Mexican Recipes - Double-Post Thursday

Besides being Diabetic Thursday, it's also Double-Post Thursday. Today's post has six yummy Mexican recipes, including Enchiladas Con Carne and Apple-Chicken Quesadillas. Enjoy!

ENCHILADAS CON CARNE

O.M.G.! This recipe looks good enough to make a vegetarian temporarily eat meat! Fortunately, there are plenty of good meat substitutes (my favorite being Boca Veggie Ground Crumbles, followed by MorningStar Farms Grillers® Crumbles™) to make this recipe do-able without meat.

(Note to self: Try this recipe with the crumbles and veggie stock.)

This comes from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “There are a few cool tricks to this recipe, one of which I picked up from an old issue of Bon Appétit, one I learned from Robb Walsh, the great Tex-Mex scholar and restaurateur who runs El Real Tex-Mex in Houston, and a final one I learned by happenstance. First, for the thickening agent in the chile sauce, toast raw all-purpose flour in a pan until it is nutty and golden brown, then reserve it to stir in with the browned beef later in the recipe. Second, if you like truly melty cheese in the classic Tex-Mex tradition, use a mixture of American cheese, like Velveeta, with the Cheddar you use inside and on top of the finished enchiladas. Finally, if you’re fearful that a casserole of cheese, chili and fried tortillas may be a little rich for dinner, serve it with a bowl of tomatillo pineapple salsa on the side. The acidity provides a nice balance. (Note also that as with all recipes, but particularly this one, some planning and practice can get the preparation down to 60 minutes.)” Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 1 1/ 2 hours.

Sam, if you’re reading this, I hope you’re cool with the idea of my tinkering with the recipe for vegetarians. If not, zap me a comment…or even just to say “hi”. And anyone else who wants to leave a comment on this - or any other blog posting of mine - feel free to.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Chili Con Carne:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola

1 pound ground chuck beef, ideally 20 percent fat

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 medium white onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 jalapeño pepper or more to taste, seeds removed if you want it less spicy, stemmed and chopped

1 cup chopped or canned crushed tomatoes

3 tablespoons chile powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, ideally Mexican

2 cups chicken stock, ideally homemade or low-sodium if store-bought

For the Enchiladas:

1/2 cup neutral oil, like canola

12 yellow corn tortillas

3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, or a mixture of 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese and 1 1/2 cups American cheese, like Velveeta

1 medium-size white onion, peeled and chopped (optional)

Preparation

Prepare the chili con carne: Put flour in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to turn golden brown and smell nutty, then pour it onto a plate to cool.

Wipe out sauté pan and return it to high heat with 2 tablespoons oil. When oil is hot and shimmery, add ground beef to pan, and cook, breaking it up with a fork and stirring, until it is well browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then use a slotted spoon to remove meat to a bowl, leaving drippings behind.

Add onion, garlic and jalapeño to pan and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits of meat, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Stir in tomatoes and cook until their liquid has evaporated, then add chile powder, cumin and oregano and stir to combine. After a minute or so, when mixture begins to turn fragrant, return browned meat to pan, along with toasted flour, and stir well to combine.

Lower heat to medium-high and slowly stir in chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture has thickened and started to simmer. Lower heat again and allow chili to cook slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until meat is tender. Add more stock or water if needed. Use immediately, or let cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a few days.

When you are ready to cook the enchiladas, heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium sauté pan set over medium-high heat, heat 1/2 cup neutral oil until it begins to shimmer. Using tongs or a wide spatula, place a tortilla in the hot fat; it should start to bubble immediately. Heat tortilla for about 10 seconds a side, until soft and lightly browned. Remove tortilla and set on a rack set over a baking pan, or just on a baking pan if you don’t have a rack. Repeat with remaining tortillas, working quickly.

Assemble the enchiladas: Using a ladle, put about 1/2 cup chili in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and spread it out a little. Roll a few tablespoons of cheese into each tortilla, along with a tablespoon or so of chili, then place it seam-side down in the pan, nestling each one against the last. Ladle remaining chili over top of rolled tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Transfer to oven and bake until sauce bubbles and cheese is melted, about 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle chopped onions over the top, if using, and serve immediately.

WARM MOLE BEAN DIP

Yield: Makes 8 servings.

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/706.shtml

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 small tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup mild, medium or hot chunky salsa

2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

3/4 cup (3 ounces), shredded, reduced-fat Jack cheese

One (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2 tsp. canola oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside.

In a food processor, whirl beans until pureed but still slightly lumpy. Scoop beans into a mixing bowl and set aside.

In medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and jalapeno until onion is soft, 5 minutes.

Add chili powder, cocoa, cumin, and oregano, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Mix in tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds. Add contents of the pan to the pureed beans.

Add tomato, salsa, cilantro and salt, to beans and mix to combine all ingredients. Spread bean mixture in an even layer in the prepared pan. Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly and beans are heated through, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately, accompanied by a bowl of baked tortilla chips.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 100; Protein: 5 g; Fat: 3.5 g; Sodium: 370 mg; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 11 g

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH SALSA VERDE

This also comes from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. For this one, Sam wrote, “Don’t let the one-hour prep time on these enchiladas scare you. Use some leftover roast chicken, or buy a roast chicken at the market on the way home, and you’ll save at least 20 minutes, making the dish a terrific weeknight feed, alongside a green salad. (At El Real Tex-Mex restaurant, in Houston, the great Tex-Mex scholar and restaurateur Robb Walsh serves his version with lightly smoked chicken, which if you can find or make is superb.) The salsa verde is dead simple to make and the rest is assembly — a task that grows markedly easier each time you do it.” Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 1 hour.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Chicken (or use 1 1/4 pounds leftover or store-bought roast chicken):

2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs or breasts, or a mixture

1 small white onion, cut in half

4 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon kosher salt

For the Salsa Verde:

1 pound fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut into quarters (use canned if you can't find fresh)

1 small white onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped

2 serrano chiles or more to taste, seeds removed if you want it less spicy, stemmed and roughly chopped

4 to 5 tender stems of fresh cilantro, with leaves, roughly chopped

Salt to taste

For the Enchiladas:

1/2 cup neutral oil, like canola

12 yellow corn tortillas

1 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese

1 cup Mexican crema, or use crème fraîche or sour cream

1 medium-size white onion, peeled and chopped (optional)

Preparation

Prepare the chicken: Place chicken parts in a large saucepan with onion, garlic and salt, and cover with water. Heat pan over high heat until liquid comes to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove chicken and let cool, reserving stock for another use. Using your fingers or two forks, shred meat from chicken and reserve, discarding skin and bones. (Alternatively, shred meat from leftover or store-bought roast chicken and set aside.)

Meanwhile, heat oven to 375, and make the salsa verde: Combine tomatillos, onion, garlic, serranos and cilantro in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth, adding water as needed to thin it out a little. Season with salt to taste.

Prepare the tortillas: In medium sauté pan set over medium-high heat, heat oil until it begins to shimmer. Using tongs or a wide spatula, place a tortilla in the hot fat; it should start to bubble immediately. Heat tortilla for about 10 seconds a side, until soft and lightly browned. Remove tortilla and set on a rack set over a baking pan, or just on a baking pan if you don’t have a rack. Repeat with remaining tortillas, working quickly.

Assemble the enchiladas: Use a ladle to put about 1/2 cup salsa verde in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and spread it out a little. Roll a few tablespoons of shredded chicken into each tortilla with a teaspoon or so of salsa verde and place it seam-side down in the pan, nestling each one against the last. Ladle salsa verde over top of rolled tortillas and sprinkle with about half the crumbled cheese.

Transfer to oven and bake until sauce bubbles and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Dot with crema, sprinkle with remaining cheese and, if using, chopped onion, then serve immediately.

FREEZER CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

This recipe is from Chungah on her wonderful cooking site, Damn Delicious®. I love looking through her site, and I’m sure you will, too. Go ahead and check it out; I’ll wait.

This recipe begins, “Simply assemble your enchiladas ahead of time and freeze. IT GOES STRAIGHT FROM FREEZER TO OVEN! No dishes required!”

Yield: 4 servings; Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 50 minutes

To view this online on Damn Delicious, go to http://damndelicious.net/2017/08/27/freezer-chicken-enchiladas/.

Ingredients:

2 cups leftover diced rotisserie chicken

2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, divided

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles

12 (6-inch) flour tortillas, warmed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup cheese, sour cream, cilantro and diced green chiles.

To assemble the enchiladas, lay tortilla on a flat surface and spoon 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center. Roll the tortilla and set aside, seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.

Pour 1/4 cup enchilada sauce onto the bottom of 4 5″ foil disposable aluminum pans. Add 3 enchiladas per pan; top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.*

Place into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly.

Serve immediately.

*MAKE-AHEAD: Cover enchiladas tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 24 hours. To bake, remove plastic wrap, cover and bake for 25-30 minutes.

*TO FREEZE: Cover enchiladas tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. To bake, remove plastic wrap, cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until completely cooked through.

ZUCCHINI ENCHILADAS

This comes from The Food Network Kitchen, and begins, “No tortillas? No problem. Take advantage of summer's squash bounty and wrap your enchilada filling up in zucchini.”

Total Time: 1 hr 5 min; Active Time: 35 min; Yield: 4 servings (3 enchiladas per person); Level: Easy

To view this line, click here.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 scallions, sliced (white and green parts separated)

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chili powder

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (skin discarded)1 1/2 cups salsa (not chunky)

1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

3 to 4 medium zucchini

Several dashes chipotle hot sauce, plus more for serving, optional

2 tablespoons sour cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the chili powder and cook, stirring, until the scallions are coated and the oil is brick red, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken, 1/2 cup of the salsa and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Set aside.

Halve the zucchini lengthwise and arrange cut-side down on a work surface. Use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to shave off ribbons the entire length of each zucchini and as wide as possible (the first few may be too skinny). Make 36 zucchini ribbons total.

Lay out 3 ribbons, slightly overlapping to make a rectangle (think of this as your "tortilla"). Pile about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down along one of the short ends of the zucchini tortilla and then roll up to enclose the filling. Put in a 2- to 3-quart baking dish. Roll up the remaining zucchini ribbons and filling and arrange in the dish. Top the rolls with the remaining 1 cup salsa. Add several dashes of the hot sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

Bake until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot, about 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes. Thin the sour cream out with a little water and drizzle over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the reserved scallion greens and serve with more hot sauce if you'd like.

APPLE-CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

This recipe begins, “You may be surprised at the idea of combining chicken and apples inside a crispy tortilla, but the taste will amaze you.”

This is from Diabetic Connect.

Click here to view this online.

Ingredients

2 medium tart apples, sliced

1 cup diced cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed

1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped onion

6 low-carb tortillas, fajita-sized, warmed

3/4 cup shredded lettuce

3/4 cup salsa

6 tablespoons sour cream

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Place about 3/4 cup on half of each tortilla. Fold tortilla in half over filling and secure with toothpicks.

Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Carefully turn quesadillas over; bake 5-8 minutes longer or until golden brown. Discard toothpicks. Cut each quesadilla into three wedges. Serve with lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.

Nutritional Facts: Servings: 12; Calories – 121; Total Fat – 5 g; Saturated Fat – 3 g; Sodium – 196 mg; Carbohydrates – 13 g; Fiber – 2 g; Sugars – 4 g; Protein – 7 g