Bajio Chicken and Crockpot Refried Beans

 

This chicken is supposedly a copycat recipe of the chicken served at the Tex-Mex resturant Bajio, but since I haven't been there in a long time I can't tell you if it is a match. What I can tell you is that this is easy and delicious. It melts in your mouth- hence why my friend Laura dubbed this "Melty Chicken".

I paired this with equally easy and healthy refried beans. While beans do take a long time to cook- these can be done over night in a crockpot. So the the actual work time is very minimal. These use no oil, but taste like the canned kind (which is full of oil). The recipe makes quite a lot (about 6 cups), but the extra can be frozen and reheats quite nicely.  Just remember to save the liquid drained off the beans, or the recipe won't work.

Overall a delicious and relatively healthy meal. 

Bajio Chicken

(from Real Mom Kitchen)

5 chicken breasts
1/2 cup medium salsa
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies (I wanted more heat and so I added the larger can- think it was 7 oz)
6 oz. lemon-lime soda

Mix all the ingredients together in a crockpot and cook for 5-6 hours on low. Remove the chicken, shred it, and return it to the crockpot for another hour.  Serve on flour tortillas with your choice of taco toppings.

Crockpot Refried Beans

(from Real Mom Kitchen)

3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed (rinsing is important, since dry beans are generally dirty)

1 onion diced

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

Place all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for eight hours.  When done,  drain the beans and save the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding small amounts of the drained liquid until the desired consistency is reached. They will thicken over time, so make them a little runnier then needed. Top with grated cheese as a garnish  or refrigerate/ freeze to reheat latter.

Crockpot Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff

I will admit that stroganoff is not the most appetizing food to look at. In fact the more I look at this picture the more it looks like I stuck parsley on dog food, but don't judge this dish by my not so great photo skills. This tastes amazing. Plus it is one of those meals you can throw in the crockpot in the morning and it will be ready in time for dinner.  It's great for those days when you know you will be starving when you get home, but also know that you will have no desire to cook. It is also fairly foolproof, since it only uses five ingredients. I like to serve this over buttered egg noodles, but it would also taste good over rice or potatoes. This makes about 6 servings and leftovers can be frozen for about a month.

Crockpot Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff 
1-1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
1 medium onion diced
8 oz sliced white mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2/3 cup sour cream

Place the meat, onion, mushrooms, and cream of mushroom soup in a medium to large sized crockpot and mix until the soup coats the other ingredients. Turn the crockpot to low and leave for 6-8 hours (if you are around while it is cooking, stir every few hours- but it will turn out just fine without doing this).  It may get a little thick, but don't worry. About 20-30 minutes before you want to eat, stir in the sour cream. This will melt into the sauce and give it a nice rich flavor. Salt and pepper to taste and serve over noodles (or whatever other else you want to serve it over) and enjoy!