1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced (optional)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, patted dry and cut into 1/4 inch cubes (or 1 cup leftover cooked chicken)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
Cayenne pepper, to taste
3 cups freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese (10 oz)
12 6-inch whole wheat tortillas
Butter, for cooking
BBQ sauce
Other recommended toppings: sour cream, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and seeded, minced, hot peppers
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno (if using) and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add the chicken and season with the paprika, salt, and cayenne. Cook until slightly browned and cooked all the way through (if using already cooked leftover chicken, add the chicken and cook just until warmed through). Remove from the heat.
2. Stir the grated cheese into the chicken mixture until well combined. (I put the chicken mixture on a cutting board, separated it into six portions, and then mixed the cheese into each one, in order to avoid melting the cheese and making a gooey mess in the pan.)
3. Wipe out the skillet and place it over medium heat (or set a griddle to 350). Melt a big pat of butter in the pan (I didn't wipe my skillet and just used the grease left from cooking the chicken/etc.). Place one tortilla in the bottom of the pan. Put one of the six chicken/cheese portions onto the tortilla, then place another tortilla over the top. Smear another small pat of butter on top of each tortilla to help grease the pan when you flip the quesadilla over (not necessary, in my opinion). Cook until the tortillas are golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes on each side.
4. Transfer the cooked quesadilla to a cutting board while you cook the remaining quesadillas. When the cheese is slightly cooled and set, cut each quesadilla into 4 or 6 slices. Serve warm with BBQ sauce, sour cream, cilantro, lime wedges, and minced hot peppers (if desired).
Source: 100 Days of Real Food cookbook
Try #1 - April 12, 2015
So I went all out with the "100 Days of Real Food" cookbook for this meal - cooked the chicken in the crockpot, made homemade tortillas, and finished with these quesadillas. The "BBQ Chicken" aspect is a little misleading - I thought the BBQ sauce would be mixed into the quesadilla, which I guess you could do. But these are basically chicken quesadillas with BBQ sauce as a topping. I think they would be just as good with a peach or other slightly sweet salsa. Or probably any salsa. They were quite excellent with the BBQ sauce. The quesadillas were pretty dry by themselves, mostly owing to the homemade tortillas, I think. All and all a good meal, although I didn't expect to spend an entire day cooking just to produce quesadillas, which are normally a 15 minute lunch. :)
Monday, April 13, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Whole Wheat Tortillas
3 cups whole wheat flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp chilled, solid coconut oil, plus extra for cooking
1 cup warm water, plus more as needed
1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
2. Add the cold coconut oil in chunks on top of the flour. Using a pastry cutter, cut oil into dough until the mixture resembles coarse chunks.
3. Slowly add 1 cup warm water and mix with hands. Continue mixing the dough until a ball forms. If the dough is too dry, add warm water 1 tsp at a time. If it is too sticky (sticking to your finger when you touch it), add flour 1 tsp at a time.
4. Transfer the dough to a large cutting board. Use your hands to roll the dough into a large log and then cut it into 14 equal pieces. Roll each disk of dough in your hands into a small ball and then partially flatten onto the cutting board. Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel to avoid drying them out.
5. Place a 10- or 12-inch seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and let it heat up for several minutes. Ensure adequate ventilation.
6. Meanwhile, sprinkle a tiny bit of flour onto a work surface and set one of the dough pieces on top. Sprinkle a little more flour on top of the dough and with a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circular tortilla shape about 8 inches in diameter. As you're rolling out the dough, keep adding extra bits of flour as needed, but not too much because excess flour will burn in the pan. (I did not need to add extra flour to roll the dough.)
7. Add a small dollop (about 1/2 tsp) of coconut oil to the center of the hot skillet and lay a tortilla on top. Cook until the bottom of the tortilla starts to brown, usually when the top is bubbling up. Flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until cooked through. Transfer to a tortilla warmer (or a platter, covering the topmost tortilla with a towel) to keep them warm while you finish cooking the rest of the tortillas.
8. Serve warm or store in a plastic bag in the fridge for 3 to 4 months or the freezer for a few months.
Source: 100 Days of Real Food cookbook
Try #1 - April 12, 2015
Made a double batch of these this afternoon. It took me at least an hour and a half, so this is not a quick project. They came out pretty good, although a bit dry. I used them to make quesadillas, so it's possible that the double cooking dried them out. But overall not bad, especially for 100% whole wheat.
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp chilled, solid coconut oil, plus extra for cooking
1 cup warm water, plus more as needed
1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
2. Add the cold coconut oil in chunks on top of the flour. Using a pastry cutter, cut oil into dough until the mixture resembles coarse chunks.
3. Slowly add 1 cup warm water and mix with hands. Continue mixing the dough until a ball forms. If the dough is too dry, add warm water 1 tsp at a time. If it is too sticky (sticking to your finger when you touch it), add flour 1 tsp at a time.
4. Transfer the dough to a large cutting board. Use your hands to roll the dough into a large log and then cut it into 14 equal pieces. Roll each disk of dough in your hands into a small ball and then partially flatten onto the cutting board. Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel to avoid drying them out.
5. Place a 10- or 12-inch seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and let it heat up for several minutes. Ensure adequate ventilation.
6. Meanwhile, sprinkle a tiny bit of flour onto a work surface and set one of the dough pieces on top. Sprinkle a little more flour on top of the dough and with a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circular tortilla shape about 8 inches in diameter. As you're rolling out the dough, keep adding extra bits of flour as needed, but not too much because excess flour will burn in the pan. (I did not need to add extra flour to roll the dough.)
7. Add a small dollop (about 1/2 tsp) of coconut oil to the center of the hot skillet and lay a tortilla on top. Cook until the bottom of the tortilla starts to brown, usually when the top is bubbling up. Flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until cooked through. Transfer to a tortilla warmer (or a platter, covering the topmost tortilla with a towel) to keep them warm while you finish cooking the rest of the tortillas.
8. Serve warm or store in a plastic bag in the fridge for 3 to 4 months or the freezer for a few months.
Source: 100 Days of Real Food cookbook
Try #1 - April 12, 2015
Made a double batch of these this afternoon. It took me at least an hour and a half, so this is not a quick project. They came out pretty good, although a bit dry. I used them to make quesadillas, so it's possible that the double cooking dried them out. But overall not bad, especially for 100% whole wheat.
Whole Chicken in a Crockpot
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 onion
1 large chicken
1. Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
2. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
4. Put prepared chicken, breast-side down, on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on. There is no need to add any liquid. Cook for 4-5 hours on high (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or 6-7 hours on low, or until the chicken is falling off the bone.
Source: 100 Days of Real Food
Try #1 - ??
This is very good, and easy! I love fall-off-the-bone meat.
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