Easy Peasy Cheddar Bay Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

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Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 15 oz. cans of mixed vegetables, drained
• 3 cups cooked chicken, diced
• 1 10 3/4 oz. can of condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 10 3/4 oz. can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 box of cheddar bay biscuit mix
• 1 cup cold whole milk
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• finely chopped rosemary for garnish

Directions 

• Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
• Mix vegetables, chicken, soups and spices (not the rosemary for garnish) in ungreased 9-13 casserole baking dish.
• Mix together the cheddar bay biscuit mix, milk and cheeses just until dough forms (do not overmix).
• Dollop over the vegetable chicken mixture and lightly spread to have an even layer for baking.
• Bake 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest at least 10 minutes.
• Before serving, mix the melted butter and seasoning mix from the cheddar bay biscuit box and brush all over the top of the pot pie. Garnish with the rosemary and serve.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 1-2 jalapeño pepper (more or less depending on your spice level)c
• 1-2 serrano pepper (more or less depending on your spice level)
• 2 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 medium onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 6 corn tortillas
• 2-3 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
• cilantro, lightly chopped for garnish
• green onions, sliced for garnish

Directions 

• Set an oven rack about 4 inches from the broiler. Turn the broiler on.
• Place the tomatillos, jalapeño, serrano pepper, and unpeeled garlic cloves in a baking dish.
• Broil, turning occasionally, until the tomatillos are blackened in spots, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove the baking dish and add broth, then use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits stuck to the bottom. Let tomatillos, peppers, and garlic to cool.
• When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel most of the skins and remove the seeds. For a spicier salsa, leave in some or all of the seeds. Remove the softened garlic from the peel.
• Add roasted tomatillos, peppers, garlic flesh, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt to a food processor.
• Pour about half of the liquid from the baking dish into the processor, then pulse 3 to 4 times or until the salsa is mostly smooth and no big chunks of tomatillo remain, scraping down the sides as necessary.
• Adjust with more liquid, lime juice, or salt based on consistency and taste. Set aside
• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Brown ground chicken in a medium high skillet, season with salt, pepper and granulated garlic.
• Layer 1/4 of the salsa verde in a 7x10x2 1/2" casserole dish.
• Place 2 corn tortillas down and top with 1/2 of the ground chicken, 1/3 of the cheese and 1/4 of the salsa verde. Repeat one more time and then end topping with the last 2 tortillas, salsa verde and cheese.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes uncovered until bubbly and cheese is golden.
• Garnish with cilantro and green onions.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. chicken wings
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons ketchup
• 1 cup honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to taste (you can omit altogether if not a fan of spice)
• salt and pepper to taste
• ranch dipping sauce to serve

Directions 

• Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
• Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Mix together the oil, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
• Pour over the chicken and toss to coat evenly leaving the chicken in a single layer with skin side up.
• Bake in preheated oven for one hour and 15 minutes, or until sauce is caramelized, basting every 15 minutes.
• Serve with your favorite ranch dipping sauce.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour and 30-45 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 red potatoes, cut into large cubes
• 1 16 oz. package carrots, cut diagonally into bite-size pieces
• 1 stalk celery, cut diagonally into bite-size pieces
• 1 sweet onion, sliced, divided
• 1 5 lb. whole chicken, innards removed and trimmed
• salt, ground black pepper and granulated garlic to taste
• 1/2 cup cubed butter, divided (you can reduce the amount if you need to, but why?)
• 1 large lemon, sliced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 stalk celery, cut into 3 pieces
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

Directions 

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Pour olive oil into a large bowl and toss potatoes, carrots, bite-size pieces of celery and 3/4 of the sliced onion in the oil to coat. Set remaining onion aside. Transfer oiled vegetables to a large cast iron skillet.
• Rinse chicken and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.
• Generously season the chicken, inside and out, with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
• Place the remaining 1/4 of the sliced onion, 1/4 cup butter, lemon slices, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and large pieces of celery into the cavity of the chicken.
• Place the chicken atop the oiled vegetables; scatter remaining 1/4 cup of butter pieces, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and red pepper flakes in small amounts around the vegetables.
• Roast chicken and vegetables in the preheated oven until the skin is browned and crisp, the vegetables are tender, and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads 160F degrees (residual rest heat will bring to 165F), about 1 hour and 30 to 45 minutes. Remember, pull it out when the temperature reaches 160F degrees.
• Lightly tent chicken and let chicken rest for 30 minutes before carving and serving with vegetables.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 6-8 minutes

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients

• 8 oz. box of pad Thai rice noodles
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, grated on a rasp grater
• 2 dashes fish sauce (remember a little goes a long way and can get salty)
• 1 teaspoon red Chile flakes, more or less to taste
• 1 1/2 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail removed
• 1-2 Tablespoons Tajin, Chile lime seasoning (more or less to taste)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• For garnish: crushed salted roasted peanuts, chopped green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds

Directions 

• Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
• Whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, rice wine vinegar, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, fish sauce and red pepper flakes and set aside. If it's too thick, add up to 1/4 cup warm water.
• Prepare noodles according to package directions.
• Season the shrimp with the Chile lime seasoning, salt and pepper. Place the shrimp on a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast until the shrimp turn opaque, 6-8 minutes.
• Toss half of the peanut sauce with the warm noodles as soon as they are done.
• Transfer to a large serving platter.
• Top the noodles with the shrimp, crushed peanuts, green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds and serve with more peanut sauce alongside.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour and 20-30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. beef chuck roast, cut in 4 large chunks
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, separated
• 3 dried ancho chilies
• 4 dried guajillo chilies
• 4 dried chile de árbol (more or less for your spice level, this combination is medium spice level)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano (you can substitute regular oregano if you can't find Mexican)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 2 cups high-quality beef stock
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon regular soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
• Salt & ground black pepper
• 8 - 12 corn tortillas
• Good melting cheese (i.e. Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella cheese, freshly grated)
• onion, diced
• cilantro, chopped
• lime wedge, optional

Directions 

• Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles, then cut chiles into smaller pieces.
• Put all dried chiles in multi-cooker and press “Sauté” button to heat up the multi-cooker. Stir occasionally.
• Once you smell the chiles' aroma (4 to 5 minutes), remove and set aside the toasted chiles.
• While the chiles are toasting, pat dry your meat. Generously season all sides of beef with salt & black pepper (remember that there are more than two sides).
• Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in inner pot and ensure to coat the oil all over the whole bottom of the pot.
• Carefully place the beef in the pot. Brown all sides of the meat, then remove and set aside.
• Add the other 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pot and add the sliced onions, garlic cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, dried Mexican oregano, ground cumin, dried cilantro and tomato paste, then sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often.
• Pour in 1 cup of the beef stock and deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon.
• Add in apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce and the other cup of beef stock and mix.
• Add in toasted dried chiles (make sure all chiles are submerged in the cooking liquid).
• Layer the beef on top.
• With venting knob in venting position, close the lid, then turn venting knob to sealing position.
• Select pressure cook and set timer to 45 minutes.
• Let natural release for 20 minutes and remove the lid carefully.
• Transfer beef to a large mixing bowl and with two forks, shred the beef.
• Blend all the chiles and sauce to make the birria sauce with an immersion blender. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.
• Return the meat to the sauce and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain the meat, saving the sauce in a large bowl.
• Place some of the flavorful birria sauce in a ramekin. Garnish with diced white onion and finely chopped cilantro.
• Heat up a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dip corn tortillas in the birria sauce. (Make sure the birria sauce is fully covering both sides of corn tortillas because the tortillas will break if they're too dry.) It's also important your skillet is hot enough before you start to pan fry the tortillas.
• Place the corn tortilla on the heated skillet. Layer a handful of grated melting cheese on corn tortilla, then let the cheese melt.
• Once the cheese has melted and the corn tortilla is a bit crisped, layer some birria meat on the cheese. Fold corn tortilla in half.
• Serve these deliciously birria tacos immediately with dipping sauce and an optional lime wedge.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil, if needed
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 Tablespoon fajita seasoning (see my recipe below or you can substitute your favorite store bought brand)

Fajita Seasoning:

• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Cooked white rice seasoned with Tajin and lime zest to taste.
• Topping options: cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, pickled jalapeños, avocado, sour cream, cilantro...literally the options are endless!

Directions 

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add the ground beef and break apart, cooking until caramelized (don't skip this step, it adds so much flavor and texture!).
• Add in 1 Tablespoon of the fajita seasoning and stir well to coat. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
• Add in onion and bell peppers and vegetable oil if needed.
• Sauté over medium heat until vegetables are charred and tender, approximately 8-10 minutes.
• Serve over seasoned rice and your favorite toppings.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 sea bass filets
• 3 whole potatoes (medium), peeled and thinly sliced
• 30 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 lemon (half cut into slices and half juiced)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, stems removed
• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano (fresh), stems removed
• 3 leaves fresh sage, stems removed (for potatoes)
• 1 teaspoon oregano, stems removed (for tomatoes
• 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil (or as needed)
• 2 Tablespoons of butter

Directions 

• Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
• Finely mince together: parsley, garlic, thyme and oregano. Set aside.
• Season the sea bass on both sides to taste. Place in a baking dish.
• Spread the herb mix over the top of the sea bass and drizzle with a little olive oil.
• Cut the lemon in half. Cut one half into slices and place over the sea bass and squeeze the other half of lemon over the sea bass.
• Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and toss with the sage. Place in the pan on one side of the sea bass.
• Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and toss with the oregano. Place on the other side of the sea bass.
• Dot the butter over everything.
• Bake 20 minutes or until sea bass is flaky.
• Serve with a drizzle of pan sauce.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40-60 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 4-5 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 5 large cloves of garlic, minced (trust me, this amount of garlic works)
• 1 28 oz. canned San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 14 oz. canned tomato puree
• 2-3 fresh red chilies (more or less to taste and you can always substitute your favorite chili), finely chopped
• 2-3 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (again, more or less to taste)
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• salt to taste if needed
• 1 pound spaghetti pasta (you can substitute your favorite pasta)
• garnish with burrata cheese, red pepper flakes and chopped basil

Directions 

• In a heavy bottom pot, heat the olive oil.
• Sauté the chopped onions until translucent and then add the minced garlic.
• Sauté for about 30 seconds and then add both canned tomatoes, chilies, crushed red pepper, sugar, oregano and salt and stir to combine well, crushing the tomatoes as you stir.
• Let the mixture come to a boil and then simmer for about 30-40 minutes (obviously, the longer the better).
• Cook the pasta as it says on the box and drain.
• Top the pasta with the sauce and garnish the burrata cheese, red pepper flakes and basil (you could also do a light drizzle of a good quality extra virgin olive oil at the end too).