Crab Enchiladas

Like many people at the start of a new year, I attended a crab feed.  I didn't like crab until I started having to work a crab feed and got fed for free.  So now I love it!  And you can't leave without  leftovers! So what do you do with a whole bowl full of crab? First you have to shell it - a  long tedious process, but goes fast when you are catching up on Netflix.  Then you make something good.  This recipe is my version of crab enchiladas.  It's light and not fishy tasting at all.  I used healthier ingredients, like low-carb tortillas, and low fat cheese - and I didn't really miss the real stuff. However, if that is not appealing to you, by all means bring on the carbs and fat!



What I used:
 
shelled crab meat
1 can corn, drained
2 tomatoes, diced
2 green onions, chopped
handful cilantro, chopped
low-carb tortillas

low fat "mexican style" shredded cheese

1 jar salsa verde (probably should have used 1 1/2 - 2 for this much, depending on how much sauce you like

sour cream
glass baking dish

What I did:

1.  First I prepared all my ingredients-drained the corn, chopped the tomatoes, onions, and cilantro.  I also ran my fingers through the shelled crab to break it up and make sure no shells were left behind.

2.  Next I prepared the enchiladas.  On each tortillas, I put about a tablespoon of crab meat, then sprinkled on some corn, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro.  I topped it off with a small handful of shredded cheese.   

3.  Once filled, roll the enchilada and place in a glass baking dish.  As you can see, I ended up making enough to fill two glass dishes.

4.  Once all the enchiladas are completely assembled, pour the salsa verde over the top and sprinkle with more shredded cheese.  Cover with foil and bake at 350* for about 30 minutes or until the cheese and sauce bubbles.  You can remove the foil towards the end if you want the top to brown slightly. 

5.  When ready to serve, dollop some sour cream on top. Enjoy!!

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

Sometimes with new recipes I really amaze myself- like with this one. Mainly because I have never made beef stroganoff before and went with my own version after looking up a few online.  Most of the time when I do that, the food comes out so-so. But not this one. If I can eat it three days in a row - it must be good!  There was enough for a small army, or maybe a family of 4 with leftovers. So if you are cooking for one a lot like me, invite some friends over, or just keep eating it for every meal.  My version of beef stroganoff is made in the crock pot, so it's super easy and besides chopping veggies, so it doesn't require much effort.  This dish was also approved by my picky 4 year old!


What I used
2 medium carrots
2 stalks of celery
2 garlic cloves
1/2 white onion
2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup chicken broth
1.5 pounds London broil
1/2 cup light sour cream
salt and pepper, if needed
1 lb pasta, cooked al dente, and drained

What I did

1.  First prepare the veggies.  Shred the carrots using a cheese grater.  Then finely chop the celery, onion and garlic.

2.  Next, add all the ingredients (except the sour cream) into the crock pot.  Set it on high for 4 hours.  About half way through check your dish.  Mine looked like it was browning too much, so I switched it onto low. Total cooking time was about 5 hours. 

3. Once the meat is cooked through, take it out and place it onto a cutting board. Using 2 forks, shred the entire piece and set it aside. This is also a good time to taste the sauce. If you'd like, add salt and/or pepper if it needs it. When the meat is almost finished, boil some water in a large pot for the pasta and cook to your liking. 

4.  Before adding the meat back into the pot, add the sour cream to the crock pot sauce and stir to combine.  When the sauce is mixed completely, add the meat and the pasta.  Mix everything together and enjoy!

Hints
* London broil is usually inexpensive. My mom suggested I buy it for stew meat, because it's a very lean piece of meat.  This piece I bought was less than $4.
*I top all pasta with Parmesan cheese, so if you are like me, go for it!

*If I have a lot for one recipe,  I will take out my Cuisinart to shred carrots because using a grater scares me sometimes. So in order to protect my fingers, I found a little trick by putting the carrot on the end of a fork and using that to hold the carrot as i grated it.  You have to keep moving it to different sides, and you end up with a bit at the end that you can grate, but I still have all my fingers and no cuts!