Hot Pockets

by AnitaAh...Hot Pockets...I remember coming home from High School around 3:30pm every day and ravishing with hunger. What else does one teenage grab for, pop in the microwave, and burn their tongue on?? HOT POCKETS! Well, fast forward to now and I realize how fake and processed Hot Pockets are as well as half of the freezer/convenience section. It definitely takes a much longer time to make these than the 2 minutes in the microwave oven but these are beyond easy once your dough is ready. My refrigerator was running low on ingredients but I had a bell pepper from our Green B.E.A.N. Delivery (which inspired me for some of these recipes) and I wanted to use it inside a recipe somehow. A random desire to use my bell pepper turned into a pizza pocket of goodness that was all vegetarian. Whole wheat pizza pockets make this REAL food recipe something that can be your go-to for a quick dinner and great leftover as well with a side of marinara sauce and a salad. This recipe can be turned into a meat lovers heaven, a cheese head's paradise or vegetarian's oasis so get creative and have a pizza pocket party!

WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA POCKETS

Serving Size 4 - 6 (pending on your dough outcome)Food processor or mixer needed

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons Dry Active Yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups whole wheat Flour
• 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 1/4 cups fresh mozzarella or shredded cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

• OPTIONAL Fillings I used: Sauteed green bell pepper, green olives, onion, garlic. Also try another time: sauteed sausage, ground turkey, BBQ chicken, flank steak. Add pesto, BBQ sauce, cilantro, pineapple, caramelized onions or shallots, basil, spinach, eggplant, zucchini, goat cheese, or sprouts. 
• Pizza sauce or marinara sauce (I used Muir Glen Organic Garden Vegetable Pasta Sauce)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Pour the 1 cup warm water in a glass measuring cup, heat up if necessary. Put in the 2 teaspoons of Dry Active Yeast and let it rest for a minute.
3. Once the yeast foams a little add the salt and olive oil and stir.
4. In a food processor with a dough blade/hook add 3 cups of flour. Pour in the water mixture and start the mixer until the dough forms a ball in the processor. 
5. Coat a large bowl with olive oil and add the pizza dough ball and cover with plastic wrap so that it can rise (20-30 minutes) while you prep the filling ingredients. *You can also make the dough earlier in the day or day before to have it ready to go.*
6. In a separate bowl, put the ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses in and mix together. 
7. Chop/dice the other filling ingredients (bell pepper, onion, garlic, and green olives) and saute in a pan on med-high heat.
8.  Divide the dough into 4 or 6 pieces and shape each into a ball. With a rolling pin, flatten them but not too thin since you need enough dough to fold the pockets. 
9. Place a spoonful of the cheese filling, then sauce, and then the veggies in the middle of the flattened dough.
10. Fold the dough up and seal the edges as best as possible (some ingredients might come out on the sides). You can seal up like a square or circular pocket. 
11. Place the dough seam side down onto a greased baking sheet and pierce the top of the dough with a fork to avoid a cheesey mess while baking. 
12. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes; remove and let cool for a minute.
13. Enjoy with a little marinara sauce, salad, and broccoli as well as some Chianti wine.

The flour and the yeast -- what a beautiful marriage to make tasty dough.

Dough in it's beginning stages of rising...it took a lot of patience for me to wait. 

The cheesey goodness with Mozz, Ricotta, and Parm

The greenies in my dish: basil, bell pepper, and olives

Sauteeing those veggies for the filling

The 4-pack pizza pocket

Ohhh the satisfaction of cheese oozing out is bliss!

Holy Moly Enchiladas!

By Anita

One of my favorite items to make and share with everyone are ENCHILADAS! I mean, seriously, you could roll anything in a tortilla and it will most likely taste amazing. Add cheese to that and you are in a little rolled up piece of heaven. Enchiladas are one of the recipes that I no longer look at a cook book for since the first time I read the recipe off of the 'enchilada sauce can'. It can be created into a super meaty & cheesy dish or a completely vegan and fulfilling meal. You could add ground meat (turkey is my favorite) or all chopped veggies such as bell peppers, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, beans... OH the possibilities inside a rolled tortilla!


The typical enchilada recipe I use consists of a few basic items for Latin inspired meals: tortillas, cheese, enchilada sauce. It becomes my go-to when I want to use up some of my pantry items or veggies all while creating awesome leftovers that taste better the next day! So keep in mind that a lot of these items are optional depending on your dietary likes, wants, and needs. 


For listening pleasure while cooking, check the Brazilian Radio on Pandora and shake those hips even if this is more of a Mexican-style recipe.


Enchiladas: Veggies & Chorizo


INGREDIENTS:

• 4 -8 Whole wheat tortillas
• 2- 14 oz Enchilada sauce cans 
• 1- 14 oz Black or Pinto bean can, rinsed
• 1- 14 oz Vegetarian Refried bean can
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1 Tablespoon oregano
• Salt (to taste)
• Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes OR one 1/2 chopped onion 
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Bell peppers - sliced or chopped
• 1 Zucchini - cut in half & chopped
• 1 Chorizo sausage - chopped; more sausage could be added, I wanted more veggies
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese (Mexican style, Colby Jack, etc.)
• OPTIONAL:1/2 Jalapeno pepper - finely minced/chopped, chopped scallions or fresh cilantro, sour cream, Greek yogurt, guacamole, salsa

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit 
2. In a large (deep) skillet on medium or medium-high heat, get the olive oil heated up and add the chopped peppers and zucchini.
3. Add the spices and add salt to taste (not too much!) and black pepper to the veggies. Saute seasoned veggies for about 4-5 minutes.
4. Add the chopped chorizo and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring to mix everything together.
5. Add about half of the black or pinto beans (or all if you are not using any meat) and about half of the refried beans to the veggies/chorizo mix to heat through. 
6. Add half of one of the Enchilada sauce cans into the skillet and turn the heat down to low/simmer.
7. Create an assembly line to prepare your enchilada mixture on your tortillas. Get a plate for the tortillas, the cans of Enchilada sauce w/ a spoon, the sauteed veggies/chorizo mixture and a glass baking dish (i.e. Pyrex).
8. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of Enchilada sauce on the tortilla, spread around the tortilla, add a hefty spoonful of the veggie/chorizo mixture down the middle of the tortilla, roll the tortilla, and set into the baking dish. REPEAT until all of the tortillas are filled.
9. Pour remaining Enchilada sauce onto the rolled tortillas and spread around to cover them. 
10. Add the shredded cheese on top of the rolled tortillas (as much or as little as you would like).
11. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is all gooey and melty. 
12. Add chopped cilantro or cilantro on top and let the baked enchiladas sit for a few minutes...if you can resist. 

Even though this seems like a lot of steps, once you get the hang of the sauteing/grilling and what type of assembly station works for you, this recipe will be a quick 30-minute meal that can get pretty creative. 

I make a quick salad and guacamole for the side of this meal and a tasty Sol or Corona to pour down the gullet. :) You can also add a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt on top of the Enchiladas.

Chopped up veggies

Rinsed black beans

The infamous ENCHILADA sauce -- I prefer the Old El Paso brand & have yet to make my own...

Saute the veggies and season

My trusty spice combo or you could use "taco seasoning" mix

Add Chorizo sausage to the veggies and cook through

MORE veggies - black beans and refried beans with Enchalada sauce to simmer

Bake the Enchiladas for about 10 minutes, let sit for a bit and add cilantro or scallions on top for garnish

Simple rolled up piece of heaven... ENJOY!