1 round of TJ’s Queso Fresco Or 1 wedge of Cotija crumbled
1 Package Carnitas TJS pre made
Make it totally Vegetarian or add extra fiber by using 2 cans of drained black beans instead of Carnitas.
Directions
Combine puree, salsa, and ½ CUP broth or water in bowl, add spices and stir set aside
Place carnitas into separate bowl and shred or chop into small pieces add 1- 1 ½ cup of sauce to pork and stir to combine
If using corn tortilla, warm in a pan with oil oil to prevent cracking before rolling, If using flour tortillas feel free to skip that step.
Lets get rolling!
Place 1 cup sauce on bottom of pan
Take 1 tortilla, add 2 rounded TB full of sauced meat, 1 TB cheese and roll up, set inside pan seam side down and repeat *
*Continue rolling until you have used all your filling.
Pour remaining sauce mixture on top of enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 20 minutes, after 20 minutes remove foil and sprinkle with ½ – ¾ cup cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes until cheese has mostly melted.
Lot’s of ground to cover in our Season One Finale! We start out with a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT from Trader Joe’s about our day-drinking beverage of choice, and end with a sneak peak at season two. Along the way, we spend three hours (yes, THREE HOURS!) making stoner food, setting off smoke alarms, and getting schooled on Macarons/Macaroons/Macron (oh! and put some food on hold for Heather Forte.)
Read on for the episode breakdown…
Ingredients Featured in This Week’s Episode:
Green Cabbage
Sriracha Potato Chips
Matcha Green Tea
Chick-less Nuggets
We start with a big announcement: Our favorite Lonely Alcoholic White Girl Soda, SIMPLER WINES, is moving on up. Coming soon to a Trader Joe’s near you is the 375 ml can of Simpler Wines for only $2.99. We are especially excited about the addition of a red blend and chardonnay.
The ingredients this week included the seasonally stocked Green Cabbage (with a reminder to stock up on your raw, seasoned corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day before they sell out!), the versatile Matcha Green Tea Powder (which is a pantry mainstay) and Sriracha Potato Chips, which were stellar on their own (#eatin’chips).
Our friend, Heather Forte (remember her from Episode Five?) always raves about the Chick-Less Nuggets that seem to always be out of stock in her local Trader Joe’s store. Not only did we make a delicious vegetarian meal out of this ingredient, we also did her a solid by putting three bags on hold at her local store.
What to do with all these ingredients?
Tacos, of course. I love Tacos, and could eat them all day and all night. The chick-less nuggets have a mandarin sauce, which I took and combined 2/3 of it with mayonnaise, honey, and adobo sauce, and turned it into a creamy sauce to top our tacos. The other 1/3 was reserved to toss the nuggets in.
Another taco topping was a corn and cabbage cole slaw, tossed with lemon zest, cilantro, honey and olive oil. This also makes a great side salad and will last a few days in the refrigerator.
I had a pot of pinto beans soaking overnight when we began the episode. Trader Joe’s doesn’t sell raw pinto beans, but they do sell raw black beans, which can be prepared this same way. If you don’t have the time to make beans from scratch, you can always use canned beans, but they really don’t compare to a delicious pot of freshly cooked beans.
To take these up a notch, we embraced our inner stoner by combining the sriracha potato chips and the cooked beans in a blender, and then pan frying them, making Potato Chip Infused Refried Pinto Beans. The best was the addition of crunched potato chips on top. It really completed the dish.
Lastly, we used the MUY BUENO COOKBOOK Recipe for the churro dough, since I have made (and loved) recipes from here in the past. Check out her recipe for the churros we made in this episode. Instead of tossing in just cinnamon and sugar, we used 1 cup of sugar, 2 Tbsp Matcha Green Tea Powder, and 1 Tbsp ground Cinnamon.
I didn’t really execute the churros as well as I had hoped. The dough was too hard, it would have been better to use a mixer, or to follow the time guidelines put forward int he recipe. My piping bag was also clogged, so I ended up making nuggets or snakes, which didn’t have the traditional churro shape. I also admittedly am the worst at deep-frying, so my technique was way off. The idea was great in theory, but the execution just wasn’t there.
Chicken-Less Nuggets tossed in 1 Tbsp Mandarin Sauce
10 Corn Tortillas
Coleslaw:
Cabbage – Green
Cabbage – purple
Corn
Cilantro
1 Lime – zest and juice
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Honey
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sauce
1 Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp Adobo Sauce
2 Tbsp Mandarin Sauce
2 Tbsp Orange Juice
Directions
Grill or microwave corn then remove kernels with a knife. Thinly slice cabbage, chop cilantro. Combine in a bowl with lime zest and juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Toss well and refrigerate.
Cook Chicken-Less Morsels according to package directions up until mixing with sauce (choice of baking or pan frying). Set aside 1 Tbsp Mandarin sauce to toss chicken-less morsels in after it is finished cooking.
Meanwhile, combine 2 tbsp of the Mandarin sauce with adobo sauce, orange juice and Mayonnaise. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Once everything is ready, heat corn tortillas on a griddle, place 5 Chicken-Less Morsels in the center, top with coleslaw and adobo-mandarin sauce.
Soak beans in water overnight. When ready to make beans, drain water and replace with fresh, and cover with water (about 1 inch above where the beans are). Add salt, bay leaves, garlic, bouillon and diced onion. Bring to a boil and cook for at least an hour, until beans become tender. Add more water and salt as needed.
Normally, I would call it a day and just enjoy my pinto beans, but to take it to he next level, add 2 cups of beans and 1 cup of sriracha potato chips to a blender. Mix on medium for about 45 seconds, until smooth.
Add olive oil to a pan and heat over medium heat. Add blended pinto beans and sauté for about 2 minutes. Turn on low and cover until ready to serve. Top with crunched up potato chips.
This week, Marie braves the frigid Southern California winter temperatures to bring over four mystery ingredients to the Fearless Flying Kitchen.
Read on for episode breakdown.
Ingredients featured in this week’s episode:
Almond Windmill Cookies
Mango
Swordfish Steaks
Zhoug Sauce
It was a cold week in San Diego, so Marie brought over her favorite comfort food (Windmill Cookies), something tropical (Mango), something actually frozen (Swordfish Steaks) and something spicy to warm you up (Zhoug Sauce).
Let’s start with the ZHOUG SAUCE. Aside from being difficult to pronounce, it is a pretty perfect, versatile dip, that tastes like a cilantro and jalapeño pesto. It has “Yemeni Roots,” which we have concluded means it comes from YEMEN as opposed to having an ingredient that is the actual roots of the illusive yemeni plant.
We thawed our swordfish in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes, and then topped it with the Zhoug sauce and baked in the oven. The insert in the swordfish has a ton of cooking options (pan frying, grilling, baking, etc.). We also played with the Zhoug sauce as a veggie dip, with equal parts LOW FAT SOUR CREAM, PLAIN ICELANDIC YOGURT, and ZHOUG SAUCE. It was pretty spicy for a dip, but would be great on a pita with a meatball or falafel.
How pretty is this blend of bell peppers and mango?
Marie admittedly included the MANGO so she could learn how to cut it properly. This seems to be the one fruit and vegetable that I hear the most complaints about cutting. It is fairly easy to peel (with a knife or standard peeler), but then you have a very slippery surface that makes cutting into the awkward hard core pretty dangerous. You could also do the cut-first-peel-second method, but then it makes traditional peeling much more difficult. Some people swear by this “drinking glass” method of peeling mango. Try it and let us know how it works for you!
The flavors in the mango mix really well with the sweet bell peppers to create a tropical take on fried rice. All you need is some microwave rice, rice vinegar, and low sodium soy sauce, and you have a fun and easy weeknight side.
To finish off our meal, we experimented with some Windmill Cookie experiments. The first thought was to make a frozen yogurt. The key here is to only leave the yogurt in the freezer for 1-2 hours, just enough to begin to solidify, but not long enough to freeze completely. One thing we didn’t try (but you can!) is to put this in a popsicle mold, and freeze overnight.
Our favorite application was definitely the chia seed pudding. You could easily cut back on the amount of sugar and windmill cookies (by at least half), and it wouldn’t sacrifice flavor at all. I loved the addition of Chia Seeds for the additional nutritional boost (extra fiber, protein and Omega-3 Fatty Acids).
And lastly, this video wouldn’t be possible without the inspiration of this FABULOUSLY HILARIOUS Misheard Lyrics video for O Fortuna (from Carmina Burana). Marie and I have both performed O Fortuna with our choirs in the past, and think this video is hilarious every time we see it.
Crush mix all the windmill cookies (by hand, food processor, or blender) and combine with the rest of the ingredients in a mixer.
If you are making ice cream, then put in a small container and put in the freezer for 1-2 hours.
If you are making chia seed pudding, then add 1 Tbsp of chia seeds for each 1/2 cup of liquid. Stir well, cover and put in the fridge for at least 20-30 minutes so chia seeds can become gelatinous and thicken.
Thaw swordfish steaks, either overnight in the refrigerator or in a bowl of warm water. Preheat oven to 400
Once thawed, remove from package and place on a baking sheet. Top steaks with 1 tsp of Olive Oil and Zhoug sauce (about 1-2 tsp per steak. If you want a subtle flavor, go for 1 tsp. If you like spice, go for 2). Rub the Olive Oil and Zhoug Sauce in a thin layer and top with chopped bell peppers.
Bake for 15 minutes and remove from over. Let set for 2-5 minutes and then serve with Mango Fried Rice.
Peel & dice mango. Dice 1/2 red onion, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 green bell pepper
Over medium high heat, warm Olive Oil. Once hot, add Onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Then add Bell Peppers and cook for another 3-5 min. Once Bell Peppers start to soften, add Mango and cook for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat rice in microwave. Once cooked, add to pan (after you’ve added the mangos). Add in Rice Vinegar, Lime Juice, Soy Sauce, salt and pepper. Finish with Cilantro, and give it a good stir, then remove from heat and serve.
Wanna know what a #HIFD is? Can Amanda keep her success streak going for the third week in a row? Check out the latest episode of Swashbuckled! to find out! (unless your name is Carin Sharin, then just turn it off right now!)
Read on for episode breakdown
Ingredients in this week’s episode:
Cilantro $1.19
Pineapple $2.99
Bacon Jerkey $5.49
Wild Blueberry Muffins $3.99
I went into this week feeling extra confident, with two successful weeks under my belt, I thought I would be able to keep the streak going forever! But Marie SWASHBUCKLED me with her ingredients this week. Most notably, the Wild Blueberry Muffins (which were delicious on their own).
Speaking of delicious, that Sweet Sriracha Uncured Bacon Jerky was a little piece of heaven on earth, so do yourself a favor and pick some of that up, stat!
So with all those yummy standalone ingredients, why didn’t the dish work?
Well, for one thing, the texture was funky. The idea of carbs on carbs on carbs was a bust. The quinoa made the casserole extra mushy, and the blueberry muffins didn’t crisp up, taking the mush to the next level. The spice in the jerky didn’t carry through as expected either, so more flavor and spice needed to be infused into the dish.
Below is the recipe…but, do yourself a favor and don’t make it! Instead, if you are interested in trying this out, make some changes and see what you can do to improve this Highly Instagrammable Fail Dish (#HIFD).
First off – Don’t make this meal the same way I did, unless you really want to not be satisfied with the final product. If you insist, proceed to step two.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Heat Olive Oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add in butternut squash, chayote, and tomatoes. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, then add pineapple, salt, garlic and shrimp. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, then add broth and cooked quinoa and cook down (*or don’t add those and see how it goes. That is what i would have done differently). Transfer mixture to a baking dish.
In a separate dish, combine crumbled blueberry muffins (but…why??), bacon jerky and oat bran. Top on baking dish and bake in oven for about 20 minutes, until top is brown. **But, if you want to make this dish even better, swap out the blueberry muffins for cornbread, and add some shredded mozzarella cheese in there. Omit the quinoa altogether and use just a little bit of chicken broth…
I live in San Diego, home of the best Mexican food in the world (outside of Mexico, that is). We take our tacos pretty seriously around here and my family can get pretty snobby when it comes to Mexican cuisine. It is part of the reason we will never leave San Diego. Ever.
Fish tacos are my husband’s go-to dish. There are so many great choices in San Diego, we usually go to Ranchos or El Zarape in North Park, but are always on the look out for new and delicious spots. (Comment with your favorite fish taco spot, and we’ll either try it or judge you) (half kidding – see above).
One of my favorite tacos shops in San Diego is Lucha Libre, which is a hipster taco restaurant in Mission Hills (and North Park!) San Diego with a luchador (Mexican Wrestler) theme, amazing salsa, and a line out the door. Go there. They are awesome. But my FAVORITE item on their menu is the queso taco – Where they melt cheese on the griddle and make it all crispy, then put it on a corn tortilla and fill it with carne asada, avocados and a secret cream sauce. It is a little sample of heaven on earth. But healthy? Probably not.
In true fearless flying kitchen fashion…I have to try to make the best in San Diego by combining everything I love about tacos (all while trying to make it a pinch more healthy). Why not do a mash up of this delicious cheese and meat filled taco with my husband’s favorite dinner?
Meet the Queso Fish Taco.
Grilled white fish (Tilapia or Mahi-Mahi, I used fresh tilapia from Trader Joe’s – Can’t beat the price either!) seasoned to perfection with chili and lime, a crunchy cheese and corn tortilla wrapper, leafy green cabbage slaw, home made guacamole. It really is the recipe for a perfect taco Tuesday…or any day..or, every day.
First, I have to talk about my proudest discovery, which was mixing the Cruciferous Crunch Collection with the Cilantro Salad Dressing. I normally look at this salad mix when I am at Trader Joe’s and have never been inspired, since it seems too leafy and kale packed for my liking. But it is definitely worth the purchase. It could be great as just a regular salad tossed with a creamy dressing or used as traditional cole slaw, just with a leafier texture.
Cruciferous Crunch Collection (Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Green Cabbage and Red Cabbage) mixed with Cilantro Salad Dressing
2 Tbsp Cilantro Salad Dressing (or amount to taste)
Directions:
Mix well, until combined, and serve as cole slaw, or top with your favorite toppings and enjoy as a salad.
Next step, was some home made guacamole. Now, I can’t take too much credit here. I just copy the table side guacamole from El Torito. But it is delicious, and highly recommended.
Salt and Pepper to taste (go easy on the salt at first and try it with a chip. Usually don’t need too much salt because the chips are salted).
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!
Most fish tacos you find out and about are breaded and fried. Not my favorite. We also don’t have an outside grill, so I did a hybrid of the two, and pan fried the fish with a bit of butter (but no breading).
I also haven’t ever cooked Tilapia before.
So, this was really quite the miracle that this turned out. But, in all fairness, I did a lot of research on it…
Mix everything except for the tilapia and butter together. Rub evenly onto the tilapia. Meanwhile, heat a skillet or griddle on medium-high heat and melt a pat of butter (or Olive Oil if you prefer. I like the flavor that the butter adds). Once the pan is hot and butter is melted, cook tilapia for about 4 minutes on each side.
We ate our Queso Fish Tacos with pinto beans and watermelon. Other delicious sides include rice, grilled veggies, corn or a simple salad of bell peppers, tomato and cucumber with cilantro, lime, salt and pepper.
See recipes above for Chili Lime Rubbed Tilapia, Fish Taco Slaw and Homemade Hibshman Guacamole.
To assemble the tacos, heat a griddle on medium-high heat, sprinkle cheese on griddle, the same size as the corn tortilla you are using. It will melt and then start to crust, and it is in between these two phases that you pop the corn tortillas on top, for about a minute. The bottom will crust up and the top will stick to the corn tortilla. Remove with spatula and put on plate.
Slice fish into large chunks and assemble on crispy cheese, then add your Fish Taco Slaw and Guacamole. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Chicken tenders seem to be a classic food item that appear on kids menus across america. Often these crispy crowd pleasers are battered or breaded and deep fried (or at least pan fried!) Not necessarily something I want my kid having on a daily basis. They also are on the “no-no” list for individuals with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, due to the bread crumb coating.
But have no fear, the Fearless Flying Chef is here to rescue this disastrous meal!!
The first task at hand was to make it a meal that kids (and adults) with food allergies and sensitivities can enjoy. The second was to eliminate the deep fryer (because, let’s be honest, I don’t even own one and don’t plan on buying one). After a few tweaks to your standard chicken strips recipe, this one was definitely a keeper.
I have made a version of this before with regular hummus and bread crumbs, and it was a hit. So I decided to give it a “South of the Boarder” twist with the Cilantro& Jalapeño Hummus as the binder and crushed White Corn Tortilla Chips as the breading. This makes for a slightly messy and little more involved process, but the end result is worth it!
Preheat oven to 400. Prepare a 9X12 glass baking dish by spraying lightly with your favorite cooking spray. I used coconut oil spray (my first time using this product), but also stock my cabinet with a sprayable Olive Oil.
Crush tortilla chips (in food processor or manually) and pour out into a dish.
Stir hummus well, then smother each chicken tender with hummus until covered. I used about half of a container for this. Then drudge the chicken tenders into the tortilla chips until covered. Place on prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese (lightly).
Once all of the chicken is smothered and drudged and placed in the baking dish, place in oven in a center rack for ~ 20 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165˚F. Turn once and sprinkle other side with cheese.
Remove from oven and let rest ~5 minutes.
I served this meal with Corn on the Cob, and honestly, had such high aspirations for making a delicious grilled corn. But instead, I went the lamest route possible and MICROWAVED it. Olive still loved it, and my husband and I ate it up just fine. But it probably would have been so much better if I grilled it for a few minutes too. I also heated up a can of Organic Black Beans and sautéed some zucchini and bell peppers in a little bit of Olive Oil as a side (with just some salt and pepper). Very simple and nutritious sides. We also had watermelon as an appetizer. It was intended to be served with dinner, but it never lasts long in our home. Definitely doesn’t last long enough for a picture!
My husband has had a stressful weekmonth year. The best way that I know how to provide comfort is through food. Pizza is one of my favorite meals, and I of course assume that it is every one’s favorite meals too. Normally, I purchase the pre-made whole wheat dough from Trader Joe’s. It is delicious and is a super easy weeknight meal. But I was in a mood to spoil, so I attempted my own version.
My favorite thing to make with the whole wheat crust is a BBQ chicken pizza. Now, I know half of you are probably grossed out right now. People have very strong opinions about BBQ on pizza. Love it or hate it, that is fine. I happen to love it. Mostly because I love just about anything on pizza.
I initially wanted to re-create a local favorite pizza served at Padres games: The BBQ Chicken Pizza.
For a while I would make this pizza with basic BBQ sauce , “Just Chicken,” red onion, cilantro and mozzarella cheese. Slowly I have been tweaking the recipe to BAM! Kick it up a notch. (did I just say that? Am I stuck in the late 90’s?)
Now, I make this pizza using leftovers from Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwiches and make extra sauce by combining BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, honey, and garlic powder. Then I chop the red onion and cilantro together and dice them pretty small, and then layer the red onion and cilantro in the mozzarella cheese It is pretty great!
But what really stole the show tonight was the home made crust. I thought back to a time in college, when we had to create a food product to market. My friends made a whole wheat pizza dough with flaxseed, and it was delicious. I called my friend, Rachael, and asked her what they did. She said to just take a basic dough recipe and do half whole wheat flour, half white flour and then add flaxseed.
Sounds easy enough.
But, of course, I can’t even just stick to one recipe.
Instead, I looked up about 10 different crust recipes and took a little bit from each one. I knew I wanted to use honey as a sweetener instead of sugar. I wanted to use 100% white wheat flour (as opposed to half white, half whole wheat). I wanted to add in the ground flax seeds to give an interesting texture and wanted to be able to make it in my kitchen aid.
I was able to accomplish all of that and, what-da-ya-know, it actually turned out! I love when that happens. I even had enough to freeze for a later time!
I think my favorite part of the crust was the cornmeal on the bottom. I listed it as ‘optional’ in the ingredient list, but it really made it feel like a professional operation. So, without further adieu:
Slow Cooked BBQ Chicken Pizza on Honey Whole Wheat Crust
Assemble in the following order: BBQ sauce, BBQ Chicken, half of the cilantro and red onion, Mozzarella cheese, the rest of the cilantro and red onion, parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 for 12-16 minutes or until crust is cooked and cheese is melted.
Honey Whole Wheat Crust
Ingredients:
2 cups 100% white wheat flour
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 cup lukewarm water
2 tsp honey
1 packet (2 tsp) active dry yeast
1 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Cornmeal (optional)
Directions:
Dissolve honey, tbsp of flour and yeast in warm water. Stir and let activate over ~10 min. In the meantime, add two cups white wheat flour (or one cup white, one cup whole wheat) to stand mixer bowl. Add salt and flaxseed. Stir well. Create a well in the middle and add liquid once activated and frothy. Mix with dough hook by hand until combined, then attach hook to stand mixer and mix first on low, then ramping up to medium/high. Mix for about 6-8 min, until smooth and pulls away from the dough hook and sides easily. Add more flour or water a tsp at a time as needed. Once mixed, flour a work surface and divide dough in two. Work dough with hands into a ball. Rub a little bit of Olive oil on top of each ball and then cover with a clean, warm kitchen towel. Let rise for 45-60 minutes. Form into pizza with your hands (not a rolling pin. Let gravity do the work). Sprinkle cornmeal on parchment paper and place formed dough on top. Place desired toppings and then bake for 12-16 min at 425.
Slow Cooked BBQ Chicken
Ingredients:
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/3 cup Italian dressing
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp garlic powder
3 frozen chicken breasts
Directions:
Combine together. Cover chicken breasts with sauce and cook on high in the slow cooker for 2 hours and then on low for 4 more.
If you need additional BBQ sauce for the pizza, combine just the first 4 ingredients.
And lastly, this video wouldn’t be possible without the inspiration of this FABULOUSLY HILARIOUS 
The Fearless Flying Kitchen 
