Grilled Stuffed Burritos

When Kyle first had these, he was in love.  He said they were everything he ever wanted out of a "Grilled Stuffed Burrito" from Taco Bell, but even better.  They're pretty simple too.  Just make sure that you don't get the pan too hot when you're grilling the tortillas, or they'll turn out like these.....

Also, I have a really hard time not filling the tortillas too full.  When I make them, they usually become tacos instead of burritos.  

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked rice

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken

1/2 red or green pepper, diced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

3/4 cup corn, cooked

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic salt

2 cups shredded cheese

sour cream

Tortillas

I add other ingredients that I like in Mexican food, like tomatoes, onions or green onions.  

Directions

1. Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt.  Add remaining ingredients, except for the cheese and sour cream.  Sprinkle cheese over tortillas then dot sour cream down the center.  Arrange the chicken/rice mixture down the center.  Roll stuffed tortillas.  Arrange wraps seam side down on skillet  (med-low heat) and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 mins per side.

Mongolian Beef

The first time I had Mongolian Beef at P.F. Chang's I thought my life had changed.  It was sooo good!  Here is a recipe I've found that claims to be the recipe Mr. Chang uses.  It is pretty good!  We always add sautéed mushrooms when we make it, because when they are delish!  Also, the first time I made it, I decided to skip the "10 mins of cornstarch part" because I thought it sounded like a hassle.  The meal turned out ok, but I definitely recommend following the instructions exactly.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 1 lb flank steak
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 large green onions

Directions:
1.  Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/2 inch thick bite-size slices.  (Make sure its against the grain, or the meat will turn out very tough).  Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very think dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.  Let the beef sit for about 10 mins so that the cornstarch sticks..

2.  Make the sauce by heating the 2 teaspoons of oil in a medium sauce pan over medium/low heat. Don't get the oil too hot or its trouble.  Add ginger and garlic to the pan.  Stir it just a bit, and then add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.  Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2 to 3 mins or until the sauce thickens.  Remove from the heat.

3.  As the beef sits, heat up the cup of oil over medium heat in a wok (I use my skillet pan for this).  Heat the oil over medium heat until its nice and hot, but not smoking.

Add the beef to the oil and saute for just two mins, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges.  You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later.  Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.  After the two mins are up, use a large slotted spoon to take the meed out and onto paper towels.  Then discard the oil from the wok.  Put the pan back ove the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.  Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring..  Then add the green onions.  Cook for one more minute.  Serve over rice.

Sausage and Mushroom Risotto

I have been searching for a good sausage recipe for a long time now, and this one finally hits the spot.  We loved it!  I did make quite a few changes from the original recipe--mainly because a small bag of risotto was $8.00 at the grocery store, and I thought it would work with rice.  Also, there was a lot of wine involved, which I substituted for chicken broth.  So, I'm posting my version of the recipe, but if you want the original, here it is.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sausage
• 1 package of sliced mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (I used dried)
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (I used dried)
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups rice
• Parmesan cheese (Kyle and I liked it better without cheese)

Directions:  

• In a large sauce pan, melt butter on medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 mins.  Add the rice and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until rice is soft (for me it was about 20 mins).  
• Brown the sausage on medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Add the mushrooms, thyme and oregano and cook until mushrooms are tender.  Stir into the rice sauce pan, once rice is done  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to serving bowl.  Sprinkle with cheese.  

(We halved this recipe, and it still made a lot).

recipe found at simplyrecipes.com

BowTie Pasta Delish!

This has been one of my favorite pasta dishes since my freshman year of college, when one of my roommates made it for me. Its pretty simple too.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cooked chicken breasts-cut into bite size pieces
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons of Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 1 tomato-diced into pieces
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 bag of bowtie pasta

Directions:  In a large pan, melt butter.  Add garlic and cook until brown.  Add cream of chicken soup and milk. Stir until smooth.  Stir in salt, pepper, parsley, add chicken and tomatoes.  Toss with pasta.  Serve.