, add cream cheese cubes. Once cheeses are thoroughly melted, add Ro-Tel and stir together over low heat until mixture is creamy. Remove from heat and serve with tortilla chips.

*Keep queso warm during serving (crock pot or fondue pot works well).

Sausage-Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

1 package Jimmy Dean Sage or Hot Sausage
8 oz. package cream cheese
20-30 small white or brown mushrooms
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs and/or parmesan cheese

Start by washing and de-stemming mushrooms. Keep 1/2 the stems. Set caps and stems aside to dry. Cook sausage over medium heat until cooked. Drain sausage well. Preheat oven to 350.

In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese into sausage. Mince mushroom stems and mix into sausage/cheese mixture. Place bread crumbs or parmesan in a small bowl. Fill each mushroom cap with the sausage mixture and then dip mushroom upside-down into bread crumbs.

Bake on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 350.

Navajo Tacos

Total cook time: 30-45 minutes
1 package of ground hamburger
1 large can of red kidney beans
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 can of tomato sauce
1 bag of Rhodes frozen rolls or 1 box of bread dough mix
4 cups of cooking oil (not olive oil!)
Your choice taco toppings: cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, etc.

If using frozen rolls, thaw and let rise for approximately 5 hours ahead of time: Lay plastic wrap over a cookie sheet and coat with nonstick spray. Set out rolls onto plastic wrap far enough apart that they will not touch when fully risen. If using dough mix, prepare about 30 minutes before starting meat and oil.

Brown hamburger in a large frying pan. Drain kidney beans and put into a sauce pan to heat. Heat cooking oil in a large sauce pan. Combine tomato sauce and taco mix into the frying pan with browned hamburger. Add kidney beans and simmer on low.

Take risen one risen roll at a time and flatten into a 5-6 inch round. Using tongs, slide the dough into boiling oil and let cook for 30 seconds. Turn over in oil and cook another 30 seconds. Continue turning until fried dough is a light brown (the fried bread will get darker once you take it out to cool) and set on paper towels to drain off excess oil.

Top fried bread with meat mixture and taco toppings.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Total cook time: 1 hour
3 chicken breasts
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove galic, pressed
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup masa harina (corn flour)
3 cups water
1 cup enchilada sauce
16 oz. Velveeta
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
Garnish: shredded cheese, crumbled or shredded corn tortilla chips, pico de gallo

In a large pot, cook chicken breasts until browned and set aside to cool. In the same pot, saute onions and garlic for approximately 2 minutes or until onions begin to become translucent. Add chicken broth. In a medium bowl, combine masa harina with 2 cups of water and whisk until blended. Add masa mixture in pot of broth. Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, velveeta, and spices to pot and bring to a boil. Shred chicken into small, bite-sized pieces and add into pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until thick.

Serve in bowls or large cups, garnish with shredded cheese, pico de gallo, and top with tortilla chips.

Homemade Mac n Cheese

Cook time: 20 mins

This recipe actually comes from my mother-in-law's grandmother (but it's too tasty not to share!)

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked elbow (macaroni)
noodle
1 can tomato soup
1 cup medium or sharp cheddar cheese (cubed)

In a large sauce pan cook noodles as directed on the package. Drain. Replace on burner set to low-med heat. Pour tomato soup over noodles and stir. Mix in cubed cheese and stir until melted.

Serves 4