Craig Wayne Boyd took the seventh season of NBC’s The Voice, but the country musician is more than a crooner and a writer. Boyd is also an avid cook.
Nearly 13 million viewers tuned in to watch Craig Wayne Boyd sing his way to a win on the finale of NBC’s The Voice’s Season 7. Boyd’s last two songs were a duet with coach (and C&I cover star Blake Shelton) and a cover of Alabama’s “In Pictures.” It had been a long road for the country singer-songwriter born and raised just outside Dallas, who moved to Nashville when he was 25. It would be a decade after the relocation before he got his big break on the NBC show. It was hard work, determination, and maybe a little kitchen know-how that kept him going.
You see, what you might not know about Boyd is that the man can cook. His dishes aren’t the highfalutin sort, either. They’re as familiar and approachable as his tug-a-little-on-the-heartstrings songs. Between shows and time with his family, crooner-cook Boyd was kind enough to share two of his favorite family recipes with C&I.
(Sorta) Healthy Enchiladas
Canola oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bag fresh spinach (to make it healthy)
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 box cream cheese (to make it yummy)
Dash Valentina hot sauce (optional, if you want to kick it up a notch)
Corn tortillas
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cans red enchilada sauce
1 medium tomato, chopped
Minced cilantro, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread canola along the bottom and sides of a 13-by-9 baking dish. Sauté turkey and onion over medium-high heat until onions are clear. Stir in spinach until wilted. Stir in cumin, garlic powder, cream cheese, and a dash of Valentina. Dip each tortilla in the canola oil then fill with turkey-cream cheese mixture. Roll up. Place seam side down in baking dish. In small bowl, mix enchilada sauce and chopped tomato. Spoon over enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. Place uncovered in oven and bake 30 – 35 minutes until edges are crispy and cheese is melted. Garnish with cilantro.
Southern-Asian Fusion Green Bean Appetizer
1 pound chopped bacon (everything good starts with a pound of bacon)
1 large yellow onion
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 pound fresh green beans
Crushed red pepper to taste
First things first, fry bacon and set aside. (Refrain from eating.) Take onions and peppers and sauté in leftover bacon grease. Steam green beans until cooked but still slightly crunchy. Add brown sugar and soy sauce to the onions and peppers. Let brown sugar melt until consistency is like syrup. Remove from heat. Pour sautéed onions and peppers over green beans. Lastly, add bacon and crushed red pepper. ENJOY!
For more on Craig Wayne Boyd and to order his new album, Top Shelf, visit his website.
