Chicken Enchiladas Verdes - Quick and Easy

My earliest memory of enchiladas verdes was when I was a kid. My parents used to take us to this mexican buffet called Pancho's-- any of you remember it?? Raise the flag! (lol just thinking about it.) By no means was it authentic, but it was cheap, quick, and pretty good for the price. Well, since then, they've closed down many of their locations. Consider yourself lucky if you have one near you...lol (insert sarcasm here:)

In memory of Pancho's, here's a quick and easy enchiladas verde recipe I created on a whim. It was actually pretty good and only takes about thirty minutes to prepare. Comments welcome.

Ingredients:

10-15 white corn tortillas

1 can of green chile sauce

2 cups of white cheese (jack, queso blanco, or white cheddar, etc.)

1 can of diced green chiles and tomatoes (Rotel brand is what I used.)

2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken (I used some left over from a previous dish.)

1/2 cup of canola oil

9 x11 baking dish

Directions:

1. Heat canola oil in shallow pan or skillet on medium heat. Quickly dip one tortilla in the oil until softened (don't leave them in too long, or they will begin to harden.) Lay a tortilla flat and fill with cheese and shredded chicken-- about 1/4 cup of filling down the center. Tightly bring the edges over the filling to close it and then lay the tortilla seam side down in a 9x13 baking dish. Repeat until all of the tortillas are filled.

(excuse the blurry photos... I was having technical difficulties with my camera)

2. Pour verde (green chile) sauce over enchiladas.

3. Add green chiles and tomatoes.

4. Add remainder of chees(es).

5. Heat in oven on 350 degrees for twenty minutes. Cheese should be melted.

6. Let cool for five minutes, and serve with a coordinating side dish. I chose Mexican rice and I mixed in black beans.

Creole Chicken w/ Fried Cabbage

A friend needed a place to stay at one time. I was living alone then, and allowed her and her canine companion to live with me for a month until she saved money for closing costs on her new home. In exchange for my sofa bed, she would cook, clean and do grocery shopping. I never asked her do to these things, she just did. I didn't cook as often then as I do now, because I was single and always on the go-(fast food, delivery and take out where my friends...lol) One day, she created this dish that she said her mother used to make for her all the time growing up. She basically boiled a whole cut chicken and simmered it in tomato sauce and seasonings. She served it over rice, and I must say that it was a delightful detour from the norm.

I decided to make my version of the dish a few weeks ago. Instead of using a whole chicken, I used drumsticks, because that's what I had in the freezer that day. I also thought I'd add some fried cabbage on the side to balance the meal. Have you ever had a friend introduce you to a dish that was part of their family tradition? Please share your comments here.

Creole Chicken w/ Fried Cabbage

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken (cuts of your choice)

2 small cans of tomato paste

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup scallions

1/2 onion

1/2 bell pepper

1/4 cup fresh corn (optional)

1/2 cup of frozen okra (optional)

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper

4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 cup of hot, cooked rice (whole grain is my preference)

for fried cabbage:

1/2 head of fresh green cabbage

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tsp red pepper flakes or ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Rinse and place chicken in a large pot of water. Bring to a rolling boil.

Add all seasonings (salt, pepper and thyme). Continue to boil uncovered for 20 minutes.

Add celery, corn, and okra. Omit items if desired.

Add tomato paste and let simmer until water is reduced by almost half.

Add onions, scallions and bell peppers.

Let simmer for another ten minutes, while you are preparing the cabbage.

Slice cabbage in thin strips, place in frying pan with chicken stock and seasonings.

Simmer on medium heat, covered until cabbage is tender.

Serve chicken over rice, and add cabbage on the side. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Enjoy!

~S

Grilled Chicken Spinach Wraps

I got this idea from reminiscing. When I was in college, there was a food court in the basement of our dormitory adorned with the usual cafeteria style and snack bar foods. On occasion, they would offer something different, to appeal to more tastes. I specifically remember a "build your own wrap" station, in which you could pick from a variety of veggies, beans, rice and/or grilled chicken. They would then pan saute everything you chose in a skillet in front of you, and then wrap it up like a burrito, cut it in half and serve it on a plate (or in my case, most days I would take it to go in a Styrofoam container and go up to my room to study). I miss those wraps...lol They were good, and a great alternative to burgers, pizza, and chicken fingers. What was your favorite food memory from college? Please leave your comments here.

Since I had some left over grilled chicken and corn-black bean salsa from our Mesquite chicken salad, I decided to use my creativity to devour all the ingredients we had left :)

I sautéed some spinach in some virgin olive oil and garlic until tender and prepared some yellow rice (you can use any rice, of course) with diced peppers.

Warm the spinach tortilla wrap in the oven on 375 for five to ten minutes or until warmed throughout. Place a tablespoon of corn/bean salsa mixture in the middle of tortilla.

Add chicken, rice, and sautéed spinach.

Add cheese (optional) . I used jalapeño-jack.

Wrap like a burrito (envelope style) and cut in half.

Yep, it's that quick and easy, and it's a great snack or a fancy-smansy lunch box alternative to the usual turkey sandwich. Enjoy!

Asian Stir Fry with Chicken

The hubby and I were in need of some major veggie intake. I thought of going to Pei Wei to pick up some take out, but I figured we could save money buy making our own Asian dish. I came up with the idea of doing a stir fry; Hubby liked the idea. So, I picked up a pack of chicken breast tenders and some fresh veggies - a broccoli crown head and two carrots. Then, I came across the section with asian seasonings, and picked up a NOH Asian stir fry seasoning packet. I had onions, bellpeppers and rice at home already.

*I used half the package of chicken breast tenders (approx. 8 tenders) , but feel free to use more if you'd like.

1. Rinse chicken tenders, and place in a skillet. I used a frying pan with three inch sides.

2. Season chicken with a sprinke of paprika and garlic powder and a dash of salt. Cook for ten minutes on a medium high heat on both sides.

3. Add a half cup of water, and simmer chicken on low heat, covered for another ten minutes.

4. In the meantime, prepare your water for your rice and cut veggies:

• In a sauce pan, bring 1 1/2 cups of water and a dash of salt to a rolling boil. After water starts boiling, add 3/4 cup of rice. I used Mahatma Whole Grain rice. Simmer covered on low heat for approximately 12-15 minutes.

• Julienne one bellpper.
• Coarsely chop a half of onion.
• Cut off the stem of the brocolli and break or cut the individual heads off.
• Use a potato peeler to remove outter skin from carrot (I used one carrot, but again, you may use more if you'd like.) Cut the ends of the carrot off, and proceed to shave the carrot in short strokes until all the carrot is complete. {Note: I shave my carrots for a stir fry because it takes less time to cook. You may prepare your carrots any way you like.) It's easier to shave if you cut the carrot in half.
• Please all veggies in collander, mix and rinse with water.

5. Chicken breast should be tender and moist at this point. Break up chicken into bite-sized pieces with a spatula or fork. Prepare seasoning packet according to instructions (You just have to add water and whisk in the powder in the packet.) Add all veggies to chicken in the skillet and increase heat to medium temperature. Pour in sauce mixture.

Cover and cook for about 5-8 minutes, or until the veggies are tender enough to stick a fork through, but still firm and bright colored.

6. Check rice to make sure it's fluffy and no water remains in saucepan. If there is still water in the pan, replace cover and continue to cook for a few more minutes.

Serve stir-fry over rice in a bowl. Add salt/pepper or low-sodium soy sauce to taste if needed. Yummy, quick and healthy.

**I also purchased a General Tso's seasoning packet as well. I'll let you all know how it comes out!

Enjoy,

Sher~