Cheesy Leek and Potato Pie

This is from 
http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/recipes/

This was one I've had my eye on for a while and never made. Easy to make and yummy to eat (we had it for supper tonight).



Makes one large pie (around 12 inches)

1 frozen pie crust
1tbsp oil
1 leek, halved lengthwise then sliced (Don't forget to wash them!)
2 cloves garlic, minced1lb potatoes1.5 tbsp butter, softened
200g cheddar cheese, grated
2tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/4tsp mild/medium curry powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
3tbsp milk

Heat the oven to 200°C (Gas Mark 6 / 400°F).

Heat the oil in a frying pan, and cook the leeks and garlic over a medium heat for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are soft.

Meanwhile, chop the potatoes into fairly small chunks (I left the skins on), and boil for around 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Use a fork to lightly mash the potatoes – they should not be completely smooth, but you don’t want huge lumps left either. Add the leeks and garlic, butter, parsley, curry powder, egg, milk, and half of the cheese. Mix well. Transfer the mixture to the pie crust, and spread out into an even layer. Top with the remaining cheese, and bake for a further 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is crispy and the crust is fully cooked. I finished it under the broiler for about 2 minutes.

Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa Verde

I just made these for this months's meal swap and they were really good!  I did make a couple of mistakes though.  I had a small amount of curry powder in a little bag that I somehow mistook for cumin, so I added about 2.5 teaspoons of curry to this dish!  Curry is such a strong taste that I tried to add a little extra cumin to try to counteract it, so it might have a lot of flavors competing! For our vegetarian friend, I just added some extra beans (she did not get the curry error, so we'll see what she thinks...if it's too bland without it!) and used vegetable broth.  I also forgot to top all of them with the fresh cilantro I had specifically bought just for this recipe! I think I have done this in the past too.  If I am cooking for us at home, I don't always bother with fresh garnishes...so this is likely why I forgot.  I prepared the filling ingredients (with cooked chicken, I bought a couple of rotisserie chickens at the grocery store to make life easier) and then prepared the sauce but I did not bake it all together.  I froze it prior to baking.

Warning: They do have a little heat to them.  I reduce the jalapenos (even though I love them, not everybody else does!!)

This is from the skinnytaste.com blog!

Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 enchilada • Old Points: 4 • Points: 5
Calories: 230 • Fat: 7.3 g • Protein: 20.4 g • Carb: 28.7 g • Fiber: 12.2 g 
Ingredients:
For the Chicken and White Bean Filling:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced white onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
• 15.5 oz can Navy beans (or Cannellini beans)
• 8 oz cooked shredded chicken breast
• 1/3 can water
• 1 chicken bullion
• 1 tsp cumin

For the Green Chile Enchilada Sauce:

• 1 tsp butter
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 7 oz can chopped green chile
• 2 jalapeños, chopped (I used jarred)
• salt
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 3/4 cup reduced fat Mexican cheese
• 8 medium low car tortilla 
• chopped fresh cilantro or scallions (or both!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
For the Filling:
In a medium pan, heat olive oil on low. Add onions, garlic and saute until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add green chiles, beans, water, bullion, and cumin. Mix well and cover. Simmer on low 15 minutes. Remove cover, add chicken and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until it thickens and liquid boils down. Set aside.Green Chile Enchilada Sauce:
In a large nonstick pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add flour and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth. Whisk until the sauce becomes smooth. Cook over medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Add green chiles, jalepeños, and salt to tatse. Cook another minute then remove from the heat. Stir in the sour cream.
Spread about 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish. Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup of the chicken/white bean filling. Roll the tortillas and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling remainder of the tortillas.
Pour the enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with cheese. Cover with aluminum and bake 20-30 minutes, until the enchiladas are hot and the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with fresh cilantro or scallions.

Avocado Risotto

Love avocados, but get tired of having them on burgers, in wraps, or salad. Found this recipe and we whipped it up tonight. It was too delicious not to share! I'm not sure it'd be a good freezer meal, but it' definitely a good meal deal.

 

Avocado risotto

Author: Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche

Recipe type: Main meal

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  35 mins

Serves: 3

 

Ingredients

• 1tbsp oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 190g arborio rice
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• ~1l hot water
• 2 avocados
• 1tbsp lime juice
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 100g edam cheese, grated or diced
• 2tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, wok or risotto pan, and cook the onion and garlic over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the rice and cook for a further 2 minutes.
2. Mix the stock cube with about 150ml hot water, and add to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the liquid has nearly all been absorbed. Add more hot water around 150ml at a time, again waiting for it to be mostly absorbed before adding more, and stirring regularly. Continue adding water until the rice is cooked – I ended up using just over a litre, but you might need slightly more or less.
3. Meanwhile, coarsely mash the avocado with a fork, along with the lime juice and salt and pepper.
4. When the rice is cooked, add the edam, then the mashed avocado and chopped parsley, and mix until combined. Serve warm.