Spinach Enchiladas

The first time I made spinach enchiladas, years ago, the result wasn't great. I would even go so far as to say they were rather bland and I hadn't made them since. But then... I came across the old recipe, complete with notes on what I thought could be improved. I decided to give it another shot and I'm really glad I did because this time was a success!

The only thing I haven't tried yet is making my own enchilada sauce. It seems like a very easy process but in the interest of convenience, I just grabbed a couple cans off the shelf in the market. For sure next time though, I'm making my own sauce.

Spinach Enchiladas

1 Tablespoon butter

1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

10-ounce bag fresh spinach, steamed and chopped (frozen, thawed, is fine)

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

1 cup pepper Jack cheese, shredded

salt, to taste

10 6-inch flour tortillas

2 - 10-ounce cans red enchilada sauce

Optional: 1/4 cup chopped green onions, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375°

2. In a medium skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter.

3. Add onions and sauté 1-2 minutes, until fragrant and softened. Add garlic and continue cooking an additional minute.

4. Add the spinach and continue cooking and stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes.

5. Remove pan from heat and stir in the ricotta cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup Monterrey Jack, and 1/2 cup pepper Jack cheese. Season to taste with salt.

6. One at a time, add 1/4 cup of the mixture to the center of each tortilla. Roll and place seam side down in a prepared 11"x7" baking dish.

7. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with additional Monterrey Jack and pepper Jack cheeses.

8. Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, if using, and allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.

Oven~Baked Refried Bean Dip

It's snack time!  Grab a bag of chips and dig in!

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2c plain yogurt

1 (16oz.) can refried beans

3 TBSP taco seasoning

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper sauce

2 TBSP green onions, chopped + a little extra for garnish

1c Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

1.  Preheat oven to 350*

2.  In a medium size bowl, stir all ingredients together, reserving 1/2c cheese and the extra green onions.

3.  Add to prepared baking dish.  I used two smaller dishes but the recipe works just as well if you put it all in an 8x8.

4.  Top with the remaining cheese.

5.  Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.

Easy Bean and Cheese Taquitos

I like to serve these as an appetizer or side to a Mexican dinner, but really, I would be totally happy just eating them all by themselves!  Dip them in some salsa or guacamole....good stuff!

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can refried beans

2 tsp. cumin

1 TBSP chili powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

salsa

 shredded Cheddar Jack cheese

small flour tortillas

1.  In a medium saucepan, heat black beans,refried beans, cumin, chili powder, and garlic.

3.  Mash the bean mixture - potato masher or fork both work - until you like the texture. (I like to keep some of the chunkiness in there.)

4.  Grab a tortilla and spoon about 2 TBSP of the bean mixture onto it, along with about 1 tsp. salsa, and 1 TBSP cheese; roll it up and set aside on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Repeat until you're out of beans.  I got 16 taquitos with this recipe.

5.  Bake at 375* for about 20 minutes, or until warmed through and slightly crispy.

Bonus:  You can freeze the leftovers!

Slow Cooker Carne Guisada

 We've had this easy Mexican stewed meat over rice and I've also served it taco-style in flour tortillas.

It's good both ways:

2 TBSP olive oil

1lb. beef stew meat

3 oz. tomato paste

1 1/4c beef broth

1/2c water

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. Ancho chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. salt

2 Serrano chili pepper, seeded and chopped

1. In a medium bowl, toss beef to coat with flour, salt, and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
3. Cook beef until evenly brown. Set aside.
4. In the slow cooker, combine tomato paste, beef broth, and water. Season with garlic, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, salt and serrano peppers.

5.  Add stew meat and cook on Low heat for about 8 hours, or until meat is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork.

Sauteed zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes on the side.

Best Chicken Enchiladas

I've gone through alot of chicken enchilada recipes over the years, most of which involved cream-of canned soups - which I now find gross.  This one is different because there is not a single can of soup involved, nor is there any actual chicken (I'm all about fake meat these days).

I made these a few nights ago and they were practically inhaled by the entire family.

Here's the recipe:

 8 taco-size flour tortillas
2c cooked chicken (I used Gardein)
1/4c onion, chopped
2c Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
4 TBSP butter
3 TBSP flour
2c chicken broth (I used no-chicken bouillon base with water)
6oz. Greek yogurt
4oz. can diced green chiles, drained

1.  Preheat oven to 350* and spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2.  In a skillet over medium high heat, add 1 TBSP butter and saute chicken and onion.

3.  Wrap tortillas in damp paper towel and heat in microwave (about 30-45 seconds).

4.  Combine chicken and onions with 1c cheese.

5.  Add 1/4c mixture to each tortilla, roll up, and place in baking dish.

6.  In medium sauce pan, melt remaining 3 TBSP butter, add flour and stir until thick and pasty.

7.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.

8.  Continue cooking until mixture is thick and bubbly.

9.  Remove from heat and stir in Greek yogurt and green chiles.

10.  Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

11.  Bake approximately 20-25 minutes.

12. Switch oven setting to Broil for 3-5 minutes. Watch to make sure the cheese is browning, not burning!

Served with sauteed mixed veggies.

Traditional Mexican Tacos

There was a time in my life when Taco Night meant frying some ground beef with the pre-packaged seasoning and spooning it into shells or tortillas with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. 

Nothing wrong with that but there is a better way.

It involves the grill, steak, jalapenos.....who's with me?

These are some seriously good tacos:

2 pounds top sirloin steak

salt and pepper, to taste

2 TBSP vegetable oil

18 (6 inch) corn tortillas

1 medium onion, diced

2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

4 limes

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

2c. crumbled cojito cheese

1.  Season steaks with salt, pepper, and lime juice. 

Allow to marinate for 15-20 minutes.

2.  Place steaks on pre-heated grill and cook until desired doneness.

3.  Remove from heat and allow to rest approximately 10 minutes

before slicing into thin strips.

4.  Meanwhile, heal oil in skillet and saute onions and jalapenos. 

5.  Heat tortillas.  (I just wrapped them in a wet paper towel and
popped them in the microwave.)

6.  Place tortillas on a plate, and top with steak strips, onion,
jalapeno, cilantro, and tomato guacamole to taste.

7. Top with cojito cheese for authentic Mexican flavor!

So good!