Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken and Brown Rice Bowls

Last Year's Post: Benedictine Sandwiches
Two Years Ago:  Korean Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I have a thing about chicken thighs.  I know they're more moist and flavorful than chicken breasts, but they also have all those ligament and tendon things that make them more difficult to eat, not to mention disgusting.  My solution is the slow cooker, which causes all that icky stuff to go away and leaves beautiful moist and fall-apart tender chicken in its place.

I recently came across a recipe for slow cooker salsa verde chicken and was attracted to it because I have a favorite recipe for salsa verde that I like to make.  I think it tastes fresher than the jarred version and I can control the sodium, but you could use your favorite brand if you prefer.  I thought of using the salsa verde chicken as a springboard to make brown rice bowls.

In addition to the chicken and rice, I added spinach for nutrition, shredded red cabbage for crunch and color, cherry tomatoes for juicy sweetness, freeze-dried corn for crunch and color (found in the produce section of most stores), and sour cream for a touch of creaminess.  Obviously you can vary the ingredients to your liking - you could add shredded cheese, pepitas, or different vegetables such as radishes. You could also use white rice in place of brown rice if you prefer.  You could even eliminate the salsa verde chicken and substitute black beans to make a vegetarian version.  Just try to add different colors and textures for the most interesting and pretty combination.  Colorful food is more attractive, which means your picky eaters are more likely to try it.

This recipe serves 6 people, but it also works well for two people: dinner tonight, two work lunches later in the week, and one dinner in the freezer for a future hectic day.

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Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken and Brown Rice Bowls

Serves 6

For the chicken:

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (16 oz) jar salsa verde (or homemade)

For the bowls:

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 ¾ cups water or low-sodium chicken broth

Your favorite southwest spice blend, to taste

6 cups baby spinach

1 ½ cups finely shredded red cabbage

1 ½ cups freeze-dried corn

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

1 ½ cups sour cream or Mexican crema

Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Lime wedges, for garnish

Trim the chicken thighs of any excess fat; rinse and pat dry.  Season both sides lightly with salt and pepper and place in a slow cooker in a single layer.  Pour in the salsa verde to cover the chicken evenly.  Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 3.5 to 4 hours on high, or 5 to 6 hours on low.  Uncover and shred the chicken using two forks.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

During the last hour the chicken is cooking, prepare the rice; place water or chicken broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite southwest seasoning (depending on your preference and the spice level of the blend) and the rice and stir.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook for 45-50 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

To assemble the bowls, place 1 cup of baby spinach in each of six shallow bowls.  Divide the chicken and sauce between bowls, then add the rice, cabbage, corn, and cherry tomatoes decoratively.  Dollop the sour cream (or drizzle the crema) and add cilantro sprigs and lime wedges for garnish.

Three Sisters Quesadilla

Last Year's Post: Dried Fruit Sauce (Mincemeat Sauce)
Two Years Ago:  Couscous with Turkey or Chicken

Time for a change of pace (and effort) after the big meal.  "Three Sisters" is an agricultural term for three of the main crops of Native America:  squash, corn and beans.  They historically benefit from being planted together - the corn provides a stalk for the beans to climb, the beans provide nitrogen for the other plants, and the squash spreads along the ground providing shade and preventing weeds.   I read somewhere that plants that are grown together usually also taste good together.  I don't know why that would be true but it's definitely true in this case, making an excellent vegetarian base for empanadas, soups, stews, tarts, or a quesadilla.

As written, this quesadilla is mild yet flavorful and filling.  If you want, you could increase the spice level in one of several ways:  use a hotter chili powder, substitute Pepper Jack for the cheddar cheese, add jalapenos, or use a spicy salsa.  Either way it's a fast, delicious and healthy option for meatless Mondays or Black Fridays.

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Three Sisters Quesadilla
Serves 4

1 cup dried black beans (or 1 15 oz can black beans)
1  teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika or chili powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin
salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 zucchini or other summer squash, cut lengthwise into quarters and thinly sliced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 ear of grilled corn, kernels cut from the cob (or 1 cup frozen corn)
cilantro leaves to taste
4 medium flour tortillas
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Greek yogurt or sour cream, for serving

Salsa

Sliced avocado, optional

Lime wedges, optional

Cook the beans, if starting with dried beans. If using canned beans, drain, rinse and drain again.  Toss with smoked paprika or chili powder and cumin.  Season to taste with salt.

Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a nonstick pan and heat on medium-high. Add the squash pieces and sprinkle with the salt, then cook, stirring and tossing until the pieces go limp and start to turn golden. Sprinkle with the pepper flakes and keep cooking until the squash has released most of its water and has caramelized with some edges becoming crispy and brown.  Add the corn to the pan and for an additional minute.  Remove from pan to a bowl but do not clean the pan.

To assemble the quesadillas, lay out one tortilla, and sprinkle one half with cheese. On top of the cheese, add beans, corn, and squash to taste along with cilantro leaves, then sprinkle a small amount of cheese over the vegetables.    Fold the other half over the filling.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same pan. Place one quesadilla into the pan and cook until the edges turn brown–about 1 minute, then carefully flip the quesadilla and cook until the underside is golden brown and the edges are crispy, about another minute. Repeat with the other quesadillas.

Cut into wedges and serve with salsa, yogurt or sour cream, optional avocado and lime wedges.

Mayan Quinoa Salad

Last Year's Post:  Wine Bar (or Brewery) Platters
Two Years Ago:   Baked Italian Sandwiches

This salad is a great example of clean eating that won't make you feel deprived even though it's vegetarian.  The secret is the variety of tastes and textures:  juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado and beans, toasty quinoa, and crunchy corn and pepitas.  There's so much going on that you'll never miss the meat, I promise.  The crunch factor is key, and the surprise ingredient is freeze-dried corn which is my newly discovered favorite.   The corn is dried with no additives or other ingredients, and it's naturally gluten, dairy, wheat and nut free.  It's very light and crunchy with a naturally sweet corn taste and is very low in fat and calories.  It makes a great snack but I particularly like it on salads because of its color, flavor and crunch.  You can find it in bags (or possibly a plastic container) in the produce aisle of your upscale grocer or natural foods store.

Note that the quinoa needs to be cooked and cooled for this salad, so you might want to start with that or cook it in advance. After that, you just shake up the vinaigrette, chop a few things, and assemble.  Fast, easy, delicious, and healthy!

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Mayan Quinoa Salad

Serves 4

For the sherry vinaigrette:

1 medium shallot, minced

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

½ cup uncooked red or white quinoa

1 avocado

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

2 cups baby spinach, chopped

½ cup freeze-dried corn*

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup pepitas (roasted salted pumpkin seeds)

2 cups slivered cherry tomatoes

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

For the vinaigrette:  stir shallot, vinegar, lemon juice and mustard in a small bowl and let stand for at least 15 minutes to blend.  Gradually whisk in oil (or shake in a jar to combine).  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Prepare the quinoa according to package directions and let cool. 

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit, then score the flesh in a crosshatch pattern with the tip of a knife.  Using a large spoon, scoop the chunks into a small bowl and toss with the lemon or lime juice to prevent browning.

To assemble the salads, place each ingredient decoratively in strips on the plates with complementary colors next to each other:  avocado, tomatoes, quinoa, spinach, beans, corn, and pepitas.  Garnish with cilantro leaves and drizzle with vinaigrette, passing extra vinaigrette at the table.

*Note:  you will find freeze-dried corn in a bag or package in the produce aisle with other dried vegetables.

Brazilian Burrito Bowls

Last Year's Post:  Prosciutto, Mozzarella and Radicchio Panini
Two Years Ago:   Mixed Berry Jalousie

Clean, healthy eating doesn't have to be boring.  This recipe is a great example:  it contains white rice fragrant with lime, spiced black beans, and coleslaw with cilantro-garlic dressing - plenty of big flavors that you can spice up or down however you want.  If that's not enough, it also has crunchy radishes and crispy green plantains (a new thing for me).  The only thing that gave me pause when I found the recipe is that plantains are traditionally fried in Brazil which didn't fit with my vision of healthy eating.  So, a little research later I found a recipe for plantains that are baked rather than fried.  I'm sure they don't taste quite as good as the fried version, but they were crispy and delicious anyway.  Since I've never had the fried version they were plenty good enough for me.

I anticipated that a trip to a Mexican market would be necessary to find green plantains, so I was pleasantly surprised to find them at my local Fry's.  That could partly be due to the fact that I live in Phoenix where all types of  Mexican and Central/South American ingredients are more prevalent, or not.  You'll have to check your own store to find out.  Anyway, when you find them, they look like a big long green banana.

You don't want the yellow ones for this recipe because they're too sweet.  When cooked, the green plantains aren't sweet at all and instead are starchy, much like a potato.  They're stubborn to peel but the recipe I discovered suggested microwaving them, which helps.  If you decide you want to fry them rather than baking, follow the recipe through the step where you flatten them, then just fry in oil until golden and crisp.

Don't be scared by the chili powder and cumin mixed in with the beans - they add flavor but not much heat.  If you like your food spicy, you could add some cayenne as well or add some jalapeno into the coleslaw mix.

I'm trying to add more vegetarian dinners to our diet in the on-going quest to eat healthy in an unhealthy world.  This fits the bill without making you feel deprived.


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Brazilian Burrito Bowls

Serves 4

1 cup white rice

1 ¾ cups water

Zest of one lime

Juice of 2 limes, divided

2 chopped green onions

2 (14 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup water

½ cup chopped green onions

½ cup cilantro leaves

2 cloves garlic

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

4 cups shredded cabbage

2 green plantains

Cooking spray

4 radishes, sliced

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Preheat oven to 425d.

Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

To cook the rice: heat 1 ¾ cups water in a saucepan to a boil.  Add rice, lime zest and juice of one lime.  Stir, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes until water is absorbed and rice is tender.  Stir in the 2 chopped green onions and keep warm.

For the beans:  combine the black beans, chili powder, cumin and a small amount of water in a saucepan and heat on low until warmed through.  Keep warm.

For the cabbage:  put the vegetable oil, water, remaining lime juice, green onions, cilantro, garlic, salt and sour cream in a food processor and pulse until mostly smooth.  Toss the cabbage with enough sauce to coat and reserve the remaining sauce.

For the plantains:  trim the ends off the plantains.  Score each along two sides just deep enough to cut through the skin.  Microwave for 6 to 6 ½ minutes (if only using one, microwave for 3 to 3 ½ minutes) until soft.  The skins will turn black.  Carefully peel the plantains and cut them into ¾” slices while hot.  Flatten each piece with the bottom of a small glass coated in cooking spray.  Place on the foil-lined baking sheet and coat generously with cooking spray.  Season with salt and bake for 10-12 minutes, then flip and bake an additional 8 minutes until golden and crisp.  Season with salt again.

To serve, place a scoop of rice, beans and cabbage into each bowl.  Add plantains and radishes on top.  Garnish with additional cilantro leaves and drizzle with extra sauce.

Southwest Eggrolls (baked not fried)

Last Year's Post: Beer Cheese
Two Years Ago:  Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I found this recipe online as a Chili's Copycat for their Southwest-Style Eggrolls at a "top secret recipes" website, and the guy really nailed it - the flavor is just like the restaurant version.  I made one important change to make it healthier because I don't want to deep-fry anything:  I made it using phyllo dough and baked it until crisp and brown.  The result was fabulous and reminded me not only of those famous eggrolls, but also of a good restaurant chimichanga.  The eggrolls satisfied my Mexican cravings without a trip to the nearest Mexican restaurant, which always involves mass quantities of chips and salsa in addition to re-fried beans, none of which are healthy.

There are a fair number of ingredients and a good amount of prep in the recipe, so if you like them I would suggest making a double batch and freezing some for the next time.  To minimize the prep, use already-cooked chicken from the deli and use your mini food processor to mince the bell pepper and onion.  Be sure to mince ingredients before measuring.  How do you know to measure before or after chopping?  If the recipe says "2 tablespoons minced green onion", mince it first.  If it says "2 tablespoons green onion, minced" measure it first.  Make sure everything is prepped before you start cooking the peppers and onions because it goes fast from there on out.

The filling can be assembled in advance, leaving just the wrapping and baking for the end.  Don't worry if the phyllo sheets crack a little here or there, they get rolled up so many times that you'll never know the difference.

You can make these normal size and cut them up for appetizers or leave them whole as an entree.  They're actually bigger than an eggroll - more like a smallish chimichanga.  You could also making a small version by cutting the phyllo sheets in half and using less filling which would make them easier to dunk and pop in your mouth.  Phyllo is very flaky and the edges will crumble as you cut or bite the eggroll, but to me the trade-off is well worth it to avoid deep frying.

The other nice thing about making the eggrolls yourself - besides the fact that they're much healthier -is that you can make them as spicy as you want.  This recipe is very slightly spicy (the restaurant version needs to please everyone) but you can make it spicier by adding more jalapenos or more cayenne.  And then you can have your very own, favorite recipe southwest eggrolls piping hot right at home.

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Southwest Eggrolls

Makes 8 large eggrolls

Note:  to freeze for later, assemble eggrolls and freeze, then place in a resealable bag.  To bake, thaw eggrolls and bake as directed.

For the eggrolls:

2 cooked chicken breasts (from a rotisserie chicken or leftovers), diced into small cubes

¼ cup minced red bell pepper

¼ cup minced green onion

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

¼ cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, finely chopped

¼ cup diced canned jalapeno peppers

2/3 cup frozen corn

½ cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon minced cilantro (or substitute parsley)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne

1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

16 (9”x14”) sheets of phyllo dough (one sleeve from a package of frozen phyllo dough), thawed

Olive oil or olive oil spray, for brushing

For the avocado-ranch dipping sauce:

1 avocado

¾ - 1 cup ranch dressing

Preheat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and sauté 1-2 minutes until tender.  Add the spinach next, stirring to break up clumps, then add the jalapenos and stir to combine.  Next add the corn and black beans and stir gently, then add the cilantro and spices and stir one final time.  Remove from the heat and let cool.  When completely cool, add the shredded cheese and stir to combine.

Note:  the filling can be made in advance.  Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 425d.

When ready to assemble, remove the phyllo sheets from the wrapper and place flat on a work surface.  Immediately cover with a damp towel to make sure they don’t dry out.  Remove one phyllo sheet and place on a second work surface, keeping the remaining sheets covered with the towel.  Brush the sheet with olive oil or lightly spray with olive oil cooking spray.  Top with a second phyllo sheet and brush or spray with oil again.  Working with the short side nearest you, place a heaping ½ cup of filling on the lower part of the sheet leaving a 1” margin on the bottom and sides.  Fold the phyllo from the bottom up over the filling, then fold in 1” on both sides and roll up completely.  Place wrap seam side down on a baking sheet lined with foil; brush with oil.  Repeat with the remaining filling, phyllo sheets and oil.

Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.  Let stand 5 minutes to cool.  While the eggrolls are baking, remove the avocado from its shell and mash, then combine with the ranch dressing.

Serve the eggrolls with the sauce on the side.

Empanadas with Chicken, Corn and Zucchini

Last Year's Post: Tomato Crumble
Two Years Ago:  Summer Pasta Salad with Fresh Tuna

Empanadas are one of those foods found in many cultures and with many different names.  Basically they're baked or fried turnovers made with bread or pastry dough folded into crescent shapes that enclose a savory meat, cheese and/or vegetable filling. The name "empanada" is used in Spanish-speaking countries of Europe and South America as well as in the United States.  In South America they're very popular as street food, usually fried and eaten out of hand.

I wanted to post this recipe primarily because it's really, really good, but also because it's a baked version (good news), the dough turns out amazingly crisp and light (even better news), and you can freeze them for a really easy dinner during the week (best news).  If you make your own empanadas you can vary the fillings to your taste, and you can make them larger or smaller.  For example, this particular recipe makes ten medium empanadas, which will feed five people (two per person) for a meal with a salad or rice on the side.  One empanada would make a great lunch with some sour cream for dipping plus fruit and carrot sticks, which is what's nice about this particular size.  You could make larger empanadas if you want, or you could make smaller ones as appetizers for a party that would be great as a finger food dipped in salsa or sour cream.

Regarding the filling, I found a recipe for "Three Sisters" empanadas (the three sisters are corn, zucchini and black beans) and substituted some leftover grilled chicken for the black beans.

 If you want a vegetarian version, go with the beans.  I also used pepper jack cheese rather than cheddar, and substituted smoked paprika for chile powder.  All the variations are listed in the recipe below.  You can make the empanadas as mild or spicy as you want by varying the cheese and spices, and you could also add jalapenos for an extra kick.  The way I made them, they were mild but very flavorful which would be good if some of the people you're feeding don't like spice.  The spice-lovers could always use spicy salsa as a condiment to jazz them up.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that this is a somewhat fussy (read time-consuming) recipe.  First you make the dough - which by the way is fast and easy - and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour.  While the dough rests, you roast the zucchini and corn and make the filling.

Then the fun begins - rolling out and filling 10 individual dough rounds (sorry no pictures of the process - I was covered in goo).  That's where it would be an advantage to make larger or smaller empanadas - there are simply fewer of the larger ones to roll out, and the smaller ones could be made by rolling out a big sheet of dough and using a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut small rounds.  I guess theoretically you could do that same thing with the 5-6" rounds for this recipe, but you would waste a fair amount of dough.  Whatever.  All I can tell you is that I would do it all over again in exactly the same way, which tells you how pleased I was with the results.  The empanadas are totally worth it, you just have to be in the right mood and know it's a two hour project.  (If you're not in the right mood, you could cheat and use refrigerated pie crusts, but the crispness of this dough makes it worth the effort.)

Three guesses as to which one I rolled out and filled first .  :-)  As I said, they freeze beautifully and can then be tossed in the oven frozen and allowed to bake until golden and hot for a really easy dinner.

Next week we're going to a new restaurant that specializes in Mexican seafood, and I noticed that they have empanadas on the menu with a filling of crab, chorizo, goat cheese and corn with a tomatillo verde sauce.  If they're as good as they sound, I'll try to re-create the recipe and post it.  I guess I couldn't have been too emotionally scarred from all that dough-rolling if I'm already contemplating the next batch.....

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Empanadas with Chicken, Corn and Zucchini

Makes ten medium empanadas

For the dough:

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½“ cubes

1 large egg

1/3 cup ice water

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

For the filling:

½ pound zucchini (2 medium), cut into ½“ cubes

1 cup corn kernels (from 1 medium ear) or 1 cup frozen kernels, thawed

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup shredded cooked chicken (or ¾ cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained)

¾ cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese (or cheddar cheese)

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons canned diced green chiles, drained

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (or chile powder)

Sour cream for serving, optional

Salsa for serving, optional

For the egg wash:

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon water

To make the dough, combine the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some small butter lumps, 6-8 times.  Beat together the egg, water and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork and add it to the flour mixture, pulsing a few times just until incorporated.  Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with the heel of your hand once or twice to bring the dough together.  Shape into a disk or rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour.

To make the filling, first preheat the oven to 400d.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Dump the zucchini and corn on the parchment, then drizzle with the olive oil and a few grinds of salt and black pepper.  Toss everything together with clean hands and spread out into a single layer.  Roast for 20-25 minutes until the zucchini are softened and slightly browned around the edges.  Transfer to a bowl.

Add the chicken (or beans), cheese, green onions, cilantro, chiles, cumin, and paprika (or chile powder) to the bowl and toss.

In a small bowl, prepare the egg wash by mixing together the beaten egg and water.

To assemble the empanadas, divide the dough into 10 equal portions (about 52 grams each).  Shape each portion into a ball and roll into a 5-6” circle about 1/8” thick on a cool, lightly-floured surface.  Working one at a time, moisten the edge of half the circle with egg wash.  Place a ¼ cup (packed) filling in the center of the circle.  Fold the side with the egg wash over the top of the filling to create a half-moon shape and crimp the edges to seal.  Place the empanada on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush the top with egg wash, and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.  Slice a few small slits in the center of each empanada to help release steam while baking.

Bake at 400d for 22 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  If desired, turn on the broiler for a few seconds at the end until the empanadas are browned to your liking.  Serve with sour cream and salsa, optional.

To Freeze Empanadas:

Prepare the empanadas and freeze on a baking sheet or plate, then transfer to a zip-top bag or aluminum foil.  To bake, preheat the oven to 400d and bake on a parchment-lined pan for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and hot all the way through.  Do not thaw before baking.