Green Enchiladas

One of my favourite things to do on my iphone is search food blogs!! Most people hop on Facebook or Twitter with their spare moments throughout the day...but I read food blogs! You should see the lists of recipes that I've bookmarked...all with hopes of one day trying them!! I stumbled upon this blog a month or so ago and these enchiladas immediately caught my eye. We are HUGE Mexican food fans in this house...all four of us...so these were a must:) They are incredibly FRESH tasting, and super simple & quick to make...especially if your chicken is left over from dinner the night before. These are possibly one of the best things we've ever tasted...no lie.

Here's the recipe...altered a bit from the original blog. I only used half the amount of recommended cream cheese...and we loved it...but I will advise that the cream cheese is what tames down the heat in this sauce...so if you aren't fans of spice then include the full 8oz. The flavour in these will knock your socks off...even before the heat does!! I didn't feel the need to sprinkle cheese on the top...but go ahead if you think it needs it. The cream cheese on it's own already does a good job of creating that bubbly crusty edging. For a baked meal you will not believe how 'fresh' these guys taste...SO good!!

I gave myself a good 45 minutes to prep these, but was THRILLED that they took me less than 10 minutes to throw together (with my chicken already pre-cooked).

I'm curious to try these with some grass-fed beef...but to be honest...I think the chicken compliments them best.

Green Enchiladas

1 bunch Cilantro
2 cups salsa verde (jarred green salsa...available in most stores)
1 onion
1 jalapeno (with seeds if you like the heat)
2 cloves garlic
1 8 oz cream cheese (I only used 4 oz)
8 whole wheat tortillas
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cups monteray jack cheese, shredded (I skipped this step)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Place the first five ingredients into your food processor or blender. Pulse until all mixed and chopped!

Stir in cream cheese. Reserve about half of the sauce...add the shredded chicken to the other half.

Dribble some green sauce into the bottom of your favourite casserole dish. This prevents the rolled tortillas from sticking or burning. Place about 1/2 cup of the green chicken mixture into each tortilla. Roll them and place close together in your dish.

Pour remaining green sauce over the rolled tortillas.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the green enchiladas are heated throughout and a little bubbly around the edges. If using the cheese...sprinkle on top and bake an additional 5 minutes.

ENJOY!!...we DID!!!

We ate these as a meal on their own...but they would be great served with some rice and re-fried beans if you're entertaining!

This is the only recipe of Maria's I've tried...but I look forward to testing more!!

Starbucks "Christmas" Gingerbread Loaf

Yikes! It's been nearly a month since I've blogged...not good! So in celebration of red cups returning to Starbucks yesterday...I'm re-blogging my favourite post from last Christmas...read here:) My goal for this season is to actually add a photo to the post!!ENJOY! I can't wait to make this with my homemade applesauce....mmm:)

Food-Colouring Free First Birthday!

This is possibly the post that I am most excited about to date! Levi turned ONE last week...and we threw him the most fun birthday party we could think of! The goal was to make it look beautiful...okay...that was MY goal...and to make it 100% healthy for all the little ones attending...and super tasty for all the grown-ups that brought the little ones along! I think it was a success:) I choose the theme about 6 months ago so that I would have time to pick up things here and there that would 'go'...that's very important to one year olds (lol)! The theme was giraffes...inspired by these super cute giraffe stuffies that I was dying to make for all the babies in attendance...and the colour scheme was brown, blue and orange/yellow. Colour schemes are not only important when choosing the decorations...but...also when choosing the food to serve!! Well...atleast in my little world it is!



Oh how I could have gone nuts over the all-blue bin of JellyBelly's at the bulk store...or the Reese's Pieces candies that are perfectly created with my colour scheme in mind....but I didn't:) I knew if I caved for those, which I could picture in my head in beautiful clear vessels lined up on the party table, that I wouldn't be able to blog about this party! So...instead we came up with these yummy alternatives. And no...not all treats were whipped up from scratch! In a perfect world, there would have been oodles for time for that...but part of me also wanted to show my readers that there are very yummy quick alternatives out there...and trust me...these all tasted better than Costco cake!! The adults were drooling over them...and the kids were excited about the recognizable favourites like Annies Bunny Crackers...which so favourably are bright orange!

Let's start with the birthday boy's cake! Levi had not yet had any form of a baked good...so this was a real first treat for him! I took our family's favourite muffin recipe...changed it a little for him...and was happy with the outcome! Levi took his time and savoured every bite...he was in his own little world for about half an hour while he enjoyed his 'cake'. The giraffe sticks were from Michael's...and were a simple way of tying in the giraffe theme! I thought they also kinda resembled the number "1" for a first birthday!

Brown Rice Flour Banana Muffins



2 cups mashed bananas (apple sauce works great too)
2 tbsp honey, agave, or maple syrup (optional...didn't use it for Levi)
1/3 cup coconut oil (or melted butter)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour (spelt is great too!)

Mash the bananas, then add sweetener of choice and oil.
Mix in the dry ingredients

*Frozen berries, chocolate chips or any nut make great additions too! Even chunks of apple or pear if you're using apple sauce.

Bake for about 20 minutes. 8-10 minutes for mini-muffins.





Then there came the rest of the cupcakes...a little more decadent than Levi's!



First was the Double Chocolate Peanut Butter...can you ever go wrong with that combination? This one I cheated on a little. The cake was from a mix that we LOVE! It's Pamela's Chocolate Cake. Made with Rice Flour...it's Wheat and Gluten-Free and you would never know! This is seriously the most amazing cake mix we've ever had. The Vanilla is just as fabulous! Look for them on sale at your local Health Food Store and stock up! Anyhow...I baked them according to directions, added a slab of our favourite peanut butter on top...and then topped that with Pamela's Chocolate Frosting! Totally took all short-cuts available on those yummy little things! My favourite part is how home-made they look...wasn't looking for perfection with these guys!



Second was the Vanilla with Cream Cheese Frosting and Sprinkles. The sprinkles were from the Health Food Store...completely natural...gotta love that! The cake part was a simple Organic Vanilla Cake mix...turned out great...super simple...and nice to know the ingredients were decent! Here's the recipe for the Frosting!

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.



And third was the Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting! I used the left over icing from above. I bookmarked this recipe about a year ago...and finally got a chance to try it out! The original recipe made one square cake...however I made them into cupcakes and just baked them a lot less.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup spelt flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar (I used agave)
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an (8-inch) square baking pan with oil and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until well combined then transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake until the cakes pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.



The fruit kabobs were simply pineapple and Okanagan grapes...keeping with the colour theme! Blueberries and mangoes would have been a great addition..but there were no blueberries to be found, and my mangoes didn't get ripe in time! It was interesting to see these kabobs be the first things to go!



The treat station was my favourite part of the afternoon!

Selfishly it contained Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds...I love those...



then some healthy Spelt Pretzels (a great combo with the almonds I might add!)...



some yummy fresh Farmer's Market Kettle Corn! A patient of Jay's owns the booth at the market, so it's always great to find an excuse to support her and her family!



and Noah's request...Annies Cheddar Bunnies!



Party favours for the babies in attendance were loads of fun for me! Made with love...hope they were a hit!



Favours for everyone else were cute boxes filled with Chocolate Gluten Free Animal Cookies! Always a hit!



Beverage choice for the little ones was water or water! For the adults...we offered hot apple cider...locally grown...with the option of a fun shot in it! Great for a fall day:) Not only that, but it made the kitchen smell amazing!



Another snack option sitting in the kitchen for those with no sweet tooth...Garden Vegetable Salsa with possibly the best chips on the market right now. Food Should Taste Good



So that's about it! There are about a dozen other little details that I won't bore you with...and about another dozen ones that never got further than my head...we'll save those for the next party!

Happy Birthday Levi! We love you!

Garden Vegetable Rose Sauce

Last week was so sunny and warm here, considering it's October! Noah and I headed out to do some yard clean-up...and stumbled upon MANY great finds in our garden still! Take a look...there was even a handful of strawberries...those just didn't last long enough with Noah around to be in the picture!



The rest of the day kinda got away on us...and all of a sudden it was 6:30pm and I found myself realizing I had planned nothing for dinner! That is not like me....I usually am thinking about dinner before I eat breakfast!! So...the boys had already eaten and were about ready for bed...it was only Jay and I that I needed to worry about. Moments like this I usually resort to Black Bean Quesadillas...that's kinda our "go-to" meal...but we were missing a few key ingredients. I took a quick look at this beautiful assortment of veggies and realized they needed to be enjoyed! This is what I came up with!



Eliminate the last step of stirring in the spoonful of cream cheese...and don't garnish your bowl with parmesan...and you've got a beautiful vegan supper!

Garden Vegetable Rose Sauce with Brown Rice Pasta

2 cloves of garlic, minced
Handfuls of fresh tomatoes coarsely chopped...canned would work too
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 large bag of spinach
1 heaping spoonful of cream cheese
handful of fresh basil...or dried basil works too
salt and pepper if desired

Heat up saucepan with a drop or two of olive oil. Add garlic and let cook for a minute or so. Add zucchini and let cook for another minute or two. Add tomatoes until well heated. Add spinach and basil. Cover pan and let spinach cook down. Stir in cream cheese...voila you have rose sauce, minus the heavy cream!

Cook Brown Rice Pasta as directed on bag...spoon over top and add a little parmesan..ENJOY!...oh...and of course it always tastes better with a lovely glass of red wine:)

A very affordable, FAST dinner that you could add some chicken breasts to if desired...and even use for entertaining!