steak fajitas {winner!!}

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Steak Fajitas from Beckie:

2 lbs flat iron steak

1 onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 jalepeno sliced

Spice Rub:
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix together all spices and rub all over on both sides of steak. Place steak in crockpot and cover with vegetables. (I also fill my crockpot up about half way with water). Cook on LOW for 8 hours.

Serve with tortillas, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, etc.

baked creamy chicken taquitos.

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Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos from Ashley:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup green salsa

1 T fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T chopped cilantro

2 T sliced green onions

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese

small flour or corn tortillas

salt

cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick foil. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly. (If you decide to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.) Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20-30 seconds). Spoon 2-3 T of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can. Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone. Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until crisp and golden. 

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

**To freeze: Before baking, flash freeze the taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet then place in labeled freezer bag and store up to 3 months. To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425F and bake for 20 minutes. (Flash Freeze means freezing the taquitos in a single layer for 15-20 minutes (until hardened) so that when you add them to the freezer bag, they will not all stick together).

creamy green chile chicken enchiladas.

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Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas from Michelle:

via Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Filling:

3 cups cooked, chopped chicken

2 (4 oz.) cans green chilies

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, cubed

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Sauce:

2 T butter

1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion - I had red onion the first time I made this and liked it so much that I've used red every time since)

2 T flour

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 can (7 oz) green chile enchilada sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

8 ounces (about 2 cups) Monterey jack cheese, shredded

8 medium (soft taco size) flour tortillas (I use the Tortilla Land tortillas that you have to cook - love those!)

Handful of chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and green chilies. Mix well. Add the chicken and the black beans. Mix to combine. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. As you whisk and the mixture cooks, the flour will get less lumpy around the onions and the mixture will become smooth. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbling and has thickened, ab out 4-5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the enchilada sauce and sour cream.

Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread about 1/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 cup of the chicken/cream cheese filling. Top with a small handful of shredded cheese, a couple tablespoonfuls for each enchilada. Save at least 1/2 cup cheese for the top of the enchiladas. Roll the tortillas up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling enchiladas until the dish is full (I can easily fit 8 enchiladas in one pan).

Pout the white sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 20-30 minutes until the enchiladas are bubbling, hot and lightly browned. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top and serve.

spinach artichoke dip {winner!!}

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Spinach Artichoke Dip from Beckie:

1 - 6 1/2 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts

5 oz frozen spinach

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup grated parmesan (I use more)

1 1/4 cup grated Monterey Jack (I use more)

1 clove garlic (I think I usually use garlic salt because it's easier)

Combine artichoke, spinach, mayo, cheese and garlic. Put in baking dish and sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Put under broiler, if desired, for a couple of minutes to brown.

Serve with bread, tortilla chips or crackers.

*I use frozen spinach and defrost it a little. I don't really squeeze it out unless it seems excessive.

braciole.

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Braciole from Michelle:

via Rachael Ray

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, pork and veal mix from the butcher's counter (meatloaf mix) - I do 1 pound beef and half a pound of ground pork

Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 small white onion, grated

2 T golden or dark raisins, chopped

2 T pine nuts, chopped (optional - I don't use them)

3 T grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano

2 T chopped flat-leaf parsley (I use dried)

1 cup arugula leaves or baby spinach (I use spinach)

6 slices proscioutto di Parma (I use thin sliced ham)

6 slices deli sliced provolone

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

Mix meat and next 10 ingredients as if you were making meatloaf. Flatten meat out on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet into a thin layer: 1/2 inch thick, 12 inches long by 6 to 8 inches wide. Cover meat with arugula/spinach, prosciutto and cheese then roll the meat, using the waxed paper to help roll up into a large log, working across the 6 to 8-inch side, resulting in a 12-inch long log. Drizzle the log with extra-virgin olive oil to coat lightly.

Roast meatroll 20 minutes. Cut into 1-inch slices, 3 pieces per portion and serve.

bruschetta chicken.

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Bruschetta Chicken from Ashley:

1/2 cup flour

1-2 eggs beaten

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup crushed garlic croutons

1 T butter, melted

2 large tomatoes, diced

3 T minced fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, minced (approx. 1 teaspoon)

1 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish. Place flour and beaten eggs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken into flour, then into eggs. Place into baking dish. Combine parmesan cheese, crushed croutons and melted butter then sprinkle on chicken. Loosely cover with foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until top is browned and chicken is cooked through. Chop tomatoes and combine with last ingredients. Spoon mixture over chicken, and return to oven for 5-7 minutes or until tomato mixture is heated through.

*note: I make the bruschetta (tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil) in a blender or immersion blender.

oven tacos {winner!}

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Oven Tacos from Beckie:
via Mommy I'm Hungry

2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 small can diced green chilies
1 T chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 (8 oz) can low sodium tomato sauce
1 (16 oz) can fat free refried beans
2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese
18-20 hard taco shells

Optional condiments -
Lettuce, shredded
Tomato, diced
salsa
guacamole
sour cream
olives, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onion over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess liquid. Return to pan, add chilies, refried beans, tomato sauce and spices. Mix well and cook for a few minutes if mixture seems runny.

Spoon the taco meat mixture into the taco shells and place into a 9x13 inch baking dish, standing up. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the taco meat in each shell. Place into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through. Remove from the oven and top with any optional condiments for serving.

sonoma chicken salad.

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Sonoma Chicken Salad from Heidi:

via WholeFoods

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise

4 tsp apple cider vinegar

5 tsp honey

2 tsp poppy seeds

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Salad:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted

2 cups red seedless grapes, halved

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad. This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.

Preheat the oven to 375. Place the chicken breasts in one layer in a baking dish with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes until completely cooked through. Remove cooked chicken  breasts from pan, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.

When the chicken is cold, dice into bite-size chunks and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in pecans, grapes, celery and dressing.

homemade oreos.

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Homemade Oreos from Erin:

1 box devils food cake mix

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

Mix together and bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes. Allow to cool. Frost with Betty Crocker Cream Cheese Frosting and sandwich two cookies together.

homemade granola.

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Homemade Granola from Shalee:

via 71toes

Mix together in a large bowl and set aside:

5 cups oats 

1 cup malted milk powder or protein powder

1 cup coconut flakes

1 cup whole roasted almonds

1 cup pecan pieces

1 cup dried cherries and/or Craisins 

1 cup dried apricots, diced

1/2 cup pepita or pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds 

1/4 cup flax seeds

Then mix in a saucepan:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 cup honey

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

Heat until sugars are well dissolved but not boiling. Pour wet into dry ingredients and stir well. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, flip over by sections and bake for 10 more minutes. Let it cool completely before removing from pan. Store in air tight container.

Serve with berries and yogurt.

swiss oatmeal.

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Swiss Oatmeal from Jocelyn:

1 apple chopped

1/2 cup apple juice

1 cup quick oats - uncooked

1 T honey

1 cup vanilla yogurt

2 T almonds, sliced

2 T raisins

1 T brown sugar

Mix all ingredients together. You can add berries or bananas.