Simplified Recipes by Issa :)

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a great Christmas holiday! Us? We did but it was a tad busy, shuttling back and forth between 3 nearby cities. The perils of having a huge families on both sides, lol! As such I don't have a new recipe to share with you from the holidays, BUT I have two very easy recipes from our new homeschooling blog that you'll love because of its simplicity! Below are the links to the recipes which I now branded as "Simplified Recipes by Issa", haha! Feeling Martha Stewart much! ;-)

2-ingredient healthy cookies - Yes, there's only 2 basic ingredients for this healthy treat! You can add more of course, but why complicate life? When you're a busy mom, every second counts. The faster the chore (cooking) gets done, the better it is for our sanity! Haha!

Chicken Cacciatore ala Issa - Instead of pan-frying the chicken like in the original cacciatore recipe, this one has no frying involved but just as yummy! No frying = less cooking time which means (not-so busy) happy mommy!

Give the recipes a try and tell me how it went okay? I love feedback! :) And to wrap up, once again, a happy new year to all of you! May you achieve all your goals this 2014, and may you be a good force here on Earth!

healthy chimichangas!

Mexican food always get the bad rap of being unhealthy -- it's too oily, high in cholesterol, etc, etc. But I love Mexican cuisine and I just couldn't bear not eating my favorite empanadas, tortillas, chimichangas and burritos for "health" reasons! Thank god I stumbled on a copycat recipe of Chi−Chi’s famous healthy Baked Chicken Chimichangas. Nomnomnom! =) You can use ground pork or beef for this recipe but that would defeat the purpose of eating healthy so try to use chicken or turkey or any white meat. Me, I use leftover chicken -- no skin of course!

photo credit: Janet is Hungry

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups chicken, cooked, shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
16 ounces salsa
1/2 teaspoon cumin
pinch of salt
6 − 10 inch flour tortillas
1 cup refried beans
Olive oil (for basting)
Sour Cream
Guacamole

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in chili powder, salsa, and cumin. Stir in shredded chicken. Let cool.
3. Grease rimmed 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan.
4. Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon a heaping tablespoon of beans down center of each tortilla. Top with a scant 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture.
5. Fold up the bottom, top and sides of tortilla; secure with wooden toothpicks if necessary.
6. Place chimichangas in greased baking pan, seam side down. Brush all sides with the oil.
7. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, turning every 5 minutes.
8. Serve with sour cream and guacamole. This recipe has 8-10 servings.

tips in using chicken

We all know that when improperly handled and cooked, chicken dishes can give us a bad case of food poisoning. Often the culprit is Salmonella, which is also prevalent in improperly cooked dairy products and eggs. To prevent food poisoning from chicken, simply follow the tips below PRIOR to cooking. Learn it, don't forget it, always SAFE FOOD first!

- Refrigerate raw chicken promptly. Never leave it on countertop at room temperature.

- Freeze uncooked chicken if it is not to be used within 2 days.

- If properly packaged, frozen chicken will maintain top quality in a home freezer for up to 1 year.

- Thaw chicken in the refrigerator -- not on the countertop -- or in cold water. It takes about 24 hours to thaw a 4-pound chicken in the refrigerator. Cut-up parts, 3 to 9 hours.

- Always wash hands, countertops, cutting boards, knives and other utensils used in preparing raw chicken with soapy water before they come in contact with other raw or cooked foods.

- When shopping, buy groceries last. Never leave chicken in a hot car. Refrigerate immediately on reaching home.