Creamy Chicken Enchilada Lasagna, from Cara

Mix 8oz. of cream cheese with 2/3 of a 16 oz container of light sour cream. Add garlic powder, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne, cilantro... like a LOT of this stuff to make it super tasty.

Saute chicken breasts or tenders in a pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Shred with 2 forks in pan and add 1 diced red bell pepper, 1 can of diced green chilis, and 1 can of diced tomatoes. Cook until peppers are tender.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray. Layer taco sized whole wheat tortillas with the sauce and the chicken mixture in any order you see fit. When you're done with that dump an ass-load of sharp cheddar on top and bake until it is all melty, about 20 minutes.

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Lasagna, from Cara

Mix 8oz. of cream cheese with 2/3 of a 16 oz container of light sour cream. Add garlic powder, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne, cilantro... like a LOT of this stuff to make it super tasty.

Saute chicken breasts or tenders in a pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Shred with 2 forks in pan and add 1 diced red bell pepper, 1 can of diced green chilis, and 1 can of diced tomatoes. Cook until peppers are tender.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray. Layer taco sized whole wheat tortillas with the sauce and the chicken mixture in any order you see fit. When you're done with that dump an ass-load of sharp cheddar on top and bake until it is all melty, about 20 minutes.

Black Bean Burrito Bake, suggested by Cara

From "Cooking Light"

Ingredients

• 1  (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1/2  cup  reduced-fat sour cream
• 1  (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• 1  cup  frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
• 4  (8-inch) flour tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  bottled salsa
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Remove one chile from can. Chop chile. Reserve remaining adobo sauce and chiles for another use. Combine sour cream and chile in a medium bowl; let stand 10 minutes.
Place half of beans in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add chopped beans, remaining beans, and corn to sour cream mixture.
Spoon 1/2 cup bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas; place, seam side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread salsa over tortillas; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Kitchen Notes

Half of the beans are finely chopped to give the filling a thick, creamy consistency. This dish can be made up to 8 hours in advance and chilled; just bring it back to room temperature before baking.

Flour Tortillas, suggested by Carrie

Taken from the recipe on homesicktexan.blogspot.com

Texas Flour Tortillas (adapted from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison)
Ingredients:
Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)
After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.
While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.
Makes eight tortillas.

Easy Steak Tacos with Homemade Corn Tortillas, from Carrie

I marinated over night some round steak (cheap cuts, about 1/2 inch thick-ish and on sale for $4 for 4 ... but any red meat would work) in a packet of GrillMates Chipotle Pepper seasoning, mixed with some lime juice and a beer.

I broiled the meat for 3 minutes each side (until it was about medium done, because that's how I like it)

I let the steaks cool, then diced them up into smallish chunks and threw in a bowl. I diced an onion and tossed that in there with some fresh chopped cilantro.

The corn tortillas were made per the masa package instructions It's just masa (corn flour) and water, roll into balls and press in a tortilla press (or between 2 heavy books), and then cook them in a dry pan or griddle for about 45 seconds each side.

I topped each taco with light sour cream.

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas, an idea from Kris

I made chicken fajita quesadillas tonight. We had BBQ'd some bone in chicken breasts night before last with just some creole seasoning sprinkled on them. We had 2 breasts left over (we bought a 5 pack and cook 'em all, knowing we'd have an epiphany of something to do with the leftovers).

I took the chicken off the bone and chopped it up. In a pan, I sauteed a diced onion. When it was soft, I added a diced yellow pepper and diced red pepper as well as the chicken. I then added a can of fire roasted green chilis 1 tsp of the creole seasoning I used on the chicken, and the juice of 1 lime. I let it cook together until hot and the liquid had evaporated. I have a waffle iron that has a griddle on the opposite sides from the waffle-y part, so I flipped them both over to make a sandwich press. I put a tortilla on the bottom, spread some pepper jack cheese, topped with veggie/chicken mix, more cheese and another tortilla. I closed the griddle and let it cook until the tortillas were toasty. Cut them into 4ths and served the wedges with sour cream and salsa. They were damn good. I'm having leftovers for lunch at work tomorrow!

Kris's Famous Blackened Fish Tacos, by Kris

Tonight I made my famous Blackened Fish Tacos. My family (well, not my children, but me and my wife) love the fish tacos. I used fresh cilantro from my garden... I call them Blackened, although they are not truly blackened - but I use a cajun spice rub and put them on the grill.

Blackened Fish Tacos:

spice rub:
- 1 tsp course salt (I use sea salt)
- 1 TBSP smoked paprika
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp course ground black pepper
- 1/2 TBSP garlic powder
- 1 TBSP onion powder
- 1/2 TBSP ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander seed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil

Mix together in small tupperware (I throw it into a small tupperware with a lid and shake the hell out of it until it's mixed well).

For the tacos:
- Mahi Mahi fillets (I use 1 fillet for 2 tacos)
- 1 fresh lime
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- cajun spice rub (see above)

Cilantro-Lime sour cream
- 1 container sour cream
- juice of 1 fresh lime
- handful of cilantro
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

Putting it together:
I used Mahi Mahi for my tacos, but any firm white flesh fish will work (cod, halibut, tilapia, blue marlin). Heat the grill on high while preparing the fillets. I put a small amount of olive oil on the fish, then squeeze a lime over them. Rub the oil and lime juice into the fish, then sprinkle liberally with the spice rub (every bit of fish is covered in the spice rub). Turn the grill down to low and cook fish until done (our grill has 3 heating elements, I usually cook the fish in the middle element on low while the 2 side elements are on medium-high heat). Combine all the ingredients for the cilantro-lime sour cream in a blender and mix until it looks like a green cream sauce. Take the fish off the grill when it is done and squeeze more fresh lime juice over them while they are hot.

To assemble the tacos, I put corn torillas on the hot grill for a few seconds each side. Add a small sprinkling of cheese, place 1/2 fish fillet (cut lengthwise) on the tortilla, top with shredded cabbage, cilantro-lime cour cream, some pico de gallo, fresh cilantro sprigs and a fresh lime wedge. Of course, it goes best served with a tall, cold Mexican beer with lime wedges as well.... I hope that you all try it!

Suggested by Karli - Kraft's Chicken Enchilada Skillet

I made Chicken Enchilada Skillet from the Kraft Food and Family magazine. Let's see if I can remember off the top of my head....
3-4 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
1 14oz can chicken broth
1/4 cup ranch dressing
2 TBS flour
4-5 flour tortillas cut into bite size pieces
shredded cheese of choice (I used sharp cheddar)
2 TBS olive oil

Cook chicken in olive oil until done. Mix broth, dressing and flour together and pour in skillet. Stir in tortillas and simmer until sauce thickens. Sprinkle cheese on top, cover with lid until cheese melts.It was very yummy!

I used fat free dressing and 2% milk cheese so it wasn't too bad for us either.

Cheap Asshole Chili, from Michelle

Turkey chili can stretch like a mo fo.

I use ground turkey. If you use two pounds, you can add one or two cans each of black beans and red kidney beans, a 28-oz can of diced tomatoes, chili powder to taste, cumin to taste, and a small can (4oz? 5oz?) of tomato sauce. Throw some chicken stock (or water if it's really cheap asshole time) in it if it's too thick. I've been eating plain old chili all week (over tortillas or a handful of Fritos with a dollop of fat free sour cream).

You can turn leftovers into burrito filling by mixing about 2 c of the chili w/ some shredded cheese (and sneak more cheap veggies in if you want--a cup of succotash (corn and baby lima beans), then put the filling in some flour tortillas, cover w/ more shredded cheese, bake at 400 for about 30 mins (if the chili was previously refrigerated). I like to mix prepared chili sauce w/ sour cream and serve hot.

Chicken Enchiladas, from Michelle

Tonight I'm making chicken enchiladas:

½ stick butter
1 med. Onion, chopped
4-oz. can green chilies, drained and chopped
1 lb. chicken strips
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. red pepper
4 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese, cubed
8 (9-inch) flour tortillas
8-oz. pkg. cheddar/Jack Cheese, shredded
½ pt. heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add green chilies, sauté 1 minute. Add chicken, salt, red pepper and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese, stirring constantly until melted. Let cool for 5 minutes. Spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle cheese and drizzle with whipping cream. Bake 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Taco Pie, from Karli

Taco Pie

4 chicken breasts
1 package taco seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
shredded cheddar cheese
tortillas

Mix taco seasoning and tomatoes in small bowl. Lay chicken on bottom of crockpot and cover with tomato mixture. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6. Shred chicken, stir and cook for another hour or so.

Line baking pan (I used a Pampered Chef stone bar pan) with tortillas. You will have to tear them into funny shapes to cover bottom. Spread chicken mixture over tortillas and top with cheese. Bake @ 350° until cheese is melted.

Suggested by JulieZ - Spice-Rubbed Chicken and Vegetable Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Chipotle Cream

SPICE-RUBBED CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE TACOS WITH CILANTRO SLAW AND CHIPOTLE CREAM

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chiles* (about 2)

2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

1 tablespoon smoked hot Spanish paprika (Pimentón de la Vera)**

2 1/4 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

2 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise

1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut lengthwise into 3/4-inch-thick strips

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves, each halved horizontally

12 5- to 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas, warmed

Cilantro Slaw

2 limes, each cut into 6 wedges

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Whisk sour cream and chipotle chiles in small bowl; season with salt. Whisk brown sugar and next 5 ingredients in another small bowl to blend for spice rub.

Place zucchini and bell pepper on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with canola oil; toss to coat. Sprinkle spice rub over both sides of vegetables and chicken.

Place chicken and vegetables on barbecue. Grill until vegetables are tender and browned in spots and chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer to work surface; cut chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick strips. Cut vegetables crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces. Place chicken and vegetables in large bowl; toss to blend.

Place chicken and vegetables, chipotle cream, tortillas, slaw, and lime wedges on table. Allow guests to assemble their own soft tacos.

*Chipotle chiles canned in a spicy tomato sauce, which is sometimes called adobo, are available at some supermarkets, at Latin markets, and at specialty foods stores.

**Available at specialty foods stores and from tienda.com.

Test-kitchen tip: To warm tortillas, wrap in foil in packets of six. Place packets at the edge of the grill; turn occasionally.

Makes 6 servings.

Bon Appétit

Menus

NOTES:

This would be good for a party/guests.

We used flour tortillas instead.

I halved the recipe for the two of us.

Go easy on the chipolte peppers until you know how hot you can take it … you can always dip in the leftover adobe sauce … we did ¾ of a chipolte chili from the can (without the seeds) and added it to 8 oz sour cream
(I pureed in my small food processor). I used the Embasa brand of chipolte peppers in adobe sauce.

http://www.embasa.com/

this is how I did the spices on chicken … for half of the recipe

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

½ tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder --- a little under a teaspoon

1 teaspoon onion powder --- a little under a teaspoon

I just used the paprika I had sitting on the shelf, other reviewers of the recipe added cayenne pepper if they didn’t have the called-for paprika and if they wanted it spicier, but it was hot enough for me.

I did not do the zucchini or bell peppers, I would do red bell peppers though

I put a little bit of oil on the chicken as I added the spices … I used safflower oil because I did not have canola

For the slaw mix, I did 1/3 of the recipe, except I went crazy on the fresh cilantro. I used safflower oil and I have used fresh lime or the bottle of lime juice that has been sitting in the fridge for forever, still turned out yummy. Add more lime to taste. I used sea salt.

We just nuked (aka micowaved) our tortillas as we made our tacos. You can dip into the sour cream mixture instead of putting it on each taco, in case, it’s too spicy for someone. I put it on mine and dip extra, yummmm!

.

CILANTRO SLAW

12 ounces BAG of shredded three-color coleslaw mix (about 7 cups)

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place coleslaw mix and cilantro in large bowl. Whisk canola oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper in medium bowl to blend. Add to cabbage mixture; toss to coat.

Makes about 5 cups.

Bon Appétit

Menus

June 2006

Chicken-Fajita Quesadillas, by Kris

*Yummy asses chicken-fajita quesadillas, really*

-shred the chicken

- finely dice onions, and bell peppers (green and red)

-put chicken and veggies on a flour tortilla

-smother with pepper jack cheese

-cover with another flour tortilla

-press in a hinged pancake griddle (it's my waffle iron that you flip the sides and they are flat griddles.)

-voila - yummy asses chicken fajita quesadillas....

Mexican Lasagna II, from Karli

Tonight we had Mexican Lasagna. I didn't have a recipe, so this is what I used.

• 2lbs ground meat (I used turkey)
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup water
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 can tomato soup
• 4 cups cheddar cheese (I use LOTS!)
• tortillas

Brown gound meat and then add salsa, water, seasoning and soup. Simmer for a couple minutes. Cover bottom of lasagna pan with tortillas (you may have to tear them in funny shapes to cover the entire bottom. Top with meat mixture and then half of the cheese. Repeat all layers and bake at 350° until cheese is melted.

We topped it with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and sour cream. I also made some spanish style rice to go along with it. I turned out very yummy. (with all that cheese how could it not? )

Best Tortilla Soup, from Heather

Best Tortilla Soup

1 tblsp vegetable oil [increase to 3 if needed]
8 (soft) corn tortillas, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock [broth is fine]
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 to 6 cooked chicken breast halves, shredded (about 2 cups)

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add tortillas, garlic, cilantro, and onion. Saute 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add cumin, chili powder, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Return to a boil. Reduce heat. Add salt and cayenne. Simmer 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stir in chicken. Reheat. Garnish with monterey jack, avocado, sour cream, and tortilla strips

Serves 6 (1.5 cup servings)
5 WW points with reduced oil, not counting garnish

Option: at end add lime juice & cilantro. Add corn. Replace chicken w/black beans.

NOTES: To make it quick, I often use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. And I can't imagine 4 - 6 breast halves could only = 2 cups like the recipe suggests. The tortillas you put in in the beginning really dissolve in the soup, making it not quite thick, but not at all like a brothy soup.

Tacoritos, from Carrie

Tacoritos

1 lb ground beef
1 onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of enchilada sauce
1 bag of shredded cheese
1 package of soft flour tortillas
sour cream
(lettuce and chopped tomato if desired)

In a sauce pan combine both soups and the enchilada sauce. Whisk together and simmer on low until blended and saucy!

In a skillet add chopped onion and ground beef.
Cook and then drain.

Use a 9x13 pan. Take a tortilla and put some ground beef and onion in there. Fold it or roll it over and place in the pan. Keep doing this until the pan is full. Dump any left over beef on top. Pour sauce mixture on top. Top with cheese. Bake in oven at 350 until the cheese melts, about 10-20 min. Serve with sour cream. You can also serve it with lettuce and chopped tomatoes.

Leftover-busting Enchiladas, an idea from Stephanie

I added refried beans, black beans and corn because they were all lurking in the fridge needing a way out. Enchiladas in this house otherwise consist of seasoned meat (chicken in this case) with added cheese rolled up into flour tortillas, lined up in a baking dish, and a can of red sauce dumped over them and shredded cheese on top.

Chicken soft tacos, an idea from Karli

We had shredded chicken soft tacos tonight. I just threw chicken breasts, taco seasonings and rotel tomatoes with green chilis in the crockpot until the chicken fell apart.

Veggie enchiladas from Laura

The veggie enchiladas are super easy. I got the recipe from my sister's ex-boyfriend's mother, and I think that she got it on the back of package of cheese!

Veggie Enchiladas

15 0z can of Black Beans
1 cup of frozen corn (the baby sweet corn, I hate the big yellow ones)
8 oz shredded Cheddar Cheese
20 oz. Enchilada Sauce
1 cup of homemade salsa (Just tomato, hot pepper and cilantro with a little oil etc...)
12 tortillas

Combine the beans, corn, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and all of the salsa. Spoon a generous amount into each tortilla and roll up.. Place seam down in a 9"x13" baking pan. Cover with enchilada sauce. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top until it gets bubbly.