Childhood Comfort Food All Grown Up: Garlic Chicken Cheese Pockets

In our home, sometimes we like to enjoy some childhood comfort food.  You can almost always find Pop-Tarts on our shelves, despite their lack of wholesome nutritional value, chicken nuggets, and we LOVE quesadillas!  Another childhood comfort food that I remember from quick lunches in high school: the pastry pocket called a Hot Pocket.  The processed meat and gooey cheese was yummy when I only had 15 minutes to scarf down lunch.  As an adult, I find myself creeping back to some of those comfort foods from my childhood, despite how disgusting they may seem to me now.  What's a girl to do?  My answer: make a grown up version of an old classic comfort.  This recipe morphed from losing my desire to eat the processed version of this meal, but still wanting the yummy goodness of pastry, cheese and chicken (with a little garlic thrown in for good measure).

Here's the recipe (super easy)!

Garlic Chicken Cheese Pockets

2 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil (or coconut oil)
2-3 boneless chicken breasts
6-8 Tbsp. of sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup of melted butter (organic if possible)
kosher salt
black pepper


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Saute chicken breast in a medium skillet with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Cook until heated through and juices run clear, add minced garlic and cook 2-3 more minutes, then combine the cream cheese with chicken in the skillet.  Melt butter in the microwave for 30 second.  Unroll crescent roll dough (or use the seamless kind) and separate into 4 equal rectangles (2 perforated rolls per rectangle).  Press seams of the dough together.  Brush the edges with butter and spoon 1-2 Tbsp. of chicken/cheese mixture into the center of the rectangle. Place another dough rectangle on top of the first and crimp edges with a fork, sealing the mixture inside.  Brush the top of the pocket lightly with butter.  Repeat until all the dough and chicken mixture has been used.  Bake for 12 minutes or until slightly crispy and golden brown on top!  Enjoy.

Serves 6 at $2.08 per pocket (these are large!)

From my kitchen to yours,

--The Cheap Gourmet Mom

Less is More: Mini Taco Flower Cups

Recently, my church hosted a Game Night for adults.  I have to give a big shout out to Life Church in McAlester, OK.  They know how to throw a good party!  As we planned for this game night, we chose finger foods as a theme for our potluck food items.  We asked people to bring their favorite finger foods to share with the group.  Being the foodie that I am, I had to make something a little special!

I tried to think of foods that people normally eat during the week, but do something different and special with comfort food.  After perusing some recipes, the idea came to me...Mini Taco Cups in the shape of flowers.
Ordinary comfort food becoming extraordinary!  I decided to make half of the batch with black beans.  The other half was without beans.  My husband hates beans.  I wouldn't be allowed to come home if I made them all beanie.

I decided to make a little taco bar to go.  I used won-ton wrappers to make the flower cups and filled them with seasoned Angus ground beef, and black beans for some, and topped each one with a small pile of shredded Mexican blend cheese.  I took bowls of lettuce, pico de gallo, and sour cream - so each person could make the taco in their own style.

The next time you are invited to a swag shindig, bring some Mini Taco Cups dressed as flowers!

Here is the recipe:

1 lb. Angus ground beef
3/4 c. water
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can organic black beans
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 small roma tomato
1 white onion
1 medium jalapeno
1 1/2 cups of Mexican blend shredded cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1 pkg. won-ton wrappers
3 Tbsp. coconut oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet.  When the meat is mostly cooked, mix in taco seasoning and water. Cook on medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes. Lightly brush each cup in 2 regular muffin pans (total of 24 taco cups) with coconut oil.  Take out two won-ton wrappers and criss-cross them on top of each other, then press them gently into the muffin cup.  You want them to be alternating on top of one another so that it looks like a flower.  When your meat is fully cooked, spoon 1 rounded Tablespoon of meat into each won-ton flower cup.  On half of the taco cups, spoon 1 teaspoon of black beans in each taco flower cup.  Sprinkle cheese on top of each cup.  Place in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes.  Chop tomato, onion and jalapeno, mixing them together to make pico de gallo.  Take pico de gallo, lettuce, and sour cream in containers with you to the party (with your taco flower cups).

Enjoy!

Serves 24 @ $.75 per serving

Life's short.  Have a party!

--The Cheap Gourmet Mom

Light on Calories, Big on Flavor: Mediterranean Cream of Kale Soup

I love soup.  However, I used to eat rich, creamy, fattening soups. I loved clam chowder, cheddar broccoli, or any heavy cream soup.  In the past few years, I had was diagnosed with two heart conditions.  Thanks to my Lord Jesus Christ and His power to heal, my doctors have declared me HEALED.  However, for a couple of years before my healing came, I got a serious wake-up call about my bad eating habits.  I LOVE FOOD. I am a total foodie, as witnessed by my dedication to a blog dedicated to sharing delicious food recipes.  However, even the best of food can be killing you.  It can taste delicious going down, only to block your arteries, raise your blood pressure, cause obesity, diabetes, and a host of other health problems.  Food was created by God to enjoy, but people also need to use wisdom about what food to eat.

God has given me a unique talent.  I give him the credit for my ability to create these recipes because I used to be a heinous cook.  My husband lovingly choked down my food for years before I finally learned to cook.  I never dreamed I would be able to create original recipes that were both healthy and delightfully delicious.

Today was a creative day.  I have been hearing all the hype in the past few years about "super foods".  I have a bottle of pure 100% Acai berry juice in my fridge.  I make superfood smoothies and try to incorporate many of them into my cooking.  Avocado is probably my favorite one of these foods with superpowers to energize your body.  The newest food celebrity is KALE.  I admit, I have not been sure how to cook kale, what do with it, or how it should be eaten.  I have been clueless about kale.

So...of course, I bought a giant tub of organic kale at the grocery store.  It has been sitting in my refrigerator waiting for a stroke of creativity to hit me.  A friend shared a kale recipe with me, and although it would be delicious, it was a cream sauce for pasta. Today, I didn't have room in my caloric budget for more carbs.  I am a carb-fanatic, and I have to seriously watch how many carbs I eat.  I think there are 3 food groups, pasta, rice, and sugar.  Lord help me!  We eat pasta ALL THE TIME at our house.  I know it's bad...don't judge me.

As I stared at the kale, I thought "what on earth am I going to make?"  Then the Spirit of God inside me took over, and this is what was created:

Mediterranean Cream of Kale Soup

3 cups of water
3 chicken bouillon cubes (or substitute organic chicken broth for these two ingredients)
1 cup half & half
4 Tbsp. sweet cream butter
5 oz. (1 tub) of organic baby kale
3 Tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes (julienned, or chopped, without oil)
2 Tbsp. (rounded) minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. corn starch + 1 cup of water
6 slices Borden natural Gouda cheese slices

Serves 6 (2 cup servings) at $1.25 per serving

Bring water and bouillon cubes to a boil in a large pot, until cubes are completely dissolved (or substitute chicken broth). Add butter to the broth.  Chop baby kale into 1/2 inch pieces and cook in hot broth.  Stir.  Chop sun dried tomatoes and add to pot, along with minced garlic.  Cook on medium heat until kale begins to wilt.  Add half & half slowly to soup mixture. Mix 1 cup of water and 3 Tbsp of corn starch separately; stir until dissolved.  Add the corn starch mixture to the pot slowly.  As the soup cooks, it will thicken.   Cook for 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Simmer on low for 5 more minutes, then turn off the heat.  Serve in a bowl with cheese placed on top.  Cheese will melt to cover soup.

I just ate the first bowl.  It was DELICIOUS!  I hope you enjoy this culinary creation. :-)

--The Cheap Gourmet Mom

Southern Gourmet: Coconut Parmesan Chicken & Waffles

I have a knack for taking traditional comfort foods and transforming them into something new, healthy and delicious!  After watching friends share on Facebook about cooking chicken and waffles, I became interested in this glorious combination of flavors.  I had never eaten chicken and waffles until the the night before last.  I searched the Internet for a good recipe, but as usual, came up short of something truly wonderful.  I have trouble using other recipes because I am constantly modifying them anyway.  We have a joke in my house that I never cook a meal according to the recipe.  I guess it's the creative genius in me that drives me to culinary madness.

I looked at recipes to get an idea of what I would like to create.  I searched my pantry to see if making this meal was even feasible with ingredients on hand.  What I found was this: coconut oil, boneless chicken breasts, generic waffle mix, Italian Panko bread crumbs and some Parmesan cheese.  Hmmmm....

Could I blend coconut (island flavor) with the traditional flavors of Italy?  I am all about cooking fusion food, so I gave it a try.  The result of this fusion was fantastic flavor!

Before making this recipe, read this article about the Benefits of Coconut Oil:
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html

Coconut Parmesan Chicken & Waffles

4 organic boneless chicken breasts
4 Tbsp coconut oil
2 cups Italian panko bread crumbs
1 egg
4 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 Tbsp parmesan cheese
boxed waffle mix (enough to make 6 waffles)
water
maple syrup (for dipping sauce)

Serves 6 @ $1.25 per serving

Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Cut each boneless chicken breast lengthwise to make chicken tenders.  Mix waffle mix and water to make batter.  Set batter aside.  Begin battering chicken by dipping tenders in flour to coat, then egg, then Panko bread crumbs.  Place each chicken tender in skillet with oil.  Batter them quickly!  Cook tenders in oil for 10-12 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time. Cook waffles in a waffle iron.  As tenders finish cooking, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese for final 2-3 minutes.  Pour maple syrup in small cups for dipping sauce.  Arrange waffles on plates with chicken on the side, or directly on the waffles.

 Enjoy!