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Friday, May 22, 2009

Enchiladas Verdes

4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 to 3 breasts), trimmed of excess fat
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos (16 to 20 medium), husks and stems removed, rinsed well and dried (see note)
3 medium poblano chiles , halved lengthwise, stemmed, and seeded (see note)
1 - 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Table salt

Ground black pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
8 ounces Pepper Jack cheese or Monterey Jack cheese, grated (2 cups)
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Garnish
2 medium scallions , sliced thin

Thinly sliced radishes

Sour cream


1. Adjust oven racks to middle and highest positions and heat broiler. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering; add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons garlic and cumin; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Decrease heat to low and stir in broth. Add chicken, cover, and simmer until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to large bowl; place in refrigerator to cool, about 20 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup liquid from saucepan and set aside; discard remaining liquid.
2. Meanwhile, toss tomatillos and poblanos with remaining 2 teaspoons oil; arrange on rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, with poblanos skin-side up. Broil until vegetables blacken and start to soften, 5 to 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Cool 10 minutes, then remove skin from poblanos (leave tomatillo skins intact). Transfer tomatillos and chiles to food processor. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees. Discard foil from baking sheet and set baking sheet aside for warming tortillas.
3. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, remaining teaspoon garlic, and reserved cooking liquid to food processor; process until sauce is somewhat chunky, about eight 1-second pulses. Taste sauce; season with salt and pepper and adjust tartness by stirring in remaining sugar, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Set sauce aside (you should have about 3 cups).
4. When chicken is cool, pull into shreds using hands or 2 forks, then chop into small bite-sized pieces. Combine chicken with cilantro and 11/2 cups cheese; season with salt.
5. Smear bottom of 13- by 9-inch baking dish with 3/4 cup tomatillo sauce. Place tortillas on 2 baking sheets. Spray both sides of tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Bake until tortillas are soft and pliable, 2 to 4 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Place warm tortillas on countertop and spread 1/3 cup filling down center of each tortilla. Roll each tortilla tightly and place in baking dish, seam-side down. Pour remaining tomatillo sauce over top of enchiladas. Use back of spoon to spread sauce so that it coats top of each tortilla. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and cover baking dish with foil.
6. Bake enchiladas on middle rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with scallions, and serve immediately, passing radishes and sour cream separately.

Windy Ridge Cafe's Mexican Corn Chowder

2 pounds frozen corn kernels, thawed, and drizzled with olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
10 Roma tomatoes, rubbed with olive oil
1 medium red pepper, rubbed with olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 small yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups corn tortilla chips, chopped
Cumin
Chili powder
1 medium avocado, small diced, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Put the oiled corn on a baking sheet and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
Put the oiled tomatoes on another baking sheet and roast them both for 10 to 12 minutes
until the tomato skin blisters and the corn is lightly browned. In a medium skillet,
grill the red pepper over medium-high heat until it is black on each side. Put the tomatoes
and the pepper in the refrigerator, and peel them when they have cooled.


Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion and
garlic and saute. Add the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the
chicken stock, roasted corn, peeled tomatoes, half-and-half, and 1 1/4 cups of the
tortilla chip pieces and mix well. Pour this mixture in a food processor or blender*
and puree until smooth. Strain the chowder, and then season it with cumin, chili powder,
salt, and pepper, to taste. Peel and dice the roasted red pepper. Serve the soup topped
with diced avocado,
red pepper, and the remaining tortilla chip pieces. Serve immediately.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
  • 2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)
  • 1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream
  • nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.


Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.


Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish.
Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.

Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.


Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal.

Killer Bean Dip recipe


1 can (16 oz) Rosarita No Fat Green Chili & Lime Refried Beans
1 can (4 oz) Ortega Fire Roasted Diced Green Chilis - be sure to drain all liquid (can omit chilis or use less per taste)
2-3 fresh Roma tomatoes (diced)(can omit)
1 bottle (16 oz) (but only use 8 oz) Pace Picante Sauce - medium (or you can use Tostito brand salsa - thicker salsa works better)
1 lb brick (but only use 1/3 or 5 oz) Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese - shredded

Spices to taste:Garlic Salt, Ground Cumin, Chili Powder

1 bag (13 oz) Tostitos Bite Size tortilla chips (or your favorite brand)

Recipe DirectionsMix all ingredients, except tomatoes (& chips!), in an 8x8 glass microwavable baking dish. Set microwave for 5 minutes on High. At 1 minute intervals, stir evenly. Remove from microwave and lightly stir in diced tomatoes. Serve with tortilla chips. ENJOY!!