I can't believe I've been letting you hang high and dry on this recipe for so long. I originally posted this in my meal plan in AUGUST! After discovering how much I love the ease and economic genius of roasting a whole chicken, I came up with these flautas to use up the leftover meat.

What's a flauta?
It's basically a tortilla tightly rolled around meat filling and deep-fried.

Doesn't that sound exactly like a taquito?
Yes, it's a bit of a tricky distinction between the two, but from what I've read a taquito is smaller and the tortilla is made of corn, whereas a flauta is larger and wrapped in a flour burrito-sized tortilla. Make sense?

In essence there's not much difference. Just pure crispy goodness. The nice thing about these delicious finger food entrees is that my version is baked, making them easy to prepare and so much easier on your thighs.

My thighs need all the help they can get.

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Makes 8 flautas


2 cups shredded chicken
1/4 cup water
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp onion powder
Salt to taste

2 cups shredded cheddar (I like old light...saves me some calories but not taste)
8 10-inch flour or whole wheat tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat add the chicken, water, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, onion powder and salt. Let this cook down for a few minutes until the sauce thickens and the chicken is heated through. Most of the water will evaporate and you will be left with a nicely coated saucy chicken. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the middle of a tortilla place 1/4 cup shredded cheddar. You want the cheddar to be in a line down the middle of the tortilla leaving about 2 inches from the edge on either side. Place 1/4 cup of the shredded chicken mixture over top of the cheddar. Fold in the two edges where you stopped 2 inches with the mixture. Tightly roll the bottom of the tortilla over the mixture and roll until you have a long, tight, burrito tube. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the tortillas and filling.

Brush the tops of the flautas with a bit of vegetable oil (or spray with a cooking spray), and place in the oven. Bake for 8-12 minutes, flip them over and bake another 8-12 minutes. Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

Click here for printable version of Shredded Chicken Flautas.
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THE RESULTS?
I've made these a couple times and always devour them without blinking. The last time I had leftover shredded chicken I debated whether to make these again or try a new Chipotle Chicken Quesadilla with Pomegranate Guacamole I was inspired to make by Rachael Ray....I went for the latter and was thoroughly disappointed. Pomegranates in guacamole? Cinnamon in savory spicy chicken? What was she/I thinking?!?! Next time I'll stick with these babies and my families mouths will be happy.

I love how incredibly flaky and crispy these become without being deep fried. The contrast of flaky, crisp pastry against melty cheese and well seasoned chicken is addicting. I no longer have to make midnight runs to 7-11 for a taquito fix (what? who said that? I don't do that.)

Tap, tap, tap....is this thing on?

Thank you all for being so dang patient with me in this new endeavor in my life (for those of you that don't know I became a preschool teacher). My days are filled with making egg carton spiders, playing in the sand, stories and songs without much time leftover for cooking and blogging. But you are all being so encouraging and wonderful and I thank you for that. I've gotten lovely emails from people that miss this ol' blog of mine....thank you. Your words are encouraging and it's nice to be missed. I'm going to try to visit here more often and actually post more regularly (fingers crossed!) I thought I'd let you know a few of the housekeeping things:

1. If you commented in the last month, I FINALLY commented back. Check it out if you were waiting for an answer.

2. All the recipes have been updated to include a "Print this recipe" link. It is a simple text version minus all the graphics that is easy to print and use when you are cooking.

3. I will try to get to all the other posts you've been waiting for: Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas, Chicken Flautas, Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup, and I have quite a few fun dinner parties to post one of them being my birthday from July that my friend Tara not-so-subtly emails me about and reminds me that I haven't posted it yet :)

Thanks again everyone!

I'm back with a vegetable vengeance!

Lindsey, the only member of the Secret-Secret Geography Club who is a vegetarian, is constantly butting heads with certain members of the group on her choice to eat and prepare only meat-free dishes (*ahem, cough, cough...Steve and Dan). We were brainstorming upcoming dinner party ideas for the Geography Club one night when Dan and Lindsey got into a rift about the presence of meat in our food when Lindsey said "I'd love to prepare an entirely vegetarian meal for you and have you eat your words when you can see how delicious and satisfying an entirely vegetarian meal can be!"

That's when the brain child for our next dinner party was born.

Just to set the stage for you, we live in the middle of what is called "Feedlot Alley"; an area 500km x 500km with the highest concentration of cattle, pigs and chickens in North America. Needless to say, there is no shortage of meat around here.

Dan plotted all the livestock, hog and chicken barns in the area just to give you an idea. Dan's house is marked in blue.

Since we were planning this dinner anyway, it was a nice little added bonus that Foodbuzz wanted to sponsor the dinner and feature it in their 24 Meals, 24 Blogs, 24 Hours event.


We of course had all the Secret-Secret Geography Club members there, which consisted of my husband Steve and myself, Dan & Lisa who hosted and Joel & Lindsey who did the cooking. My good friends Shanna, Tara and her husband Jon drove down for a surprise visit and so ended up joining us for the meatless festivities. Tara and Shanna almost peed their pants they were so excited to be a part of our infamous geography club :)

Lindsey prepped and slaved over her meal and recruited us ladies as her sous chefs for some last minute preparation while the guys talked in the other room about MEAT.


I kid you not, I kept overhearing a drawn out 20 minute conversation about what kind of meat products they could consume as soon as our dinner was over.

"Let's go out and order chicken wings!"

"Yeah like 5lbs of chicken wings each."

"We should have brought pre-dinner appetizers....you know....like sausages wrapped in bacon or something."


While the men discussed animal flesh, we ladies were chopping shitake mushrooms, heating up a tomatillo-green chile enchilada sauce and combining sweet potatoes and black beans.

The ladies of the evening were absolutely fine with consuming a vegetarian meal, in fact, both Lisa and Tara WERE vegetarians at one time. The men on the other hand were a different story. Jon kept talking about bacon, while Steve and Dan thought our dinner was a waste of time. "I plan on being hungry an hour later" Dan said.

Yeesh. Tough crowd.

Lindsey took it all in stride and quietly but confidently prepared our first course. A lovely green Spinach Coconut Soup.


This soup was rich with coconut milk, spinach and hits of fresh ginger and lemon grass. Sauteed shitake mushrooms were served over top as a garnish and added body to the soup (recipe to come later this week).

Everyone's reaction to the soup: pleasantly surprising.

The general consensus as everyone slurped and gulped was that the soup was delicious. The lemongrass and ginger added a nice freshness, while the shitakes provided the sense of "meatiness". Yes, even the men were pleased (although Dan's face would suggest otherwise in this photo).

For the main course, Lindsey had prepared Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas with Spicy Avocado Salad. This my friends was freakin' incredible.

The enchiladas were hearty and yet creamy at the same time with the combination of the black beans and sweet potatoes. The avocado salad was the perfect compliment. I loved the cool, creamy avocado with the spicy dressing. Praises went around the table as we heard exclaims of "WOW" and "Oh my gosh, this is REALLY good."


People went back for seconds and licked both their fingers and their plates clean.

The combination of flavors in this meal were outstanding and perfectly paired.


We moved onto dessert and had a nice refreshing lemon sorbet topped with a raspberry sauce.

As we finished up our vegetarian meal and looked around the table at all the satisfied faces, Lindsey and I thought it was time to let the group in on a little secret:

Our entire meal had been vegan.

And gluten-free.

The men blinked back with stunned looks on their faces. "For real?"

"Yep. And you LIKED it!"


Dan, probably the most skeptical of the night, said it was the best vegetarian food he'd ever had, but of course modified his statement by saying it was "moderately freaking epic." Steve piped up and said a few times that he never knew vegetarian food could be this good and Jon thought the night was incredible and an eye-opening experience into vegetarian food.

Lindsey's mission was a success!

WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THE LAST THREE WEEKS?!?!?! you might ask.


Well, it's been a crazy three weeks for sure. Did I ever mention that I got a job?? I went to school for 6 years to become a teacher and graduated a month before having my first baby. The last two years have been spent home with my girls with a few substitute teaching jobs thrown in here and there. I decided not to take a full time job while my girls are still so young, so I kept my eye on part time jobs that came up. This summer I applied for a job teaching at a Christian Preschool twice a week and they loved me so they hired me right away!

My new job has been super busy with it being the beginning of the school year and all. I spent the last few weeks in August preparing things for my classroom and having meetings with the teacher I am sharing my classroom with. This past week was my kids first days of school and they were so darn cute in their pig tails and tiny back packs! Every day I came home and planned for school or crashed on the couch for a big ol' nap and supper was a bit of an afterthought.

Confession: WE HAVE EATEN A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF DRIVE THRU LATELY. It's sad and shameful really. Every time I say "it's supper time" my 2 year old asks "Burger? Fries?" OH NO.

Things are starting to slow down now as I settle into my new routine, so I will be cooking, meal planning, and posting more.

Fingers crossed.

On a trip a year ago to visit my Dad, the culinary genius, I had introduced him to the blog Steamy Kitchen where he proceeded to bookmark and print off all the recipes that made him drool on his computer screen. We spent an entire Saturday afternoon making and rolling her mother's famous Egg Rolls, as well as Firecracker Shrimp. We had a feast of Fried Rice, Beef & Broccoli, Lemon Chicken and those crispety, crunchety, delectable egg rolls. My mouth wouldn't stop eating the egg rolls even though my stomach was making things perfectly clear that it was FULL. Just. one. more.

I attempted to make them once on my own but got the wrong wrappers and really didn't know my way around a deep fryer, so I decided that my Dad was a necessary component to the long drawn out egg roll making process.

So when he came to visit me a few weeks ago, there was one thing on both of our minds. EGG ROLLS. We spent two afternoons rolling two different batches (we defs needed extra for the freezer). As I rolled I would sneak bits of the cooked pork/cabbage/carrot filling. With every mouthful I would exclaim "mmmmmm.....this is sooooo good". On the second day of rolling, I thought what a shame it was that the egg rolls took such a long time to make. As I reached for my 18th bite of filling and popped it in my mouth I thought "THIS is so good on it's own, I should just turn it into a stir fry"....as the wheels of my brain started to turn I started to compose a recipe in my head right there on the spot. I dropped my egg roll mid-roll and ran to my recipe journal to write it down.

I have since made this recipe a few times, each time perfecting and working on the sauce. My family and I all agree now that this stir fry is an absolute keeper.


Recipe inspired by Steamy Kitchen
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Serves 4


Pork Marinade:
3/4 lb pork chops, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar

Stir Fry:
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 head napa cabbage, cut into thin ribbons (about 2 cups)
3 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 cup bamboo shoots, julienned (buy these canned in the International food aisle)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar

4 egg roll wrappers, cut into 1/2 inch x 2 inch strips
2 green onions


In a medium mixing bowl, mix together all pork marinade ingredients. Let the pork marinade on the counter for 20 minutes or in the fridge up to overnight.

In a wok over high heat, add a tbsp of vegetable oil. Add the pork and all the marinade as well as the fresh garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the pinkness in the meat is gone. Add the cabbage, carrots, bamboo shoots and mushrooms and continue to stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until the veggies have softened slightly. While they are cooking, mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and rice vinegar in a measuring cup or small bowl. When the veggies are slightly softened pour in the sauce and continue to stir fry for 2-3 minutes to let the sauce heat through and thicken slightly. Remove from the heat.

In a small pot with high sides, fill with canola or vegetable oil until the pot is half full (don't go over half full or you'll risk the oil spilling over the sides). Turn the heat to medium-high and let the oil come to between 350 and 375 degrees. I like to use a food thermometer for this so I know for sure how hot my oil is. When it's in this temperature range your food gets crispy but not oily. Once the oil is hot, add a 1/4 of the cut up pieces of egg roll wrapper. It's important that they be egg roll wrappers, since spring roll wrappers are much thinner. You won't get a nice crunch out of spring roll wrappers. The wrappers will crisp up really quickly and need only about 30-60 seconds in the hot oil. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined bowl and then add another 1/4 of your egg roll wrappers. Continue until all wrappers have been crisped in the oil.

Serve egg roll stir fry over a bed of rice. Sprinkle with the crispy egg roll wrappers and chopped green onions. The flavor of this on it's own is fabulous, but you can also add a dollop of your favorite condiment for dipping egg rolls in. We love Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, but Plum Sauce would work here too.

Click here for printable version of Egg Roll Stir Fry

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THE RESULTS?
The flavors of this is phenomenal...it captures all the delicious flavors of Steamy Kitchen's egg rolls but in a quick and easy to prepare weeknight meal. I'm all about contrasting textures, so the crispy bits of fried egg roll wrapper on top make this dish for me. I also find that any time I make Egg Rolls or Firecracker Shrimp I always have leftover wrappers that I put in a plastic bag in the freezer. It's never enough wrappers for a full batch, so this worked out perfectly just using up the few that were left in the bag. What I would do if I didn't have leftover wrappers, is when I brought the package of egg roll wrappers home from the grocery store, immediately divide them up into 3 or 4 ziplock bags and then store in the freezer.

DELICIOUS!


For more recipes check out Gayle's Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap and Erin's $5 Dinner Challenge.

Yesterday the family rose early to go to a pancake breakfast held outdoors. A perfect sunny Saturday morning eating pancakes and strawberries with the family. The only thing that could've make it more perfect would have been if the wasps had decided to buzz off instead of hanging around our plates to lap up droplets of pancake syrup.

Because we were actually up and at 'em so early we made it to the Farmer's Market...can you believe it was my first time? Pick your gaping jaws up off the floor. I've been to markets before, but I haven't specifically been to our Farmer's Market. You're really going to point and laugh when I tell you we've literally lived across the road from the Farmer's Market for FOUR YEARS and this was my first time going. FIRST TIME!! It was so lovely. We left with a loot of fresh veggies which are translating into lot's of salads this week.

Day 1: Egg Roll Stir-Fry
I made this again a few days ago and tweaked the recipe to get the sauce just right. Now it's one of my favorite stir-fry's. The recipe is coming soon I promise ;)

Day 2: Steak & Lemon Salad with Garlic Bread
This is great summer fare...kinda like sunshine on a plate.

Day 3: Roasted Chicken & Potatoes with Rosemary & Lemon with Avocado/Tomato/Mozza Salad
It's not that common anymore for people to purchase and roast a whole chicken, but it's become one of my favorite ways to stretch a buck. Not to mention preparing this chicken takes 5 minutes...which I definitely love.


Day 4: Chicken Flautas with Grilled Guacamole* & Southwestern Salad*
Leftover chicken from the night before goes into these homemade flautas (like taquitos only bigger) with cheddar cheese. They are amazingly crisp and wonderful and dipped into buttery smokey Grilled Guacamole they're positively irresistible.

Day 5: Tex Mex Chicken & Rotini Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
The leftover bones (and any meat) from the roasted chicken can be boiled into a homemade chicken stock which turns into this spicy soup. I also like it because the Southwestern Salad only uses 1/2 a can of black beans, so this allows me to use up the rest.

Day 6: Spaghetti with Smoked Mozzarella, Prosciutto & Asparagus with Garden Salad
With lovely basil from my herb garden and fresh asparagus I can't say no to this pasta dish. You will feel spoiled and gourmet....perfect for date night.

*Recipes to come this week

For more great meal plans, check out my complete list of meal plans or the Menu Plan Monday links at Orgjunkie.

Because I live in Canada and we have snow on the ground 7 months out of the year, I really revel in the flavors of fresh summer vegetables. With the shortness of our growing season, I try to snatch up as much produce as I can and combine the sweet earthiness in simple ways to showcase the freshness. This soup was born out of the remnants of the many summer fare dishes I had prepared: boiled baby potatoes, dill cream, sauteed green beans, and a couple cooked chicken thighs. Leftovers that were given new life.

It was a seriously good life indeed. Cut too short by the clang of the soup ladle on the bottom of an empty soup pot. Can I just tell you that I was actually sad when this soup was gone? I need more of this soup in my life!

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Serves 4
1 cup carrots, peeled and diced small
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup green beans, tipped and diced
2 cups baby potatoes, quartered (or cut about same size as other veggies)
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup leftover dill cream (or 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp flour, 1 cup half and half cream and 2 tbsp fresh dill)
3-4 cups milk
1/2 cup leftover chicken (optional)
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup corn
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

In a large pot over medium heat, add a tbsp or two of oil and add the carrots and onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes until they've had a chance to soften a bit, then add the green beans and potatoes. Continue to soften the vegetables for about 5 minutes. Add the stock to the veggies and turn the heat to medium-low, stir and put a lid on. This is going to help quicken the process of softening the veggies. Simmer and stir occasionally for about 5-8 minutes or until the veggies are tender. If you don't have leftover dill cream, push the veggies to the edge of the pot and add the butter and flour to the middle. Stir and let cook for a minute or so just to let the flour cook a bit then slowly stir in the cream and keep stirring until no lumps remain. Add the dill and stir through. If you have leftover dill cream, just dump into the bottom of the pot and stir until heated through. Slowly stir in the milk until combined with the rest of the ingredients. Depending on how thick your roux was, you may need only 3 cups of the milk or all 4. Stir in until it reaches your desired consistency. It will thicken up a bit as it cooks. Stir in the peas and corn (fresh or frozen) and let simmer for 5 minutes until heated through. Season well with salt and pepper, and stir in some more fresh dill at the very end. Remove from the heat and serve.


Click here for printable version of Creamy Summer Vegetable Soup

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THE RESULTS?
I'm sure that my introduction gave it away, but I fell in love with this soup. I want to marry this soup. I want this soup to have soup babies so I can go on eating more and more of this soup. And while you may think it's crazy to make a creamy soup in summer, just wait for a rainy day when the temperatures cool off a bit. You will thank me for it.


This soup is really inexpensive to make. For more inexpensive meal ideas check out the $5 Dinner Challenge.