Making My Story A Good One

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-8 hours

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

1/2 c chicken broth

2 c milk, divided

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes and peppers (Rotel)

10 oz frozen corn

1/2 c onion, chopped

1/2 c red bell pepper, diced

1 10 oz can red enchilada sauce

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1-1/2 lb

Directions:

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour; keep stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the chicken broth and ½ cup milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Whisk together enchilada sauce and cooked white sauce mixture. Gradually whisk in remaining milk until smooth. Set aside.

In a slow cooker, combine beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place the chicken breasts on top of the mixture. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in slow cooker. Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.

INGREDIENTS

Veggies:

2 ears fresh corn, kernals cut from cob (1-1/2 cups) or 8-12 oz frozen corn, thawed

16 oz sweet potatoes, diced (about 2 cups)

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)

1 red or orange bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)

1-1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1-1/2 Tbsp canola oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

3/4 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Black Beans:

1 can black beans, drained, rinsed, and heated

1/3 c cilantro, chopped (optional)

1/2 tsp chili powder

Kosher salt to taste

Fresh lime juice from 1/4 lime

Lime Crema:

1/3 c sour cream

Fresh lime juice from 1/4 lime

Hot sauce

For Serving:

Fresh lime juice from 1/2 lime

Queso Fresco

Corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together olive oil, canola oil, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add veggies to bowl and toss to coat. Spread veggies evenly on a baking sheet.

2. Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes. Toss veggies and spread into an even layer. Roast 10 additional minutes (or until they've reached desired doneness).

3. When veggies are nearly done, in a small bowl toss warmed black beans with salt to taste, 1/2 tsp chili powder, and juice of 1/4 lime. Once veggies are roasted, top them with black beans, cilantro (if desired), and juice from 1/2 a lime and toss.

4. To make the lime crema, in a small bowl whisk sour cream with the juice of 1/4 lime and 4-5 dashes of hot sauce (to taste).

5. To serve, spoon filling over warm tortillas. Top with crumbled Queso Fresco and lime crema. (To heat tortillas, add about 1/2 - 3/4 tsp veggie oil to a non-stick skillet, add corn tortilla, and swirl. Cook each tortilla until golden brown in spots. Add another 1/2 tsp oil and repeat).

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 or 4 ears fresh sweet corn, shucked and cut off cob

1/4 c flour

2 c reduced sodium chicken broth

3 c half and half

1 lb baby red potatoes, cut into 1-1/2 in pieces

1/2 c cooked, chopped bacon

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

3 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, red bell pepper, and corn, and cook, stirring frequently, until onion and bell pepper have softened, about 6 -8 minutes.

2. Add in the flour, stir, and cook 1-1/2 minutes.

3. While whisking, slowly pour in half and half and chicken broth. Stir in potatoes and 1/4 cup chopped bacon.

4. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

SIMPLE CHICKEN & VEGETABLE STIR FRY

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1/2 c soy sauce

1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce, to taste (such as Huy Fong brand)

4 Tbsp honey

1/4 c apple cider vinegar

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp canola oil

1-1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch chunks

1 c carrots, cut into bite size pieces

12 oz fresh broccoli florets, separated into bite sized pieces

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

8 oz baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

5 oz thin spaghetti

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients: Soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar, ginger, 2 minced garlic cloves, sesame oil and cornstarch. Set aside.

3. Heat oil to medium high in large pan.

4. Sprinkle chicken breast chunks with Kosher salt and black pepper.

5. When pan is pre-heated, add chicken and about 1 Tbsp sauce. Stir fry on medium high until chicken is cooked through.

6. Add carrots, broccoli, bell pepper and remaining 2 garlic cloves and stir fry on medium high until veggies are crisp tender.

7. Add mushrooms amd remaining sauce and cook until heated through.

8. Serve over noodles. (Or rice, spiralized veggie noodles or cauliflower rice, if you prefer.)