RECIPE: Chicken Enchiladas

These enchiladas have several steps and are a bit of a production; they are SO worth the effort though. Ever since I created this recipe, it’s been one of my family’s favourite meals. The chicken can be poached and shredded a day or two in advance, and the flour tortillas and tomato sauce can also be made ahead if you're going to use homemade versions. If you’ve got all the different components ready to go, the enchiladas can be assembled quickly.

Ingredients:

5-6 chicken thighs or drumsticks

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp flour

1 ½ cups milk

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp each salt and black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 cups tomato sauce (I use the same homemade sauce I use in my Baked Pasta)

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

2-4 tbsp water

six 10” flour tortillas (I use my homemade Whole Wheat & Flax ones)

1½ cups grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Poach the chicken by putting the chicken pieces in a large saucepan and covering with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30-45 minutes, until cooked through. Leaving the poaching liquid in the pot, remove the chicken to a plate to cool. Once the pieces are cool enough to handle, shred the meat off the bone with your fingers or a fork. Return the bones to the pot with the poaching liquid, adding more water to fill the pot if necessary. Bring back to a boil then simmer for an hour or so to make stock (the stock isn’t needed for this recipe, so reserve it for another use later on).

While the chicken is poaching, in a medium saucepan, simmer the onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add the flour and stir until well coated with fat. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Add cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne and continue stirring until sauce thickens. Add shredded chicken and simmer for a couple of minutes longer.

Mix together the red sauce, chili powder, cumin and water (you want the sauce to be a bit thinner than you’d use for pasta).

To assemble the tortillas, place 2-3 large spoonfuls of chicken mixture in the middle of each flour tortilla, add a couple spoonfuls of red sauce and a sprinkle of cheese (reserve half of the grated cheese for the top of the enchiladas). Roll up tightly and place in a greased 9 x 13” baking pan.

Once all the tortillas are filled, pour the remaining red sauce over the top of the enchiladas, then sprinkle with the reserved cheese.

Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes, until heated through and cheese is hot and bubbly.

Serves 6 

I shared this recipe at Recipe Swap Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, the Grocery Cart Challenge, Fat Camp Friday and Friday Favourites. 

RECIPE: Hummus & Veggie Wraps

These wraps appear regularly on our warm-weather menus. They are much heartier tasting than you might expect. My favourite vegetable combination is included in the recipe, but you can use any seasonal veggies you have on hand. A hearty tossed salad rounds out this meal very nicely!

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas ( or a19 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
2 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced (optional)
2-4 tbsp olive oil

1 medium sized zucchini, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Four 10" flour tortillas (we like whole wheat)

Preparation:

1. In food processor, combine chickpeas, garlic, peanut butter, cumin, lemon juice and parsley. Process until mixture is semi-smooth. With food processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until hummus is desired consistency.

2. In medium frying pan, saute vegetables in olive oil until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. While vegetables are cooking, warm flour tortillas in oven or microwave.

To assemble:
For each wrap, spread 1/3 - 1/2 cup hummus on flour tortilla, then top with sauteed vegetables. Fold in ends and roll together tightly. Slice in half and serve.

I shared this recipe at Tasty Tuesday.

Emergency Meals

Emergency meals are for those nights when you are just plain exhausted, overwhelmed, sick, or super-short on time. Every cook should have a few emergency meals in their repertoire for nights when the going gets rough. It's been a week like that around here. I was in bed with a virus for a few days, and when I finally started to feel better I had a lot to catch up on around the house, plus a couple of days with a fairly hectic family schedule. Emergency Meals to the rescue!

Here is one of our family's favourites:

Western Omelette Wraps

Time: less than 15 minutes
Serves: flexible

You can get these done in under 15 minutes if you're not feeding more than 4 people (it'll take a little longer if you need to make more than 4 omelettes).

INGREDIENTS (to make 4 wraps):
4 large flour tortillas (we like whole wheat ones)
4 slices bacon
1-2 tbsp canola oil
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup each chopped onion and red pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
mayonnaise, mustard, guacamole, or ranch salad dressing, as desired

PREPARATION:
Cook bacon until crisp, crumble and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat 2 eggs, 1 tbsp milk, 1 tbsp each onion and red pepper, 1/4 of the crumbled bacon, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Heat 1-2 tsp of oil in a small frying pan or omelette pan. Add egg mixture to pan, making sure mixture evenly coats bottom of pan. Cover and cook over medium heat until eggs are set.

While omelette is cooking, heat flour tortilla in microwave or on "warm" setting of oven.

Spread warm flour tortilla with mayonnaise or desired spread. Carefully slide finished omelette out of pan and onto flour tortilla. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Roll up tightly,tucking in ends, then slice in half. Repeat process 3 more times to make 4 wraps.