Teriyaki Chicken Wrap

This was a little lunch time experiment.  A successful one.  We are going to have this for dinner tonight since I am the only one who ate it for lunch today and it is delicious!!

Rice, cooked.  (I used sushi rice, but you can use whatever kind you like.)

Soy sauce ... I added a few drops to the rice.

Easy Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

Avocado, sliced

Spring onion, thinly sliced

Lettuce, shredded

Sesame seeds

Japanese mayo

Flour tortillas

Just heat your tortillas.  Fill with rice, chicken, avocado, spring onions and lettuce.  Top off with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a drizzle of japanese mayo.  I didn't try it this time, but I imagine my husband and son will add sweet chilli sauce to theirs tonight ...

Done. 

PS. If you plan this for the night after you make Easy Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken, you will have a super simple dish.  Minimal prep work.  Minimal clean up.  Maximum taste and enjoyment!

Quinoa Black Bean Burritos

I saw this recipe for Quinoa Black Bean Burrito Bowls and just had to try it.
I didn't change much about the recipe .... but here's what I did.

1 cup quinoa
1/2 a small red onion, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 cans of black beans
1 big bunch fresh coriander (cilantro)
1/4 tsp chili powder
juice of one lime
iceberg lettuce, to shred

salt

tasty (white cheddar) cheese, grated
greek yoghurt

guacamole or avocado

tomatoes, chopped

flour tortillas

Rinse quinoa and then add to a saucepan with 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, then simmer on low.  Cover and let simmer for 15/20 minutes til becomes tender and liquid is all absorbed.  Don't let it burn!

In a frying pan, heat a blub of olive oil over med heat.  Saute onion.  Add garlic.  Saute.  Add black beans and 1/2 cup water and a handful of chopped, fresh coriander.  Add the chili powder to taste.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to med low and let simmer til liquid is mostly gone.  Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 your lime.  Season with salt to taste.

When quinoa is cooked, mix in about 1/2 a handful of chopped, fresh coriander and squeeze in the juice of the other 1/2 of your lime.  Season with salt to taste.

We served ours in bowls and had flour tortillas on the side to scoop it up with.  For lunch the next day, I put it into the tortilla and made an actual burrito.  Both ways were delicious.  I would even eat this without the tortilla!  The flavors were great!

Buffalo Boneless Tacos

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and had to try it !  I'm so glad we did ! They were delicious !  

We didn't follow her recipe exactly though.  Here's how we made ours ...

2 chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, cut into small pieces
whole wheat flour ... to coat the chicken
olive oil
1/2 cup hot sauce (I used Franks)
1 Tablespoon butter

For serving ...
shredded lettuce, I used mesculin as I have it in the garden at the moment.
1/4 of a red onion, diced and mixed with fresh coriander
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
ranch dressing or sour cream
spring onions, sliced thinly
shredded tasty cheese
flour tortillas


Coat chicken pieces with flour and cook in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil. 

While the chicken is cooking, chop, dice or shred all your other bits and pieces to serve ...

Once chicken is cooked, toss in mixture of butter and hot sauce.

All that is left to do is assemble ... and eat !! 

Black Bean Stack

I saw this recipe on pinterest and had to try it. 

I made a couple of changes ... here's how I did mine.

4 flour tortillas (as close to the same size as your springform pan as possible)
a blub of canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (I took out the seeds and ribs)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper
2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces of beer (I used Little Creatures Pale Ale)
2 cups frozen corn
3/4 cup spring onions, thinly sliced
2 & 1/2 cups tasty (or cheddar) cheese, shredded

So, if your tortillas are bigger than your springform pan, use the bottom of the pan as a guide, and trip them to the right size. Set aside. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir and cook til soft ... maybe 5 minutes. Throw in your beans and beer. Increase heat and bring to the boil. (About now you should turn your oven on to 400F/200C.) Reduce heat back to medium and simmer, about 10 minutes or until most of the been has evaporated. Add corn and spring onions. Simmer a bit longer to reduce liquid just a bit more. Maybe only another minute or two. Layer like this ... tortilla, beans, cheese. Use 1/2 cup cheese for the first three layers and then finish the top layer with 1 cup cheese. Bake about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove side of springform pan and voila ... black bean stack ! I had a bit of cilantro left from the carrots I made as a side dish, so sprinkled that one top !  Served with a bit of Greek yoghurt too.  Delish.  I had this for lunch the next day and it was just as good leftover !! 

Chicken & Black Bean Tostada Bowl

When we were in the States I bought some Tortilla Bakers for making individual tostada bowls. I used them for the first time (with tortiallas) the other night.

I followed the instructions on the box for making the bowls.

Lightly spray your little bakers with non stick spray.

Between damp paper towls, microwave your tortillas for about 15/20 seconds. Fit it into the baker. Bake in 350F/170C oven for 5-8 minutes. (I will do ours longer next time. I was worried they would burn but the bottom and sides weren't really crispy like the top ~ as you can see in the photos !)

Cool for 5 minutes before removing from baker. Then place on rack to cool completely.

We filled these ones with ....

Chicken, diced and cooked with a mexican spice mix

Black beans, straight out of the can, drained

Tomatoes, diced

Spring Onion, chopped

Cheddar Cheese, grated

Greek Yoghurt, dolloped (you could use sour cream but we didn't have any)

Avocado, chopped

Lettuce, chopped small

Changas in the Weber !

So ... our oven broke the other night.
We discovered it when we went to put these in it !

We needed a plan B.
We decided to try them in the Weber BBQ!

We are so glad we did !
They were amazing. It added a smokiness to them.

We will do them this way from now on !

What you need:
1 and 1/2 cups cooked and thinly diced chicken ( about 2 breasts )
1 jar salsa, I use a medium
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 chopped green onions (spring onions)
I also mix in leftover cilantro (coriander) from making guacamole !
12 eight inch flour tortillas
2 TBLS melted butter, or olive oil
--

Mix salsa, cumin, oregano, chicken, cheese and onions. Place about 1/4 cup chicken mixture in centre of each tortilla. Roll. Brush very liberally with melted butter, or olive oil. Bake at 400F degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. (watch them the first time you make them ... mine don't ever take that long to cook) OR cook in a hooded BBQ ... about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Serve with salsa (I don't add more salsa to mine but my husband likes hot salsa so he puts that on here ...), sour cream and guacamole.

Jono Makes Chimichangas

I am so loving cooking with each of my children once a week ! I think they are loving it too. As soon as one week is finished, they are already telling me what they'd like to make the following week ! Too cute ! And they are good little cooks. Really getting to know their way around the kitchen ! I love that !

So, Jono chose chicken chimichangas ... we changed the recipe a bit to get rid of the jar of salsa. I couldn't tell a difference. We didn't make the tortillas this time. We'll try that next time though !

Jono did so well. I cooked the chicken but he did pretty much everything else !

Here's how we did the changas ...
2 or 3 chicken breasts, cooked and thinly diced
400g tin of diced tomatoes
small jar of diced green chilies
1 tsp ground cumin
a few sprigs of fresh oregano, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 chopped green onions (spring onions)
6 eight inch flour tortillas ~ we use more than this !
Olive Oil

Mix tomatoes, green chilies, cumin, oregano, chicken, cheese and onions. Place a couple spoonfuls of chicken mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll tortillas and place seam side down in a greased casserole dish. (I don't grease anything ... I use baking paper) Brush liberally with olive oil. Bake at 400F degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. (watch them the first time you make them ... mine don't ever take that long to cook) Sprinkle with additional cheese. Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

Speaking of guacamole ... I made some to go with the changas ...

Here's how ...

2 avocados, one mashed, one chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
red onion, diced
garlic - to taste, I use about 4 or 5 cloves - crushed
splash of lemon juice
fresh cilantro ( coriander )

Mix all those things together. EASY DONE ! Very Tasty !!
Do ahead if possible because it's yummiest after the flavors all infuse !!

Mexican Chicken Quesadillas

These were so simple.
I just spread a whole (not cut up) whole (not white) wheat flour tortilla with
leftover Crock Pot Mexican Chicken, avocado, rice and mozarella cheese.
Top with another whole whole wheat flour tortilla.
Toast in sandwich press.
DONE !!

Frozen Whole Wheat Tortillas ~ The Verdict

The kids tried the frozen tortillas tonight ! I made Mexican Chicken Quesadillas ! I'll post the (very simple) recipe soon !!

But for now ...

I wanted to find out what the kids thought of the tortillas. I didn't want rehearsed (you may think it is rehearsed when you listen to it ... but I PROMISE it isn't !) answers from them, I just told them to answer my questions ... and they did. Jono got all shy (and soft spoken) because I told them it was going on the blog ... and Alia got silly ... because the camera was on !

Sorry the video is sideways ... I totally spaced it until I was already mostly done recording. I thought about doing it again but then the answers would have been rehearsed and I didn't want that ! I hope you can just deal. Turn your head sideways ... or your computer monitor !! :)

Without further ado ... from the mouths of my babes ... the 'verdict' ...

Edited to add ...

On 24 June linked to Food on the Table's "No Whine Wednesday"

Here's the Chicken Quesadilla Recipe.

And the Whole Wheat Flour Tortilla Recipe.

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas ~ Video Tutorial

Over the weekend, I made a huge batch of whole wheat flour tortillas and froze them ! I cannot wait to try them out of the freezer. I have high hopes that they will be WONDERFUL and make my unprocessed life much easier !! Having a supply of tortillas ready and waiting to be used .... bliss !

I did have a few issues with the dough. Turns out I had made a typo in the recipe when I posted it here and had been adding twice as much water as I should have been ! The cool thing though is that this is a very forgiving recipe and I was able to just add more flour ... knead it a bit and still make the tortillas !

(Ready to go into the freezer)

I took this little video while I was making them to show you how simple it is ! It takes a little bit of time to make as many as I made but they should last us a good while before I need to do it again !!

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas ~ Bread Maker Edition

I'm reposting this because it had an error. These never turned out right after the first time I made them and I couldn't figure out why !! Then a friend tried them and questioned the amount of water, then today I made them today and they were WAY too wet so I went back to the source and for some reason, I had the wrong amount of water. DOUBLE the amount, in fact. So ... I've changed the recipe here to be correct. It is in fact only 1.5 cups of boiling water ... not three !!! I had to add another couple of cups of flour to salvage the ones I made today ... I'm off now to cook them and pop them into the freezer for easy use during the week !!! Sorry if you all have tried these without success. Try them again !!! But ... with the right amount of water !!!

***

I've been wanting to try making flour tortillas for a long time. The thing that always stops me though is making the dough. I'm just not a lover of kneading ! NOT. AT. ALL ! I found this recipe and for some reason that is not obvious to me now, I thought I could do it in the bread maker. I did and it worked so well !! HUGE SUCCESS !! I'm so excited about it !!

I read through a whole bunch of the reviews of this recipe and found a few changes that I thought would be good and therefore almost completely changed the recipe ! Here's the way I did it.

Add the following to your bread maker ...

5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 cups boiling water

After you stop wondering if it's going to bubble over, shut the lid, and turn your bread maker on to the 'dough' cycle. I did mine last night before I went to bed. When I woke up this morning, it looked great. I left it for an hour or two or three til I was ready for the next step. When you're ready, roll them into golf ball size balls and put them on a tray. I used a meatloaf pan. When you've rolled them all, cover it. I used press and seal because I was planning to leave them all day and I didn't want them to dry out. And then I left them ... all day, til dinner. One of the reviews said the longer they sit, the easier they are to roll out. So ... when you are ready to cook them ... roll them out, one at a time. (while one is cooking, roll out the next one) I found the ones I had rolled weren't big enough so I combined one and a half balls each time and rolled that out. I just used a rolling pin and I didn't flour the surface because I hate the feeling of flour on my fingers. But ... it was sticky so you might want to if you don't have my same flour foible. Heat your griddle or large frying pan over high heat. I put some olive oil in the bottom of mine. Fry your tortillas one at a time. I'm not exactly sure how long to cook it ... some people talked about bubbles. Some of mine bubbled, some of them didn't. But ... you do both sides. Doesn't take long. I just chopped off a piece of the first couple to see when they tasted done and went from there !!

This recipe says the tortillas can be refrigerated or frozen. I didn't cook them all tonight (there were 27 balls !!) and have refrigerated the leftover balls. Tomorrow, I'll cook up a few more. Freeze a few dough balls. Freeze a few cooked tortillas. You know ... experiment and see what works best !!

I served tonight's tortillas with :
black beans
avocado
tomato
spring onion
greek yogurt
cilantro lime rice

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY !

Chicken Fajitas

I started with this recipe for pollo fajitas but ended up changing it to suit our unprocessed needs. Here's how I made my version that all four of us loved ! I had a bit of difficulty with the tortillas tonight. I'm not sure why. I halved the recipe and I'm wondering if I put something in wrong. My math skills never were that good !!

1.5 tablespoons cider vinegar
1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
a couple shakes of chili powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
a couple dashes of Tabasco

2 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
olive oil for shallow frying
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 red capsicum, sliced

1.Combine vinegar, soy sauce, chili powder, garlic and tabasco. Place chicken in sauce, and work through with fingers to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes or more in fridge.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet (I used my electric fry pan that I was given for Christmas !!) over high heat. Add chicken strips to the pan, and saute for 5 minutes. Add the onion and capsicim, and saute another 3 minutes.

3. Done ! I served it with homemade tortillas - but we didn't wrap them - issues with the tortillas, remember !? AND greek yogurt, chopped tomato, baby spinach and avocado ...

Delicious !