Enchilada Night

I know enchiladas are not difficult or daunting to prepare by any means, but they do take a whole pan’s worth of commitment to make. I can recall countless times helping my mom throw a pan together to feed the whole family. But, until tonight, I had never created a pan of enchiladas – let alone a complete Mexican meal.
homemade shredded chicken enchiladas  with chicken rice, refried beans and guacamole ethnic mexican recipes
OK, so I just followed the basic recipe on the can of enchilada sauce, and the refried beans and rice came straight from a can and box, respectively. But still – I made a complete Mexican meal on my own.

Easy Shredded Chicken Enchiladas:

  • Grill 2 chicken breasts, totaling about one pound, on the trusty Foreman to peak juiciness. Shred (which can be great angst-relief).
  • Combine the shredded chicken with 3/4 cup of enchilada sauce and a handful or so of shredded mozzarella cheese. (Officially, I think it called for 1 cup.)
  • Spoon this filling into tortilla shells. Tuck in the ends, fold one side of the shell over, and roll the rest of the way closed so the seal is on the bottom of the pan. Oh yeah, we’re using a 13×9 pan, right? And the oven should probably be heating up. (Because I made big fat enchiladas, I stuffed 5 with this filling recipe…which allegedly makes 8-10 regular skinny-chiladas.)
  • Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over your enchiladas, no matter how fat or skinny they are, and sprinkle with another half cup (or smaller handful) of shredded cheese.

Accompanied by:
  • Rice-a-Roni chicken rice (how’s that for authentic?)
  • Refried Beans
  • Guacamole made fresh in the Nutri-Bullet with organic avocados, cilantro, onion, garlic and green chili

Fajita Spaghetti

One of my favorite recipes — if not my favorite — featured on the blog so far.

Fajita Spaghetti Recipe
8 oz spaghetti
1 lb chicken
1 tsp canola oil
1 onion
1 sweet red pepper
1 sweet yellow pepper
1 can green chile peppers
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup taco sauce
1 envelope fajita seasoning*
Instead of buying fajita seasoning, I used this recipe:
DIY Fajita Seasoning
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
Heat oil in skillet on medium heat. Cook chicken 4 to 5 minutes on each side until center is not pink anymore. Remove from heat. (Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to directions.) Saute chopped onion and peppers in leftover oil till tender. Add chicken back in along with chiles, water, sauce and seasoning. Heat through. Toss with spaghetti.