Things I'm Making This Week

I'm trying some new recipes this week after stumbling upon them in this month's Better Homes And Gardens. I happen to have turkey in the freezer and an acorn squash sitting on the counter so these two caught my eye. The enchiladas are bit calorie heavy for us but I'll let you know if they were worth it. I'm hoping the chicken and gnocchi dish will turn out to be something like chicken & dumplings... we'll see. Either way I'm really working on using up stuff we have and trying to reduce our grocery spending and these two babies fit the bill. It's part of my compacting... bringing in less... spending less... and using up what we have. So simple... and yet so hard.

Layered Turkey Enchiladas
from Better Homes & Gardens

ingredients
1 lb. turkey breast tenderloin, cut in bite-size strips
1 16-oz. pkg. frozen sweet peppers and onions stir-fry vegetables
1 10-oz. can enchilada sauce
1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
9 6-inch corn tortillas, halved
1 8 oz. pkg. Mexican blend shredded cheese (2 cups)
Lime wedges (optional)
Cilantro sprigs (optional)

directions
1. Position oven rack toward top of oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In extra-large skillet cook turkey in 1 tablespoon hot cooking oil over medium heat 4 minutes or until no longer pink. Add frozen vegetables, enchilada sauce, and cranberry sauces. Bring to boiling. Sprinkle salt and pepper.

2. In 2-quart baking dish layer one-third of the tortillas, then one-third of the cheese. Use a slotted spoon to layer half the turkey-vegetable mixture. Layer one-third tortillas, one-third cheese, remaining turkey-vegetables (with slotted spoon), and remaining tortillas. Spoon on remaining sauce from skillet; sprinkle remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut in squares. Serve with lime and cilantro. Serves 4.

nutrition facts
Calories 615, Total Fat (g) 25, Saturated Fat (g) 11, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 1, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 3, Cholesterol (mg) 120, Sodium (mg) 1171, Carbohydrate (g) 52, Total Sugar (g) 16, Fiber (g) 6, Protein (g) 45, Vitamin C (DV%) 72, Calcium (DV%) 39, Iron (DV%) 14, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

and this:

Chicken And Gnocchi With Squash
from Better Homes & Gardens

ingredients
1 1-lb. pkg. shelf-stable potato gnocchi
1 small acorn squash, halved and seeded
14 to 16 oz. chicken breast tenderloins
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
2 Tbsp. milk
Tiny whole sage leaves
Grated nutmeg (optional)

directions
1. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions. Drain. Cover and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, place squash, cut sides down; in a microwave-safe baking dish with 2 tablespoons water. Microcook, covered, on high (100 percent power) 7 to 10 minutes; rearrange once. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In large skillet cook chicken in 1 tablespoon hot oil over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, until no longer pink. Remove; cover, keep warm.

4. Scrape flesh from squash; mash. Transfer to hot skillet; stir in broth and chopped sage. Bring to boiling; simmer 1 minute. Stir in milk. Spoon into bowls. Top with chicken and gnocchi; sprinkle sage and nutmeg. Serves 4.

nutrition facts
Calories 366, Total Fat (g) 6, Saturated Fat (g) 1, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 1, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 3, Cholesterol (mg) 59, Sodium (mg) 796, Carbohydrate (g) 50, Total Sugar (g) 1, Fiber (g) 4, Protein (g) 29, Vitamin C (DV%) 22, Calcium (DV%) 7, Iron (DV%) 10, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Heck while I'm at it I'll make this too... I've got a whole bag of frozen shrimp (which I'll use in place of the scallops & shrimp). In fact the only thing I'll need to buy are the plum tomatoes! Added bonus is the super low calorie count... it'll help balance out those enchiladas.

Speedy Paella
from Better Homes & Gardens

ingredients
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen long grain white rice with vegetables (peas, corn and carrots)
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
1/2 lb. fresh sea scallops, (halve large scallops)
1/2 lb. cooked, peeled, deveined shrimp
4 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 to 1 tsp. ground turmeric
Salt
Ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
directions
1. Prepare rice according to microwave package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in large skillet heat cooking oil over medium heat. Add scallops to hot oil in skillet; cook 3 minutes or until scallops are opaque. Add shrimp and tomatoes; heat through.

3. Transfer rice to bowl; stir in turmeric. Spoon seafood-tomato mixture over rice; lightly toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fresh parsley. Serves 4.

nutrition facts
Calories 229, Total Fat (g) 5, Saturated Fat (g) 1, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 1, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 3, Cholesterol (mg) 129, Sodium (mg) 374, Carbohydrate (g) 22, Total Sugar (g) 3, Fiber (g) 2, Protein (g) 24, Vitamin C (DV%) 25, Calcium (DV%) 5, Iron (DV%) 13, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet