Posts Tagged ‘pepperjack’
Baked Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos with Avocado Ranch
March 22, 2013 | 
Author After the quesadillas I posted earlier this week, I had to make something else with the avocado ranch. Judging from your responses I don’t think you’ll have any complaints about it’s reappearance today. This time you get to dip taquitos in it! I made these for my friend’s house-warming party and they were a huge hit. Guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise since they contain cream cheese, bacon, and ranch. They can do no wrong!
In case another recipe featuring this avocado ranch wasn’t exciting enough, I am also off to NYC for some serious food blogger action tomorrow! I’ll be teaming up with Tara (Chip Chip Hooray), Tracey (Tracey’s Culinary Adventures), Joanne (Eats Well With Others), Lauren (Keep It Sweet Desserts), Kayle (The Cooking Actress), and Jennifer (Bake or Break) starting with brunch and then we are following our bellies from there!
P.S. Kita (Pass the Sushi), Carolyn (All Day I Dream About Food), Audra (The Baker Chick), Miriam (Overtime Cook), Samara (Deconstruct the Girl) – you will be missed!
One year ago: Funfetti-Peanut Butter Layer Pie
Two years ago: Apple Maple Turkey Burgers with Maple-Dijon Sauce
BAKED CHICKEN BACON RANCH TAQUITOS WITH AVOCADO RANCH
Makes 20 taquitos
Ingredients:
TAQUITOS
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups shredded pepperjack cheese
3 to 4 Tbsp chopped green onion
1 (1 oz.) package dry ranch dressing mix
20 (6-inch) flour tortillas
Sea salt
AVOCADO RANCH
1 ripe medium avocado
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 0% Chobani)
2 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley
2 Tbsp freshly chopped dill
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
- Mix together cream cheese, chicken, bacon, cheese, and green onions. Add in about 1/2 of the dry ranch dressing mix and taste. Add more for stronger ranch taste. Mix well.
- Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into a flour tortilla and roll it up. Place taquito seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat about 20 times. Once finished, spray the tops of the taquitos with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.
- Place pan in oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until edges and tops are golden. Let cool for a couple of minutes.
- While the taquitos are baking, make the avocado ranch. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy, scraping down the sides occasionally when needed. Taste and season additionally if desired.
Source: Taquitos adapted slightly from Taste and Tell originally from Six Sisters’ Stuff. Avocado Ranch adapted from How Sweet It Is.
Posted in Appetizers & Snacks, Chicken, Entree | 
Tags: avocado, bacon, chicken, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, pepperjack, ranch | 
10 Comments »
Cheesy Double Bean Quesadillas with Avocado Ranch
It just occurred to me that I’ve been craving avocado and Mexican-inspired dishes a lot lately. Most recently I have made Chicken-Quinoa Burgers with an Avocado-Yogurt Sauce, Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla Pie, Guiltless Avocado Alfredo Pasta with Spicy Chicken, and now of course these quesadillas. There’s another avocado in my kitchen waiting for be turned into something else magical, but I might cave and just make guacamole out of it because it’s yummy.
In addition to an abundance of avocados, I’ve seen more sunrises than usual since daylight savings. I am one of those people that is up when the sun it up, so the fact that my alarm now goes off before the sunrises is most upsetting to me and it is therefore difficult to get myself moving and out of bed. But at least I get to appreciate a pretty sight in the sky.
One year ago: Irish Car Bomb Mini Cheesecake Bites
CHEESY DOUBLE BEAN QUESADILLAS WITH AVOCADO RANCH
Serves 2
Ingredients:
QUESADILLAS
1 cup black beans
1 cup cannellini beans
2 oz. sharp white cheddar cheese, freshly grated
2 oz. pepperjack cheese, freshly grated
4 whole wheat tortillas
Butter or olive oil for toasting
AVOCADO RANCH
1 ripe medium avocado
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 0% Chobani)
2 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley
2 Tbsp freshly chopped dill
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Directions:
- In a large bowl, mash together black and cannellini beans with a fork, spoon or potato masher.
- Heat an electric griddle or skillet over medium heat. Add a bit of butter or olive oil.
- Place 2 tortillas down, covering each with a bit of both cheeses, then evenly distribute the mashed bean mixture over top. Place the tortilla on the griddle or skillet, then cover with bean mixture with the remaining cheese and the other tortilla. Cook until the bottom is crispy and golden brown, then gently flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until crispy and golden.
- To make the avocado ranch, combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy, scraping down the sides occasionally when needed. Taste and season additionally if desired. Store avocado ranch in a seal-tight container for 1-2 days.
Source: Adapted slightly from How Sweet It Is.
Posted in Appetizers & Snacks, Entree, Vegetarian | Tags: avocado, black beans, cannellini beans, Greek yogurt, Mexican, pepperjack, white cheddar | 7 Comments »
Spicy Chicken and Pepper Jack Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust
Rotisserie chickens are my new favorite convenience food item. The first time I had ever purchased one, was when I prepared a recipe from “Just Tell Me What to Eat!”. Immediately I thought to myself, why haven’t I been doing this all along? It makes life so much easier, because I’m not one to have leftover chicken in my fridge just waiting for a purpose (although I do at the moment after making this pizza, since I only used half of the chicken). And my grocery store carries three different types: Savory (which I used here), BBQ, and Lemon-Pepper. The possibilities are endless!
Pizza is one of my favorite foods because no matter what I’m craving, it can be put on top of a pizza crust. This time around I just wanted something with a little kick. With the help of a rotisserie chicken and some leftover homemade salsa, this pizza turned out perfect. (There’s no shame is using jarred salsa, but you should really try the homemade stuff sometime, especially since it’s takes minimal effort.)
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp canola or olive oil
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
One small red bell pepper, sliced into 1/8″ rings
One small green bell pepper, sliced into 1/8″ rings
1 recipe whole wheat pizza dough
1/2 cup salsa (I used homemade)
1-1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (about half a Rotisserie chicken)
2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Chopped cilantro (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with a pizza stone* on the middle rack.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Add bell peppers; sauté 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.
- Meanwhile, roll pizza dough onto a corn meal dusted pizza peel*.
- Stir salsa into cooked vegetables; spread over crust. Top with chicken and cheese.
- Shimmy the pizza from the pizza peel onto the pre-heated pizza stone and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until it the crust turns golden brown and the cheese starts to bubble. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, garnish with cilantro if desired then cut into slices.
*If you do not have a pizza stone or peel, roll dough out on a corn meal dusted baking sheet/pizza pan.
Source: Adapted from My Baking Addiction
Posted in Chicken, Entree, Pizza | Tags: chicken, green peppers, onions, pepperjack, red bell pepper | 3 Comments »
Spicy Mac and Cheese
I am always on the hunt for different variations of macaroni and cheese. Why? Because the possibilities are endless! I’ve actually considered joining the cheese of the month club just so I could try all different kinds of cheese mixed together with pasta and maybe a few other players. I am still considering it…
What we have here is a great recipe from Annie’s Eats. Creamy cheeses with a little kick and topped with a crunch! You can control the spiciness by adding more of less of chopped jalapenos, and even leave in some of the seeds for extra heat.
Ingredients:
4 cups pasta shapes (whole wheat shells here)
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup roasted red pepper (I used jarred)
1-2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
6-1/2 Tbsp butter, divided
4 Tbsp flour
2-1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
8 oz. colby jack cheese, shredded
4 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz. Panko bread crumbs
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. When the water boils, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- In the meantime, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, red pepper and jalapeno to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until fragrant and tender, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is completely melted, whisk in the flour. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it turns a light golden brown color and begins to foam, about 2 minutes (Be careful not to burn!). Whisk in the milk until well blended. Cook the mixture, whisking or stirring frequently, until it begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Whisk in the spices. Add the cheeses to the mixture and whisk until completely melted and well incorporated. Remove the mixture from the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Return the drained pasta to the large pot. Add in the cooked vegetables and the cheese sauce, and mix until well blended. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Place the Panko bread crumbs in a small bowl. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and toss with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the crumb mixture in an even layer on top of the pasta. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the mixture is heated through and the topping is golden brown (You can also broil for 2-3 minutes at the end to acquire the golden brown topping). Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
Source: Adapted slightly from Annie’s Eats
Posted in Entree, Pasta, Side Dish, Vegetarian | Tags: cheddar, colby jack, jalapenos, onions, pepperjack, red bell pepper | No Comments »
Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos
Sleep has not come easy for me the past two nights. No matter how exhausted, I lay in bed tossing and turning for most of the night. Last night I thought for sure I’d get decent rest after taking a beating at spin class. No such luck. But at least I still have the energy to cook dinner. Especially when it’s something as tasty as these. I could’ve eaten the entire lot! I should make a huge batch a freeze them as previous bloggers of this recipe have suggested.
Although the recipe called for corn tortillas, I decided to experiment with both corn and flour tortillas. The flour tortillas had a different flavor, but I preferred the corn tortillas – they were more crunchy than the flour ones. Guess that’s why these are taquitos and not flautas (made with flour tortillas).
Served with Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing from Our Best Bites.
Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup salsa verde
Juice from half a lime (1 Tbsp)
1 tsp Ancho chile pepper powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbs chopped scallions
1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Pepperjack cheese
8-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread a piece of aluminum foil across a baking sheet, and arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in the center. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and season as you wish. Fold the aluminum foil over the chicken breasts, and enclose them to form a “packet.” Bake the chicken (on the baking sheet) 35-45 minutes, or until it is cooked through. Allow to cool, then shred using a fork, pulling against the grain.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray another baking sheet with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the salsa, lime juice, cumin, chile powder, cayenne, onion powder, garlic, cilantro, scallions, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Fold in the chicken and cheeses. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
- Working 3 tortillas at a time, stack them on a microwave-safe plate and cover with plastic wrap. Cook 30 seconds, or until tortillas are soft and pliable. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly*. Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
- Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown. Serve with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and/or Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing.
*Stop here to freeze. Roll up each individually in foil, place in ziplock bag and put in freezer. Cook by following remaining directions. (No thawing necessary.)
Source: Pink Parsley adapted from Pennies on a Platter, originally from Our Best Bites
Posted in Chicken, Entree | Tags: cheddar, chicken, cilantro, cream cheese, Mexican, pepperjack, tortillas | 11 Comments »
