Crowd Pleasers: Taquitos

Posted on by Cast Iron Diva

Taquitos are a Mexican treat and are also known by other names; taco dorados, rolled tacos and flautas, although flautas tends to be larger in size and sometimes made with flour tortillas.  The name taquito is Spanish for small taco while they may be small in size they are not small in flavor.

These are great for game day, parties and celebrations, like Cinco de Mayo.  You serve them warm with salsa, hot sauce, guacamole, ranch dressing, sour cream, etc.

Because everyone has different preferences for fillings, I have made four variations of this recipe which will yield 15 taquitos per flavor. If you want all of them the same then you will need to multiply the recipe by four, or if you want half and half then multiply the recipe by two, and so on. Continue reading “Crowd Pleasers: Taquitos” →

Thai Crispy Chicken & Onion Noodles

Posted on by Cast Iron Diva

I came across a photo on Pinterest of this incredible looking dish, it was call Crack Slurp Noodles,  It didn’t have fried chicken, instead it was fried chicken skin.  That didn’t appeal to me at all but all the other ingredients sounded great, so I changed it up a bit.

I slice up onions and chicken very thin so once they are dredged and fried, they are nice and crispy.  I opted for cornstarch instead of typical flour for dredging because it fries up nicely and has a nice golden color to it and it doesn’t require me to do a dredge in flour, then one in eggs then back to flour again to get the coating to stick.  Cornstarch sticks to anything wet and isn’t prone to falling off.  It is also a lot lighter in texture and flavor.

As you can see, once the onions and chicken are prepared they nearly double in size. Keep in mind that started out as just one single boneless, skinless chicken breast. Continue reading “Thai Crispy Chicken & Onion Noodles” →

Sweet & Sour Meatloaf

Posted on by Cast Iron Diva

Meatloaf is known as a comfort food, it is satisfying, inexpensive and easy to make and the possibilities are endless.

Meatloaf can be cooked in a loaf pan, as the name suggests or can be formed into a loaf and cooked on a baking sheet.  Alternatively, meatloaf can be cooked in muffin tins, which is handy when you are short on time as it cuts the cook time in half.  You can also form it into meatballs and serve them as an appetizer or a main dish served on top of pasta, vegetables or rice.  Another option is to form it into patties, like hamburgers, and serve it on a bun or in a salad. Leftover meatloaf slices are often served warm or cold as a sandwich.  

I came up with this recipe because I had some leftover bell pepper and canned pineapple from use in other recipes and it instantly screamed to me, sweet and sour. Continue reading “Sweet & Sour Meatloaf” →

Ranch Roasted Carrots

Posted on by Cast Iron Diva

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I was never exposed to much in the way of vegetables when I was growing up.  My father was forced to eat them as a child and hated them.  He probably didn’t hate the vegetable itself but more likely in the way in which they were cooked, or should I say, overcooked and probably minimal if any seasoning.

Some of the vegetables we did have when I was growing up were, potatoes, peas, corn and carrots, I’ve always loved carrots. Maybe it was the brainwashing that they are good for your eyes and I didn’t want to wear glasses.  Whenever there was a party with a veggie platter, I always went for the carrots and dipped them into gobs of ranch dressing.   Continue reading “Ranch Roasted Carrots” →

Swedish Meatballs

Posted on by Cast Iron Diva

I think Swedish meatballs are probably the most popular recipe from Scandinavia, made in millions of kitchens across the globe all with their own unique varying ingredients which makes each one a little different yet at the same time, still the same.  

I like to deviate from the norm and add a new and different nuance to a recipe. For this recipe I opted for ground turkey, rather than beef, pork or veal but you can certainly use any type of ground meat you want for this recipe.  I add to the ground turkey a number of aromatics, egg and also some milk soaked bread and oatmeal. Oatmeal is very heart healthy and it also stretches your meat further, like a filler but a healthy one that is high in antioxidants, soluble fiber and helps lower cholesterol. Continue reading “Swedish Meatballs” →

Honey-Thyme Chicken Tenders

Posted on by Cast Iron Diva

If you are a frequent visitor to this site, you have probably discovered that I tend to primarily use chicken tenders or thin cut chicken breasts that are also known as scaloppine cut which in Italian means small scallop, thin cut of meat.  The reason I choose to use these particular cuts the most is because it is the easiest way for me to monitor my portion sizes as I try to keep poultry, meat and fish at around 4 ounces per serving.  Usually 2 chicken tenders or one thin cut chicken breast equates to 4 ounces.

This recipe yields a very savory, juicy and tender chicken.  The sauce is light with a hint of tart from the lemon and sweet from the honey. It pairs well with any sort of side dish; salad, rice, pasta, vegetables, potatoes, and so on.   Continue reading “Honey-Thyme Chicken Tenders” →

Biscuits & Gravies

Posted on by Cast Iron Diva

Yes, you read that right . . . gravies! Plural, because we are going to do two different gravies.

The first gravy is a staple in the South, sausage gravy.  Here in the South sausage gravy is a standard in most households. It is served not only at breakfast time but lunch and supper too.  Sausage gravy is great on mashed potatoes, fried chicken, chicken fried steak and of course, biscuits.  If you are like me, I can eat sausage gravy on its own.

Sausage gravy starts out with, you guessed it, sausage!  You want a good quality breakfast sausage, like the ones that come in the big roll that you slice into patties. The problem with most of the pork sausage at the grocery store is that they are high in fat. Ah, so you think the logical substitute, turkey sausage but the problem with most turkey sausage is they are lacking the fat that you will need to make the gravy.  Another problem is that many manufacturers of turkey sausage sell them precooked and you need it raw. What do you do? Simple, make your own.  I know it sounds too complicated but it is really no more complicated than browning ground beef with seasoning. Continue reading “Biscuits & Gravies” →

Olive Oil, Walnut & Garlic Spaghetti

Posted on by Cast Iron Diva

When you want something to fix that is easy, this is a good go-to dish that is wholesome whole grain and packed with flavor that is also low in saturated fat. It makes a great side or main dish and the best part, most of us have all the ingredients in our pantry so no special trip to the market.

I start off with whole wheat or whole grain spaghetti, you can certainly substitute any type of pasta you want for this recipe; bow tie, elbow, fettuccine, etc. will all work fine.  The pasta is cooked to al dente, which is firm to the bite but not hard.  Al dente in Italian means “to the tooth”. Continue reading “Olive Oil, Walnut & Garlic Spaghetti” →

Peanut Coleslaw

Posted on by Cast Iron Diva

Many people associate coleslaw with the South but it actually comes from the Netherlands where it is known as koolsla.  Here in America it is often a staple for barbecues, a topping for pulled pork and goes well with fried chicken.

Peanut coleslaw is something I had at a barbecue restaurant, I loved it so much more than regular or traditional coleslaw.  It was crunchy, tangy and very satisfying, I looked forward to it more than I did the rest of the meal.  Of course the restaurant wouldn’t give out their recipe so I had to play around with it until I could make a copycat version of it, which after some tweaking, I preferred more than theirs. Continue reading “Peanut Coleslaw” →

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Posted on by Cast Iron Diva

Ahhh pancakes!  Makes me think of weekend breakfast when I was growing up.  My mama would make up a big batch of pancakes and she had sausage or bacon to go with it.  Although pancakes come in all sorts of flavors, as do the syrups, I’ve always been partial of simple buttermilk pancakes and maple syrup.  

Pancakes go by a variety of names in America; griddlecakes, flapjacks, hotcakes and their counterparts in other countries such as crepes, blintzes and Dutch baby.  They come in all shapes and sizes, some are stacked, filled, rolled and are found throughout the world.  Some are sweet while others savory and can be served for any type of meal. Continue reading “Whole Wheat Pancakes” →