Chicken Mole Enchiladas

Wow! Ive totally been M.I.A for a while havent I? Im sorry! I promise I will start updating this thing on a more regular basis. I just couldnt seem to be able to get back into the swing of things after the holidays.

Have you guys saw the new show on the Food Network called Mexican Made Easy?? It comes on Saturday mornings at 9:30. The host is Marcella Valladolid. Its so nice to see a new face on FN. I love this show. If you havent saw it yet, you must.

This is the first recipe that Ive tried for Mexican Made Easy and I can tell you that I definately wont be my last. This meal is very messy once you start rolling the enchiladas but its worth every bit of it! I know it sounds a bit weird with the combo of some of the ingredients but trust me, its SOO good.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

olive oil

5 dried ancho chiles. stemmed and seeded

1/2 cup hot water

handful of tortilla chips

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 medium onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 3/4 cups chicken stock – I used about 2 cups

3 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp dried oregano

5.5 oz Mexican chocolate- I used 1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

12 corn tortillas, warmed

1/4 cup mexican crema

3/4 cup queso fresco

　

Directions:

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Boil until cooked though. Cool and set aside.

For the Mole: Reconstitute the dried anchos by soaking them in 1 1/2-2cups hot water for 15-20 mins. Drain and set aside In a large saucepan, heat the oil over med heat. Add the onions, season with a little salt and saute 3 mins. Then add garlic and cook 2 mins more. Transfer onion and garlic mixture to blender along with handful of tortilla chips, chicken stock,peanut butter, sugar, and oregano. Blend until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a med skillet and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in the chocolate and cinnamon. Season the mole with salt and pepper to taste. Reserve 1 cup of mole for garnishing the enchiladas, the rest will be used for dipping the tortillas.

To assemble the enchiladas: Re-heat the shredded chicken if needed. Heat tortillas in microwave until warm (recipe calls for the tortillas to be dipped in hot oil and fried 2 mins to warm, I just microwaved to save calories/fat). One by one, dip warm tortillas into the warm mole (which should be right next to the pan for easy dipping) and place on a cutting board. Working quickly, put about 1/3 cup of chicken in the center. Roll the tortilla like a cigar. Place in serving dish seam side down. Continue to fill all of the tortillas and place them side by side. Pour the remaining, reserved Mole over the top, drizzle with a little mexican crema, sprinkle with queso fresco, and serve.

Quesadilla Casserole

This recipe is SUPER simple and very good. It tastes like something I would get at a mexican restaurant. Its also a very cheap thing to make.

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/quesadilla-casserole/

Ingredients:

3 tbsp oil- I used canola

1 small onion, chopped

2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained- reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid

1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

5 10 in. flour tortillas

8 oz. mont. jack cheese- I used one bag of Weight Watchers Mexican blend cheese

1 cup green enchilada sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat oil in skillet. Saute onions for about 5 mins or until tender. Stir in one can of the beans.  Mash into a chunky paste. Stir in reserved liquid.

In bowl, combine corn, parlsley, and remaining can of beans.

Spray a cast iron skillet with cooking spray and lay in one tortilla. Spread on   1/3 cup black bean mash. Top with some corn mixture and cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, corn mixture, black bean mash, and cheese.

Bake about 30 mins.  Serve with enchilada sauce.

 

 

Tex-Mex Quesadillas

This recipe comes from the Novice Chef blog. These quesadillas are some of the best Ive ever ate. My brother even said they tasted better than Taco Bell’s quesadillas! The cilantro and lime juice give this a fresh pop of flavor. Delish!

Ingredients:

1 pkg perdue carved chicken breast- I used 3 big boneless skinless chicken breasts

6 tortillas

1 tbsp butter

1 cup shredded mexican cheese- I used Weight Watchers

fresh cilantro

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 lime

1 onion, diced

salt & pepper

I also used a few dashes of hot sauce

Sour cream and pico de gallo for garnish

Directions:

Melt butter in skillet. Saute onions until they begin getting soft. Add in chicken, garlic, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Cook about 5 mins.

Heat another large skillet. Spray with nonstick spray. Lay down one tortilla. Top with some of the cheese, chicken mixture, lime juice, and cilantro leaves. Sprinkle with a little more cheese and top with second tortilla. Cook about 2 mins per side or until cheese is melted. Slice into 6 triangles and garnish with sour cream and pico de gallo.

* I wanted to take a pic of the inside of the quesadillas but got excited and forgot, sorry!

Ancho Chicken Tortilla Soup

Until I made this, I never really even knew that ancho chiles existed!  This soup is very good and filling. I dont know if it was the beer or the anchos but this is the best tortilla soup Ive had. I even froze the leftovers for later!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/ancho-chicken-tortilla-soup-recipe2/index.html

 

Ingredients:

6 flour tortillas

cooking spray

2 large ancho chiles, seeded and stemmed- I used 4 medium ones

1 qt chicken stock

2 tbsp veg oil

2 ears corn, husked, kernals removed

1 large onion, chopped

2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

1 tbsp honey

1 rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded

salt and pepper

1 bottle beer

2 limes

2 avocados, halved

sour cream and cilantro for garnish

Heat oven to 350. Slice tortillas into strips and spread onto cookie sheet. Spray with cooking spray and bake until brown and crispy. Reserve.

While tortillas crisp, add anchos and chicken stock to med. sauce pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chiles are tender. Cool.

Heat veg oil in large skillet or soup pot. Add corn and saute until slightly charred. Reduce heat and add in onions, jalapenos, and garlic. Season with cumin, cinnamon, paprika, and salt and pepper. Saute about 5 mins. Stir in tomatoes. Add in beer to deglaze pan and cook about 1 min.  Puree anchos and chicken stock in food processor. Stir into soup mixture. Add in honey, chicken, and salt and pepper.  Simmer about 5 mins to let the flavors combine. Add lime juice to soup.  Seed and dice avocado. Add a few tortilla strips and some of the chopped avocado to bottom of soup bowl and ladle in some of the tortilla soup. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a little cilantro.

 

Fajita Chilaquiles Casserole

I saw this recipe a few days ago on the Rachael Ray show and wanted to try it ASAP! We loved it. Very simple to make and it was delicious! Ill definately be making this again.

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/fajita-chilaquiles-casserole/

 

Tacos!!

I made tacos tonight which I LOVE! They are so simple and quick and really tasty!

-1 lb ground turkey breast1 tbsp. chili powder
3/4 cup water

2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. each ground cumin, garlic powder, paprika, powdered oregano and sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

lettuce-shredded

cherry tomatoes-halved

1 cup shredded white cheddar

flour tortillas

salsa

taco sauce

 

Brown turkey in a little olive oil. Sprinkle in seasonings and add water. Let simmer about 15 mins or until almost all of the water is absorbed. I served mine with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cheddar, taco sauce and salsa!