tasty – Average Momma Bear

Chicken Taco Crunch Wraps

The best thing about tacos is that they’re so versatile! This is a fun variation that makes a very hearty, portable meal. This recipe is similar to the Crunchwrap Supremes you find at Taco Bell but with some changes to the ingredients. All ingredients are optional and flexible based on your personal taste.

Prep time: approx. 2-3 minutes per wrap
Cook time: approx. 6-10 minutes per wrap
Makes about 4 large wraps

Ingredients:

3 cans of canned chicken breast
1 8oz. brick of cream cheese (room temp)
About 4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
Small can green chilies
About 1/4 cup taco seasoning
Tostada shells (at least one for each wrap you plan to make)
Large flour burrito tortillas (the largest you can find)
Shredded lettuce
Pico de Gallo (or just tomatoes)
Sour Cream
Refried beans (optional)

Instructions:

Open and drain water from canned chicken. Place all canned chicken in a large bowl with cream cheese and about 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese. (Cream cheese can be warmed in the microwave for about 30 seconds to make mixing easier).
Begin mixing ingredients with large spoon or spatula. This can also be done in a stand mixer to make things a lot easier.
Mix in green chilies and taco seasoning with chicken mixture. Stir until all ingredients are evenly mixed.
Create a work station with an assembly line for burrito tortilla > (opt beans) > chicken mixture > tostada shell > lettuce > pico > sour cream > shredded cheese > (opt tortilla circle).
Place a burrito tortilla on a plate or cutting board.
In the center of the burrito tortilla, (spread optional beans in a thin layer first) place about a cup of the chicken mixture- flatten and shape it to be about the size of the tostada shells.
Place 1 tostada shell on top of chicken mixture.
Place about 1 handful (or 1/2 cup) of shredded lettuce on top of tostada shell.
Top lettuce with 1-2 Tablespoons of pico de gallo and 1-2 Tablespoons of sour cream.
Top ingredients with about 1/4 cup shredded cheese (this will melt and work to seal the wrap during grilling).
Fold one edge of the burrito tortilla up and over ingredients reaching for the middle on top of all the ingredients. *If it seems like your burrito tortilla will not reach to meet all edges in the middle, you can cut out circles from extra burrito tortillas using a cereal bowl to trace around with a sharp knife. These circles can then be used directly on top of the wrap ingredients before wrapping the burrito tortilla.* Continue to fold up the edges going around the wrap in one direction. You will end up with a wrap that is shaped like an octagon or something close to it. You can place a small salad plate on top of the wrap to keep it folded. See video below for example.
Warm a large frying pan or a griddle or grill to medium heat. Oil or butter the warming surface.
Carefully place wrap fold side down on your heated surface.
Place a heat-resistant plate on top of the wrap as it is grilling to ensure it makes the most contact with the hot surface as possible.
Heat the wrap for about 3-5 minutes depending on how hot your surface is. Use a spatula to tip up the edge of the wrap as it is cooking to check for doneness.
Once desired doneness level is reached, carefully flip wrap over to other side and repeat grilling process. 3-5 minutes.
Serve hot and enjoy!

Build a tower of deliciousness, one ingredient at a time.

Olive Garden Alfredo Recipe

Who doesn’t love pasta? Of course, some of us have to watch our intake because it’s easy to get carried away, but indulging once in a while is such a treat. Alfredo has always been a “treat” for me, a special meal that I look forward to. But I’m also very picky about the taste. It has to be just right. I’ve never found a jarred sauce or a recipe I like. Olive Garden’s Alfredo sauce has probably been my favorite for years. I know there are plenty of people who don’t like OG. That’s okay. But what you can’t deny is that fat and salt can really pump up the flavor in a dish.

Thanks to good ol’ Pinterest, I came across a recipe one night that claimed to be “Olive Garden’s Alfredo Recipe.” Out of sheer curiosity I read the comments left by other Pinterest users. Several of them were claiming that this recipe was incorrect because of one or two of the ingredients. Personally, I didn’t know any better, but I was willing to believe these keyboard warriors because several of them corroborated the story. Further down the comments, I found that someone had posted a comment claiming that Olive Garden actually provides many of their recipes on their website. RECORD SCRATCH. That was news to me. So I did some digging. I was salivating thinking that I could get ahold of the OG Alfredo recipe to make myself. At the same time I was worried that I’d have to get a wider front door put on my house once I ate my weight in Alfredo. Click HERE for the entire online catalog of Olive Garden’s recipes.

Sure enough, after some digging, I found a collection of Olive Garden’s recipes on their website. I scrolled and scrolled until I found the treasure I was digging for. Click HERE for the Olive Garden version, unaltered. Below, I have included the recipe with changes I made after the asterisks (*).

Ingredients

3 oz wt butter *I used ½ cup salted butter or 1 full stick, only slightly more than their recipe calls for.
1 Tbsp garlic *I used a fresh bulb rather than the pre-minced version I usually keep in my fridge for quick recipes and added probably 2 Tbsp because there’s no such thing as too much garlic in a recipe like this.
2 Tbsp flour
1 ½ cup milk *I ended up adding this last and only used ½ cup since I wanted my sauce to be a little thicker than the recipe calls for. Also, I used whole milk.
1 ½ cup heavy cream
½ cup parmesan cheese *I used closer to 1 cup+ because I wanted the cheese to be the main thickening ingredient.
½ cup romano cheese *I did the same thing as with the parm, 1 cup+.
Salt and pepper to taste
*I also added about 1 lb of chopped rotisserie chicken for protein.

Instructions

Fried the chopped garlic in the butter until it started to become fragrant and the butter started to turn golden in color.
I then added the flour and mixed it in to make a roux which would help thicken the sauce.
After that was thoroughly mixed, I added the heavy cream and stirred it all until the coloring of the sauce was even.
Then I added the cheeses and stirred until they melted evenly.
After that, I added the milk, salt and pepper, tasting in between additions to make sure I didn’t over salt the recipe (which, in my opinion, is the only downfall of the Olive Garden recipe made AT the restaurant. It always seems too salty to me.)
Finally, I added my chopped chicken and let everything simmer a bit until it reached my desired thickness.

Final Thoughts

In the end, the recipe was good. Very good. I’m glad I added the extra cheese and didn’t add the same amount of milk that the original recipe called for. It was so much richer but most likely with a lower sodium content than what you get in the restaurant. If I was to try anything different the next time around, I would sauté the chicken in the butter/garlic mixture at the beginning to help give it a little more flavor. When I made this recipe I was in a hurry so I didn’t get the chance to think everything through and use my instincts as much as I like to. If you don’t hear from me again after this post, it means I’ve eaten Alfredo until I burst. But don’t be sad. At least I died happy 🙂

Crock-Pot Chili

This chili is a recipe I have been making for years now. It changes a little each time depending on how many of each item we have laying around. I don’t like to waste food, so I find ways to incorporate unclaimed items into my recipes. The recipe below is the most common version that I make. There are many options for changes or substitutions that I will note below the recipe. Look for the * symbol for specific notes. It’s an easy recipe. The most time consuming part is cutting up the vegetables.

Prep time: approx. 30 minutes
Cook time: on low 6-8hrs, on high 4hrs

Most of the main ingredients for Crock-Pot Chili

1 lb ground turkey*
About 1 lb cubed steak*
1 medium yellow onion*
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 jalapeño pepper (optional for spice)*
1 can black beans (15 oz.)
1 can kidney beans (15 oz.)
2 -15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
1- 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
16 oz. chicken broth*
3 cloves of garlic or 3 tsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp Himalayan Pink Salt*
2 bay leaves

The spices used in the Crock-Pot Chili recipe

On medium heat, brown and crumble ground turkey in a frying pan (using a little oil to grease the pan).
Trim fat from cubed steak and cut steak down to small pieces- about 1″ cubed or smaller.
Using high heat and an oiled frying pan, sear (brown) each side of the steak pieces but try not to cook them all the way through. The Crock-Pot will do the rest of the cooking and this will keep the steak pieces tender.
Cut onion, red and green pepper, and optional jalapeño into small pieces.
Add all ingredients (except the bay leaves) to the Crock-Pot. With a large spoon, stir ingredients until evenly mixed.
Tuck the bay leaves into the chili alongside the inside of the pot.
Cook in the Crock-Pot on Low for 6-8 hours or on High for 4 hours. Stir ingredients occasionally but it’s not necessary.

Notes:

*This recipe calls for ground turkey but you can substitute ground beef or even take it out entirely for a vegetarian option.

*This meat is also not necessary for the option of a vegetarian chili.

*I typically use a sweeter yellow onion but any type will do. White onions are also a good option but typically yield a stronger onion-taste.

*The jalapeño is totally optional but is a great addition if you like a little bit of spice. Some jalapeños are spicier than others. Sometimes you can find mild jalapeños. You can add these but they usually won’t be spicy enough to notice in the chili. One “hot” jalapeño is a good amount of spice for this recipe. But feel free to add as much or as little as you want!

*For the chicken broth, I usually use scoops of condensed broth paste dissolved in hot water but you can also use bouillon cubes dissolved or already prepared broth from a package instead. It’s all a matter of choice and convenience.

*Himalayan pink salt has less sodium than table salt. If you have to substitute table salt, make sure to only add a teaspoon or two and possibly just add more to taste after it cooks.

Nutrition:

Servings: there are about 15 servings measured with a regular sized ladle.
1 serving is approximately 178 Calories; 1.8g Fat; 0.2g Sat. Fat; 14.7mg Cholest.; 465mg Sodium; 24.7g Carbs; 5.5g Fiber; 8.1g Sugar; 18.5g Protein.

No Oil Banana Bread

This is one of my family’s favorite recipes…to eat! It is made with yogurt in place of oil or butter. The end result is a very moist, spongy banana bread. It’s so addicting, especially once you realize there are fewer calories with the yogurt substitute. Muahahaha! Look for the * symbol for notes and options noted at the end of the recipe.

Prep time: approx. 15 minutes
Cook time: approx. 35-45 min for bread, 15-20 min for large muffins, 12-15 min for mini muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup sugar*
6 oz (3/4 cup) vanilla yogurt*
2 large eggs
3 large medium ripe bananas*
1/4 – 1/2 cup buttermilk (optional)*
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups mini chocolate chips (optional)*
Brown sugar for sprinkling

Instructions:

Before you turn your oven on, remove all but the bottom rack. These need to be cooked on the bottom rack so at least leave enough room to place your pans on the lowest rack in your oven.
Turn your oven on to 350°
Butter or non-stick spray a 13×9 pan or 2 9×9 pans. This recipe can also be made into muffins- see the note below*
Pour the mini chocolate chips into the bottom of your pan(s). Line the bottom evenly so that you cannot see the pan.* This will bake onto the bottom of the bread like a delicious, chocolate crust.
In a stand mixer, mix sugar and yogurt until smooth.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well in-between.
Add bananas, buttermilk (opt.), and vanilla. Mix well.
Mix in flour one cup at a time, mixing well in-between.
Add salt and baking soda. Mix until smooth.
Carefully pour batter in to pan(s) while not disturbing the chocolate chips. Make sure to divide the batter evenly between the pans if you are using more than one.
Sprinkle desired amount of brown sugar over the top of the batter-filled pan(s).
Cook for between 35-45 minutes depending on your oven. It is best to check doneness with a toothpick at about 30 minutes and every 5 minutes after that until the toothpick comes out clean.

Notes:

*I usually use cane sugar rather than white sugar but both should work the same.

*I use a small container of vanilla bean yogurt but I have also tried using the same amount of plain greek yogurt as a substitute and it worked just as well but required an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract for flavor (2 tsp vanilla total).

*You want bananas that are very ripe but I have used bananas of varying ripeness. The difference is- the riper they are the sweeter and more banana-y the bread tastes.

*The buttermilk is labeled as optional because sometimes I put it in my recipe and sometimes I leave it out. The recipe seems to cook similarly either way but cooking it with the buttermilk adds even more moisture. Without the buttermilk it seems to be plenty moist and you wouldn’t notice it wasn’t in there.

*Chocolate chips are an optional ingredient and 2 cups is an approximate measurement because you can really add as much or as little as you’d like. You can also mix the chips into the batter rather than lining the pan with them. It’s all a matter of opinion.

*MUFFINS- spray and line 1-12 cup or 1-24 mini cup muffin pan(s) as you would large pans. Cook for about 15-20 minutes checking the doneness the same as you would in pans, adding 5 minutes at a time until the toothpick comes out clean.

Nutrition:

Servings as bread: 32, servings as mini muffins: 24, servings as regular muffins: 12
Based on 24 serving mini muffins baked with optional buttermilk: 1 serving is approximately 141 Calories; 2.1g Fat; 1.1g Sat. Fat; 20.6mg Cholest.; 152mg Sodium; 28.7g Carbs; 0.4g Fiber; 17.4g Sugar; 2.6g Protein.