This is a concoction that I kinda came up with off-the-cuff last night for dinner. My original intent was to make enchiladas, but alas, my corn tortillas were not cooperating with me. I was trying to eliminate as many steps in the enchilada prepping process that I could, so I didn't "soften" my corn tortillas by either flash frying for a couple of seconds or steaming in the microwave until pliable. Eh, I thought, why bother?!?!!! Well, I learned exactly why I should've bothered when my non-soft, non-pliable tortillas freaking fell apart when I was trying to roll them. Thankfully, a package of corn tortillas carries plenty to spare, so I quickly switched gears and just did a layered "lasagna" type of enchilada casserole instead. Crisis averted!
Again, the stars aligned and this casserole of sorts was exactly the flavor profile that I was looking for. Yummy roasted chicken nestled in a creamy green chile sauce with cheese sprinkled throughout. It. was. awesome. Kids and adults inhaled this meal; served with a smile and a side salad, of course. Yum!
(Sorry, no photo.)
Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients:
Sauce:
2 Tablespoons of butter
1 medium can of green chiles
2 Tablespoons AP flour
1 large can of green chile enchilada sauce
4 ounces of softened cream cheese, diced
1/2 cup of half and half (you could substitute milk)
salt and pepper to taste
Chicken:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2-4 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon of Ancho or regular chile powder
2 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
salt and pepper to taste (1/2 to 1 tsp each)
Enchiladas:
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breasts
1/2 onion diced
1 medium can of green chiles
8 ounces shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
corn tortillas
Directions:
For the sauce:
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add in green chiles and saute for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and combine with green chiles. Cook for 1-2 minutes until raw flour is cooked and paste is formed. Whisk in green enchilada sauce until it starts to thicken. Add in pieces of cubed cream cheese and continue to whisk until cream cheese is melted. Turn heat down to medium. Whisk in half and half and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
For the chicken:
Combine chile powder, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
On a large baking sheet, drizzle olive oil over the chicken. Sprinkle a generous amount of spice mixture over the top of each breast. Using a pair of tongs, roll the chicken around on the sheet pan to coat both sides of each breast. Broil on high for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (I place my oven rack on the second to the closest notch on the top so the sheet pan can be fairly close to the heat without the oil catching on fire.) Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes or until the chicken can be handled.
Shred the cooked chicken with your fingers into a large bowl. Add any pan juices to the mixture from the sheet pan. Add can of green chiles and diced onions. Combine with a spoon and set aside until you are ready to assemble.
For the casserole:
(NOTE: At this point, you can roll these into actual enchiladas if you would like.)
Spray 9 x 13 glass casserole dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1/2 cup of green sauce into the bottom of the dish (use more if needed to coat the bottom of the dish). Add layer of 6 corn tortillas, overlapping if needed. Spread 1/2 of the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle 4 ounces of the shredded pepper jack cheese. Add another layer of 6 overlapping tortillas. Pour another 1/2 cup of sauce over tortilla layer. Spread 1/2 the chicken mixture over the top. Place final layer of 6 overlapping corn tortillas on the chicken. Pour remaining sauce over the top of the final tortilla layers. If needed, run a knife along the edge of the casserole dish so the sauce can run down the sides of the casserole. Sprinkle remaining pepper jack cheese and all of the cheddar cheese over the sauce layer.
Bake on the bottom rack of a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly. (I turned on my broiler again for a minute or so to brown the cheese layer to my liking.) Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
Showing posts with label green chile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green chile. Show all posts
December 4, 2012
August 20, 2012
Green Chile Bison Cheeseburgers
I love ground bison. If you haven't tried it, don't be afraid...it's delicious. It tastes almost identical to top quality ground sirloin (read: not gamey in flavor at all). It's good for you, as it is minimally processed and very lean. It has a higher protein content (40g of protein compared to beef at 21g), lower saturated fat than beef (3g for bison vs. 6g for lean ground beef) and it has a bigger quantity of B6 and B12 vitamins, too. I like that it's not treated with chemicals or hormones and is usually grass fed. I will say it is more expensive; about double the price per pound at my local grocery store as compared to regular beef. I think a pound of bison was about $7-$8, but I think the cost is worth the benefits. It's my go-to substitute when I'm trying to eat better, but still have a hankerin' for burgers.
I used my recently-obtained bison to make these green chile burgers. I love fresh roasted green chiles, and summertime in the southwest means Hatch chile season. Hatch chiles have the best green chile flavor with a moderate amount of heat (depending on the chile--some can be super-spicy) and are only around for a few weeks at the end of summer. I always try to buy some and roast them myself, before they are gone for the year. This time, I only bought a small quantity and used them all in this recipe. I roast them right over the open flame of my gas stove top, and then peel and chop 'em. Yum! This time I combined them into the burger to try something a little different and it did not disappoint. These burgers were very, very tasty and didn't feel at all like "health food".
Green Chile Bison Cheeseburgers
Ingredients:
4 roasted, chopped Hatch green chiles (fresh if you can get them)
1/2 white onion, diced
1 lb. ground bison
salt and pepper to taste
1 T of olive oil
6 slices of Colby Jack cheese
6 sandwich thins, 100% whole wheat
3 T of plain, non fat Greek yogurt
2 T of your favorite salsa
1 sliced, ripe avocado; lightly coated with salt, pepper, lemon and lime juice
canola oil for the grill
Directions:
Combine roasted chiles, bison meat, onions, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir together with a fork so meat mixture is loosely combined (the less your burger meat is handled at this stage, the juicier your burgers will be). Form into 6 patties. Prepare an indoor grill pan by brushing a small amount of canola oil over the grates. heat grill pan to medium-high. Grill burgers until medium-rare, about 5 minutes per side. Top with a slice of cheese and let melt for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove burgers from grill and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
Mix salsa and plain yogurt in a small bows and add a small pinch of salt. Top each sandwich thin with a heaping teaspoon of the salsa-yogurt topping. Place cooked burger on each bun and finish with a few slices of the avocado. Enjoy!
December 20, 2011
Beer 'n' Black Bean Chili
I've had a couple absolute dinner disasters lately, so you may have noticed my lack of posting. The hustle and bustle of the holidays makes for some hurried dinner-making and inevitable recipe fails. I try to take shortcuts and some work out, but some don't. I totally ruined a pork recipe from a trusted source last week...so badly that my family couldn't barely choke it down. UGH! (I think I will try it again in a few months--when life is less hectic--and see if I can salvage the dish.) I almost suffered the same fate with this chili, to where I ended up not paying close enough attention to the instructions and rushing through it. Thankfully, this recipe was virtually goof-proof and this chili turned out to be pretty darn awesome. Whew! I think I'm gonna set a new rule in my house to only make dinners that I can pretty much just "phone in" during the holidays. The stress of trying (and failing) at something new is just not worth it. Hopefully, I will learn my lesson and remember this decree for next Christmas. In the meantime, here is the chili that restored my confidence in my cooking-off-the-cuff abilities...mistakes and all.
Beer 'n' Black Bean Chili
Adapted From: The Food and Flavors of San Antonio cookbook, by: Gloria Chadwick
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 lb. of beef stew meat (see notes)
1 large onion, diced
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (see notes)
1 (4 oz.) can of green chiles (see notes)
1 can of tomato paste
1 cup of beer (see notes)
1 (15 oz.) can of beef broth (see notes)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons of corn starch
tortilla chips, for topping
shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
sour cream, for topping
Directions:
Heat oil in large pot, over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and brown on all sides. Remove beef to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside to rest. If more oil is needed, add a little more (no more than a teaspoon or so). Add onions to pot stirring to incorporate all the beef drippings and oil. Add a pinch of salt and cook onions until they are soft and translucent. Push onions off to the side of the pot, and add tomato paste. Cook tomato paste until it starts to brown and caramelize on the bottom of the pot. Add beef broth, beer, green chiles, beans, all the spices, and meat back into the pot. Using a wooden spoon, scrape all the brown bits of the bottom of the pan and incorporate them into the chili. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for half an hour. Remove some of the cooking liquid to a bowl (about a 1/2 cup) and whisk in the corn starch until liquid starts to thicken. Add thickened liquid back into the chili and stir to incorporate. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until chili is thickened to a desirable texture. Serve chili by placing in bowls and topping with some crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
NOTES:
I did not have two cans of black beans, so I substituted one can of kidney beans. Pinto beans would also work in a pinch; or use all black beans since the recipe is written as a "black bean chili". ;)
I only had one lb. of stew meat, so I cubed the meat into smaller pieces before browning. You could add another pound of stew meat if needed, but I didn't have it on hand so I stretched what I had stocked.
Also, I think our chili could have used more liquid. Adjust the liquid quantities based on the number of people you are serving. Next time, I'll probably use a full bottle of beer and a cup more of beef broth. We had enough to serve two adults and three kids, but the leftovers were scarce.
For the green chiles, I used some frozen Hatch chiles I roasted over the summer. My chiles were super-spicy so I cut the quantity way down for this application (probably by at least half). Follow the recipe quantity if you are using a mild green chile, but consider cutting it back if you are using a really spicy chile pepper.
The Result:
No photo, sorry. This was a delicious and satisfying chili. So different from my normal chili, and we all really loved the new twist. I love hearty stews and soups on a cold day, and this recipe totally hit the spot!
Beer 'n' Black Bean Chili
Adapted From: The Food and Flavors of San Antonio cookbook, by: Gloria Chadwick
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 lb. of beef stew meat (see notes)
1 large onion, diced
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (see notes)
1 (4 oz.) can of green chiles (see notes)
1 can of tomato paste
1 cup of beer (see notes)
1 (15 oz.) can of beef broth (see notes)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons of corn starch
tortilla chips, for topping
shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
sour cream, for topping
Directions:
Heat oil in large pot, over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and brown on all sides. Remove beef to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside to rest. If more oil is needed, add a little more (no more than a teaspoon or so). Add onions to pot stirring to incorporate all the beef drippings and oil. Add a pinch of salt and cook onions until they are soft and translucent. Push onions off to the side of the pot, and add tomato paste. Cook tomato paste until it starts to brown and caramelize on the bottom of the pot. Add beef broth, beer, green chiles, beans, all the spices, and meat back into the pot. Using a wooden spoon, scrape all the brown bits of the bottom of the pan and incorporate them into the chili. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for half an hour. Remove some of the cooking liquid to a bowl (about a 1/2 cup) and whisk in the corn starch until liquid starts to thicken. Add thickened liquid back into the chili and stir to incorporate. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until chili is thickened to a desirable texture. Serve chili by placing in bowls and topping with some crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
NOTES:
I did not have two cans of black beans, so I substituted one can of kidney beans. Pinto beans would also work in a pinch; or use all black beans since the recipe is written as a "black bean chili". ;)
I only had one lb. of stew meat, so I cubed the meat into smaller pieces before browning. You could add another pound of stew meat if needed, but I didn't have it on hand so I stretched what I had stocked.
Also, I think our chili could have used more liquid. Adjust the liquid quantities based on the number of people you are serving. Next time, I'll probably use a full bottle of beer and a cup more of beef broth. We had enough to serve two adults and three kids, but the leftovers were scarce.
For the green chiles, I used some frozen Hatch chiles I roasted over the summer. My chiles were super-spicy so I cut the quantity way down for this application (probably by at least half). Follow the recipe quantity if you are using a mild green chile, but consider cutting it back if you are using a really spicy chile pepper.
The Result:
No photo, sorry. This was a delicious and satisfying chili. So different from my normal chili, and we all really loved the new twist. I love hearty stews and soups on a cold day, and this recipe totally hit the spot!
November 14, 2011
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
I have 15 minutes to myself (WOO HOO!), so I decided to hop on and update the recipe blog. I found this recipe on Food.com when I did a general search and sort for sour cream enchiladas with high reviews/ratings. I did change a few things up a bit, but not on purpose. I got distracted while making dinner and ended up cooking my onion and green chile mixture a bit longer than planned. Luckily, they ended up being nice and caramelized and not burnt. With a couple of other devised modifications, dinner was on the table for the best version of sour cream enchiladas that we've had at home. How fortuitous!!!
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Adapted From: food.com; By: Deb's Recipes; Added July 15, 2005 | Recipe #129926
Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts, sliced
1 tablespoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 tablespoon of AP Flour
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 small cans of green chiles, mild (divided)
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups grated Monterrey jack cheese or sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
8 whole wheat tortillas
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Place chicken in a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle the raw chicken pieces with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and flour.
In a skillet, cook the onions and 1 can of green chiles together in oil over medium-high heat until they start to soften. Add chicken slices on top of onion mixture. Let cook for 5-10 minutes, flipping the chicken about halfway through. Cook until the onions and green chiles on the bottom of the pan are caramelized and the chicken is cooked through and browned on both sides.
Divide cooked chicken and onion mixture evenly between the wheat tortillas; add some grated cheese to each tortilla (using a total of 1 cup of the shredded cheese).
Roll enchiladas and place seam-side down in 9x13 baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour to make a roux; Stir and cook for 2-4 minutes, or until flour is starting to turn a light tan color. Gradually whisk in chicken broth then bring to boiling, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and other 2 cans of green chiles. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then pour sauce evenly over enchiladas.
Top with remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese (baking dish may be double-wrapped and frozen at this point) and bake at 400° F for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce near edges of the baking dish is bubbly.
The Result:
These. were. awesome. I was actually jealous that the husband got to take the leftovers to work for lunch. I can not say enough good things about this recipe!
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Adapted From: food.com; By: Deb's Recipes; Added July 15, 2005 | Recipe #129926
Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts, sliced
1 tablespoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 tablespoon of AP Flour
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 small cans of green chiles, mild (divided)
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups grated Monterrey jack cheese or sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
8 whole wheat tortillas
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Place chicken in a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle the raw chicken pieces with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and flour.
In a skillet, cook the onions and 1 can of green chiles together in oil over medium-high heat until they start to soften. Add chicken slices on top of onion mixture. Let cook for 5-10 minutes, flipping the chicken about halfway through. Cook until the onions and green chiles on the bottom of the pan are caramelized and the chicken is cooked through and browned on both sides.
Divide cooked chicken and onion mixture evenly between the wheat tortillas; add some grated cheese to each tortilla (using a total of 1 cup of the shredded cheese).
Roll enchiladas and place seam-side down in 9x13 baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour to make a roux; Stir and cook for 2-4 minutes, or until flour is starting to turn a light tan color. Gradually whisk in chicken broth then bring to boiling, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and other 2 cans of green chiles. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then pour sauce evenly over enchiladas.
Top with remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese (baking dish may be double-wrapped and frozen at this point) and bake at 400° F for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce near edges of the baking dish is bubbly.
The Result:
These. were. awesome. I was actually jealous that the husband got to take the leftovers to work for lunch. I can not say enough good things about this recipe!
November 3, 2010
Quick Chile Relleno Casserole
I am a little behind on some dinner updates, and I almost completely forgot about posting this recipe. Oops! I am going to attribute my forgetfulness to being forced to keep up with my three crazy kids all the time. It drains me. Luckily, I looked on my camera for last night's dinner and found the photos I saved from this dish. I am really glad that I didn't totally space it; since this casserole was really good, and something that I want to make again. I swear, I used to have such a great memory!!! I am hoping that someday my mommy-brain will go away and I will return back to my normal,lucid self (i.e. pre-kids). Maybe when they all go off to college???? Fingers crossed.
My friend, Claire recently made this dish and I felt that I had to try it. My instincts were correct; this was a fantastic and easy version of Chile Rellenos. I only varied Claire's adapted version slightly, with yummy results. A mixed greens salad rounded out this meal.
Quick Chile Relleno Casserole
Adapted From: Quick Chile Relleno Casserole on Food.com via Cooking Claire
Ingredients:
6 whole Anaheim chiles
4 ounces 2% reduced-fat monterey jack cheese, sliced
2 eggs
1/2 cup of egg whites
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup 2% reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Roast chiles under the broiler or over gas flame until skin is charred. Place chiles in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at least 10 minutes. Remove skins from chiles while trying to keep chiles intact. Cut a slit in each chile, remove seeds, and stuff with sliced cheese.
Coat an 11x7 baking dish with nonstick spray. Place chiles in prepared dish.
Beat eggs with whisk or electric mixer until thick and foamy. Add milk, flour, and baking powder and beat until smooth. Pour mixture over chiles. Top with cheddar cheese.
Bake, uncovered, in a 375F oven for about 30 minutes or until casserole is puffed and appears set when gently shaken.
The Result:
If you love Chile Rellenos, but don't want to fuss with the labor-intensive, original version, then this casserole is for you. The flavors are great and it is definitely more healthful. Yum!
My friend, Claire recently made this dish and I felt that I had to try it. My instincts were correct; this was a fantastic and easy version of Chile Rellenos. I only varied Claire's adapted version slightly, with yummy results. A mixed greens salad rounded out this meal.
Quick Chile Relleno Casserole
Adapted From: Quick Chile Relleno Casserole on Food.com via Cooking Claire
Ingredients:
6 whole Anaheim chiles
4 ounces 2% reduced-fat monterey jack cheese, sliced
2 eggs
1/2 cup of egg whites
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup 2% reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Roast chiles under the broiler or over gas flame until skin is charred. Place chiles in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at least 10 minutes. Remove skins from chiles while trying to keep chiles intact. Cut a slit in each chile, remove seeds, and stuff with sliced cheese.
Coat an 11x7 baking dish with nonstick spray. Place chiles in prepared dish.
Beat eggs with whisk or electric mixer until thick and foamy. Add milk, flour, and baking powder and beat until smooth. Pour mixture over chiles. Top with cheddar cheese.
Bake, uncovered, in a 375F oven for about 30 minutes or until casserole is puffed and appears set when gently shaken.
The Result:
If you love Chile Rellenos, but don't want to fuss with the labor-intensive, original version, then this casserole is for you. The flavors are great and it is definitely more healthful. Yum!
August 27, 2010
Jen's Shredded Beef Enchilada Pizza
Apparently, it was pizza week at my house. I am not complaining; back to back pizza recipes make for fun family dinners, and my brood loves a yummy pizza! This one was spicy and tasty...a great use for a leftover beef roast and my fire-roasted Hatch green chiles.
Jen's Shredded Beef Enchilada Pizza
Ingredients:
1/4 cup of cornmeal
cooking spray
1 batch of Quick Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (see below)
2 T olive oil
leftover cooked beef or pot roast, shredded
1/2 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can of green chiles --OR-- 1/3 cup of fresh, fire-roasted Hatch green chiles
1/2 packet of taco seasoning
salt to taste
1 cup of water
2 Tablespoons of lime juice
1/2 cup of pizza sauce
1 can of El Pato hot sauce
1/2 cup of part-skim ricotta or low-fat cream cheese
1 cup of shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2-1 cup of shredded mozzarella or sharp provolone
fresh diced tomatoes, for garnish
fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
plain Greek-style yogurt (I used non fat yogurt, but you could also use sour cream), for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray large sheet pan with cooking spray and then dust with cornmeal. Shake off any excess. Make pizza dough according to directions (see below). Roll out dough into a rectangle, about 1/8 inch in thickness. Stretch thin dough on to the prepared pan. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine El Pato hot sauce, pizza sauce, and ricotta. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce mixture by half. (You are looking for a thick, spreadable, integrated sauce.) Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute green chiles and onions, until onions are soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add cooked, shredded beef roast and sprinkle with taco seasoning and salt to taste. Add water and reduce until liquid is almost evaporated. Remove from heat and add lime juice. Stir beef mixture to incorporate and set aside.
Spread sauce on bottom of crust then top with jack and mozzarella cheeses. Sprinkle cooked beef mixture over cheese layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is cooked and golden browned. Remove from oven and sprinkle fresh, chopped tomato and cilantro over the entire pizza. Cut into squares and serve immediately with a dollop of yogurt on top.
********************************************************************
Quick Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy (about 10 minutes). Stir in flour, salt, & olive oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round or rectangle shape, to desired thickness. Cook on the grill --OR-- according to your recipe instructions.
Jen's Notes:
Chopped green onions would also be an excellent garnish.
The Result:
So good! Although, pretty spicy...so tone it down to suit your preferences. This really did taste like shredded beef enchiladas masquerading in pizza form. Yum!!!
Jen's Shredded Beef Enchilada Pizza
Ingredients:
1/4 cup of cornmeal
cooking spray
1 batch of Quick Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (see below)
2 T olive oil
leftover cooked beef or pot roast, shredded
1/2 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can of green chiles --OR-- 1/3 cup of fresh, fire-roasted Hatch green chiles
1/2 packet of taco seasoning
salt to taste
1 cup of water
2 Tablespoons of lime juice
1/2 cup of pizza sauce
1 can of El Pato hot sauce
1/2 cup of part-skim ricotta or low-fat cream cheese
1 cup of shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2-1 cup of shredded mozzarella or sharp provolone
fresh diced tomatoes, for garnish
fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
plain Greek-style yogurt (I used non fat yogurt, but you could also use sour cream), for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray large sheet pan with cooking spray and then dust with cornmeal. Shake off any excess. Make pizza dough according to directions (see below). Roll out dough into a rectangle, about 1/8 inch in thickness. Stretch thin dough on to the prepared pan. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine El Pato hot sauce, pizza sauce, and ricotta. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce mixture by half. (You are looking for a thick, spreadable, integrated sauce.) Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute green chiles and onions, until onions are soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add cooked, shredded beef roast and sprinkle with taco seasoning and salt to taste. Add water and reduce until liquid is almost evaporated. Remove from heat and add lime juice. Stir beef mixture to incorporate and set aside.
Spread sauce on bottom of crust then top with jack and mozzarella cheeses. Sprinkle cooked beef mixture over cheese layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is cooked and golden browned. Remove from oven and sprinkle fresh, chopped tomato and cilantro over the entire pizza. Cut into squares and serve immediately with a dollop of yogurt on top.
********************************************************************
Quick Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy (about 10 minutes). Stir in flour, salt, & olive oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round or rectangle shape, to desired thickness. Cook on the grill --OR-- according to your recipe instructions.
Jen's Notes:
Chopped green onions would also be an excellent garnish.
The Result:
So good! Although, pretty spicy...so tone it down to suit your preferences. This really did taste like shredded beef enchiladas masquerading in pizza form. Yum!!!
August 24, 2010
Jen's Spicy Green Chile & Cheese Chicken
In an effort to buy more high quality food and organics, I decided to do my weekly grocery shopping at Whole Foods Market. I definitely spent more money than usual, but the quality was uncompromising. All of their food and produce was --in a word-- beautiful. Seriously, the trip and extra money was well worth it. It was actually a pleasure to buy such gorgeous and supremely fresh fruits, veggies, cheese, and meats. I only wish we had the means to shop there more often.
One of the "scores" I bought at Whole Foods this week was some organic, green Hatch chiles. Fresh Hatch chiles are only around once a year, so I pounced. They were simply too good to pass up. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, so I held onto my bounty for a couple of days. I needed to buy myself some time so I could formulate a green chile plan. I ended up fire-roasting them and concocting this yummy, spicy chicken. Let me tell you, they whole dish was delicious! A simple side salad and some refried beans rounded out our green chile feast. The good news is that I only used half of my chiles for this recipe and the rest will be devoted to another meal! Hooray for Whole Foods and their awesome fresh, organic products.
Jen's Spicy Green Chile & Cheese Chicken
Ingredients:
cooking spray
1/2 packet of taco seasoning
4 fresh, whole, roasted green Hatch chiles, cut into strips (see below for instructions) OR use whole canned green chiles
2 large organic chicken breasts
2 ounces of goat cheese, divided
1/2 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese, divided
salt to taste
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of lime juice
chopped cilantro, for garnish
chopped green onion, for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray large, oven-safe, skillet or pan with a lid (it just needs to be able to go from stove top to oven) with cooking spray.
Sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with the taco seasoning and a little salt to taste. Heat pan over medium-high heat and brown both sides of the chicken, until nice crust is formed. Pour water and lime juice into the pan, scraping all the browned bits that have formed on the bottom and incorporating into the liquid. Reduce liquid by half and remove from heat.
Place 1 ounce of goat cheese on the top of each breast. Blanket the goat cheese with the green chile strips. Cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. When the time is up, test the chicken for doneness and remove from the oven. Off the heat, sprinkle each cooked chicken breast with 1/4 cup of Jack cheese; over top of the green chile layer. Place lid back on pan and let chicken rest for 5 minutes. When time has elapsed, remove lid and the cheese should be completely melted. Top each portion with some fresh chopped cilantro and green onions. Serve immediately.
Jen's Notes:
This recipe can be easily adjusted to yield more servings. We only have 2 adults and 1 child eating dinner right now, so I have written the recipe as I actually prepared it (i.e. suited for my family's portion sizes). This dish is pretty spicy if you decide to use fresh Hatch chiles as I have done. You could substitute whole canned chiles for a much more mild effect.
Also, here is a tutorial on How To Roast Chiles.
The Result:
This was lip-tinglingly spicy and delicious. I ended up removing the green chiles from the top of my son's chicken, so it would be a little more kid-friendly. The flavor was outstanding, but I would go easy on the chiles if you are not spicy food fanatics like we tend to be. The beans, Jack cheese, and creamy goat cheese gave a perfect counterbalance to the roasted chiles. So yummy! This is certainly a dish I will keep in my repertoire. I can't wait to experiment some more with my yummy roasted Hatch chiles.
One of the "scores" I bought at Whole Foods this week was some organic, green Hatch chiles. Fresh Hatch chiles are only around once a year, so I pounced. They were simply too good to pass up. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, so I held onto my bounty for a couple of days. I needed to buy myself some time so I could formulate a green chile plan. I ended up fire-roasting them and concocting this yummy, spicy chicken. Let me tell you, they whole dish was delicious! A simple side salad and some refried beans rounded out our green chile feast. The good news is that I only used half of my chiles for this recipe and the rest will be devoted to another meal! Hooray for Whole Foods and their awesome fresh, organic products.
Jen's Spicy Green Chile & Cheese Chicken
Ingredients:
cooking spray
1/2 packet of taco seasoning
4 fresh, whole, roasted green Hatch chiles, cut into strips (see below for instructions) OR use whole canned green chiles
2 large organic chicken breasts
2 ounces of goat cheese, divided
1/2 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese, divided
salt to taste
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of lime juice
chopped cilantro, for garnish
chopped green onion, for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray large, oven-safe, skillet or pan with a lid (it just needs to be able to go from stove top to oven) with cooking spray.
Sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with the taco seasoning and a little salt to taste. Heat pan over medium-high heat and brown both sides of the chicken, until nice crust is formed. Pour water and lime juice into the pan, scraping all the browned bits that have formed on the bottom and incorporating into the liquid. Reduce liquid by half and remove from heat.
Place 1 ounce of goat cheese on the top of each breast. Blanket the goat cheese with the green chile strips. Cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. When the time is up, test the chicken for doneness and remove from the oven. Off the heat, sprinkle each cooked chicken breast with 1/4 cup of Jack cheese; over top of the green chile layer. Place lid back on pan and let chicken rest for 5 minutes. When time has elapsed, remove lid and the cheese should be completely melted. Top each portion with some fresh chopped cilantro and green onions. Serve immediately.
Jen's Notes:
This recipe can be easily adjusted to yield more servings. We only have 2 adults and 1 child eating dinner right now, so I have written the recipe as I actually prepared it (i.e. suited for my family's portion sizes). This dish is pretty spicy if you decide to use fresh Hatch chiles as I have done. You could substitute whole canned chiles for a much more mild effect.
Also, here is a tutorial on How To Roast Chiles.
The Result:
This was lip-tinglingly spicy and delicious. I ended up removing the green chiles from the top of my son's chicken, so it would be a little more kid-friendly. The flavor was outstanding, but I would go easy on the chiles if you are not spicy food fanatics like we tend to be. The beans, Jack cheese, and creamy goat cheese gave a perfect counterbalance to the roasted chiles. So yummy! This is certainly a dish I will keep in my repertoire. I can't wait to experiment some more with my yummy roasted Hatch chiles.
December 14, 2009
Jen's Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
I used a different method for these enchiladas, from which I normally use. My main motivation for improvising this dish was to use up the tomatillo salsa that we still had on hand from the other night. It was some of the best salsa I have ever made, and I didn't want one drop of it to go to waste. Also, I wanted the chicken to be shredded and super-tender. An idea formed, and I decided to plunk some frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker this morning and take it from there. I really did not have a game plan, I was kinda making it up as I went along. Happily, this technique seems to be working out quite well. I snuck a taste and the chicken is exactly how I envisioned it to be, juicy and flavorful. Once the chicken was cooked, these were super-easy to put together. My enchiladas are in the oven as I write this, and I cannot wait to eat dinner!
Jen's Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients:
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
leftover tomatillo salsa
1 large can of green enchilada sauce
1 small can of diced green chiles
1 teaspoon of coriander
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
salt to taste
corn tortillas
cooking spray
3-4 Tablespoons of AP flour
3 Tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Place frozen chicken breasts in slow cooker and sprinkle tops with salt, coriander, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder. Top with enchilada sauce, making sure to coat chicken. Pour green chiles and leftover salsa on top. Cook on high for 5 hours.
When chicken is done, remove cooked chicken to a bowl and shred with two forks. Season with salt to taste. Add a couple big spoonfuls of cooking liquid to keep chicken moist. Set aside. (DO NOT discard the rest of the cooking liquid, you will need it to make the enchilada sauce).
In a separate sauce pan over medium high heat, melt butter. Once butter is melted, add in flour. Make sure to stir constantly with a whisk to incorporate flour and butter evenly. It should look like dry, butter coated flour chunks. Cook flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Add the slow cooker cooking liquid to pan. Bring to boil and stir constantly with a whisk until flour chunks are broken up and sauce begins to thicken to the proper consistency. Add salt if needed. Reduce heat to low and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. If sauce is too thick, thin with a little bit of water (I would say use only 1/4 cup at a time, while stirring).
Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread some of your cooked sauce in the bottom of the dish. Roll a spoonful of chicken and a pinch of cheese into the corn tortillas, making rows. When pan is full, add remaining enchilada sauce on top and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
(printable recipe)
Jen's Notes:
Half of my rolled enchiladas had cheese in them and the other half did not due to my lactose issues. If you are cheese lovers, I would bump up the quantity of cheese in this dish to a full cup.
The Result:
These were soooooooo fantastically yummy! Really, I think I liked this method better than my normal enchilada technique. We all loved them! I didn't even make a side dish, the enchiladas were filling enough. The only down side to this meal was that the corn tortilla I used were not very flexible. Every time I tried to roll them, they would split. I think I just got a bum batch. (Also, I did not fry them first.) The flavor was still excellent, they just made for a messy presentation. Aside from the tortillas not cooperating, these enchiladas were great! I was really happy with the juicy texture of the chicken. Normally, slow cooker chicken tends to dry out...but not this time! I will certainly make these chicken enchiladas again!
Jen's Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients:
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
leftover tomatillo salsa
1 large can of green enchilada sauce
1 small can of diced green chiles
1 teaspoon of coriander
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
salt to taste
corn tortillas
cooking spray
3-4 Tablespoons of AP flour
3 Tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Place frozen chicken breasts in slow cooker and sprinkle tops with salt, coriander, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder. Top with enchilada sauce, making sure to coat chicken. Pour green chiles and leftover salsa on top. Cook on high for 5 hours.
When chicken is done, remove cooked chicken to a bowl and shred with two forks. Season with salt to taste. Add a couple big spoonfuls of cooking liquid to keep chicken moist. Set aside. (DO NOT discard the rest of the cooking liquid, you will need it to make the enchilada sauce).
In a separate sauce pan over medium high heat, melt butter. Once butter is melted, add in flour. Make sure to stir constantly with a whisk to incorporate flour and butter evenly. It should look like dry, butter coated flour chunks. Cook flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Add the slow cooker cooking liquid to pan. Bring to boil and stir constantly with a whisk until flour chunks are broken up and sauce begins to thicken to the proper consistency. Add salt if needed. Reduce heat to low and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. If sauce is too thick, thin with a little bit of water (I would say use only 1/4 cup at a time, while stirring).
Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread some of your cooked sauce in the bottom of the dish. Roll a spoonful of chicken and a pinch of cheese into the corn tortillas, making rows. When pan is full, add remaining enchilada sauce on top and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
(printable recipe)
Jen's Notes:
Half of my rolled enchiladas had cheese in them and the other half did not due to my lactose issues. If you are cheese lovers, I would bump up the quantity of cheese in this dish to a full cup.
The Result:
These were soooooooo fantastically yummy! Really, I think I liked this method better than my normal enchilada technique. We all loved them! I didn't even make a side dish, the enchiladas were filling enough. The only down side to this meal was that the corn tortilla I used were not very flexible. Every time I tried to roll them, they would split. I think I just got a bum batch. (Also, I did not fry them first.) The flavor was still excellent, they just made for a messy presentation. Aside from the tortillas not cooperating, these enchiladas were great! I was really happy with the juicy texture of the chicken. Normally, slow cooker chicken tends to dry out...but not this time! I will certainly make these chicken enchiladas again!
April 9, 2009
Jen's Easy Green Chile Pork Enchiladas
We are moving around furniture at my house to make room for my son's new, big boy bedroom set. We recently purchased a bunk bed for him, and we are now in the process of transitioning him into a new bedroom. Unfortunately, his new bedroom is our old office, so we have to find space for all of the junk we have stored in our office. Ugh. Finding new storage space is never fun...kinda like the whole round hole/square peg analogy. Needless to say, our whole house is upside down due to this major move. The husband just informed me that I need to type fast because we are ready to change where our wireless Internet is located and he needs to disconnect it. Yikes!!!
Okay, ready, set, go!
Here is what we are doing for dinner...
I made these enchiladas back in February with leftover beef, and we loved them. This time, I am amending the recipe to use some of my pork shoulder roast. I love using already-cooked ingredients in enchiladas. It makes the assembly process much, much faster. My friend, Claire just made a similar recipe for chile verde enchiladas, but adapted hers for the slow cooker. I think that is a fantastic idea, and I think the cooking method for my version could also easily be changed to work in the slow cooker. Black beans and steamed veggies will be our side dishes for this meal. Okay, I am done! Whew!
Jen's Easy Green Chile Pork Enchiladas
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. of leftover pork roast (depending on how much you have on hand)
1 yellow onion, diced
8 whole, canned Hatch green chiles
2 cups of shredded cheese (I used a combo of Monterrey Jack and Cheddar)
1 (28 ounce) can of green enchilada sauce (I use Macayos brand)
8 whole wheat tortillas
cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 casserole pan with cooking spray. Pour some green enchilada sauce (about 1/3 of the can) into the bottom of the casserole dish. Roll meat, onion, some cheese, and a whole green chile in a tortilla, and place seam side down in casserole pan. Repeat with all eight tortillas, until all the meat and chiles are used up. Pour remaining green enchilada sauce over top of all eight rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle any remaining onions and cheese over top of the green sauce. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, uncovered. Wait 5 minutes before cutting. Serve and enjoy!
The Result:
So easy and delicious! Everyone loved this version, so I would not hesitate to make this again. Yum!
Okay, ready, set, go!
Here is what we are doing for dinner...
I made these enchiladas back in February with leftover beef, and we loved them. This time, I am amending the recipe to use some of my pork shoulder roast. I love using already-cooked ingredients in enchiladas. It makes the assembly process much, much faster. My friend, Claire just made a similar recipe for chile verde enchiladas, but adapted hers for the slow cooker. I think that is a fantastic idea, and I think the cooking method for my version could also easily be changed to work in the slow cooker. Black beans and steamed veggies will be our side dishes for this meal. Okay, I am done! Whew!
Jen's Easy Green Chile Pork Enchiladas
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. of leftover pork roast (depending on how much you have on hand)
1 yellow onion, diced
8 whole, canned Hatch green chiles
2 cups of shredded cheese (I used a combo of Monterrey Jack and Cheddar)
1 (28 ounce) can of green enchilada sauce (I use Macayos brand)
8 whole wheat tortillas
cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 casserole pan with cooking spray. Pour some green enchilada sauce (about 1/3 of the can) into the bottom of the casserole dish. Roll meat, onion, some cheese, and a whole green chile in a tortilla, and place seam side down in casserole pan. Repeat with all eight tortillas, until all the meat and chiles are used up. Pour remaining green enchilada sauce over top of all eight rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle any remaining onions and cheese over top of the green sauce. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, uncovered. Wait 5 minutes before cutting. Serve and enjoy!
The Result:
So easy and delicious! Everyone loved this version, so I would not hesitate to make this again. Yum!
February 19, 2009
Jen's Easy Green Chile Beef Enchiladas
My sweet little boy is back to his usual sweet self, so I am a much happier mommy today. We had a great day with our friends, and then promptly came home and took great naps. Well, I did some laundry too. All in all, today has been a lot less stressful compared to the rest of the week. As part of my pleasant and easy-going day, I decided that I did not want to cook a whole new meal from scratch. Instead, I had enough beef leftover from our sandwiches the other night to morph 'em into a different meal. Also, I have some refried beans that I had made for burritos during the week; they got me thinking about Mexican food. I had doctored up a can of vegetarian refried beans with the intention of having them for lunch during the week, but I did not get to them. I am actually glad that I didn't because they are certainly going to come in handy for tonight's meal. Since I always have a stock of Mexican food ingredients in my pantry, I decided to throw together some green beef enchiladas, using my leftover sandwich meat. Then, I just need to heat up the refried beans and steam some veggies for side dishes. How easy is that???? I love it when a plan comes together!!!!
Jen's Easy Green Chile Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients:
leftover beef sandwich meat
1 yellow onion, diced
8 whole, canned Hatch green chiles
2 cups of shredded cheese (I used a combo of Monterrey Jack and Cheddar)
1 (28 ounce) can of green enchilada sauce (I use Macayos brand)
8 whole wheat tortillas
cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 casserole pan with cooking spray. Pour some green enchilada sauce (about 1/3 of the can) into the bottom of the casserole dish. Roll meat, onion, some cheese, and a whole green chile in a tortilla, and place seam side down in casserole pan. Repeat with all eight tortillas, until all the meat and chiles are used up. Pour remaining green enchilada sauce over top of all eight rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle any remaining onions and cheese over top of the green sauce. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, uncovered. Wait 5 minutes before cutting. Serve and enjoy!
The Result:
This turned out fan-freakin'-tastic! It was so easy and so delicious..total stress-free yumminess. This dish is a keeper...a perfect use for leftover beef!
Jen's Easy Green Chile Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients:
leftover beef sandwich meat
1 yellow onion, diced
8 whole, canned Hatch green chiles
2 cups of shredded cheese (I used a combo of Monterrey Jack and Cheddar)
1 (28 ounce) can of green enchilada sauce (I use Macayos brand)
8 whole wheat tortillas
cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 casserole pan with cooking spray. Pour some green enchilada sauce (about 1/3 of the can) into the bottom of the casserole dish. Roll meat, onion, some cheese, and a whole green chile in a tortilla, and place seam side down in casserole pan. Repeat with all eight tortillas, until all the meat and chiles are used up. Pour remaining green enchilada sauce over top of all eight rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle any remaining onions and cheese over top of the green sauce. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, uncovered. Wait 5 minutes before cutting. Serve and enjoy!
The Result:
This turned out fan-freakin'-tastic! It was so easy and so delicious..total stress-free yumminess. This dish is a keeper...a perfect use for leftover beef!
January 9, 2009
PW's Favorite Sandwich and DeCio Chile Cilantro Linguine
I had a very nice surprise this morning! My blog was mentioned on foodieblogroll.com, for their weekly "Finest Foodie Friday" blog recognition. Apparently, they hand pick 5 food blogs every week to spotlight (from their 2900+ enrolled blog members)...and mine was one of them. Hooray for me! Don't worry, I won't let it go to my head. It is kinda hard to have an ego problem when your main mode of conversation all day is about the potty and Dora the Explorer. Still, it is nice to know that more than five people have actually read my blog.
Okay...moving on. Tonight is one of my favorite vegetarian meals. When the main component is cheese, what is not to love??? This is a Pioneer Woman selection that is literally one of the best sandwiches that I have ever consumed. Basically, it is a grilled cheese...but it is a special, fancy grilled cheese. Once you take a bite, you realize very quickly that it is sooooo much more than just a run-of-the-mill sandwich. Below is the link to my earlier post for this recipe.
Pioneer Woman's Favorite Sandwich
For a side dish, I thought I would improvise a pasta/veggie concoction. I have this awesome flavored pasta from a local Arizona company called DeCio Pasta. This pasta is addicting! The flavor I have on hand is Chile Cilantro, so I thought it would compliment my green chile laden sandwiches nicely. I will write a recipe plan for my pasta, but I may adjust it as I actually start cooking. I definitely want to incorporate black beans, corn, and pickled jalapenos into the dish. Aside from that, I am not sure. I need some veggies in there...so maybe green beans, or broccoli????? I guess I will just see what strikes my fancy when I start my meal prep work. I am kinda going for a Tex-Mex type of thing. I will let you know how it all turns out.
DeCio's Chile Cilantro Linguine...With A Twist
Ingredients:
1 package of DeCio's Chile Cilantro Linguine
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes
pickled jalapeno slices
diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of frozen corn, steam cooked
1 cup of frozen broccoli or green beans, steam cooked
fresh cilantro
leftover onions and peppers (this is a maybe...it would be without the Italian Sausage)
lime juice (possibly)
chipotle pepper with Adobo sauce (just a little for a smokey spice).
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Add one or more of the other ingredients to taste. Toss with olive oil and fresh cilantro and serve.
The Result:
This was really good. There were no surprises with the sandwich...it was awesome as usual. I used 100% whole wheat bread, so it toasted a little darker than your typical "white" bread. From the photo, it almost looks as if the edges of the sandwich are a little burnt...but they weren't...I swear! The pasta turned out really yummy, as well. I pretty much stuck to my recipe plan, outlined above. I was indecisive about what type of veggie to put in the pasta, so I just used a frozen mixed vegetable blend (I steamed them first, then added them to the pasta). I think it had lima beans, corn, peas, green beans, and carrots. I also added my onions/peppers from last night, and the black beans. I totally forgot the cilantro, but I really did not miss it much. My son really, really loved the pasta dish. He kept exclaiming, "OOOOHHHHHH, noodles".
This meal was a really great vegetarian choice, but admittedly not as healthy as some of other vegetarian recipes that I have made (with all the cheese, and butter, and mayo-based spread, and all). It was still satisfying and delicious, nonetheless.
Okay...moving on. Tonight is one of my favorite vegetarian meals. When the main component is cheese, what is not to love??? This is a Pioneer Woman selection that is literally one of the best sandwiches that I have ever consumed. Basically, it is a grilled cheese...but it is a special, fancy grilled cheese. Once you take a bite, you realize very quickly that it is sooooo much more than just a run-of-the-mill sandwich. Below is the link to my earlier post for this recipe.
Pioneer Woman's Favorite Sandwich
For a side dish, I thought I would improvise a pasta/veggie concoction. I have this awesome flavored pasta from a local Arizona company called DeCio Pasta. This pasta is addicting! The flavor I have on hand is Chile Cilantro, so I thought it would compliment my green chile laden sandwiches nicely. I will write a recipe plan for my pasta, but I may adjust it as I actually start cooking. I definitely want to incorporate black beans, corn, and pickled jalapenos into the dish. Aside from that, I am not sure. I need some veggies in there...so maybe green beans, or broccoli????? I guess I will just see what strikes my fancy when I start my meal prep work. I am kinda going for a Tex-Mex type of thing. I will let you know how it all turns out.
DeCio's Chile Cilantro Linguine...With A Twist
Ingredients:
1 package of DeCio's Chile Cilantro Linguine
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes
pickled jalapeno slices
diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of frozen corn, steam cooked
1 cup of frozen broccoli or green beans, steam cooked
fresh cilantro
leftover onions and peppers (this is a maybe...it would be without the Italian Sausage)
lime juice (possibly)
chipotle pepper with Adobo sauce (just a little for a smokey spice).
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Add one or more of the other ingredients to taste. Toss with olive oil and fresh cilantro and serve.
The Result:
This was really good. There were no surprises with the sandwich...it was awesome as usual. I used 100% whole wheat bread, so it toasted a little darker than your typical "white" bread. From the photo, it almost looks as if the edges of the sandwich are a little burnt...but they weren't...I swear! The pasta turned out really yummy, as well. I pretty much stuck to my recipe plan, outlined above. I was indecisive about what type of veggie to put in the pasta, so I just used a frozen mixed vegetable blend (I steamed them first, then added them to the pasta). I think it had lima beans, corn, peas, green beans, and carrots. I also added my onions/peppers from last night, and the black beans. I totally forgot the cilantro, but I really did not miss it much. My son really, really loved the pasta dish. He kept exclaiming, "OOOOHHHHHH, noodles".
This meal was a really great vegetarian choice, but admittedly not as healthy as some of other vegetarian recipes that I have made (with all the cheese, and butter, and mayo-based spread, and all). It was still satisfying and delicious, nonetheless.
December 4, 2008
Chile Cheese Egg Puff
It is my table's turn to bring food this morning for my MOPS group, so I decided to bring this dish. I was not paying attention to the recipe and I accidentally added two 4 ounce cans of green chiles instead of just one. Oops! Also, all I had was sharp cheddar. I hope it turns out okay...I will let you know if my blunder works. I am not going to re-post the recipe, but here is the link from when I posted it a month ago.
Chile Cheese Egg Puff
Wish me luck!!!
The Result:
Despite my extra green chiles and the different cheese, this turned out great! There was not any leftovers, so I think the moms in my MOPS group probably agree. I think I will amend the recipe to reflect the extra green chiles, because really, can you ever have too many green chiles???? I don't think so!
Chile Cheese Egg Puff
Wish me luck!!!
The Result:
Despite my extra green chiles and the different cheese, this turned out great! There was not any leftovers, so I think the moms in my MOPS group probably agree. I think I will amend the recipe to reflect the extra green chiles, because really, can you ever have too many green chiles???? I don't think so!
November 8, 2008
Green Chile Omelet
The family and I had a wedding today that was smack dab in the middle of the afternoon (i.e. nap time). The boy did pretty well behavior-wise during the ceremony, but started flipping out at the start of the reception. Needless to say, we left quickly to avoid ruining the bride and groom's big day. Toddler melt downs are not fun for anyone. Anyway, we left the wedding and went to my In-Law's Party Palace so the boy could run wild in private. We did not get home until after our normal dinner time, so we had to devise a dinner plan very quickly.
The husband is the breakfast wizard in our house, so he made us these really yummy Mexican-inspired, green chile/shallot/Pepper Jack cheese omelets. Oh man, they were really good and totally hit the spot. Best of all, we had dinner on the table in 15 minutes! I love easy dinners like tonight. There is really no recipe, but I did take a photo. It ended up being exactly what I was craving!
The husband is the breakfast wizard in our house, so he made us these really yummy Mexican-inspired, green chile/shallot/Pepper Jack cheese omelets. Oh man, they were really good and totally hit the spot. Best of all, we had dinner on the table in 15 minutes! I love easy dinners like tonight. There is really no recipe, but I did take a photo. It ended up being exactly what I was craving!
November 1, 2008
Chile Cheese Egg Puff
I had my friend Danielle's baby shower today, in which I brought this dish. Today was the first time I had ever made it, so I was not sure if it was going to turn out okay or not. I figured I better hold off posting the recipe until I knew for sure that it was post-worthy. Well, it was totally post-worthy! It was really easy to make and super yummy.
Originally, I got this recipe from an old co-worker a few years ago, and I never got the chance to make it. I have always wanted to save it for a special occasion, because it uses a lot of eggs and cheese and seems a little too indulgent for everyday breakfast food. Well, all the planets finally aligned and I decided to make it for Danielle's shower. Oh man, it was good. I will definitely keep this dish as a go-to recipe for parties and potlucks!
Chile Cheese Egg Puff
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
12 eggs
1 pint of cottage cheese
1 lb. of Monterrey Jack or cheddar shredded cheese
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of melted butter
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 or 2 - 4 oz. can(s) of green chiles (depending on how much green chile you like)
salt and pepper to taste
Mrs. Dash or Adobo Seasoning blend to taste
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Mix eggs in bowl until frothy w/ electric mixer, add other ingredients and mix well by hand. Season egg mixture with salt, pepper and either Mrs. Dash or Adobo seasoning blend to taste.
3) Grease 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
Originally, I got this recipe from an old co-worker a few years ago, and I never got the chance to make it. I have always wanted to save it for a special occasion, because it uses a lot of eggs and cheese and seems a little too indulgent for everyday breakfast food. Well, all the planets finally aligned and I decided to make it for Danielle's shower. Oh man, it was good. I will definitely keep this dish as a go-to recipe for parties and potlucks!
Chile Cheese Egg Puff
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
12 eggs
1 pint of cottage cheese
1 lb. of Monterrey Jack or cheddar shredded cheese
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of melted butter
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 or 2 - 4 oz. can(s) of green chiles (depending on how much green chile you like)
salt and pepper to taste
Mrs. Dash or Adobo Seasoning blend to taste
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Mix eggs in bowl until frothy w/ electric mixer, add other ingredients and mix well by hand. Season egg mixture with salt, pepper and either Mrs. Dash or Adobo seasoning blend to taste.
3) Grease 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
October 24, 2008
Jen's Green Chile Pork Roast
This is my husband's favorite dinner, bar none. He usually calls it "Green Chile Heaven on a Plate", because he loves it so much. We first discovered this dish at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, as one of their 'specials'. We liked it so much, I decided to try and recreate it at home. This version is pretty darn close to the restaurant version, if I do say do my self. To my husband's dismay, I usually only make this once a year. The pork shoulder can be a pricey cut of meat at our local grocery store, so I wait until it goes on sale. Also, I don't want this meal to loose it's specialness. If I made it all the time, then it wouldn't be "Heaven on a plate" anymore.
It is kind of a pain to make, even with the use of my slow cooker. There are a lot of little steps, and it takes a full 8 hours to cook. Part of the cook time is on low and part is on high, so you have to stick around to switch it over. It is a really big cut of meat, so there is a ton of leftovers that need to be dealt with, as well. I think I am going to keep half of the meat separate so I can re-purpose it later, as another dish(possibly Sunday or Monday). There are potatoes already in it, so I don't need a starch component, and I think I may just skip the veggies tonight too. It is a lot of food, as it is. I figure I paid my dues last night by eating brussel sprouts (bleeach) so I deserve a veggie night off.
I should caution that this is really spicy. Not just spicy, but super-spicy. Light your hair on fire, spicy. Sweat and get light-headed spicy. I am not kidding...it is spicy! Luckily, my kid is just like his mother...he can eat spicy food like it is going out of style. I do usually tone his down a little by not putting the green sauce on it. He really just eats the meat and potatoes (which are spicy enough, let me tell you). We usually just serve this with a side of warm tortillas and some sour cream to make little soft tacos. It is so good, I cannot wait for dinner.
Jen’s Green Chile Pork Roast
Ingredients:
¼ cup of canola oil
1 pork shoulder (usually 4 pounds)
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 large can of green chiles
1 small can of diced jalapeños
1 large can of green chile enchilada sauce
1 jar of hot salsa
1½ cups of chicken broth
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lime juice
2 Tablespoons of Mexican hot sauce (I use Tapatio)
1 chipotle chile, diced
1 Tablespoon of chipotle Adobo sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Spice Mixture:
Add 1 Tablespoon of each spice as follows:
Paprika
Cumin
Coriander
Cayenne Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
For Sauce:
1 cup of milk
2 Tablespoons of corn starch or flour
2 tablespoons of sour cream
Crock pot liquid
Directions:
1) In a cast iron skillet, heat canola oil over high heat. Skillet should be really, really hot!
2) Season roast with salt and pepper on all sides.
3) Sear roast on all sides in cast iron skillet, until brown crust forms. Once brown on all sides, remove from skillet to a platter and set aside.
4) In a large capacity slow cooker combine chicken broth, ½ of spice mixture, diced onions, celery, garlic, green chiles, jalapeños, potatoes, lemon juice, lime juice, hot sauce, chipotle, Adobo sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. This should form a bed on the bottom of the slow cooker.
5) Add seared pork roast on top of other ingredients (directly on top of bed).
6) Sprinkle remaining spice mix over roast.
7) Pour jar of salsa over roast.
8) Pour can of enchilada sauce over roast (over salsa). Make sure meat is almost all the way submerged.
9) Cook on high for 6 hours. Then, switch to low for 2 hours. Total cook time should be 8 hours.
To Make Green Chile Sauce:
1) Remove roast, all potatoes, and veggies from slow cooker to a platter. No large chunks should be left in slow cooker. Keep slow cooker temperature on low.
2) In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of milk, 2 heaping tablespoons of flour or corn starch, and 2 heaping Tablespoons of sour cream. Wisk together to combine thoroughly.
3) Add crock pot liquid to milk mixture, by ladleful to temper.
4) Once tempered, add entire mixture back to crock pot and whisk to thicken sauce.
5) Serve finished sauce over roast and potatoes, with warm tortillas.
Jen's Notes:
For a smoother sauce, you can blend it right in the slow cooker with an immersion blender (aka stick blender). Also, you can garnish this meal with sour cream, fresh guacamole, and/or diced tomatoes.
The Result:
Fantastic! The husband loved it. He was so excited that I made his favorite. I have a ton of leftovers, so I am going to morph them into tonight's dinner. What can I say, I like to keep the husband happy.
It is kind of a pain to make, even with the use of my slow cooker. There are a lot of little steps, and it takes a full 8 hours to cook. Part of the cook time is on low and part is on high, so you have to stick around to switch it over. It is a really big cut of meat, so there is a ton of leftovers that need to be dealt with, as well. I think I am going to keep half of the meat separate so I can re-purpose it later, as another dish(possibly Sunday or Monday). There are potatoes already in it, so I don't need a starch component, and I think I may just skip the veggies tonight too. It is a lot of food, as it is. I figure I paid my dues last night by eating brussel sprouts (bleeach) so I deserve a veggie night off.
I should caution that this is really spicy. Not just spicy, but super-spicy. Light your hair on fire, spicy. Sweat and get light-headed spicy. I am not kidding...it is spicy! Luckily, my kid is just like his mother...he can eat spicy food like it is going out of style. I do usually tone his down a little by not putting the green sauce on it. He really just eats the meat and potatoes (which are spicy enough, let me tell you). We usually just serve this with a side of warm tortillas and some sour cream to make little soft tacos. It is so good, I cannot wait for dinner.
Jen’s Green Chile Pork Roast
Ingredients:
¼ cup of canola oil
1 pork shoulder (usually 4 pounds)
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 large can of green chiles
1 small can of diced jalapeños
1 large can of green chile enchilada sauce
1 jar of hot salsa
1½ cups of chicken broth
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lime juice
2 Tablespoons of Mexican hot sauce (I use Tapatio)
1 chipotle chile, diced
1 Tablespoon of chipotle Adobo sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Spice Mixture:
Add 1 Tablespoon of each spice as follows:
Paprika
Cumin
Coriander
Cayenne Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
For Sauce:
1 cup of milk
2 Tablespoons of corn starch or flour
2 tablespoons of sour cream
Crock pot liquid
Directions:
1) In a cast iron skillet, heat canola oil over high heat. Skillet should be really, really hot!
2) Season roast with salt and pepper on all sides.
3) Sear roast on all sides in cast iron skillet, until brown crust forms. Once brown on all sides, remove from skillet to a platter and set aside.
4) In a large capacity slow cooker combine chicken broth, ½ of spice mixture, diced onions, celery, garlic, green chiles, jalapeños, potatoes, lemon juice, lime juice, hot sauce, chipotle, Adobo sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. This should form a bed on the bottom of the slow cooker.
5) Add seared pork roast on top of other ingredients (directly on top of bed).
6) Sprinkle remaining spice mix over roast.
7) Pour jar of salsa over roast.
8) Pour can of enchilada sauce over roast (over salsa). Make sure meat is almost all the way submerged.
9) Cook on high for 6 hours. Then, switch to low for 2 hours. Total cook time should be 8 hours.
To Make Green Chile Sauce:
1) Remove roast, all potatoes, and veggies from slow cooker to a platter. No large chunks should be left in slow cooker. Keep slow cooker temperature on low.
2) In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of milk, 2 heaping tablespoons of flour or corn starch, and 2 heaping Tablespoons of sour cream. Wisk together to combine thoroughly.
3) Add crock pot liquid to milk mixture, by ladleful to temper.
4) Once tempered, add entire mixture back to crock pot and whisk to thicken sauce.
5) Serve finished sauce over roast and potatoes, with warm tortillas.
Jen's Notes:
For a smoother sauce, you can blend it right in the slow cooker with an immersion blender (aka stick blender). Also, you can garnish this meal with sour cream, fresh guacamole, and/or diced tomatoes.
The Result:
Fantastic! The husband loved it. He was so excited that I made his favorite. I have a ton of leftovers, so I am going to morph them into tonight's dinner. What can I say, I like to keep the husband happy.
September 14, 2008
Green Chile Chicken Soft Tacos
So, I am back to recipe stalking my friend Claire. She had this dish a few nights ago, and said that she really liked it. Although, her husband claimed it was a bit too spicy. HA! I laugh in the face of spicy...I scoff at spicy....I revel in spicy! Double HA! What I am trying to say, is that we like really spicy food. It is originally from my new favorite cookbook/chef Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless. I think I have sufficiently covered my Rick Bayless fanaticism in the past...so we will move on.
I scored some fresh, still-warm-when-I-bought-'em, corn tortillas today. They will be perfect with this meal. I am contemplating eating one right now, straight out of the bag...but I am trying to practice a little restraint.
The above-mentioned Claire and I took a trip into the ghetto this afternoon to go to the local, Mexican grocery store. I think we were a little over confident, because it was somewhat scary. It was like taking a trip south of the border. I expected to see Federales standing by the meat counter. This place made Walmart seem like a Macy's.
Speaking of the meat counter...there was a certain odor that smelled a little too native for my liking, and there was a whole cows' head on display...sans fur. It was not too far down from the pork chorizo I purchased in the meat case. Let me tell you, it was like a train wreck...I could not stop staring at it! Yup, a whole cows head...with eyes, and teeth and everything. That was almost a little too close to the food chain for us. I thought pregnant Claire was gonna lose it. As a prissy American, I prefer to think of my meat wrapped in foam trays and cellophane; not with teeth and eyelashes. Anyway, other hijinx ensued. There was a definite language barrier, as was evident when I tried to purchase fresh cheese. I tried to brush up on my conversational Spanish before our trip, but it was not enough. I got my cheese and I think I may have insulted the cheese ladies' mother in the process. To be fair, there were some really good deals, and they had a lot of Hispanic specialty items that I would not be able to find anywhere else (well, duh). But, seriously, I thought the Border Patrol was going to check our papers as we left the market.
Needless to say, I was so impacted by my cultural experience today, I decided to celebrate my life lessons in diversity with some tacos for dinner! Ole`!
Green Chile Chicken Soft Tacos
Ingredients:
2 large fresh poblano chilies
2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil (divided use)
1 large white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
Salt
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves
Ground black pepper
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or crushed thru a garlic press
12 warm corn tortilla, store bought or homemade
3/4 cup roasted tomatillo salsa, guacamole, or bottled salsa or hot sauce, for serving.
Directions:
Roast the poblanos over an open flame or 4 inches below a broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for an open flame, 10 minutes for the broiler. Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and let cool until you can handle them.
Turn on (or adjust) the oven to its lowest setting. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a very large skillet over medium high. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden but still crunchy, 4-5 minutes. Scoot into a heatproof serving bowl, leaving as much oil as possible in the skillet, and slide it into the oven. Set the skillet aside.
Rub the blackened skin off the chiles and pull out the stems and seed pods. Rinse the chiles to remove bits of skin and seeds. Cut into 1/4-inch strips and stir into the onions. Taste and season with salt, usually a generous teaspoon. Return the bowl to the oven.
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil. When the oil is hot, lay in the chicken breasts. Brown on one side, about 5 minutes, then flip and finish cooking on the other side, about 4 minutes more. When the meat is done, add the lime juice and garlic to the skillet. Turn the chicken in the lime mixture for a minute or so, until the juice has reduced to a glaze and coats the chicken.
Cut the chicken breasts into 1/4-inch strips and toss with the onion-poblano mixture. Taste and season with additional salt if you think necessary. Serve with the warm tortillas and salsa, guacamole, or hot sauce for making soft tacos.
Jen's Notes:
I think there is one thing that needs to be clarified with this recipe, which has to do with removing the skins on the peppers. I took a Mexican cooking class a while back, and they taught me how to do it a bit differently. I roast mine over the open gas flame on my stove (as indicated). However, instead of covering with a towel, I learned that you place the roasted peppers in a glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. This allows the residual steam and heat condensation to loosen the pepper skin, making it much easier to peel. After you let them sit for about 15-20 minutes, the skin will just rub off with your fingers (or a paper towel) and they will not be too hot to handle. It is important to not rinse with water or rub all the black char off, since it lends flavor to your dish.
Claire mentioned having trouble with the chiles, and I blame the above instructions. I think the directions written in this recipe, for this method, is certainly not the easiest way peel these chiles. What can I say...Rick Bayless is not perfect...but his flaw only makes me love him even more.
I scored some fresh, still-warm-when-I-bought-'em, corn tortillas today. They will be perfect with this meal. I am contemplating eating one right now, straight out of the bag...but I am trying to practice a little restraint.
The above-mentioned Claire and I took a trip into the ghetto this afternoon to go to the local, Mexican grocery store. I think we were a little over confident, because it was somewhat scary. It was like taking a trip south of the border. I expected to see Federales standing by the meat counter. This place made Walmart seem like a Macy's.
Speaking of the meat counter...there was a certain odor that smelled a little too native for my liking, and there was a whole cows' head on display...sans fur. It was not too far down from the pork chorizo I purchased in the meat case. Let me tell you, it was like a train wreck...I could not stop staring at it! Yup, a whole cows head...with eyes, and teeth and everything. That was almost a little too close to the food chain for us. I thought pregnant Claire was gonna lose it. As a prissy American, I prefer to think of my meat wrapped in foam trays and cellophane; not with teeth and eyelashes. Anyway, other hijinx ensued. There was a definite language barrier, as was evident when I tried to purchase fresh cheese. I tried to brush up on my conversational Spanish before our trip, but it was not enough. I got my cheese and I think I may have insulted the cheese ladies' mother in the process. To be fair, there were some really good deals, and they had a lot of Hispanic specialty items that I would not be able to find anywhere else (well, duh). But, seriously, I thought the Border Patrol was going to check our papers as we left the market.
Needless to say, I was so impacted by my cultural experience today, I decided to celebrate my life lessons in diversity with some tacos for dinner! Ole`!
Green Chile Chicken Soft Tacos
Ingredients:
2 large fresh poblano chilies
2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil (divided use)
1 large white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
Salt
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves
Ground black pepper
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or crushed thru a garlic press
12 warm corn tortilla, store bought or homemade
3/4 cup roasted tomatillo salsa, guacamole, or bottled salsa or hot sauce, for serving.
Directions:
Roast the poblanos over an open flame or 4 inches below a broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for an open flame, 10 minutes for the broiler. Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and let cool until you can handle them.
Turn on (or adjust) the oven to its lowest setting. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a very large skillet over medium high. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden but still crunchy, 4-5 minutes. Scoot into a heatproof serving bowl, leaving as much oil as possible in the skillet, and slide it into the oven. Set the skillet aside.
Rub the blackened skin off the chiles and pull out the stems and seed pods. Rinse the chiles to remove bits of skin and seeds. Cut into 1/4-inch strips and stir into the onions. Taste and season with salt, usually a generous teaspoon. Return the bowl to the oven.
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil. When the oil is hot, lay in the chicken breasts. Brown on one side, about 5 minutes, then flip and finish cooking on the other side, about 4 minutes more. When the meat is done, add the lime juice and garlic to the skillet. Turn the chicken in the lime mixture for a minute or so, until the juice has reduced to a glaze and coats the chicken.
Cut the chicken breasts into 1/4-inch strips and toss with the onion-poblano mixture. Taste and season with additional salt if you think necessary. Serve with the warm tortillas and salsa, guacamole, or hot sauce for making soft tacos.
Jen's Notes:
I think there is one thing that needs to be clarified with this recipe, which has to do with removing the skins on the peppers. I took a Mexican cooking class a while back, and they taught me how to do it a bit differently. I roast mine over the open gas flame on my stove (as indicated). However, instead of covering with a towel, I learned that you place the roasted peppers in a glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. This allows the residual steam and heat condensation to loosen the pepper skin, making it much easier to peel. After you let them sit for about 15-20 minutes, the skin will just rub off with your fingers (or a paper towel) and they will not be too hot to handle. It is important to not rinse with water or rub all the black char off, since it lends flavor to your dish.
Claire mentioned having trouble with the chiles, and I blame the above instructions. I think the directions written in this recipe, for this method, is certainly not the easiest way peel these chiles. What can I say...Rick Bayless is not perfect...but his flaw only makes me love him even more.
July 17, 2008
Jen's Green Enchilada Surprise
Tonight’s dinner selection is born out of the necessity to use ingredients that I have on hand, and my current obsession with South of the Border cuisine. I have been on a major Mexican food kick lately, thanks to my recent purchase of a tortilla press and my Mexican Everyday cookbook by Rick Bayless. If you get a chance, this is one of the easiest to follow, authentic, Mexican cookbooks that I have seen in a while. All the recipes are fairly healthy, completely flavorful and geared toward the quick weeknight meal. I digress….back to our dinner.
I had some chicken thighs thawed to use last night. Since I preempted last nights dinner in favor of Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice, I had to figure out something to do with the chicken thighs I had thawed. After all, I cannot justify wasting perfectly delicious chicken parts! I was worried about keeping them uncooked until today, so I just baked them in the oven at 375 degrees with just a little salt, pepper, and olive oil for about 45 minutes, yesterday afternoon. Then, I reserved the cooked, bone-in, skin-on thighs in a plastic container for tonight’s meal. Today, I took the skin and bone off the chicken and shredded the meat with a fork.
I also have some fresh cilantro, corn on the cob, whole wheat tortillas, and crème fraiche to use up (which is similar to sour cream or Mexican creme, but thicker). I dug in my pantry and found the rest of the ingredients that sound pretty tasty to me, so I am going to concoct my own version of green chile chicken enchiladas.
This is a recipe that I have made before, but since there is no official recipe I usually vary it based on what I have and what needs to be used. This will be the first time that I am actually writing out the directions and ingredients in a recipe format. Since I don’t actually measure anything when I cook, all measurements will be approximated and can be adjusted to your individual tastes. Also, feel free to add or delete ingredients as you wish. My ingredient list is long, since I am trying to use some things up. For example, I like super-spicy food. If you think something may be too spicy for your taste, just leave it out. How easy is that! This is a useful idea for leftover chicken that you may have on hand. Are you excited???? I know I am. Let’s Cook!
Jen’s Green Enchilada Surprise
2 Tbsp of canola oil
1-2 cups of boneless, skinless cooked chicken, shredded or diced into cubes
5 cloves of minced garlic
1 diced yellow onion
1 small (7.76 oz) can of green salsa, medium (I use La Cosenta brand)
1 small can of diced green chiles
½ small can of diced jalapeños or pickled, sliced jalapeños
1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and diced
1 large can (1 lb. 12 oz.) of green chile enchilada sauce (I use Macayos or Las Palmas brands)
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp coriander
1 tsp Ancho Chile Power
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Approx. 6 -12 tortillas of your liking, depending on size
(I usually use Guerrero Whole Wheat tortillas)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sour cream (or Mexican creme, or crème fraiche thinned with a little milk)
2 cups of shredded jack cheese, divided
¼ cup of queso fresco and 1/4 cup of Cotija cheese, combined (for garnish)
Cooking spray
Water, as needed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a larger skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Sauté diced yellow onion until soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté for additional 2 minutes. Do not let the garlic burn. Add cooked chicken, green chiles, chipotle peppers, jalapeños, green salsa, cumin, coriander, Ancho chile powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add water, as needed. I use the small salsa can and add 1 can of water to mixture. Stir to combine thoroughly. Turn heat down to medium simmer, and heat mixture through until all ingredients are warmed/sauce thickened; approximately 5-10 minutes. Turn heat off and set aside.
Spray a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish with cooking spray. Open can of green enchilada sauce and pour approx 1/3 of can in bottom of glass casserole dish. Spoon chicken mixture into each tortilla to desired filling amount. Take 1 cup of shredded jack cheese and sprinkle a little bit of cheese in each tortilla with chicken mixture. Roll filled tortillas and place into glass casserole dish, seam side down (on top of green enchilada sauce). Pour remaining green chile enchilada sauce over rolled tortillas, covering evenly. Take remaining 1 cup of shredded jack cheese and sprinkle over top of enchiladas. Bake uncovered for approximately ½ hour at 350 degrees; until cheese is golden and bubbly and edges of tortillas are very slightly browned and crisp.
Remove enchiladas from oven and let cool for approximately 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle top with queso fresco/Cotija cheese mixture and chopped fresh cilantro. Cut and serve with a dollop of sour cream (or Mexican creme, or thinned crème fraiche instead) on top of each portion.
Jen's Notes:
I think I am also going to top ours with a few diced tomatoes and mashed avocado. I typically like to mash my avocado with some lime or lemon juice and kosher salt and serve as a topping on each portion.
For a side dish, I just serve this with a simple salad. I have some baby spinach to use up, so it looks like we will have a spinach salad on the side and maybe some corn on the cob that we have had for a while.
Again, this seems labor intensive but it is really easy. Just put ingredients in a skillet, heat through, stuff tortillas, and bake. I am looking forward to this dinner, since we have not had it in a while. Yum!
I had some chicken thighs thawed to use last night. Since I preempted last nights dinner in favor of Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice, I had to figure out something to do with the chicken thighs I had thawed. After all, I cannot justify wasting perfectly delicious chicken parts! I was worried about keeping them uncooked until today, so I just baked them in the oven at 375 degrees with just a little salt, pepper, and olive oil for about 45 minutes, yesterday afternoon. Then, I reserved the cooked, bone-in, skin-on thighs in a plastic container for tonight’s meal. Today, I took the skin and bone off the chicken and shredded the meat with a fork.
I also have some fresh cilantro, corn on the cob, whole wheat tortillas, and crème fraiche to use up (which is similar to sour cream or Mexican creme, but thicker). I dug in my pantry and found the rest of the ingredients that sound pretty tasty to me, so I am going to concoct my own version of green chile chicken enchiladas.
This is a recipe that I have made before, but since there is no official recipe I usually vary it based on what I have and what needs to be used. This will be the first time that I am actually writing out the directions and ingredients in a recipe format. Since I don’t actually measure anything when I cook, all measurements will be approximated and can be adjusted to your individual tastes. Also, feel free to add or delete ingredients as you wish. My ingredient list is long, since I am trying to use some things up. For example, I like super-spicy food. If you think something may be too spicy for your taste, just leave it out. How easy is that! This is a useful idea for leftover chicken that you may have on hand. Are you excited???? I know I am. Let’s Cook!
Jen’s Green Enchilada Surprise
2 Tbsp of canola oil
1-2 cups of boneless, skinless cooked chicken, shredded or diced into cubes
5 cloves of minced garlic
1 diced yellow onion
1 small (7.76 oz) can of green salsa, medium (I use La Cosenta brand)
1 small can of diced green chiles
½ small can of diced jalapeños or pickled, sliced jalapeños
1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and diced
1 large can (1 lb. 12 oz.) of green chile enchilada sauce (I use Macayos or Las Palmas brands)
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp coriander
1 tsp Ancho Chile Power
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Approx. 6 -12 tortillas of your liking, depending on size
(I usually use Guerrero Whole Wheat tortillas)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sour cream (or Mexican creme, or crème fraiche thinned with a little milk)
2 cups of shredded jack cheese, divided
¼ cup of queso fresco and 1/4 cup of Cotija cheese, combined (for garnish)
Cooking spray
Water, as needed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a larger skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Sauté diced yellow onion until soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté for additional 2 minutes. Do not let the garlic burn. Add cooked chicken, green chiles, chipotle peppers, jalapeños, green salsa, cumin, coriander, Ancho chile powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add water, as needed. I use the small salsa can and add 1 can of water to mixture. Stir to combine thoroughly. Turn heat down to medium simmer, and heat mixture through until all ingredients are warmed/sauce thickened; approximately 5-10 minutes. Turn heat off and set aside.
Spray a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish with cooking spray. Open can of green enchilada sauce and pour approx 1/3 of can in bottom of glass casserole dish. Spoon chicken mixture into each tortilla to desired filling amount. Take 1 cup of shredded jack cheese and sprinkle a little bit of cheese in each tortilla with chicken mixture. Roll filled tortillas and place into glass casserole dish, seam side down (on top of green enchilada sauce). Pour remaining green chile enchilada sauce over rolled tortillas, covering evenly. Take remaining 1 cup of shredded jack cheese and sprinkle over top of enchiladas. Bake uncovered for approximately ½ hour at 350 degrees; until cheese is golden and bubbly and edges of tortillas are very slightly browned and crisp.
Remove enchiladas from oven and let cool for approximately 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle top with queso fresco/Cotija cheese mixture and chopped fresh cilantro. Cut and serve with a dollop of sour cream (or Mexican creme, or thinned crème fraiche instead) on top of each portion.
Jen's Notes:
I think I am also going to top ours with a few diced tomatoes and mashed avocado. I typically like to mash my avocado with some lime or lemon juice and kosher salt and serve as a topping on each portion.
For a side dish, I just serve this with a simple salad. I have some baby spinach to use up, so it looks like we will have a spinach salad on the side and maybe some corn on the cob that we have had for a while.
Again, this seems labor intensive but it is really easy. Just put ingredients in a skillet, heat through, stuff tortillas, and bake. I am looking forward to this dinner, since we have not had it in a while. Yum!
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