The Nifty Foodie

There are some dishes that just were not meant to be photographed by me. I’ve attempted to take pictures of these enchiladas 4 separate times, and something always goes wrong. So, the result is a picture of an enchilada with a torn tortilla…enchiladas, you win. The resulting dish just isn’t pretty. In this case, looks are very deceiving, y’all. These enchiladas are even better than the ones at my favorite tex-mex joint! I absolutely love them, and this is now our go-to recipe.

The first time I tried enchiladas was actually in college. See, I don’t like beans, and for some reason, I always thought every enchilada had beans. So, when one of my friends ordered them, insisting the ones at a restaurant were the best ever, I asked her what was in them. When she didn’t say beans, I had to try them. Why was I deprived for so long? Now, I usually order enchiladas when we go out for tex-mex. I prefer enchiladas to fajitas…crazy, eh?

Chicken Enchiladas
Source: mildly adapted from Pink Parsley Blog, originally from America’s Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion
• 2 jalapenos, 1 seeded (the other not, for an extra kick)
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 3 medium cloves garlic, grated with a microplane or minced
• 3 Tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 large roma tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (most of the times, we only need 1 large chicken breast…2 is just too many)
• 1 cup extra sharp white cheddar, shredded
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
• cooking spray
• salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place onion and jalapenos in a food processor until chopped very fine.
2. Combine the onion, jalapenos, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Cook the sauce on medium-low, until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.
3. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through (thickest part reaches 160 degrees), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool.
4. Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the onions to a large bowl and set aside. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.
5. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the onion mixture, and add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine.
6. Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap; Microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40-60 seconds. Working with the tortillas one at a time, spoon 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture on the left side. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish.
7. Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly (skip this step if you don’t like the crunch…my husband loves a good bit of crunch to these).
8. Reduce heat to 400. Remove enchiladas and pour sauce evenly on top. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil, and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until heated through.
9. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I can’t believe it’s April already. Wasn’t I just wrapping Christmas gifts last week or something? With Spring in full force, it’s time to fork out the grill! I absolutely LOVE warmer months, because I’m a sucker for grilled everything! Also, usually my husband volunteers to do the cooking on grilling nights. (Win!)

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

Source:  The Way the Cookie Crumbles, originally by Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup juice from 2 to 3 limes
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1½ teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 1½ tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
• table salt and ground black pepper
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds), trimmed of fat, tenderloins removed, pounded to ½-inch thickness
• 1 large red onion (about 14 ounces), peeled and cut into ½-inch-thick rounds (do not separate rings)
• 1 large red bell pepper (about 10 ounces), quartered, stemmed, and seeded
• 1 large green bell pepper (about 10 ounces), quartered, stemmed, and seeded
• 8-12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 4 tablespoons oil, garlic, Worcestershire, brown sugar, jalapeno, cilantro, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Reserve ¼ cup marinade in a small bowl; set aside. Add another teaspoon salt to the remaining marinade. Place the chicken in the marinade; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes. Brush both sides of the onion rounds and the peppers with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it smooth side down on the hotter side of the grill; discard the remaining marinade. Place the onion rounds and peppers (skin side down) on the cooler side of the grill. Cook the chicken until it’s well browned, 4 to 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken and continue grilling until it’s no longer pink when cut into with a paring knife or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers about 160 degrees, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Meanwhile, cook the peppers until spottily charred and crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice as needed; cook the onions until tender and charred on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 to 4 minutes. When the chicken and vegetables are done, transfer them to a large plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
3. Working in 2 or 3 batches, place the tortillas in a single layer on the cooler side of the now-empty grill and cook until warm and lightly browned, about 20 seconds per side (do not grill too long or the tortillas will become brittle). As the tortillas are done, wrap them in a kitchen towel or a large sheet of foil.
4. Separate the onions into rings and place them in a medium bowl; slice the bell peppers lengthwise into ¼-inch strips and place them in the bowl with the onions. Add 2 tablespoons reserved unused marinade to the vegetables and toss well to combine. Slice the chicken into ¼-inch strips and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons reserved marinade in another bowl; arrange the chicken and vegetables on a large platter and serve with the warmed tortillas.

I am a big time fan of Mexican food. I can eat quesadillas, fajitas, queso and rice until my stomach wants to explode. I could probably eat this stuff everyday, but if I did, I’m sure my jeans would tell me to take a hike! One of my favorite things is Mexican rice, especially at this local Mexican joint. I’ve never found an adequate at-home replacement, and I thought I would give this a shot.

I’m so sad that this stuff turned out bland bland bland. I worked on this darn side dish on a work night, only to be disappointed. Maybe it needed more salt? Anyway, I will say it was dynamite when mixed with some carmelized onions and veggies that I cooked for the fajitas.

I don’t even know what went wrong (anyone have tips?), but the search continues….

EDIT: After making this again, I realized I must not have rinsed the rice long enough. The recipe turned out spectacular!

Mexican Rice
Source: Annie’s Eats (originally from Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
• 1 medium white onion, peeled, trimmed and quartered
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 3 medium jalapenos, ribbed, seeded and minced
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro (optional)
• 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and move a rack to the middle position.  Process tomatoes and onions in the food processor until smooth and thoroughly pureed, about 15 seconds, scraping down the bowl if necessary.  Transfer the mixture a liquid measuring cup; you should have 2 cups (if necessary, spoon off excess or add water so that the volume equals 2 cups).   
2. Place the rice in a large fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Shake rice vigorously in strainer to remove all excess water.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed oven-safe Dutch oven or straight-sided sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the rice and fry, stirring frequently, until it is golden and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium; add the garlic and minced jalapenos; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Stir in pureed tomatoes and onions, chicken broth, tomato paste and salt; increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.  Cover the pan an transfer to the oven; bake until the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring well after 15 minutes.

We’ve had some skirt steak sitting in the freezer for a couple of months, so I decided to try my hand at making fajitas with this stuff. The meat can tend to be a little tough, so I figured the crockpot would help. I kind of made this recipe up in my head, so it was a big experimen! Luckily, these were very flavorful, and while the meat wasn’t super tender, it was much better than just cooking it on a skillet and serving it!

Crockpot Steak Fajitas

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. skirt steak, cut into strips
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 tbsp. taco seasoning
• 2 tbsp. olive oil (divided)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Add 1 tbsp. oil to a skillet on medium-high and allow it to heat up. Add steak pieces in with the taco seasoning and brown them. Don’t fully cook the pieces, but give it a little sear.
2. In a 2 qt. crockpot, add the water, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Add the seared steak and leftover oil.
3. Cook on low for 2.5 – 3 hours.
4. After the meat is cooked, add oil and a tsp. each of salt and pepper to a skillet and cook down onions and bell peppers on medium-high.
5. Toss in meat with 3 tbsp. seasoned liquid from the crockpot and cook the mixture for another 2-3 minutes or until the majority of the liquid has cooked off.

Serve with warmed soft tortillas and other toppings! Enjoy!

Ok, so I’m gonna give you all a crawfish break today. I just HAD to share this recipe ASAP, because it’s just awesome.

This is a different recipe than the enchiladas I am used to (the ones with red sauce), but I had some leftover crockpot chicken that we used for tacos the night before (which I didn’t photograph, but I will share the recipe) and wanted to make sure that I used up the leftovers. I found this recipe on AllRecipes and thought that it sounded pretty interesting. So, I decided to give it a try!

This recipe is very easy to put together, and was so yummy. My husband absolutely loved these, so I’m definitely going to have to make them again!

Chicken Enchiladas
Source: AllRecipes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast meat (used shredded leftover chicken taco meat. Recipe below)
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 6 (12 inch) flour tortillas
• 1/4 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking dish.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the green onion until tender (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the garlic powder, then stir in the green chiles, cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. Mix well. Reserve 3/4 of this sauce and set aside. To the remaining 1/4 of the sauce in the saucepan, add the chicken and 1/2 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese. Stir together.
3. Fill each flour tortilla with the chicken mixture and roll up. Place seam side down in the prepared baking dish.

 

Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Source: The Nest (Houston Nesties board)

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken taco seasoning packet
• 2-3 frozen chicken breasts
• Fresh pico de gallo (12-16 oz.)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Sprinkle the seasoning packet all over the bottom of the crockpot. Lay the frozen chicken breasts on top.
2. Pour the pico de gallo on top and add the olive oil and water. Do not stir!
3. Allow the chicken to cook in the crockpot for 4-6 hours on low. Remove chicken and shred with a fork, then add back in the crockpot, stir the sauce and let it cook for 30 more minutes on low.
4. In a small bowl combine the reserved 3/4 of the sauce with the milk. Spoon this mixture over the rolled tortillas and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.