White Chicken Enchiladas

source: https://www.alyonascooking.com/white-chicken-enchiladas-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-8281 

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 23 mins
Total: 33 mins

Ingredients:
10 8-inch flour tortillas
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 cups Colby & Monterey jack cheese shredded
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 4oz can of diced green chilies

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan or any baking dish.
Mix the chicken and 1 cup of cheese. Roll up tortillas and place into the prepared pan.
In a saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
Stir in sour cream and chilies. Do not bring to boil. You don't want curdled sour cream.
Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 min then under high broil for three more minutes to brown the cheese.

**This is the recipe as it was written. I personally think the filling is a bit dry; next time I might try mixing some of the sauce with the chicken and cheese to see if that makes it less dry. (I like the taste of these a lot; I just want to experiment with the texture a bit.)

Mini Sheet Pan Tostadas

Mini Sheet Pan Tostadas

Source: https://wholesomemadeeasy.com/mini-chicken-sheet-pan-tostadas/#wprm-recipe-container-4263

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Resting Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 tostadas

Ingredients
12 street taco size corn tortillas, approximately 4-inch
3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, or as needed
16 ounce can traditional refried beans, I used just shy of 1 can
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast meat
2 cups shredded cheese, sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack

For Garnish
⅓ cup sour cream, or as needed
¼ cup finely diced red onion, or as needed
¼ cup chopped or torn cilantro leaves, or as needed
6 cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped into small pieces

Instructions
Line a large baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Brush both sides of the tortillas with oil and place on the prepared cookie sheet) they’ll be very close together but will shrink slightly after first bake). Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until firmed up but not overly browned or crisp (they’ll crisp up a bit as they rest and during 2nd bake).
Remove the baking sheet and let the tortillas rest for about 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
Flip the tortillas over and spread each one with refried beans and top with chicken and cheese. Return the tostadas to the oven and bake for an additional 5 to 6 minutes or until the beans and chicken are heated through and the cheese is melted.
Top each mini tostada with a small dollop (about 1+ teaspoon) of sour cream, a little diced onion, 2 pieces of cherry tomato (stuck in sour cream), and a little cilantro. Serve with the hot sauce.

Canned Pretzel Bites

Source: https://southernbite.com/canned-biscuit-pretzel-bites/

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
Servings: 32 bites


Ingredients
1 (16.3-ounce) can refrigerated biscuit dough (8 biscuits)
2 cup warm water*
1/4 cup baking soda
4 tablespoons butter, melted
coarse salt

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and carefully roll each piece into a ball. Use a knife to make a small slit in the top of each ball of dough.
Pour the water into a medium bowl and whisk the baking soda in until it has dissolved.
Dip each dough ball into the baking soda water and place it, slit side up, onto the prepared pan.
Brush the dough balls with the melted butter and immediately sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until deep golden brown. Serve immediately.
*I made TWO batches and I had enough water/baking soda mix and butter left from the first batch that I didn't need to do more for the second batch.

Vegetarian Tater Tot Casserole

Source: https://urbanfarmie.com/tater-tot-casserole/ 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1hour 

Ingredients 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 large onion, finely chopped 

2 cloves garlic, minced (1/2 tsp garlic powder)

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup (1 can)

 ½ cup sour cream 

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS REGULAR PAPRIKA!)

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt 

¼ teaspoon black pepper 

15 ounces frozen tater tots 

Instructions 

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 6x9-inch baking dish and set aside. (I used an 8 by 8)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. 

Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. 

Stir in the frozen mixed vegetables and cook for another 3-4 minutes until they begin to thaw and are heated through. 

Stir in the condensed cream of mushroom soup and sour cream until well combined. 

Add the smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. 

Pour the vegetable mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly. 

Arrange the frozen tater tots in a single layer on top of the mixture, covering the entire surface. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the tater tots are golden and crispy. 

Remove the casserole from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes.

Easy Cheesy Refried Bean Burritos

Source: https://theschmidtywife.com/refried-bean-burrito-recipe/ 

Prep Time: 10 minutes 

Cook Time; 15 minutes 

Total Time; 25 minutes 

Ingredients

1 ½ cups homemade or 1 (16-oz) can refried beans 

½ cup chunky salsa 

¼ cup diced onion 

1 teaspoon taco seasoning 

¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste 

2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

4 (10-inch) flour tortillas (often referred to as “burrito-sized”) 

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 375º F. Lightly grease a sheet pan. 

In a bowl add refried beans, salsa, onion, taco seasoning, and salt. Mix until combined. 

Spread 1/4 of the mixture evenly over a burrito tortilla leaving an inch from the end empty. 

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese over the top of the bean mixture in each burrito. 

Wrap up the burrito making sure to tuck in the sides. Lay seam side down spread out on the sheet pan. Transfer to the oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes. 

Let rest at least 3 minutes before eating.

Chocolate Chip Cake

Source: https://spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com/chocolate-chip-cake/

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Total Time:53 minutes

Ingredients 

Cake 

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 

½ teaspoon baking soda 

½ teaspoon salt 

¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature 

1 ½ cups granulated sugar 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

3 large eggs, room temperature 

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature 

1 cup mini chocolate chips 

Frosting 

1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature 

5 cups powdered sugar, sifted 

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 

½ teaspoon salt 

4 tablespoons heavy cream 

⅓ cup mini chocolate chips 

2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips, to garnish the top of the frosted cake 

Instructions 

Cake 

Bring butter, eggs, and buttermilk to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350* F. 

Spray 2 9-inch round cake pans with Baker’s non-stick spray and line with parchment paper rounds. Set aside. 

To a medium bowl mix together 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

To a large mixing bowl beat the butter, on medium-high speed with a handheld mixer, for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy. 

To the butter, add the granulated sugar and beat again until fully incorporated. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract to the butter mixture and mix on medium speed until all the eggs are fully incorporated. Be sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next one. 

To the bowl of wet ingredients add a third of the flour mixture, mix on low until incorporated, followed by half the buttermilk and mix just until incorporated. 

Add another ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining buttermilk then lastly the final ⅓ of the flour mixture. Be sure to mix each addition thoroughly before adding the next. You will need to scrape down the sides, and bottom, of the bowl as needed to ensure the batter is evenly mixed. The batter will be thick. 

To a small bowl add the mini chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Toss to coat all the mini chocolate chips in the flour. This will help to ensure that the chips do not sink to the bottom of the batter when the cake layers are baked. 

Stir the flour-coated mini chocolate chips into the batter just until evenly distributed. 

Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth to an even layer so that the cake layers bake up evenly.

 Bake for 28-30 minutes or until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

 

Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Be sure to remove the parchment paper to allow the cake layers to cool properly. 

While your cake layers are cooling, you can make the frosting. 

Frosting 

To the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed the unsalted butter for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy. 

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix until all the powdered sugar has been added. You will need to stop the mixer and scrape down the paddle attachment, and the sides of the bowl, to ensure that the frosting is being evenly mixed. 

To the bowl add the vanilla extract, salt and heavy cream. Beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. 

Scrape down the bowl, and paddle attachment, before stirring in the ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips to the frosting. 

To assemble the cake, add one of the cooled cake layers to a cake plate then add 1 - 1 ½ cups of the frosting to the cake and spread to an even layer. 

Top with the second cake layer and frost the sides, and bottom, of the cake with the remaining frosting. Garnish the top of the frosted chocolate chip cake with the remaining 2 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips before slicing and serving. 

Notes 

Mini chocolate chips work best for this recipe as they are distributed more evenly in both the cake batter, and the frosting, than standard sized chocolate chips are. 

Buttermilk adds moisture and helps to create a tender crumb to the cake. If you do not have buttermilk you can make a substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, or fresh lemon juice, to 1 cup whole milk. Allow the milk to sit for 5 minutes before stirring and adding to the recipe.

 It is important when making this cake recipe that your butter, eggs and buttermilk are all at room temperature before using them to make the cake batter. This will ensure that your batter is smooth and the cake layers bake up properly. 

When making your frosting, you may need to add a little extra powdered sugar (starting with ¼ cup) if the frosting is too loose. Alternately, you may need to add a little extra (starting with 1 teaspoon) heavy cream if the frosting is too thick.

Veggie-Loaded Lasagna Soup (vegetarian)

Source: https://thenaturalnurturer.com/veggie-loaded-lasagna-soup-vegetarian/#recipe

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes

Ingredients
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a large onion)
1 cup diced carrots (about 2 large carrots)
1 cup diced zucchini (about 1 small zucchini) (I used bell peppers because I didn't have zucchini)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar with a bit of sugar)
2 cups pasta sauce
2 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken broth; 2 cups made for a very thick soup; you could easily double it)
3-4 cups loosely packed baby spinach roughly chopped 
6 ounces lasagna noodles (6-8 sheets), broken into about 2-inch pieces (I used oven-ready)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese optional
shredded mozzarella cheese and/or ricotta cheese, for serving optional
fresh basil, chopped for garnish, optional

Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. 

Add onion and carrot and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add zucchini and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 more minutes. 

Stir in ½ teaspoon of salt.
Add balsamic vinegar and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. 

Stir in marinara and broth and bring soup to a simmer.
Once simmering, add broken lasagna noodles to the pot and cook until noodles are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes or according to the cooking time on the box of your lasagna noodles.
After the soup is done cooking, stir in the last 1/4 teaspoon of salt, spinach and grated parmesan (if using) and let the spinach wilt in the hot soup for a minute or two. 

Taste soup for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with a little shredded mozzarella and/or top with a dollop of ricotta cheese, if desired. Sprinkle with fresh basil and enjoy.