I tried another variation on enchiladas this weekend and here’s the result:

Ingredients

• 3-4 (medium-size) chicken breasts boiled and shredded
• 1 cup chopped yellow/white onion
• 1 small can of diced black olives
• 1 10 oz.-can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup of chopped Hatch green chiles (fresh is best but canned will do)
• 2-3 cups of shredded Mexican cheeses
• 1-2 tbsp of garlic powder (to taste)
• 2 cans Old El Paso medium enchilada sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 dozen corn tortillas
• Sour cream
• Green onions

Instructions

Boil chicken breasts until done. Shred the chicken but pour the broth (2 cups) into a bowl and set aside for now. Put the shredded chicken back into the pan and mix in the cream of mushroom soup, yellow/white onion, chiles, one cup of the cheese, and garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, heat but don’t boil.

Next, spray both sides of each tortilla with a non-stick cooking spray then wrap them in a paper towel and place in the microwave and cook on high for 60 seconds.

Once tortillas are ready, spoon filling into each one, roll and place them in a baking pan(s). Sprinkle a light layer of cheese over the tortillas then pour the enchilada sauce over top and bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve piping hot and top with sour cream and chopped green onions

I tried my hand at making enchiladas for the first time this last weekend and the end results were quite tasty, indeed.

Filling

Ingredients

• 3-4 (medium-size) chicken breasts boiled and shredded
• 1 1/2 cup chopped yellow/white onion
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 small can of diced black olives
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 10 oz.-can of cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup of chopped green chiles (fresh is best but canned will do)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2-3 cups of shredded Mexican cheeses
• 1-2 tbsp of garlic powder (to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Boil chicken breasts until done. Shred the chicken but pour the broth (2 cups) into a bowl and set aside for now. Put the shredded chicken back into the pan and mix in the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, yellow/white onion, one cup of the cheese, and garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, heat but don’t boil.

Possible variation: Cut back a bit on chicken and add black beans and corn

Sour Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1/4 cup of chopped green chilies
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1 cup sour cream
• Salt to taste

Instructions
In a sauce pan, melt butter, blend in flour, add chicken broth, and cook until mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in sour cream and green chilies and salt to taste. Heat on low. DO NOT BOIL.

The rest

You can fry the tortillas in the traditional method, but they add a heaviness that I’d prefer to avoid for a number of obvious reasons. So I found another method that’s a light lighter: Spray both sides of each tortilla with a non-stick cooking spray then wrap them in a paper towel and place in the microwave and cook on high for 60 seconds.

Once tortillas are ready, spoon filling into each tortilla, roll and place them in a baking pan(s). Sprinkle a light layer of cheese over the tortillas then pour the sour cream sauce over top and bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve piping hot.

Makes about 12-15 enchiladas.

I love the taste of poblano peppers and came up with this recipe to showcase them:

Ingredients

• 1lb ground chuck (pork or turkey)
• 4 large poblano peppers
• 3/4 cup cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 small ripe tomato
• taco seasoning (to taste)*

Avocado Sauce Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 cup milk
• onion powder (to taste)
• garlic powder (to taste)
• salt (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. of hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
• 2-3 Tbsp. of lemon juice

Pepper Instructions

Roast peppers under oven broiler (450 degrees), approximately 10 minutes on each side of pepper, or until skin blisters. Remove peppers from oven and bundle in foil for several minutes to let them steam, then peel, split on one side and de-seed.

Meat Instructions

Brown meat in medium-sized skillet then add the taco seasoning and stir. If not enough moisture to stir in seasoning well, add a little water. Once peppers are roasted and prepped, and meat prepared, place the peppers in an oven-safe dish, stuff peppers with the meat mixture and top with cheese. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Avocado Sauce Instructions

Peel avocado and mash to a smooth pulp. add sour cream (or plain yogurt), milk, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper sauce, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.

Serving Instructions

Top with a tomato slice, avocado sauce, and serve.

* I make my own taco seasonings, but your favorite packet mix will probably work. My particular taco seasoning, if you wanna use the same ingredients, features chili powder, garlic powder, two kinds of fajita seasoning (one salt-free, the other mesquite-flavored), and dried cilantro.