Recipe Experiment Day

Ahhh...a Saturday at home. I told Trey last night just before we went to sleep that I had no plans to clean house or do laundry or do anything else productive today. I planned to be lazy all day long.

He asked if that was his hint to leave me alone all day.

The truth is Trey never intentionally guilts me into doing anything, but if he's mowing the lawn or doing the dishes and I'm curled up in bed eating popcorn and watching Netflix amid a disaster of a house, I feel like a terrible, lazy person. Just like people can't cry alone around me, I guess Trey can't clean alone, either.

We slept until a whopping eight o'clock, then stayed in bed until about 8:30 watching Fashion Police and hoping the kids wouldn't wake up. Trey made omelets for breakfast - with spinach and onions and jack cheese, and Coco Loco's green sauce - and they we delicious!

I decided to make the bed. Then I noticed there was some mail piled on the dresser and thought I'd go through that. Then I remembered Tucker's baseball uniform needed to be clean for tonight, so I started some laundry, but first I had to fold and put away all of the laundry in the dryer.

Next thing you know, our bathroom, bedroom, living room, and kitchen were clean and the pantry and refrigerator were cleaned out.

So much for doing nothing.

Then I decided to have a recipe experiment afternoon.

First, I made a healthier version of banana bread that I found on Pinterest (of course). It's healthier because it's made with unsweetened applesauce and honey and wheat flour instead of oil, sugar, and white flour.

Here's the recipe:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar free applesauce
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 mashed overripe bananas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce and honey. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. 

Here's the result:

The review? It's pretty darn good. It's heartier than my usual recipe, but anytime I use wheat flour the result is a rougher texture. It's also just as sweet as my usual recipe, and it probably would have been even sweeter if my bananas were a little more over-ripe.  Will I make it again?  Sure!  Why not?  I like it just as well as my regular recipe and it has "better bones." Trey really liked it, too.

Experiment #2 was a recipe I also found on Pinterest. This one is roasted shrimp enchiladas with jalapeno cream sauce, only I didn't follow it exactly.   First of all, I had a chicken that I needed to cook, so I replaced the shrimp with chicken. Second, I didn't include the cabbage and carrots, but I added extra spinach because I had spinach. Third, I made layered enchiladas instead of rolled enchiladas because a) even on recipe experiment day I can be a little lazy and b) I can usually get away with using fewer tortillas if I stack instead of roll. Fourth, I just poured all of the sauce on top because it seemed silly to save some to add after they cooked. I tried really hard to stick to the two cups of cheese, but I probably used an extra half cup.

Jenny, a friend form work, made the enchiladas last week and told me that it took a long time and virtually every dish in her kitchen, so I was prepared for that. I didn't feel like it took too terribly long, but I wasn't in any hurry and didn't have anyone waiting to eat them, so I don't guess I would have noticed if they took too long. 

Here's the recipe:

Roasted Shrimp Enchiladas with Jalapeño Cream Sauce (adapted from Gimme Some Oven):

Yields 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese

For the jalapeño cream sauce:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the shrimp onto the prepared baking sheet. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste, and gently toss to combine.

Place into oven and roast just until pink, firm and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, carrot, spinach, chipotle pepper, oregano and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach just begins to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. Add the shrimp and gently toss to combine.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in the flour until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the sour cream. Add the jalapeños and garlic powder and simmer unitl the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.

To assemble the enchiladas, lay the tortilla on a flat surface and spoon 1/3 cup of the shrimp mixture in the center; sprinkle with cheese. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down onto prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and shrimp mixture.

Pour half of the jalapeño cream sauce evenly over the top. Place into oven and bake, covered, until lightly golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Serve immediately with remaining jalapeño cream sauce, garnished with cilantro.

Here's the result:

The review? Uh-Mazing!  They are super delicious!  I will make them again when I want to make something impressive! Trey sampled them and said, "They taste like a restaurant," which I think is a compliment. They are kind of thin, so I may make them in a square pan next time so they're thicker. I worried that adding the extra sauce from the beginning would make them soupy, but it didn't at all.  If they heat up well as leftovers, they will be a double win!

Side note: Because Trey was mowing I had to de-bone the chicken myself. There aren't many things that gross me out more than picking apart a dead animal carcass, raw or cooked. But I was a very brave girl and I did it. I think I only gagged twice. Trey should be very proud.