These enchiladas are a breeze to make and come out wonderfully. The changes I made to the original recipe were to use ground turkey instead of beef and corn tortillas instead of flour. Serve it with rice and beans, steamed broccoli, or a garden salad for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
CREAMY BEEF (or TURKEY or CHICKEN) and SPINACH ENCHILADAS (makes 6 enchiladas)
1/2 pound ground meat
1 cup chunky salsa, divided
2-3 cups fresh spinach
1 tsp ground cumin, divided
salt
4 oz 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, cubed
6 corn or small flour tortillas
1/2 can (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2-1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese
Preheat oven to 350F.
Cook ground meat in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Add 1/2 cup salsa, spinach, 3/4 tsp cumin, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2-3 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated and spinach wilts.
Add cream cheese and stir until blended. Remove from heat. Spoon meat mixture evenly onto tortillas. Roll up and place seam-side down in a 8x8 baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Stir together diced tomatoes and remaining 1/2 cup salsa and 1/4 tsp cumin, pour over enchiladas.
Bake 20 minutes. Top with cheese and bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts.
Recipe Source: http://normalcooking.com/2016/03/02/creamy-beef-spinach-enchiladas/
I've sat on this recipe for a while, kinda put it on the bottom of the pile because, quite frankly, it didn't seem very special. Only a handful of ingredients.
Holy Smokes! was I wrong! This is about as basic and delicious as you can get. This will be on our table often. Buttery, garlicky shrimp with some crunchy Panko crumbs.....oh why did I wait so long?!!!
Just one thing, don't make the mistake I made with the lemon slices. While it makes a nice presentation, the lemons make the crumbs soggy. Instead, serve lemon wedges on the side.
A Note: I used 26/30 shrimps so if you use shrimp that is smaller or larger, you'll need to adjust the cooking time.
GARLICKY BAKED SHRIMP (2 servings)
10 oz (about 16) 26/30 shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 Tbsp dry white wine
S&P
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
lemon wedges, optional
Preheat oven to 425F.
In a bowl, combine the shrimp, garlic, and white wine. Stir to combine, then pour into a baking dish. Spread out evenly, and then season with S&P (I only use pepper as shrimp is salty enough for me).
In another bowl, use a fork to mix melted butter, Panko, and parsley until well combined. With your fingers, sprinkle the mixture evenly in the baking dish over the shrimp.
Transfer dish to oven and bake until the shrimp are pink and opaque, about 15-16 minutes (I turned the broiler on in the last minute or two to get a little browning on the bread crumbs).
Recipe Source: http://normalcooking.com/2012/07/26/garlicky-baked-shrimp/
In my opinion, the name of this recipe is a misnomer. I call it "Pina Colada" shrimp because of the wonderful creamy, coconut sauce.
This is another wonderful Publix Aprons recipe. I changed it a bit to use what I had on hand, so I'm listing my recipe below (you can see the original on the link below). Basically, I substituted margarita mix for the frozen concentrate, Louisiana Hot Sauce for the green pepper sauce, and sweetened condensed milk/coconut extract for the cream of coconut.
MARGARITA SHRIMP (2 servings)
1/2 lb shrimp (26/30s or larger), peeled and deveined
1/2 cup bottled margarita mix
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
hot sauce to taste
1/4 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
coconut extract to taste (I used about 5 drops)
cayenne pepper, to taste
cooking spray
kosher salt
Bring margarita mix to a boil in a small saucepan. Allow to reduce by half. Remove from heat. Add cilantro. Reserve about 1-2 Tbsp of mix.
Put shrimp in a ziplock bag. Add margarita mix. Allow to marinade for 15 minutes up to several hours. In reserved margarita mix, stir in a few dashes of hot side. Set aside.
Mix yogurt, sweetened condensed milk, coconut extract, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
Heat grill. Remove shrimp from marinade. Cook first side about one minute. Turn shrimp and brush with remaining marinade. Cook about another minute or until shrimp are pink. Remove immediately from grill.
Serve the shrimp on a swish of the coconut sauce or with the sauce on the side.
Recipe Source: http://www.publix.com/recipes-planning/aprons-simple-meals/margarita-shrimp-with-pecan-dirty-rice
No, I did not take this photo. Mine came out, well let's just say unappetizing.
And that would not have done this dish justice. It's been around for as long as I can remember and for good reason. When I think Tex-Mex, this comes front and center in my mind. It has it all: tortillas, chicken, chilies, cheese. And it is so simple.
Legend has it that the dish is named after the fabled King Ranch in South Texas, at one time the largest ranch in the US and one of the largest in the world at over 800,000 acres. So while I have no idea where the recipe originated, it seems fitting to name it after the Ranch sitting just north of the border.
There are lots of recipes but they are all very similar. Mine came from Central Market in San Antonio. It's a meal in itself (and make great leftovers for breakfast), but I usually serve it with a green salad.
Also, this is a big recipe so I always cut it in half, make it in an 8x8 dish, and use one can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken and Mushroom soup (and half everything else).
KING RANCH CHICKEN (12 servings)
1 rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken (in half a recipe, I used the white breast meat off of one cooked whole chicken)
10-12 corn tortillas
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 lb grated cheddar
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
small amount of chicken broth
Line bottom of 13x9" baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray) with tortillas wilted in hot chicken broth. Add in the following order:
chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces or shredded
onion
green pepper
grated cheese
chili powder
soup(s)
Rotel tomatoes
Bake at 375F for 45 minutes. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Source: Central Market, San Antonio, TX
Many (and I mean over 15) years ago when we lived in San Antonio, I use to go to cooking classes at Central Market (a foodie's haven). Once when my mother was visiting, she and Jim accompanied me to a class hosted by Terry Conlan, then the Executive Chef at Lake Austin Spa. His focus was on healthy, low-fat meals. In this class he served three different burgers.
My favorite was the Shrimp Burger. You can find similar recipes but I stuck to this one. He served with a a slaw topping and some really good, easy baked beans.
The recipes below may look lengthy, but everything can be mixed ahead. Mix the dressing for the slaw (and then mix in the cabbage at serving time), make the burger mixture (I had leftovers which kept for several days.....I did add a bit more bread crumbs before frying), and mix everything for the baked beans and then simply put in a baking dish and bake about half an hour before serving.
So make everything the day ahead if you like and you can have dinner on the table lickety-split.
SHRIMP BURGER (4-6 servings)
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, roughly chopped
3/4 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, minced
1/2 cup celery, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh white bread crumbs (more if mixture looks too soupy)
1/4 cup flour
Combine all ingredients; chill 2 hours. Saute in a non-stick skillet with non-stick spray and a touch of olive oil. Serve, topped with slaw, on a bun of choice.
SLAW
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup fat-free mayo
1 Tbsp creole mustard
2 Tbsp 2% milk
1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
2 Tbsp peeled, seed, diced tomato
1/2 tsp capers, minced
1 Tbsp dill pickle relish
2 tsp minced parsley
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cabbage
1/2 tsp dill week
2 Tbsp minced onion
Pinch of salt, sugar, cayenne, black pepper
Combine dressing ingredients. Chill. Toss with cabbage at time of serving.
CAROLINA BAKED BEANS
2 strips lean bacon
1/4 cup minced onion
non-stick spray
1/4 cup apple cider (or water)
3 cups cooked pinto beans (can also use 2 {15 oz} cans pinto beans)
3 Tbsp yellow mustard
3 Tbsp catsup
3 Tbsp commercial BBQ sauce
2 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cider vinegar
S&P
In a heavy skillet, slowly cook bacon until crisp. Blot bacon on paper towels. Discard grease from skillet, but saute onions with spray until browned in the same skillet. Add cider (or water) and scrape pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Add remaining ingredients, transfer to a baking dish and bake, covered, at 350F for 20 minutes. Uncover, top with crumbled bacon, bake 10 minutes.
Recipe Source: From Central Market Cooking School (July 19, 2000), San Antonio, TX. Hosted by Executive Chef Terry Conlan from Lake Austin Spa, Austin, TX
Have you eaten at the chain Mexican restaurant Abuelo's? If so, you might have had their "Papas con Chile" potato dish (versus the traditional Spanish rice). I always order this....it's one of my favorites.
To me, mashed potatoes are always made with russet potatoes. However, Abuelo's uses red potatoes. And this is one recipe I have to agree with. Generally the waxy red potatoes are just too gummy for mashed, but somehow this just works.
So if you're looking for an alternative to the traditional Latino side dish, give these a try. They won't disappoint.
ABUELO'S PAPAS con CHILE
3 lbs red potatoes
3 oz cream cheese, cut into 2" squares
1/2 cup heavy cream
10 oz Velveeta, cut into 2" squares
1/2 Tbsp salt
3/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
2 cans chopped green chiles
1/2 cup chopped green onion tops
2 Tbsp finely chopped jalapeno (fresh or pickled), seeds removed
Wash and scrub potatoes until clean.
Place potatoes in a pot covered with water and boil until soft.
Drain potatoes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mash (suggest using a hand masher....an electric mixer will turn this to gum). Be sure all ingredients are incorporated.
I found blackberries at Aldi's last week for for $1 a box so I picked up a couple. This is such an easy recipe, just a handful of ingredients. Have some ice cream for freshly whipped cream on hand for the perfect end of a meal.
BLACKBERRY COBBLER (4 servings)
1/2 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
1 1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp sugar, divided
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup whole milk
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
Ice cream or whipped cream for serving
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar with the flour and milk. Whisk in the melted butter.
Rinse the blackberries and pat them dry (if using fresh). Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle the blackberries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blackberries. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 1 hour. When 10 minutes of the cooking time remains, sprinkle the remaining 2 Tbsp sugar over the top. Top with ice cream or whipped cream.
Recipe Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/blackberry-cobbler-recipe.html
