Recipe - CHILI CHEESE ENCHILADAS

I had about 3/4 of a large peanut butter jar full of leftover chili from yesterday's lunch and just a small amount of leftover shredded cheese and I was trying to think what I could do with it. Here's what I came up with for lunch today...


CHILI CHEESE ENCHILADAS

leftover chili
shredded cheddar cheese
6 corn tortillas
one recipe of enchilada sauce (below)


I prepared the enchilada sauce first.

Enchilada Sauce

1/4 canola oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup chili powder
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt to taste

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder; reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly browned, stirring constantly to prevent burning; reduce heat. Mix the tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt, and gradually add to the chili powder, flour, and oil mixture. Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat until sauce begins to bubble and is slightly thickened.

While the oven was pre-heating to 400 degrees I sprayed a large baking dish with pan spray and coated the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of the enchilada sauce. Next I divided the chili into six equal portions and spooned it into the 6 corn tortillas, added a layer of cheese to each, rolled them up, and placed them, seam-side down, side-by-side, in the baking dish. I topped the whole thing with the rest of the enchilada sauce, making sure that each tortilla was completely covered in sauce, and sprinkled the top with just a bit more cheese. I baked in the hot oven until the enchiladas were heated through, the cheese was melted, and the sauce was bubbling. It was VERY good and I will definitely make this again!

Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

In an attempt to use up food that's been in the freezer, refrigerator, cabinets, vegetable bin, and pantry a while, I've been coming up with some new and, sometimes, interesting dishes. Today I had some corn tortillas,  potatoes, and cheese slices to use up, so I created this tasty dish!

POTATO AND BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS

2 large baking potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons milk
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package taco seasoning mix (I make my own - see recipe below)
2 cans enchilada sauce (I make my own - see recipe below)
14 (6-inch) corn tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese or cheese slices (I was out of shredded cheese, but I had plenty of fat-free slices on hand)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with pan spray and set aside.

Place peeled and cubed potatoes in a small amount of water in a saucepan and cook until tender; drain. With a mixer or Kitchen Aid whip potatoes, olive oil, and milk together. To this add rinsed and drained black beans, onion, and taco seasoning and mix together well.

Put a small amount of enchilada sauce in the 13x9-inch pan to coat the bottom, then fill tortillas with potato and bean mixture, roll, and place in pan. Top with the rest of the enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven until heated through and cheese is bubbly (20 to 30 minutes).

TACO SEASONING MIX

2 teaspoons instant minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
1/2 teaspoon instant minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until evenly distributed. Spoon mixture onto a 6-inch square of aluminum foil and fold to make airtight. Label. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months. Makes 1 package (about 2 tablespoons) TACO SEASONING MIX. To make additional packages increase ingredient amounts proportionately.

ENCHILADA SAUCE

1/4 canola oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup chili powder
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt to taste

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder; reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly browned, stirring constantly to prevent burning; reduce heat. Mix the tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt, and gradually add to the chili powder, flour, and oil mixture. Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat until sauce begins to bubble and is slightly thickened.

Attempting Something New - Taco Pizza

Taco Pizza

After coming home from a walk around town delivering eggs and running errands, my son and I were really hungry! Tony said that he'd like to have a taco pizza for lunch, but not the store-bought kind because of fat and calories...but something homemade...could I do that? I said that surely I could come up with something and I set to work. To my surprise and pleasure the making of a taco pizza also aided me in using up some of the things that I had on my list to use up as soon as possible out of the fridge (leftover salsa, salad, and cheese).

I made my regular pizza crust and topped it with the following:

2 cans black beans mashed and seasoned to taste with onion powder, cumin, and chili powder
2 cups salsa
1 can chopped green chilis
2 cups mozzarella cheese

After the pizza finished baking (450 degrees for approximately 20 minutes) I topped it with leftover salad, a sprinkling of fat-free cheddar cheese, and a handful or two of crushed tortilla chip.

The general consensus? Absolutely awesome!!!

Recipes: ENCHILADA SAUCE and ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

As often ends up being the case I started off with a couple of recipes, tweaked them to use up what I had on hand instead of what they called for, and made them my own variation. Both turned out really good...very spicy...full of Mexican flavor!

ENCHILADA SAUCE

(This will be used in the following recipe.)

1/4 canola oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup chili powder
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt to taste

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder; reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly browned, stirring constantly to prevent burning; reduce heat. Mix the tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt, and gradually add to the chili powder, flour, and oil mixture. Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat until sauce begins to bubble and is slightly thickened.

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE


1 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. Jenni-O's ground turkey, crumbled and browned

16 oz. black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans Rotel tomatoes
corn cut from 3 large cobs of corn or 1 (11 oz.) can Mexican style corn, drained
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 recipe of enchilada sauce above or 2 (10 oz.) cans enchilada sauce
6 (6-inch) low-carb, wheat tortillas
3 cups shredded, fat-free cheddar cheese

Saute onion in hot oil in skillet until tender. Add the cooked, browned turkey, black beans, Rotel tomatoes, corn, chili powder, and cumin. Stir and heat through. Tear tortillas in half. Spoon 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into bottom of a 9x13-inch dish that has been sprayed with pan spray. Layer half of the tortilla halves on the bottom, half of the meat, bean, corn, and tomato mixture, and one cup of the cheese. Repeat. Top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until golden and bubbly.

A Quick, Easy, And Delicious Meal

I stumbled on this quick and easy dish by accident one day, and it has become one of our favorites...

Saute a whole onion in a little olive oil. To that add a can of black beans that have been rinsed and drained, and a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of ground cumin (more or less according to taste), and heat through. If you want to, make a little brown rice on the side, and add it to the mixture (about 1 1/2 cups), or serve separately. Serve as is, or serve wrapped in tortilla shells. Garnish with a little fat-free cheese and light sour cream. It's very good!