Tasty Tuesday: Lazy Chili Baked Nachos

I've been trying to make and stick to weekly meal plans this year, but sometimes the evening doesn't go as planned and I have to be flexible. (Or, if I'm being totally honest, sometimes I get lazy and don't feel like making a meal that requires considerable time and effort.)

If I need to change things up and make something really fast and easy, 90% of the time I'll just stick a frozen pizza in the oven or make some pasta and jarred sauce. There are times, though, when I decide to get a little more creative and throw something together using random ingredients I find in the kitchen.

These nachos were the result of doing just that.

One thing I love about nachos is that you can add pretty much anything and they'll be delicious. They can be a little more involved, like these Buffalo Chicken Potato Nachos with Avocado Ranch Sour Cream, or they can be super simple (like today's recipe).

Honestly, I debated whether I should even bother sharing these nachos on my blog. Sometimes when a recipe is this easy, I feel like I don't need to tell anyone how to make it. 

In the end, I decided to post it because I always appreciate when the bloggers I follow share some of their ridiculously easy go-to recipes for those nights when they don't really feel like cooking. Most of us don't have the time and energy necessary to make elaborate meals every evening, so it's nice to have a few recipes like this on hand for those "I'm too busy/lazy/tired to do anything in the kitchen" nights.

Lazy Chili Baked Nachos

A Divulge and Indulge original recipe.

Ingredient List:

• 2 cups chili (I used a whole can of Campbell's Home Style Spicy Vegetable Chili, but any kind of chili will work. When I make homemade chili in the future, I'll probably end up using some of the leftovers to make a slightly different version of these nachos.)
• Tortilla chips (I didn't measure them out. I just kept adding chips to the baking dish until the surface was pretty much covered. It would probably be best to just have a full bag of tortilla chips on hand so you can use as many or as few as you'd like.)
• 1 15.5 oz. can refried beans
• 1-1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used a cheddar jack blend.)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
• Toppings: guacamole, fresh diced tomatoes, salsa, fresh cilantro, sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, sour cream, etc. (I used guacamole, fresh quartered grape tomatoes, and sliced pickled jalapeño peppers.)

Instructions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Coat a baking dish with cooking spray and begin adding tortilla chips to cover the bottom.

3.  Heat the can of refried beans in a small pan over low heat. (This should make them easier to spoon over the tortilla chips.) Stir in the garlic powder and chipotle chili powder.

4.  Once the beans are warmed through, spoon them over the tortilla chips. 

5.  Add the chili in spoonfuls over the beans and chips.

6.  Cover the nachos with shredded cheese and sliced pickled jalapeño peppers (if you're using them).

7.  Bake the nachos for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

8.  Add any additional toppings and serve warm.

We had these nachos for dinner, but they would also be great for a snack or appetizer at a party. This makes a lot of food, but the recipe could easily be cut down if you don't think you can (or should) eat a huge platter of nachos.

Tasty Tuesday: Cool and Creamy Spinach Dip

Lately I just haven't been feeling very inspired in the kitchen. I've tried a few new recipes this month, but, for the most part, I've been sticking with old favorites. (And, if I'm being completely honest, I've also been relying on eating out and convenience foods a lot lately. That's what happens when you spend a weekend visiting family in Kansas City and then have the apartment to yourself for a week while your husband is out of town. Or at least that's what happens with me.)

I thought about skipping a Tasty Tuesday post altogether this week because I really didn't have anything to share. But then I started thinking about the fact that I have a small archive of old recipes and pictures that I've never gotten around to posting here.

This spinach dip is one of those recipes.

I've made this dip countless times (though I unfortunately haven't bothered to photograph it more than once, as you can probably tell by the less than stellar picture in this post). If I need to bring something in to feed a group at work, this is my go-to recipe. I'm posting the original recipe measurements here, but I typically double (or sometimes even triple) this recipe if I know I'm feeding a crowd. Trust me ... This goes fast!

Cool and Creamy Spinach Dip

A recipe from Cassie Craves.

Ingredient List:

• 1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (The original recipe calls for less, but I'm usually a little more generous with the cheese since everyone I serve this to seems to think more cheese equals a better dip. I don't disagree.)
• 1 packet dry vegetable soup mix (I usually either use Knorr or Mrs. Grass. The Mrs. Grass brand comes in a box with two packets, so it's very convenient if I'm doubling the recipe.)

Instructions:

1.  Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. I usually stir the dip quite a few times to make sure everything is as evenly distributed as possible.

2.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. (I always make this the night before I plan to serve it.)

And that's it. This is literally one of the easiest recipes I've ever made, and it's absolutely delicious.

I usually serve this with tortilla chips (as you can see from the picture), but I'm sure it would also be good with fresh vegetables, potato chips, or bread.

Tasty Tuesday: Buffalo Chicken Potato Nachos with Avocado Ranch Sour Cream

Although Eric and I have mostly been trying to make healthier food choices, we said "fuck it" multiple times during the month of February. Since we were both sick, we felt justified in making things with heavy cream (like these Red Garlic Mashed Potatoes and this One Pot Tortellini with Italian Sausage in a Tomato Cream Sauce). We also made brownies (twice) and just seemed to eat more "bad" food in general.

Today's recipe is a perfect example of what I mean when I say we've been eating more "bad" food.


I'm a huge fan of buffalo chicken, and I've been craving it a lot for the past couple of months. I've also been seeing a lot of potato nacho recipes floating around on Pinterest and various blogs, so I spent some time trying to figure out the best way to combine a basic potato nacho recipe with buffalo chicken.

I'm not going to lie: this recipe isn't perfect. Eric thinks that maybe next time we should try grilling the chicken and dicing it up. The shredded chicken from the crockpot was really juicy, which was nice ... However, it retained a little more moisture from the chicken broth it was cooked in than we would have liked, and the result was a slightly thinner buffalo sauce and potatoes that lost some of their crunch after the chicken had been sitting on top for a while.

That being said, the overall result was very good. (Obviously good enough to post here!) The flavor was almost exactly what I had imagined when I first started figuring out how I could make these nachos. This kind of recipe is also very versatile, so it would be pretty easy to switch up the meat (or method of cooking the meat), toppings, and flavors. Eric and I both really loved these nachos (we seriously ate the entire pan that you'll see pictured below in one sitting!), and this is the kind of thing I'd want to make if we were going to have a small group of people over. (It's not really enough to feed a large group unless you doubled or tripled the recipe. Or maybe we just eat a lot. Haha.)


One final thing before I share this recipe: these nachos were spicy. I was honestly surprised that Eric liked them so much because even I thought they were pretty spicy, and my spicy food tolerance is much higher than Eric's. I'm posting this recipe exactly as I made it, but I'd highly recommend using less hot sauce and/or omitting the jalapeños if you (or someone you'd be making these for) don't love super spicy foods.

Buffalo Chicken Potato Nachos with Avocado Ranch Sour Cream

Adapted from a recipe on Real House Moms.

Ingredient List:

• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 2 large breasts.)
• 7-10 small to medium red skin potatoes (I used 7 or 8, and that was more than enough for us. You can also use 1 large or 2 smaller russet potatoes if you're not a huge fan of the red skin potatoes.)
• 1 1/4 cups shredded cheese (I used a cheddar jack blend.)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot.)
• 1 avocado
• 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp black pepper (plus additional to taste)
• Sea salt to taste
• Olive oil (I didn't measure how much I used, but I just tossed the potatoes in a little olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper before the initial cook time, so use the amount you feel is best based on the amount of potatoes you're using.)
• Toppings (optional): diced green onions, sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, fresh diced tomatoes, extra cheese, extra avocado, etc.

Instructions:

1.  If you're cooking your chicken in the crockpot, spray the inside of the crockpot with cooking spray. Add the chicken breasts, garlic salt, 1 tsp black pepper, and enough liquid (I used chicken broth, but you could also use water) to cover the meat. 

2.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3 hours. When the chicken has finished cooking, shred it with two forks and remove it to a medium bowl. (You can also grill or pan fry your chicken and dice it into small chunks, or you could shred a rotisserie chicken. I'll probably try grilling my chicken next time.)

3.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

4.  Slice the potatoes into medium thick slices (between 2.5-3.5 mm thick). I used a mandolin to do this, and, while it's not absolutely necessary, it's a great tool to get slices of consistent size/thickness. It's also so much easier and faster than trying to slice small potatoes with a knife. (At least in my opinion!) This is also how I know the actual thickness of the slices ... If I'd just been eyeballing it, I wouldn't know that they were between 2.5-3.5 mm!

5.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. (I actually had to use a total of three baking sheets for this recipe because there were so many potato slices.) 

6.  Toss the potato slices in a little olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper, then arrange the potatoes on the baking sheet(s) in a single layer.

7.  Bake the potatoes for 10 minutes, then flip the potatoes and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. (The total cook time will depend on how thin the potatoes are. I baked mine for the full 20 minutes, but I checked on them after 15 to make sure I didn't overcook them.)

8.  Coat a baking dish with cooking spray, and pile the potatoes together in the dish. Cover with the shredded cheese and diced red bell peppers, and return them to the oven to bake for an additional 5-6 minutes (or until the cheese has melted and the peppers have softened slightly).

9.  While the potatoes are baking for the final time, melt the unsalted butter in a microwave safe bowl. Add the hot sauce to the butter, and mix thoroughly.

10.  Pour the buffalo sauce over the chicken in a medium bowl. Toss several times to coat the chicken thoroughly.

11.  Add the avocado, sour cream, and dry ranch dressing mix to a food processor and blend until everything is completely mixed.

12.  When the potatoes have finished baking, remove the baking dish from the oven and set aside. Top the potatoes with the buffalo chicken, a generous dollop of the avocado ranch sour cream, and any additional toppings you would like to use (as you can see from the pictures, we used diced green onions and sliced pickled jalapeño peppers).

I know this seems like a lot of steps, but it's really not a difficult recipe. And, honestly, the cleanup was the one thing that took the most time. Everything else goes pretty quickly, especially after the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are sliced. (And the mandolin made slicing the potatoes feel ridiculously easy and quick.)

I don't know how well this reheats since we ate that entire pan in one sitting (I should probably be a little more embarrassed of this fact, but I'm not). I assume that since we had some slight issues with the chicken retaining a little too much moisture from the crockpot, the leftovers may have been a little soggy.

If you don't think you can eat this much in one sitting, you may want to cut down the recipe or use a different cooking method for the chicken. You could also try not adding any toppings (including the meat) to the potatoes until the potatoes have been placed on your plate, and then store the leftover potatoes and leftover toppings in separate containers.

Tasty Tuesday: Simple Cilantro Salsa

As my friends and I planned our Florida trip, one of our top priorities was eating and drinking as much delicious shit as possible. See Exhibit A:

This is what happens when 3 drunk girls decide to bust into a coconut cake from Publix.

Since we were staying at my friend's house, we were able to save some money by making a lot of our own cocktails and snacks in her kitchen. One of those snacks was the delicious and simple salsa I'm sharing today.

I don't know why I'd never attempted making my own salsa until now ... It's really one of the easiest snacks you can possibly throw together. I watched my friend Ashley make this salsa while we were together in Florida and decided to try to make it myself after I got home. 

I don't think this picture accurately shows the amount of cilantro I used, but you can at least get an idea.

I didn't measure anything when I made this (neither did she), but you really don't need to. You're basically just roughly chopping a few veggies and throwing everything into a food processor or blender. It probably won't turn out exactly the same every time, but it will be delicious regardless. (If you're wondering, mine tasted slightly different from the salsa she made but the flavors were so similar that it was barely noticeable.)

This will make a lot, so it's great for parties (or for people who, like Eric and me, are slightly addicted to salsa). It keeps well in the fridge, but if you don't think you'll eat it all within a week or so, I'd suggest using about half as much of everything. 

Another thing to note: since I made a lot, I used my blender instead of my food processor (which is much smaller). Eric said he would prefer I use the food processor next time because he likes a chunkier salsa and the blender basically pulverized everything into a really smooth mixture. I may just have to play around with my blender settings, but that's something to consider if you have a strong preference when it comes to your salsa texture.

The delicious finished product!

Simple Cilantro Salsa

A recipe from my friend Ashley.

Ingredient List:

• 1 medium white onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic (You'll want to use fresh garlic for this salsa, not the jarred, pre-minced kind.)
• 1 serrano pepper
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• Fresh cilantro (I probably used a cup or more, but my husband and I both love cilantro. If you're not a huge fan, you could definitely use less. I think it's important to use at least a little in order to give the salsa plenty of flavor, but I don't think it's necessary to use as much as I did.)
• 1 lime

Instructions:

1.  Roughly chop the white onion, garlic, and peppers on a cutting board. If you want less heat, remove some or all of the seeds from the peppers during this step. You can also use the flat part of your knife to mash the garlic into a paste if you like. Ashley did this, but I didn't. I thought the salsa tasted great both ways, so it's just an option.

2.  Add the chopped veggies to a blender or food processor. 

3.  Add the fresh cilantro and pour in the can of tomatoes.

4.  Squeeze in the lime juice and blend. (Again, consider how chunky/smooth you want your salsa to be. Like I said earlier, I probably need to play around with the settings on my blender or just use my food processor next time to get a chunkier texture.)

And that's it. It's really good and really addictive ... Eric and I ate this batch in about 3 days.

Tasty Tuesday: Turkey Sriracha Meatballs

What is it about meatballs that's so appealing?  I mean, when you think about it, the concept is kind of gross: little wads of meat stuck together with egg and breadcrumbs.

The idea of a wad of meat might be kind of gross, but Meatwad is pretty damn adorable.  I love him (and this show!)

Even though the concept may be gross, meatballs are not.  I love meatballs, and I'm always looking for new and interesting ways to make them.

Today's meatball recipe is pretty straightforward, but the sauce is what makes them really special ... It's spicy and tangy and contains Sriracha, so it's obviously amazing.  This is also a really simple recipe.  Seriously, if you can follow instructions, you can make these meatballs!  (And you should make them soon!)

These meatballs can be served as an appetizer or as a main dish (I served these for dinner over rice with a side of steamed broccoli).

I actually made an effort when plating these meatballs, and I thought this was MasterChef worthy.  Hey, a girl can dream!

Turkey Sriracha Meatballs

Adapted ever so slightly from a recipe on Budget Bytes.


Ingredient List (Meatballs):

• 1-1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup red onion, diced into fairly small pieces
• 1 tsp Sriracha
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

Instructions (Meatballs):

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, spray it with cooking spray, and set it aside.

3.  In a large bowl, add all of the meatball ingredients.  Mix everything together using your hands.

4.  Shape the turkey mixture into meatballs and place each meatball onto the cookie sheet, making sure to space them apart as evenly as possible.  (As I've mentioned before, I kind of suck when it comes to making perfectly uniform meatballs.  The original recipe states that you should get between 25-30 meatballs, but I only wound up with 17.  I'm sure you can stretch this recipe further if you make small meatballs, but I obviously like mine a little bigger.  (That's what she said!)  Sorry ... I couldn't resist.)

5.  Bake the meatballs for 25-30 minutes, or until they are cooked through (I baked mine for the full 30 minutes).

A closer look at these delicious, spicy meatballs.

Ingredient List (Sriracha Sauce):

• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Sriracha
• 1/2 cup water, divided
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions (Sriracha Sauce):

1.  While the meatballs are baking, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, Sriracha, and 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly until the brown sugar is dissolved.

2.  Mix the remaining 1/4 cup of water with the cornstarch in a small bowl.

3.  Pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan with the Sriracha mixture and stir until well combined.

4.  Bring the mixture to a simmer.  The sauce should thicken and become a little glossy when it has finished cooking.

5.  Drizzle the sauce over the meatballs once they've finished baking.

As I said earlier, I served these meatballs as a main dish over Jasmine rice with a side of steamed broccoli.

Tasty Tuesday: Boneless Buffalo Wings

Eric and I used to go to Buffalo Wild Wings all the time.  Although we still like to go once in a while, I don't think the food is as good as it used to be.  I mean, it was never amazing ... But the chicken used to be more tender and juicy.  It also used to come with more sauce.

As you can probably see, I like sauce.

When I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it out.  These boneless buffalo wings are perfect for game day, and they're surprisingly easy to make.  I followed the original recipe pretty closely (with a few changes), and my chicken came out perfectly crispy (yet still juicy and tender on the inside).  And the sauce ... Oh, the sauce.  While I appreciate the variety of sauce flavors Buffalo Wild Wings offers, nothing beats having the ability to add as much (or as little) sauce as you want.  (And it's not like I can't buy other sauce flavors if I want to change it up in the future.)

If you're a fan of boneless buffalo wings, you should definitely make these.  You won't be disappointed!

Boneless Buffalo Wings

Adapted ever so slightly from a recipe on Budget Savvy Diva.


Ingredient List:

• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup milk (I used 1% milk, since that's what we usually have on hand)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 cup hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
• Canola oil for frying (You'll want enough to fill a pan with about 2-3 inches of oil)

I was really proud of the way these turned out, especially since I'd never fried chicken at home before trying this recipe.

Instructions:

1.  Heat a pan filled with 2-3 inches of canola oil over medium high heat.

2.  Mix the flour, cornstarch, cumin, garlic salt, black pepper, onion powder, paprika, and chili powder in a large bowl.

3.  Whisk the milk and egg together in a separate bowl.

4.  Dip a chicken chunk into the wet mixture, then into the dry mixture.  Repeat this step (you'll want to dip every chicken chunk in both mixtures twice).  Continue dipping the chicken chunks until they've all been coated.

5.  Drop several chicken chunks (I did about 5-10 at a time) into the oil and fry until golden brown and crispy.  (This should only take a few minutes, so keep an eye on the chicken!)

6.  Remove the chicken chunks from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb some of the grease.  Continue following steps 5 and 6 until all of the chicken has been fried.

7.  In a small bowl, mix the melted butter and hot sauce.

8.  Place the chicken in a large bowl and pour the sauce over it, gently stirring to coat.

It was a little time consuming, but totally worth it!  I made this for dinner and served it with a side of steamed vegetables, but it would also work well as an appetizer.

And, just so you know, I also tried one of the fried chicken chunks before coating it with sauce, and it was delicious.  So if you're not really a fan of buffalo chicken but like fried chicken nuggets, you could still use this recipe and simply skip steps 7 and 8.

Tasty Tuesday: BBQ Turkey Meatballs

I almost feel ridiculous sharing this recipe today because it's just so easy.  I found the original recipe on Pinterest when I was searching for things to do with some ground turkey we had on hand.  I love meatballs, so when I saw this, I knew I had to make it.

I didn't change the original recipe that much.  To be honest, there really wasn't much that needed to be tweaked.  Meatballs don't require a ton of ingredients to be delicious (though that's not to say I don't appreciate unique flavors in a meatball!).  It's a great, simple dish that could easily be served as an appetizer or as a main dish.  (I served it for dinner over rice with a side of mixed vegetables.)

With just a few simple ingredients, these turkey meatballs come together quickly and taste amazing!

BBQ Turkey Meatballs

Adapted ever so slightly from a recipe on Sugar Dish Me.

I added even more BBQ sauce after adding the meatballs to some rice.  Delicious!

Ingredient List:

• 1-1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
• 1/2 cup white onion, diced into fairly small pieces
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 cup BBQ sauce, divided
• 2 tbsp olive oil

This is the BBQ sauce I used in this recipe.  It was smoky with a hint of sweetness and a bit of a kick.

Instructions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.  In a large bowl, add all ingredients (using only half of the Panko breadcrumbs at this point) except the olive oil and BBQ sauce.  Mix everything together using your hands.

3.  Slowly add in 3-4 tbsp of BBQ sauce, combining with the meat mixture using your hands.  Because the BBQ sauce will make the mixture pretty moist, you'll want to add in the remaining Panko breadcrumbs at this point, mixing everything together thoroughly.

4.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.

5.  Shape the turkey mixture into meatballs, dropping them in the skillet in batches.  (I'm going to be really honest here ... None of my meatballs were uniform in shape and size.  I kind of suck at that.  My recommendation is to simply decide how many meatballs you'll need and how large you'd like them to be, and eyeball it from there.  I ended up with 17 meatballs, many of which were pretty large.  The original recipe stated it makes about 36 meatballs.  Obviously that's a huge difference!)

6.  After adding the meatballs to the skillet, roll them around a bit to brown them on all sides.  Once each batch of meatballs is browned, remove to a baking sheet (I lined mine with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray for easier cleanup) and repeat until all meatballs are browned.

7.  Spoon the remaining BBQ sauce over the meatballs and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they are cooked through.  (I cooked mine for 18 minutes.)

As I said earlier, we served these meatballs as a main dish over rice with extra BBQ sauce and a side of mixed vegetables.