Chipotle Chicken Wraps With Lime Cream

This is another one of our favorite Crock Pot Recipes - I don't know what it is about the Fall and Winter - but this is when I use my Crock Pot the most - it gives me a cozy feeling and what is better than a one pot meal?! This recipe for Chipotle Chicken Wraps With Lime Cream is from Better Homes and Gardens The Ultimate Slow Cooker Book. Serve it with a Margarita if you need a mid-winter escape to take you back to the Spring and Summer. Enjoy!

Recipe:

Ingredients for the Chipotle Chicken:

2 medium red sweet peppers cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium onion cut into thin wedges

6 chicken breasts (the recipe calls for drumsticks, skinned, and chicken thighs, skinned, but I modified it and used chicken breasts)

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 6 oz can tomato paste

2-3 tablespoons finely chopped chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker combine red sweet peppers and onions. Top with the chicken. In a medium bowl stir together tomatoes, tomato paste, chipotle peppers, sugar and salt. Pour over mixture in cooker.
Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8 hours or on high heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours. 

Ingredients for the Wraps:

1/4 cup of mayonnaise 

1/4 cup of sour cream

1 table spoon of lime juice

1/4 teaspoon of salt

4 lettuce leaves

4 10-inch tortillas (I used whole wheat tortillas)

2 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro

Pico de gallo 

Directions:

In a small bowl stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, and salt. Warm tortillas according to the package directions.

Place a lettuce leaf on each tortilla. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the Chipotle Chicken mixture onto tortillas, just below the center. Top each with 2 tablespoons of the sour cream mixture and sprinkle with cilantro and top with a spoonful of pico de gallo. Fold bottom edge of a tortilla up and over filling. Fold one side in slightly and then roll up from the bottom. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Wraps With Lime Cream

Butcher's Ragu With Fusilli

I heart pasta! This recipe for Butcher's Ragu with Fusilli is from Mario Batail, and I came across the recipe in Food & Wine October 2010 issue. The sauce is a slightly creamy ragu, made with ground beef, pancetta and ham. It is the ultimate comfort food on a cold fall night. It does take some time to make, so it might be the perfect Sunday meal to fix. Enjoy!

Butcher's Ragu With Fusilli

Ingredients:

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 medium celery rib, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

4 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 pound ground beef

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 pound thickly sliced baked ham, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 cup milk

1 cup dry white whine

1 cup water

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds fusilli pasta

1. In a large cast iron casserole heat the olive oil. Add the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add the pancetta and ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until shiny and rust colored, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the diced ham, milk, white whine and water to the casserole and simmer the ragu over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is thick and saucy, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Season the ragu with salt and pepper.
3. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the fusilli, stirring often until al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Stir well to coat the pasta. Transfer the pasta to plates or shallow bowls and serve right away. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

The ragu can be refrigerated up to 3 days. Reheat gently.

Butcher's Ragu With Fusilli

Thyme Garlic Chicken Breasts

This recipe for chicken is made in a crock pot - it is so easy to make and is very flavorful and tender. I served the chicken breasts on a salad of mixed greens with a vinaigrette dressing, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese. If you weren't in the mood for a salad, the Thyme Garlic Chicken Breasts would be great in a wrap too. Enjoy!

Thyme Garlic Chicken Breasts

Prep: 20 minutes

Makes: 6 to 8 servings

Cook: 6 hours (low) 3 hours (high)

Ingredients:

3 to 4 pounds chicken breast halves, skinned

1 or 2 cloves of garlic chopped (depending on your taste)

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme  or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup orange juice 

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 8-10 oz package mixed salad greens

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup bottled vinaigrette salad dressing

Recipe:

Place chicken in a crock pot. Sprinkle with garlic, thyme, and salt. Pour orange juice and vinegar over chicken.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 hours or on 3 hours on high-heat setting. Remove chicken from crock pot; cover and keep warm. Discard cooking liquid.

In a large bowl toss together salad greens, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese. Divide salad among dinner plates. Slice chicken - it might be so tender you can just separate with a fork-  and arrange chicken on top of salads. Drizzle with dressing.

Thyme Garlic Chicken Breasts