Terry Ambrose

Writing is like a good barbecue sauce, if it ain't bold, it ain't worth doing.

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Turkey and Bean Taco Enchiladas

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With a bit of inspiration from both tacos and enchiladas, these Turkey and Bean Taco Enchiladas are sure to please everyone.

Turkey and Bean Taco Enchiladas? This delicious combination blends a bit of both into an easy-to-make casserole. This was originally a beef and bean recipe, but I swapped the ground beef for turkey and tweaked a couple of ingredients to make it a bit healthier. Don’t be intimidated by the number of steps or ingredients. This really is an easy dish to make.

Best of all, you can even make the turkey and bean mixture ahead of time so all you have to do is layer, heat, and serve. Then, voila, a weeknight dinner everyone can enjoy!

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 Turkey and Bean Taco Enchiladas
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Easy Dinner
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Easy Dinner
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish.
  2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the ground turkey.
  3. Cook until slightly pink, then drain off excess fat.
  4. Season turkey with Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper.
  5. Brown the mean, breaking it up into smaller pieces, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
  6. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
  7. Add beans, salsa and 1/2 cup water.
  8. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the meat, about 5 minutes.
  9. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Layer half the tortillas on the bottom of the oiled casserole dish.
  11. Spread half the meat mixture on top.
  12. Sprinkle half the cheese over the meat.
  13. Sprinkle half the green onions on top of cheese
  14. Repeat with remaining tortillas, meat and cheese.
  15. Bake uncovered until the cheese melts and the casserole is hot, about 20 minutes.
  16. Remove from oven, let stand for 5 minutes, and serve.
  17. Top with your favorites—sour cream, lettuce, and/or tomato. Serve with avocado, salsa, and tortilla chips on the side.
Recipe Notes

There are a lot of possible variations on this recipe. The first time I made it, I replaced the cooked regular onion with green onion. You could also add sliced olives as a layer. The original recipe called for 6 cups of tortilla chips instead of tortillas. If you don’t mind the added fat, that’s a tasty alternative. Have fun!

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Gluten-free Chicken Gumbo Soup

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Chicken gumbo soup
Chicken gumbo soup – hot, delicious, and packed with nutrients.

There’s nothing like a hot mug of soup on a cold day, and this Gluten-free Chicken Gumbo Soup has everything to make it healthy and delicious. Served over a mound of rice, it’s the perfect way to warm your meal and your day.

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 Gluten-free Chicken Gumbo Soup
A delicious combination of tender chicken, sausage, and vegetables in an easy-to-make broth. We used a chicken sausage, but you could substitute your favorite sausage. Feel free to mix up the peppers, too. We used a combination of pequillo peppers (delicious, if you can find them) and one green pepper.
Course Soups
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Passive Time 30 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Soups
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Passive Time 30 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a large soup pot, cook the sausage over medium heat until browned. (If you're using chicken sausage, you may need to add a tablespoon of oil to the pot before browning).
  2. Set aside on a paper towel to drain.
  3. Stir frozen spinach into the fat or oil and cook over medium heat, stirring, for about two minutes
  4. Add 2 tbl. oil and stir in peppers and onions. Cook until tender.
  5. Add the garlic to the pot and stir for about 30 seconds
  6. Add the tomatoes with their juice, thyme, bay leaves, and cayenne and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
  7. Add chicken broth, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Cook rice while soup is simmering.
  8. Before serving, stir in sausage and chicken and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5-8 minutes.
  9. Serve over prepared rice.
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Easy Chicken Parmesan Bake

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Chicken Parmesan made easy. This recipe is simple to make and tastes great!

Chicken parmesan! It’s one of those classic dishes I’ve always loved but never wanted to tackle. The original recipe from AllRecipes.com was not gluten-free, but it was close because the chicken wasn’t breaded. I decided to give this a try, and by making my own croutons, I had a gluten-free dish that was divine! The best part is that you can stash the leftovers in the refrigerator for a super-fast weeknight dinner.

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 Easy Chicken Parmesan Bake
Pair this chicken parmesan recipe with a nice salad for an easy dinner that will be sure to impress.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35-60 minutes
Passive Time 5 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Main Dish
Croutons
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35-60 minutes
Passive Time 5 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Main Dish
Croutons
Instructions
Main Dish
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). While oven is heating, prepare the croutons using instructions below.
  2. Coat the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish with olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic and hot red pepper flakes.
  3. Arrange the chicken breasts in bottom of the dish, and pour marinara sauce over chicken.
  4. Sprinkle basil over marinara sauce, and top with half the mozzarella cheese, followed by half the Parmesan cheese.
  5. Sprinkle on the croutons, then top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese.
  6. Bake in preheated oven until cheese and croutons are golden brown and the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 35 minutes to an hour, depending on the shape and thickness of your chicken breasts.
Croutons
  1. Melt butter in a large skillet
  2. Add cubed bread and cook, stirring regularly, until bread cubes are crispy and browned, about 3-5 minutes.
Recipe Notes
  1. The chicken breasts we buy are large and thick. For this recipe, I only use three half breasts, but butterfly them by holding a breast on one edge and then slicking carefully through the center. I then pound the six piece of chicken lightly with a wooden mallet until they're about 3/8" thick. 
  2. If you don't need this recipe to be gluten-free, you can substitute your favorite breadcrumbs for the topping. However, making your own is easy and the taste is much better.
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Mexican Chicken Braise

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Mexican Chicken Braise
With chicken so tender you can cut it with a fork, red and green peppers, and onions, how could you lose?

This is a delicious way to prepare chicken that can be served over rice, buckwheat, or just with corn tortillas. The chicken is fork-tender and this dish heats up for leftovers nicely.

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 Mexican Chicken Braise
Mexican Chicken Braise
Servings
Ingredients
Servings
Ingredients
Mexican Chicken Braise
Instructions
  1. Wash and trim off excess fat from chicken thighs. Pat dry.
  2. Zest one lime. Add the juice from the lime and the zest to a small prep bowl and set aside. Combine juice from another lime, tequila, and worschestershire sauce in flat pan.
  3. In a small prep bowl, mix chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon together and set aside.
  4. Add chicken to pan and season with salt (optional), pepper, and a small amount of the seasoning mix. Marinate chicken for up to 30 minutes.
  5. In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes and their juice, broth, adobo sauce, and sugar and set aside.
  6. Dice onion and mince garlic and set aside onion in a small prep bowl.
  7. Chop green and red peppers and set aside in another small prep bowl.
  8. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add oil. When oil is shimmering, add chicken and brown for about 15 minutes, alternating sides every 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and drain off excess fat from skillet.
  9. Return skillet to heat, lowering temperature to medium. Add 1 tbl. oil and heat until shimmering.
  10. Cook onion until tender, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.
  11. Add garlic and and seasonings and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  12. Add tomato mixture to onion and bring to a boil, stirring frequently to pick up browned bits in skillet.
  13. Return chicken to skillet and reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through.
  14. Once chicken is fully cooked (165 degrees F at minimum), remove chicken from skillet and shred with two forks.
  15. Return shredded chicken to skillet. Add peppers and olives and cook until sauce is thickened and clings to chicken, about 10 minutes.
  16. Stir in lime zest and juice.
  17. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Notes

To make preparation easier, use 4 small prep bowls, 1 medium bowl, a dish in which to marinate the chicken, and a large skillet.

The adobo sauce/chipotle pepper mixture can be purchased in 4 oz cans. Using a pair of gloves, dice the peppers, then put the amount needed for this recipe in a small prep bowl. The remainder of the adobo sauce/chipotle pepper mixture can be put onto wax paper and frozen in 1 - 2 tsp. portions. Whenever you need this seasoning again, just pull what you need from the freezer, being sure to not touch the mixture with your fingers.

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Exotic Pad Thai

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Exotic pad thai recipe with a sweet ginger Chile sauce
This exotic pad thai recipe uses a sweet ginger Chile sauce for extra flavor.
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 Exotic Pad Thai
This pad thai recipe is a blend of different cultures. Made with easy-to-find ingredients, it’s a delicious dish with a sweet chili twist that makes it unlike any pad thai you’ll find in a restaurant. Check the recipe notes before you begin for some helpful hints.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Asian
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 15 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Asian
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 15 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Slice scallions and place into two small bowls. Slice white and light green parts thin and put into one bowl, slice dark green parts cut into 1-inch slices in separate bowl.
  2. Peel, devein, and remove tails from shrimp, then rinse and pat dry.
  3. Combine the vinegar and chile in a bowl and set aside.
  4. Combine 1/4 cup water, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. sugar in a small bowl. Microwave until steaming, about 30 seconds. Add the radishes and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
  5. Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Turn off the heat and add the noodles. Stir and let soak for about 6 minutes, stirring halfway through. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again, return the noodles to the pot, and toss with 2 tsp. oil.
  6. Whisk 3 tbsp. sugar into lime juice; set aside.
  7. Cut 4 shrimp in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 1/2 inch pieces. Toss with 1/8 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp, sugar. Arrange in a single layer on a plate. (Make sure the pieces are not touching or they will glue themselves together!) Microwave at 50 percent until the shrimp are dried and reduced in size by half, about 4-5 minutes.
  8. Heat 2 tsp. oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add dried shrimp and cook until golden brown and crispy, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.
  9. Heat 1 tsp. oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add thin-sliced scallions (white and light green parts) and garlic. Cook about one minute and transfer to the large bowl.
  10. Heat 2 tsp. oil in now-empty skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add remaining shrimp (whole). Cook on one side for 1-2 minutes, then flip the shrimp and repeat on the other side. The shrimp should be brown around the edges and opaque.
  11. Turn down the heat, push the shrimp to one side of skillet, and add the eggs to the other side. Using a heat-resistant spatula (silicone is perfect), stir the eggs gently until set, but still wet. Combine the shrimp and eggs, breaking up any large pieces, until the eggs are completely cooked, about 30-60 seconds. Transfer to the large bowl.
  12. Heat 2 tsp. oil in now-empty skillet over high heat until oil is just smoking. Add the noodles and lime juice mixture to pan and cook until liquid is absorbed. Transfer to the large bowl.
  13. Add drained radishes, scallion greens, reserved chile slices, and bean sprouts to the large bowl and toss to combine.
  14. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with peanuts for presentation or simply serve on individual plates.
Recipe Notes

Organization is key to making this dish smoothly. Ideally, you’ll have 8 small bowls and one large bowl. You’ll also need a large pot for the noodles and a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Prepare all of the vegetables first to make the assembly process easier. You’ll need small bowls for the chile, the radishes, shrimp, garlic, eggs, and peanuts (if using).

Ginger Chile sauce - this might be hard to find - we found one from The Ginger People that is a sweet and spicy marinade/sauce. We needed something that was both soy and gluten-free. If you don't have food allergies, about any sweet and spicy marinade/sauce should work.

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California Hoppin’ John

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This is a Southern classic done California style. Hoppin’ John actually has a rich history, which one legend says started in 1841 when a crippled black man known as Hoppin’ John sold the dish on the streets of Charleston. The dish has African/French/Caribbean roots and eating it on New Year’s Day is supposed to bring a prosperous year filled with good luck.

The Hoppin’ John ingredients symbolize different things. For instance, the tomatoes will help to bring good health while the peas symbolize coins. The greens are supposed to add wealth to the new year. And when eaten with cornbread, which is the Southern tradition, this is supposed to further symbolize wealth.

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 California Hoppin' John
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 90 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 90 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
Prepare black-eyed peas and rice
  1. Cook rice according to package instructions.
  2. While the rice is cooking, bring 2 quarts water to a boil over high heat in a large pan. Add peas; reduce the heat, and simmer until tender (about 50 minutes)
  3. Drain and rinse the peas and combine with the prepared rice.
Prepare soup
  1. Chop the onion, mince the garlic, and dice the chicken sausage
  2. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender. (About 3 minutes)
  3. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Continue stirring to keep garlic from burning.
  4. Add cumin and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
  5. Add tomatoes, chiles, kale, chicken sausage, and chicken broth. Also add the jalapeños if you are using them. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.
  6. Remove and discard the jalapeños. Add rice and peas and heat through.
Recipe Notes

You can prepare the peas in advance and either refrigerate up to a day or set aside for use later the same day. By preparing the rice separately, it reduces the starchiness of the soup. You may use your favorite type of rice and the correct amount of liquid to prepare according to package instructions and store with the peas. The jalapeños are optional, but will add a little bit of spice to the soup. Just be sure to remove them at the end!

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