Enchilada Casserole con Crockpot
On hectic days, nothing beats a one-pot entree!

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
2 small onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced fine
2 tsp. cumin
12 corn tortillas
1 (28 oz.) can red or green enchilada sauce
12 oz. low fat cheddar cheese, extra for serving
Accompaniments: chopped green onions, cilantro, sour cream, olives

In a skillet, saut? 1/2 the onion in about a tablespoon of oil. Cook for 2 minutes and add garlic. Cook another 2 minutes and add chicken and cumin. Mix well, set aside.

In a blender, add the rest of the onion and the can of enchilada sauce. Blend until mostly smooth.

In a crockpot , pour about 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of the pan and begin building your casserole. Start with sauce, tortillas, chicken mixture, little cheese and repeat layers until finished. Pour the rest of the sauce evenly over the top and cook on low for several hours. The time will vary due to type of crockpot; 3-7 hours. Pass extra cheese at the table. Makes 6 servings.

2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 cup diced Granny Smith apple, or any good eating apple
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup raisins
2 Tbls. chopped green onions
1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 Tbls. reduced-fat sour cream
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine mayonnaise and remaining ingredients; stirring well with a whisk. Add mayonnaise mixture to chicken mixture, tossing well to coat. Makes 4 (1 cup) servings.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 tsp. very finely minced lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter 2 cookie sheets. Sift together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening, butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the egg, molasses and zest until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture until well combined, with no traces of flour visible.

Using a tablespoon scoop, measure the cookies onto the cookie sheets, keeping them 2 inches apart. Do not attempt to make more than one dozen per sheet. Bake the batches one at a time, just until the cookies have puffed and flattened and have a crinkly surface, 9 to 12 minutes per batch. Cool the cookies for 1 minute before removing to racks.

Cool the cookies completely on racks. Makes 32 cookies.