Chicken Chimichangas

My son requested chimichangas a couple years back for dinner, and I wanted a healthier alternative to the normally fried dish.   Feel free to substitute turkey.  These are easy to make, especially when you are pressed for time.

Ingredients:
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
2 chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
4 10-inch flour tortillas
1/2 cup salsa

Preheat oven to 450.  Combine chicken, chili powder, cumin, salt, cheese and sour cream.  Stack tortillas and wrap in paper towels.  Microwave for 10 to 15 seconds until heated through (this makes them easier to fold).

To assemble each chimichanga, place filling on a warm tortilla, just below center.  Fold bottom edge up and over filling just until mixture is covered.  Fold in sides; toll up tortilla (you can secure with toothpick if necessary).   Spray a glass baking dish with non stick cooking spray before placing chimichangas in dish.   Coat tops with non stick cooking spray and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Bake for 7 to 10 minutes until tortillas are slightly brown and crisp.

To serve, top with salsa.  Garnish with favorite topppings: sour cream, guacamole, onions, etc.

Oriental Noodle Salad

I love the crunch of the Ramen noodles.   This is an easy salad to make for parties and always goes fast!

Ingredients:
1 pkgs. beef flavored Ramen soup mix
1 lb. pkg. pre-chopped cabbage cole slaw mix
1 C sunflower seeds
1 C toasted slivered almonds
1 T vegetable oil
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C white vinegar
1 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Break uncooked noodles into a large bowl (set aside seasoning packets for dressing).   Toss with cabbage cole slaw mix, sunflower seeds and almonds.  

For dressing: mix vegetable oil, sugar vinegar, onion powder, Ramen seasoning packets, and salt and pepper.  Shake or stir until sugar and seasoning mix dissolve.

At least one hour prior to serving, pour dressing over noodles, mixing well.  This gives the noodles time to absorb the dressing.   Refrigerate.

Crockpot Cabbage Rolls

Pigs in the Blanket are one of my husband's favorites, which I love to make for him, even if the smell of cooked cabbage does linger.  My dad used to tell me that my cabbage rolls were better than my grandma's, which was the ultimate compliment.  This used to be a dish only made on the weekend, because it normally needs to cook on low for about 2 hours, but I have discovered that it works perfectly to put in the crockpot on low and cook all day.   Boil the cabbage and assemble the night before, pop in the crockpot before you leave in the morning, and will be delicious by dinner time.   This recipe also freezes well for future meals.

Ingredients:
2 lb. cabbage head
1/2 C rice - your preference, I use brown
1 lb ground pork
2 small onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 egg
1/2 C water
salt
pepper
paprika
48 oz. can tomato juice
8 oz. can tomato sauce

Remove core from cabbage head and boil for 5 minutes, enough to make the leaves pliable to roll.  Drain, and cool. 

For filling, in large bowl, mix ground pork, rice, water, 1 small chopped onion, crushed garlic, egg, 1 T paprika, salt and pepper to taste.

Spray your crockpot with non stick cooking spray.

Peel the cabbage leaves, take care when you do this to keep the leaves intact.   Add 1 T of the filling mixture to the center of each leaf.  Roll tightly and tuck the ends in to the center to secure.   Layer in the crockpot.   Chop the excess cabbage into small, bite size pieces.

Sprinkle 1 T paprika over filled cabbage rolls.  Add chopped cabbage, the other chopped onion, and salt and pepper to taste.   Pour tomato sauce and tomato juice over all, adding enough water to cover by about 1".    Cook on low for at least 7-8 hours.