Quick, flavorful, easy recipe ideas

Okay, I confess. I left out a very important word in my blog title. The word is…healthy.

I left it out because most people automatically think “healthy” means “not good.”

I disagree. Over the years, I’ve experimented, adapted, succeeded at times, and failed at times to discover flavorful meals that are healthy, satisfying, quick, and cost-effective.

Take the crumbles in the picture, for example. I use them in spaghetti sauces, “beef” and bean burritos, homemade soup (taco soup and vegetable soup), stuffed peppers, and more. The texture is better, finer, than ground turkey, and if you don’t tell anyone the crumbles are vegetables instead of meat, they’ll likely never know. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it’s likely not enough of a difference to matter to them. The crumbles are already cooked, so all you have to do is add them to whatever you’re cooking, which is a huge time saver.

Another great time saver with some variety? Rotisserie chicken. I buy the ones at Walmart that have been chilled (well, go ahead and buy the fresh if you’re using it that day), and I use the meat in chicken tacos, chicken burritos, chicken chimichangas (will explain in a moment), homemade soup, barbecue chicken sandwiches, and in salads. You can have a meal ready in fifteen minutes with a rotisserie chicken.

Which brings me to a recipe I found years ago in Southern Living magazine. I no longer have that edition, and my memory may fail me on exact amounts, but here is their recipe and the way I now make it (keep in mind you must use a rotisserie chicken, not cook your own chicken. The flavor won’t be as good.)

Easy chicken chimichangas

6 large taco size flour tortillas or burrito size flour tortillas

1 rotisserie chicken, traditional or lemon pepper or farlic

1/4 onion, finely chopped (optional)

1/2 cup canned whole kernel corn, drained

1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup salsa verde

1/2 cup shredded cheese (optional, but sharp cheddar or taco cheese works best)

Directions:

Remove skin from chicken and pull meat off, being careful to remove all bones.  Pull chicken pieces into shreds and chunks with your fingers. If using a chilled chicken, place in microwave and heat for one or two minutes, just enough to cut the chill from the chicken. Add other ingredients and stir well. Place mixture in each tortilla and fold burrito-style, securing with toothpicks. In a large skillet on medium high heat, pour 1/4 cup of canola oil. Place burritos in skillet, cook approximately three to four minutes per side, using tongs to turn over. Be careful to avoid burning, tortilla should be crisp and brown but not burned. Remove from skillet and serve immediately.

I always make homemade salsa and sometimes guacamole to go along with it.

Don’t want to fry them, want burritos instead? Place all six in a pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Top with cheese, place in a 350 degree oven, and bake until cheese is melted.

When I make these for my husband and me, I always have too much chicken mixture because I only need to make two chimichangas instead of six. I freeze the leftover mixture and use it later in taco soup.

Here’s my taco soup recipe:

1 large can tomato juice

1 pkg. ranch dressing dip mix (brand doesn’t matter)

1 pkg. taco seasoning (I usually use Taco Bell)

1 pound of browned, drained ground beef OR 1/2 bag of the crumbles pictured above

1/2 small onion, finely chopped (optional)

1 large can green chiles (NOT jalapeños unless you like that sort of thing)

1 can rinsed and drained black beans

1 can whole kernel corn

Place everything in a large pot, bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook on medium to medium low heat for fifteen minutes. Another option is to place all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for a couple of hours.

NOTE: My son likes it spicier, so he uses two packages of fiesta ranch dip mix and two packages of taco seasoning. A little too spicy and too much sodium for me!

If you’re using the leftover chicken mixture described above, just the juice, ranch and taco seasoning mix, and the chicken mixture is all you need.

For less sodium in these recipes, look for the no salt added corn and beans or use fresh or frozen instead of the canned.

Happy cooking!