Red chili chicken enchiladas( Cook's Illustrated).....

I was actually quite excited today. I didnt have to work and I could actually cook for myself and Robin. I also got a great surprise this morning. Robin actually made me breakfast. I forgot to take a picture of it though. She made me a toasted Western which is essentially an egg sandwich. I requested green onion in mine on lightly toasted bread. I also didnt want to see any brown on the egg. Let's just say two out of three aint bad!! Seriously though, it was a good breakfast and I was almost giddy that she made it. It's the little things people!!

Since I had nothing else to do today but cook, I made these enchilada's. Like all Cook's Illustrated recipes, it takes time. A simple enchilada sauce is made with plain tomatoe sauce and spices. Cook's uses chicken thigh, I used breast with no ill effects. I also made homeade black beans and spanish rice. I used brown rice for the extra health benefit( and because I was out of white and didnt want to go to the store).




Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce
10 enchiladas, serving 4 or 5




If you prefer, Monterey Jack can be used instead of cheddar, or, for a mellower flavor and creamier texture, try substituting an equal amount of farmers' cheese.
INGREDIENTS


Sauce and Filling

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil or corn oil
1 medium onion ,chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 thighs), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2 cans tomato sauce (8 ounces each)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 can (4 ounces) pickled jalapeños , drained and chopped (about 1/4 cup)
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese , grated (2 cups)

Tortillas and Toppings

10 corn tortillas (six-inch)
Vegetable cooking spray
3 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup sour cream
1 avocado , diced medium
5 leaves romaine lettuce washed, dried, and shredded
2 limes , quartered



See Illustrations Below: Assembling Enchilidas

1. FOR THE SAUCE AND FILLING: Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt, and sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until coated with spices, about 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and 1/4 cup water; stir to separate chicken pieces. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and flavors have melded, about 8 minutes. Pour mixture through medium-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on chicken and onions to extract as much sauce as possible; set sauce aside. Transfer chicken mixture to large plate; freeze for 10 minutes to cool, then combine with cilantro, jalapenos, and cheese in medium bowl and set aside.
2. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 300 degrees.
3. TO ASSEMBLE: Follow illustrations below to heat tortillas and fill, roll, and sauce enchiladas. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake enchiladas on lower-middle rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and serve immediately, passing sour cream, avocado, lettuce, and lime wedges separately.

Tres Leches cake.....

Do you ever read a recipe on a foodblog and then get the urge to make that recipe immediately? That is how I felt yesterday when I read Anna's blog about Tres Leches Cake. I've had Tres Leches cake one time before in California, but I really don't remember it that well. Robin needed a dessert to bring to a friends tonight so I whipped this up yesterday. Anna cut down the recipe by 1/3 so it fit perfectly in a square pan. I used a disposable pan so Robin could just take it and forget about it. The actual cake part has no added fat which I found strange. It came out really nice though. You then pour over a mixture of evap. milk, sweetened condensed milk, regular milk and sour cream( I guess that is really 4 milks). Anyway, it needs an overnight sit in the fridge. Tres Leches is traditionally topped with either whipped cream or meringue. I sent along a can of reddi-whip and some dulce de leche. I stole a piece before Robin left. I cut up some strawberries to go with it because I sent the dulce with Robin.

Robin's friends just called to tell me how great the cake was. So, thanks Anna!!

Tortilla soup with Chipoltle shrimp( cuisine at home)...

When I lived in Cali, I never ate much soup. I'd make a big pot of matza ball when I was sick, but other than that soup didnt make it on my menu too often. To me, it has to be cold outside for soup. I saw this Cuisine at Home Soups and Splendid sides magazine( 9.99) at Barnes and Noble in Port Huron. I paged through it and every soup looked so good( I have another one on the menu this week). I love tortilla soup so this was naturally my first choice. It came together in 15 minutes too. I sauteed some onions and garlic along with a variety of mexican spice( cumin, corriander, oregano). Added some chicken stock( I had it frozen, but low sodium canned would work too). I then added a can of diced tomatoes, frozen corn, a can of black beans and a few torn corn tortillas. The recipe calls for charred poblano peppers but I subbed a can of green chilies. I also added some salsa verde and some chili powder. On sauteed some jumbo shrimp and added that as a garnish. Sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla strips make a tasty garnish.

Yellowtale snapper Vera Cruz......

I'm back from a glorious week spent in Ft. Lauderdale. I hung out with my 19 month old neice Emily, cooked a couple great meals with my friend mike, ate out some great food, shopped, swam and sunbathed.

This is a meal my friend Mike and I made on my second night there. We made a vera cruz sauce using a recipe from Zarela Martinez. The recipe can be found on Marthastewart.com. You begin my sauteed white onion and garlic in evoo, to that you add canned san marzano tomatoes( or fresh), chopped spanish olives,white wine, pickled jalapeno;s, capers and fresh herbs( oregano, thyme) and dried marjoram. When the sauce is reduced slightly, you pour some under and over fresh fish. We used yellow tale snapper that Mike's partner Jim picked up at a fish market. The fish bakes for around 15 mintues and all the wonderful flavors of the sauce infuse the fish. It was so tasty. We made a brown rice blend on the side along with a fresh crisp salad and a tangy homeade viniagrette.

PS: I hate this beta blogger, does anyone know how I can switch back?

Green Chili Chicken Enchilada's( cooking light)...

I whipped this up yesterday so we could have leftover's tonight. I work today ( Canadian Thanksgiving is Monday so we'll be making turkey, stuffing, etc, etc) and I knew I wouldnt cook tonight. Robin can make some more rice and heat up the leftovers for us. This is one of my favorite CL recipes although I've made a few changes. This recipe calls for 2 cans of cream of chicken soup. I use 1 can of light soup and then I fill the can with salsa verde. I also add a few more spices and leave out the onion. Furthermore, I used a light blend of mexican cheese and added some black beans to the filling. I made the black beans from scratch. So simple and so cheap. The rice is Lundberg Farms blend of brown, wild and black japonica. Shopper's drug mart had bags of it for 1.99. I used to buy it in California so I was excited to see it here. I can freeze the leftover beans and rice and Robin can throw together some burritos when I'm in Florida. I leave for Florida on Monday.