Well, we're all cooking at home and it's all about what we have on hand...
A couple days ago, I talked to my neighbor from our driveway as she was sitting in her car. "This stay at home stuff is really cramping my style. I'm used to running to the store everyday to pick up what I want to make for dinner!"
A bit later, Jenn called up for the recipe for the enchiladas that I made her the last time she was home. Then, I had used chicken, but the meat she had on hand was ground beef. No problem! I just told her to brown and drain it and go on with the recipe. I mentioned my earlier conversation with the thought that during this time, the thing to do is "shop" in your own refrigerator and pantry.
So, in this recipe, go ahead and use any meat or cheese that you have. No tomato sauce? Dilute a can of tomato paste with two cups of water or puree a can of diced tomatoes. No can of diced tomatoes? Chop up fresh ones. It's the spices that make this dish yummy and hopefully, they are in your home store! P.S. Pull yours out of the oven before it looks over baked - like the photo here - Ha!
Ingredients for 6 to 8 Red Sauce Enchiladas:
2 cups any kind of meat (shrimp, cooked chicken, browned ground beef, pulled pork)
6 to 8 tortillas (any size, flour or corn)
1 (15 oz,) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
3 cups shredded cheese (Colby jack, cheddar, Monterey Jack)
1/2 cup diced onions
2 tablespoons canned diced green chilies (or sub 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes)
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
Add 2 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the tomato sauce.
Stir it really well to combine the spices into the tomato sauce. Set aside.
In a bowl mix the meat, tomatoes, onions, green chilies, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 pepper.
Coat the bottom of a casserole baking dish with some of the tomato sauce mixture.
Brush or spread the inside of each tortilla with a bit of the sauce.
Place about 2/3 cup of the chicken mixture and 1/4 cup shredded cheese in each tortilla.
Roll each tortilla and place seam side down in baking dish. If you end up making more than six enchiladas, they could be crammed in lengthwise, below the rolled up tortillas.
Spoon the rest of the tomato sauce mixture over the enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes.
Serve with garnishes, sour cream or a side salad. Dig in!
Back in the days when I was teaching full time and the girls were all in school, I used to brag that I could make dinner in 15 minutes. And guess what? - Because I had a few tricks up my sleeve, I actually could! One little strategy involved baking or grilling a large batch of Tex Mex Chicken. The night I actually made the chicken, we would either eat it as it was or add salsa and melted cheese on top. Then I would put the left overs in Zip Lock Freezer bags and freeze them. It was so nice to be able grab some already cooked chicken out of the freezer and use it in soups, salads, and many other ways. One thing the girls really enjoyed was a Tex Mex Bowl. I would heat some of the chicken in the microwave and put out bowls of shredded cheese, salsa, beans, etc. Everyone made their own bowl and surprisingly we found spinach leaves were a tasty addition! A yummy variation was to load everything on top of corn tortillas and either bake at 350 for 5 to 10 minutes or microwave them to melt the cheese. However, I found that how I used the chicken was not as important as my main goal, which was making sure we somehow sat down together and ate as a family. In the 2012 book, The Power of Habit, author Charles Duhigg wrote that families who habitually eat supper together raise children with greater emotional control and more confidence. I really felt that having dinner together grounded us and made our family strong. And, although it really doesn't matter whats on the menu when the family is communicating, it might as well be something delicious!
Tex Mex Chicken
This recipe yields 4 chicken breasts. Double or triple the recipe to make larger batches.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Combine the chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and pepper together. Generously sprinkle the mixture on both sides of the chicken breasts and rub it into the meat. Bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes or grill over medium heat, 10 minutes per side.
To make the Tex Mex Bowls, slice up the chicken and put out bowls of rice, beans, cheese, salsa, avocado, spinach leaves, etc. - what ever comes to the imagination. Let everyone pile on their preferences. The girls really liked to make their own bowls, their own way!
This is a great way to feed a crowd as well - fast, healthy, and delicious.
Switch out the rice with a corn tortilla and heat it up to melt the cheese for another option.
