Chori-Pollo Gluten Free Machete Style Quesadillas

Chori-Pollo Gluten Free Quesadillas (Mini-Machete Style)

    Machete' style quesadillas are 12-24 inch long corn tortillas filled with your preference of ingredients and fried on a griddle until a crispy golden color. My sister Nicole introduced me to these when I discovered that I had an intolerance to wheat gluten, and missed the Mexican foods I knew and loved. While I do not live close enough to her for frequent visits, we often go to the restaurant Machete Cocina Mexicana when I am visiting the cities.

    Today I was craving a machete type quesadilla and while I do not have the extra long tortillas, I was able to recreate my own version at home with one of my husband's and my favorite Mexican fillings- Chori-Pollo, or better known as Chicken with Chorizo sausage. Recipe is as follows:

Chori-Pollo

    Here is where I sometimes cheat--the type of chicken used. Broasted chickens from the deli, pre-cooked to perfection, and then de-boned/skinned are perfectly acceptable to use for this recipe If you are fortunate enough to live near a Sam's Club or Costco, you can lovely sized pre-cooked chicken that cuts down on a little of your prep time. Just cool and remove bones and skin and use all the meat for the recipe. 

 But if you want to make this very flavorful dish with fresh chicken that you prepare, here is what I use. 

2 lbs of chicken- I prefer boneless-skinless thighs for the flavor but you can use whatever boneless chicken you prefer. *Just note that you will have a drier end product unless you add some sort of fat.

In a large skillet, add 1 cup of water and add your uncooked chicken pieces to the pan. Set the pan on medium simmer and cover. I set the timer for 10 minutes and then flip the pieces over to cook another 8-10 minutes or until there is no more pink and the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Turn off heat. Transfer the chicken to a cutting mat and discard the juice (unless you have a cat who tells you otherwise, as ours does :) )

Roughly cut or shred the chicken into bite sized pieces, about 1-2 inches each, and set aside.

(I actually wanted to make a large batch so we would have left-overs and we had the breasts from two broasted chickens-left overs-so I added those to the two packages of boneless thighs I defrosted. )

Next, in the same pan you cooked the chicken, add 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite cooking fat. I used some left over bacon grease from this morning's breakfast, but ordinarily I would have used lard. I do not use seed oils for cooking- the why would take too long to explain- but you can use whatever you prefer. 

Heat the oil and add the chorizo sausage (often sold near the cheese section in a grocery store). The tubes are a little tricky to open...I have learned that slicing them lengthwise and inverting the wrapper works best.  I look for the gluten free sausage- read labels!

Chorizo comes in long tubes.                                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chorizo removed from the casing still has a tubular shape

                                    
Break up the sausage as it cooks. You want to make sure all of the pieces are cooked through. 

Cook for 7-8 minutes stirring constantly. Turn off the heat.

*I do not drain this as it has very little fat in it. 

Next transfer the cut up chicken and the fried chorizo to a large baking dish, stirring it so the chorizo coats all of the chicken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top with 1-2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack or other melty cheese and pop into a 350 F/175 C degree oven for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

There you have Chori-Pollo. 

 

Now, for the Quesadillas, I sauteed some green peppers and onions, sliced an avocado, crumbled some queso fresco cheese, and got out my favorite Green Dragon sauce (Trader Joe's). 

With soft white corn tortillas, fill desired number with about 1/4 cup of the chicken chorizo cheese mixture and fold over. In a non-stick pan, heat 1-2 tbsp of your favorite fat or oil and then gently lay the filled tortillas to fry. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side, carefully flipping over (I used a tongs from the open end so I didn't lose any filling) until golden brown. Remove to your plate, top with desired toppings.  

So very good!

Froggie's Low Carb- Keto Crock Pot Lasagna

 Froggie's Low Carb- Keto Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients: 

1 jar -23 ounces- favorite spaghetti sauce or 2 cups homemade

6 eggs beaten plus grease or oil spray- made into egg crepes* see below

1 lb ground beef or ground Italian sausage fried and drained

1/4 cup each chopped onion and green pepper (fried with the meat)

1 16 ounce carton of Ricotta or Cottage cheese (full fat)

1 8 ounce block of mozzarella shredded

Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on layers

 

Prep:

Fry meat, onion and peppers and drain and set aside.

 

Egg Crepes:

 Whisk eggs two minutes

Heat a small to medium sized non stick or cast iron pan on medium high heat and spray avocado oil spray or coat bottom with lard, bacon grease or your choice of high heat oil. 

Pour 1/8 cup of the egg into the pan and quickly tilt the pan to coat the bottom. It should not be super runny on top. Cover with a lid for 20 seconds. Then taking a rubber scraper, gently loosen the edges and flip carefully in the pan- this takes practice and will not work if the egg isn't mostly cooked so you may need to keep the lid on a bit longer if the egg does not look set. 

 

Remove crepe from pan and complete process until you have made all of the egg crepes. These become the noodles. It is okay if some are not perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assembly:

Pour 1/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the crock-pot and spread out to cover the whole bottom. 

 

Add your first layer of noodles, and then meat.

You can add the ricotta or cottage cheese to the fried meat mixture to make it easier. I just dolloped drops of ricotta cheese on my meat layer and spread it out with a spoon. 

 

 

Sprinkle layer with Parmesan cheese. Add another layer of noodles and then 1/2 cup sauce. Continue until all ingredients are used, ending in a sauce layer.

 

 

 

 

Cover with mozzarella cheese.

Set crockpot on low and cook covered for 4-6 hours until all the cheese is melted on top. Enjoy!

4-6 servings.

 

 

 

 

* You can add things like mushrooms, spinach layers, or use zucchini slices instead of egg noodles if you want. Look for a low sugar count sauce to keep the carbs down.

*When I am in a hurry I have used store bought egg crepes and I found these didn't taste "eggy" 

 

* Most of my ingredients are organic- my personal preference.

 

Cheddar Chowder!

When the weather starts turning colder, I love to make a pot of soup to take the chill off the old bones. My family has had a favorite, ever since I found the recipe in the Country Magazine's premier edition. I had this posted on my other blog page, but thought I should bring it over here.  Hope you will enjoy this one as much as we do!  ~ Rustic Froggie

From my other blog site:

15 JANUARY 2009

Cheddar Chowder

2 cups water
2 cups potatoes-peeled and cubed
1/2 cup carrots-sliced (I often use baby carrots cut into chunks)
1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green celery (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour * (see below for GF option)
2 cups 2% or whole milk
2 cups grated medium cheddar cheese
1 cup cubed ham

Cut up vegetables and ham. Grate cheese and set aside.

Combine diced veggies with salt and pepper and place in a 2 quart kettle. Add the water and boil for 10-12 min until tender. Do not drain!

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, make the white sauce by melting the butter, and adding the flour. Whisk until smooth- about 1 min. Slowly add the milk and cook until thickened. (it will resemble a thin pudding) Add the cheddar cheese to the white sauce and stir until melted.

Add the cheese mixture and cubed ham to the veggies which have not been drained, and stir well. Heat through and serve. Really good with a crusty loaf of french bread.

This is one of our favorite recipes. It originated in the introductory issue of Country Magazine submitted by a woman named Laura Rothlisberger of Green, Kansas.

 

 * To adapt this as a gluten free recipe, substitute the flour for rice flour or a gluten free flour blend to make the roux. I have found that it tastes just as well! 

Other variations- I have used cauliflower instead of potatoes, and it makes for a lower-carb recipe.

Family Recipes of a Minnesotan

Photo from Taste of Home

The Art of Writing Thank-You's

I am first to admit that I have become very lax in written correspondence.  There was, once upon a time, that I wrote letters to aunts, Grandma's, and even my sister when she was off to college in another state. I even had a pen-pal, who was my age, all through high school. Even more fun was to receive a reply in the mail.

In addition to letter writing, for every gift received, we would hand write a thank-you note to the giver, exclaiming our joy over their thoughtfulness. Our mom instilled this practice in my sister and me at a very young age.

Then the internet happened...and email. It was too"easy" to dash off a quick word of thanks without a second thought. Instant gratification, and nearly instant replies. After that, Facebook and text messaging came into being, and even more impersonal was a quick text or instant message of gratitude, if given at all. Handwriting correspondence sadly went by the wayside along with rotary phones and land lines.

That was until a couple weeks ago, when I received not one, but three gifts, two of which contained letters. I knew I needed to reinstate the art of letter writing and more importantly, that of thank-you writing. 

Before I could even send off my first thank you, one sender- my former Art teacher from high school, who had sent me some teaching materials and a lovely letter- texted me to see if I had gotten it. I assured her that I had and that I would be sending a thank you off forthwith. I chose a pretty card with a Monet painting to respond.

One down, two to go. 

The second unexpected gift was a letter and a cute top from my aunt Bea, which she said I could used for work. She always writes letters and cards, which I tend to save, and so I wrote her a card letter of thanks in return. I have a large cardboard box filled with various blank cards, so I did not use any fancy stationary. Just a heart-felt response.

Last, but not least, my sister and her family gave me a bag of Trader Joe's coffee and olive oil for my birthday. Not only that, but Nicole said she picked up a couple of LuLaRoe shirts for me as well. My sister is amazing and is always doing such nice things for me. I know I do not tell her that enough, but I appreciate how we have grown closer as we have gotten older. So my last thank-you card went off to her. Just a quick note of thanks to let her know how I appreciated the gifts. 

Though this is not New Years, I have started a resolution to write more letters, send more cards, and definitely hand write out all thank-yous. The best part is receiving mail that is not bills!  Consider sending a hand written thank you, if you do not already, for the next gift you receive. I know I enjoy getting those as well. 

Small Towns

"A small town is a place where there's no place to go where you shouldn't."
~ Burt Bacharach

In the small town of Hitterdal, MN, my Grandma Mamie lived on the main street at the edge.

Whenever we would stay over, Grandma would make these amazing meals from scratch, and as a treat we would walk down to "Ma's Store" and buy a bag of penny and nickle candy.
Sometimes we would go to "Jigg's cafe" for a slice of white cake, with lemon filling and seven-minute-frosting while the elders sat around sipping coffee and talking.








Now Grandma, along with Ma's and Jigg's are long gone, but the memories are still there. If you were fortunate to grow up in a small town, you were lucky indeed.


~Rustic Froggie

Cloth Feminine Hygeine Pads

Women, I know that talking about our monthly is something we were told to keep to ourselves and to never discuss with "men" but really, it is a fact of life and can be an expensive endeavor for people on a tight budget to cover.

Several years ago, I learned how to make eco-friendly sanitary pads for "that time of the month." I found a tutorial and pattern online and made several, and they work surprisingly well. Now that I have gone through the "Big M," I no longer need them, thankfully.

Once I had read somewhere that girls in developing countries oftentimes miss school because there is a lack of available supplies (too expensive or just not able to purchase) so I wanted to make a bunch to send to the school our church sponsors in Haiti. Several ladies from church helped cut out some parts, but I lacked the absorbent core (old towels or cotton cloth) so I never got them done.

A few weeks back, one of my senior girls mentioned the very same thing to me- "Did you know there are girls who can't go to school when they have their periods?" she asked, indignantly. And I explained that yes I did and that I had started to make some for that reason. So for her senior project she has decided to pick up where I left off, and we are making the pads with the help of staff (donating supplies) and her friends (who are learning to sew with my help). My church has agreed to send the finished products to Haiti, so I am happy that this project, once tucked into my closet, has been reborn. Here is a link to the original pattern I use from a fellow blogspot blogger

http://sewinpeace.blogspot.com/2013/08/feminine-cloth-pad-tutorial.html 

Cleaning Copper-Bottom Kettles

I have several copper bottom "Revere-ware" kettles which I received as gifts when first starting out on my own. Love them, but they do tend to tarnish.

There is a simple recipe for shining up a copper bottom pan:

Salt and Vinegar + bit of elbow grease. That's it!

 Sprinkle salt on the bottom of the kettle. Add some vinegar to a paper towel or other scrubbing device and start working in a circular motion.

 Just plain white vinegar works fine.

 This is Himalayan salt, but just any normal  granulated salt works.

 Keep scrubbing in a circular motion, adding more salt and vinegar as needed.

Was able to remove most of the burnt on food and discoloration before my arm decided it had had enough of a workout for one day.

Just rinse when done and dry with a towel. Easy as pie. :)