Dinner for dummies.

Recently, I've been chastised for my culinary wonders being too difficult.  Although, I think you'll come up with any excuse not to cook, here it is: dinner for dummies.  The catch is, it's not going to look or taste like it was a breeze.  It's going to be a flavor explosion and your diners will sing your praises.

I'm going to call these "Microwave Enchiladas."  The beauty of this is, I used loads of frozen foods that you probably would already have hiding in your freezer.

For example, I ALWAYS keep a bag of frozen chicken tenderloins in the freezer.  I prefer the tenderloins over the breast because they are small, easy to work with, quick to defrost, and better to portion for one person.  However, the breasts would be perfectly acceptable as well.

I threw 3 tenderloins in the microwave for around 1 1/2 minutes to thaw them out.  Then, I cut them into small chunks with a pair of kitchen scissors.

Next, I used frozen chopped spinach, frozen brown rice, and corn.  I just so happened to have corn on the cob, so I removed the kernels with a paring knife; however, frozen corn would have been perfect.

This is so quick and easy you don't even have to cook rice!  This is a perfect example of a healthful way to utilize convenience foods.  Frozen fruits and vegetables provide the same benefits as their fresh counterparts.  Buying precooked frozen brown rice is more expensive than buying a bag of uncooked brown rice, but, for many, time is money.  So, you decide.  Which is worth more?

I drizzled approximately 2 tbsp. olive oil in a hot saute pan and tossed in the thawed, diced chicken.  I sprinkled it with salt and pepper and stirred it around, allowing it to cook for about 2 minutes.  Next, I added in the frozen rice, spinach, and corn.  I didn't thaw them.  I poured in a bit straight out of each bag.  I added in  about 1/4 cup salsa and allowed everything to heat through.

Note:  I saute everything at home with oil.  I rarely use butter.  Oils are a heart healthy substitute when cooking.  I buy a large can of olive oil for around $14 and it lasts for months. Splurge for the bulk version and you'll save.   However, olive oil is a more expensive oil.  You can cook with less expensive vegetable oil, or canola oil and get the same results.  

In the meantime, in a separate pan, I browned two tortillas.  I love using the uncooked tortillas.  You just quickly brown them in a hot pan and they taste fresh and homemade!  You could definitely use already cooked tortillas as well.  In my grocery store, the uncooked tortillas are refrigerated by the lunch meats and sliced cheeses.  There is a section with fresh salsa, mexican cheese, chorizo, and tortillas.

I scooped the filling into the now cooked tortillas, sprinkled in some Mexican blend shredded cheese, and rolled them up.  Next, I whisked together, some non fat sour cream, and roasted green salsa; approximately 1/4 cup of each.  I poured this sauce over the top and microwaved for 1 1/2 minutes. 

This delicious and nutritious lunch/dinner took around 10 minutes to prepare and used easy to find ingredients that you may already have.  

For dessert, I made some fresh whipped cream and served it with fresh berries.  There is NO substitute for real whipped cream.  It takes very little effort to whip it up with some powdered sugar until stiff.  

Mix one of these up with about 3 tbsp. powdered sugar in a electric mixer.  If you want to work on your biceps, you can do it by hand with a whisk.  Whenever whipping cream or eggs, it helps to start with a cold bowl.  Throw a metal mixing bowl in the fridge to chill while you are getting organized.  

Fresh whipped cream is a scrumptious way to dress up any fresh fruit.

This is a super easy meal you can be proud of and feel good about eating.  It provides a rainbow of colors for consumption and represents all of the food groups!  Of course, the microwave enchiladas could be filled with anything your heart desires: canned beans, cilantro, bell peppers, asparagus, onions, and more. 

What do you think?

Dinner for 1?

Often, dinner for 1 is much more complicated than dinner for a group.  People often get anxiety when they have a bunch of guests for a big meal.  In my opinion, it's much more difficult to formulate a fabulous meal solely for 1.  Or, you end up eating the leftovers from your fabulous meal for 5 days. 

In addition, it can be a true obstacle to muster up the motivation to cook just for yourself.  Additional obstacles include time and energy.  Most people have no desire to stand around the kitchen cooking when they just get home from work.

Just the other night, I overcame all of these obstacles to create something tasty just for myself.  And the real beauty?  The whole process took about 7 minutes!  This is another one of those scenarios where I used the ingredients I could find in the kitchen.  That means, at some point, I had to purchase said ingredients. 

I always keep uncooked whole wheat tortillas on hand.  You just brown them quickly in a dry pan so they taste fresh and chewy.  I use them for breakfast burritos, wraps, and quesadillas.  On this particular evening, I was going for a veggie quesadilla.  I rumaged around and found asparagus, yellow squash, tomatoes, and red onion.  I did a quick slice and dice and sauteed it all with a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper.

I browned a tortilla on one side, then placed my veggie mixture on the browned side, and topped with shredded cheddar.  I topped it off with another browned tortilla and place it back in the pan to cook the uncooked side of the tortillas and melt the cheese.

I cut up my quesadilla into 6 triangles and garnished with a dollop of salsa, and a dollop of low fat sour cream.  These tortillas are 110 calories each.  If you use part skim cheese and non/low fat sour cream, you are talking about a totally satisfying dinner for well under 500 calories!

Remember, dinner for one can be quick, easy, and nutritious.  It doesn't half to be a bowl of cereal, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or a hot pocket.  Other options for inside this quesadilla include ground turkey, chicken, zucchini, peppers, beans, corn, spinach, and more.  The options are endless.  You could also do something like pears or apples and brie in a quesadilla.  YUM-O!