Chicken Quesadillas

I've been working over time and I'm a little tired. Last night I wanted something quick and easy but yummy and filling. Love quesadillas, and so do my kids. Yay! I'll write what I used and then in parenthesis write what you can use.

2 chicken breast
oil
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (or salsa if you have it on hand)
1 t minced garlic
1 t dried oregano
1 t cumin
2 t lemon juice, divided
1 T southwest seasoning (or make it up - paprika, chili powder, onion....)
butter
tortillas
2 C shredded cheese - I used mild cheddar

Cook chicken in oil on stove with half the garlic and 1 t oregano. Remove from heat, dice chicken into small pieces. Place chicken in a bowl. Add tomatoes, garlic, cumin, lemon juice and seasoning to bowl. Mix well. Butter one side of tortillas.
Place tortillas, we'll cook one at a time, on a hot skillet. Add enough mixture to cover half the tortilla. Cover with cheese. Let the tortilla cook for a few seconds before folding the empty side over the stuffed side of the tortilla. Let cook for a few minutes. Flip the tortilla over and cook until cheese is melted. I like my quesadillas crispy. Repeat steps with remaining ingredients.
Serve with sour cream and/or guacamole.

You could add the cheese to your chicken mixture and just plop it all down on the tortilla in one drop.

I'm thinking next time I'll add some cooked/steamed veggies to the chicken mix. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, whatever I have on hand.

Chicken and Sausage White Chili

1 med onion, coarsely chopped

1-2 poblano peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 t minced garlic

1 T oil

3 chicken sausage links (any flavor) casings removed and chopped

1 lb ground turkey

2 cans navy beans, drained

2 C chicken broth

1 t ground cumin

1 t chili powder

1/2 t dried oregano

1/4 t pepper

1 C milk

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

In a saucepan brown turkey and chicken. Set aside. Preheat a stockpot to med-high with oil. Add onion, poblano peppers, and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes or until soft. Add meat. Stir in cumin, chili powder, pepper and oregano, mix well. Add chicken broth and beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Add milk, cook 2-3 minutes to blend flavors.

Serve into bowls and top with cheese.

Beef Empanadas

I LOVE empanadas. The recipe originally calls to make them as appetizers, however you can make them any size you want. I'm on a Bisquick roll here. I'll post another one in the future that's from a Paula Deen or someone else......

2 C bisquick

1/2 C hot water

1/4 lb ground beef

1/4 C chopped onion

1/2 C salsa

1/2 t ground cumin

1/8 t ground cinnamon

1 egg

1 T water

Heat oven to 350 deg F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. In medium bowl, stir bisquick and hot water until stiff dough forms. Let stand 10 minutes.

Brown meat and onion in skillet over med-high heat. Drain fat. Stir in salsa cumin and cinnamon. Set aside. (now, as an add in you could add a T of raisins)

Place dough on surface sprinkled with Bisquick. Gently roll dough in bisquick to coat. Shape into a ball and knead 10 times. Roll dough into 13 inch round. Cut dough into 3 inch round (yeah, I don't know... grab a piece of dough and roll into 1/8" thick. Make rounds out of these - you want them about the shape/size of a small tortilla).

Spoon a few tablespoons of mixture onto center of each round. Fold dough over in half over mixture and press edges firmly with fork to seal. (you're making a half circle here) Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet.

In a small bowl stir egg and t T water together - lightly beat. Brush mixture over the tops of each empanada. This will help crisp and brown your dough. Bake 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.