Easy Skillet Tamales

Recently I purchased some frozen tamales from Trader Joe's. I really liked them for lunch, they are quick and easy to prepare for a quick meal. However, I thought I would like to try making tamales myself. So I set out to find how tamales are made and what ingredients might be needed. Normally, tamales are steamed inside a corn husk to cook them, but the husks are thrown out because they are inedible. Plus it's a lot of work to shape and wrap the tamales to prepare them.

So I opted to try a one pot tamale dish instead. Essentially everything is prepared in a big Covered skillet or Dutch oven.

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this dish
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 medium sweet onion, skinned and chopped finely
1 package of taco seasoning
1 TSP ground cumin
1 small can of chopped green chilies, undrained
1 28 OZ large can of tomato sauce or puréed tomatoes
1 large can dark red kidney beans, undrained
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Sliced green onions (optional)

1-2 packages cornbread mix (plus eggs and milk as called for in the mix instructions). I used 2 boxes Jiffy brand cornbread mix plus two eggs and 2/3 cup of milk.)

Sauté the ground meat and onion on medium high until the meat is browned and no pink remains. Drain off all the fat from the meat. Return to the pan and add in the tomatoes, beans, taco seasoning, pepper, paprika, and chilies. Stir until well combined. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes on medium low heat.



Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the cornbread, eggs and milk and stir until large lumps disappear. Remove the lid from the meat mixture and add the cornbread to the top of the meat using a large spoon. Re-cover, adjust the heat to low and simmer for 18-20 minutes. Once the cornbread is done, add the grated Mexican cheese shreds. Re-cover and allow the cheese to melt (about 5 minutes more on low). Add sliced green onions if desired as you serve.

OMG! Look at that Cheese!

Makes 8-10 hearty servings.

#skillettamales #look@thatcheese! #tamales #cornbread #easyskilletdinner

Sweet n Spicy Chicken Meatballs

So last week I was searching around PINTEREST for some recipes for chicken curry dishes. I came across several which I pinned to my allrecipes board, the place where I keep recipes that look interesting and want to try. I made chicken curry using thighs and it was delicious and easy. However, one of the recipes I pinned was a chicken with curry and coconut using ground chicken.

I was at Trader Joe's and they had beautiful ground chicken. I bought a package so that I could try the other recipe I had pinned. Unfortunately, the links to ththe recipe were broken and I was able to see the actual recipe itself. So I searched and found another chicken meatball recipe. I did not have any Frank's hot sauce on hand as the recipes required, so I morph the recipe into sweet and spicy chicken meatballs use a mango pineapple salsa instead. the red pepper flakes gives it a little kick, you can adjust the heat according to your preference by adding more or less red pepper flakes. If you like really spicy food, feel free to add some hot sauce to turn up the heat.

Here is what you will need

For the meatballs:

1 lb ground chicken
1 cup panto breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black or white freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp crushed garlic (I used elephant garlic crushed through my garlic press.
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp onion powder or onion flakes ( I used the latter)
1 tsp smoked papkrika
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Place all these ingredients into a bowl and toss gently to blend well, but do not over handle.
Roll into either 20 quarter sized or 12 medium sized meatballs.

Place on a greased baking sheet and bake 12-14 minutes in a pre heated 400 degree oven. Halfway through, gently turn the meatballs to ensure even baking and browning. They should be a golden brown when done.

While the meatballs are baking, put the following ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat and allow it to heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Once done, turn off heat and cover.

To make Sauce:
1 cup mango pineapple salsa
1/4 cup brown sugar
2-3 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp salt

I made a cup of brown rice medley which cooked in 2 1/2 cups of water and 1 TBSP of butter for 35 minutes. I served the meatballs covered with sauce over the rice sprinkled with parsley flakes for color and garnish, It was a tasty and very filling dinner.

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Hot Pot

Today was a low energy, overcast day for me. My BFF told me she was making soup. I thought that sounded like a good idea, so I set out to make something from ingredients I already had in house. I just didn't feel like heading to the grocery store.

Here is what I used to pull together this delicious warm soup. The chicken thighs along with the carrots, sweet potatoes and spices plus the quinoa make for a very hearty soup.

Place the following ingredients into the bottom of your crockpot.

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 large sweet onion, chopped into bite size pieces
2 large peeled sweet potatoes, chopped into 3/4" cubes
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup dry quinoa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium sized can of diced tomatoes with liquid

Mix together the following and then pour into the pot.
1 package dry herb and garlic soup mix
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tap parsley flakes
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground cumin powder
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (1 box)
1 med can of diced tomatoes with liquid
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 TBSP honey

Cover and cook on high 4-4.5 hours. Serve hot in big bowls with a good crusty bread and some herbed butter. It will keep on warm or low for several more hours if needed.

#chickensweetpotatoquinoasoup #slowcookerrecipes #yummy #easysoup #lovemycrockpot

Smoked sausage with Potatoes and Crispy Veggies

I like my veggies crispy. Peppers and Onions, coupled with garlic, herbs and spices sautéed until just barely cooked are wonderful. I find them more tasty and digestible than those that are overcooked, limp and mushy.

Tonight's dinner was simple. Turkey kielbasa, fingerling potatoes, two brightly colored sweet peppers, a big sweet onion and loads of fresh pressed garlic.

I heated the EVOO on medium high until it was rippling hot. I tossed in the washed and sliced fingerling baby potatoes and allowed them to crisp and brown ever so slightly before adding the garlic, onion and seasonings, including: thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning. I allowed the onions and garlic to become fragrant before adding the chopped up red and orange sweet peppers. While these were dancing around in the pan, I added 1TBSP of coconut oil and let them simmering tossing them frequently to keep things cooking evenly. Between stirs, I cut the kielbasa in half and sliced it into bite sized pieces. After about 4-5 minutes While the veggies were still very crispy, I added the sliced meat and a good shake of parsley, pink salt and fennel seed.

I continued to cook all of this on high for maybe 5-6 more minutes, before removing from the heat and serving. The combination of the spices and herbs, fresh frangrant veggies, coconut oil and meat made for a delightful melange that was quite pleasing to my palate.

There will be plenty of leftovers for the next couple of days, but nothing beats it hot off the stovetop, steaming hot and fragrant so the dogs are circling around for a taste. Unfortunately, they can't have any tonight because of the onion, garlic and spices.

#smokedsausage&veggies #whatsfordinner #kielbasaskillet