Cheese Enchiladas and Made-Up Salad

I assume at some point in time I will return to taking my own pictures instead of relying on pictures from other sources. However, if it's available and looks WAY better than what I made, why not???

In trying to keep with my summertime promise to myself of trying new recipes, I made these cheese enchiladas I saw in Taste of Home awhile back. I LOVE cheese enchiladas, but I've never made them myself. I served these with what I call Made-Up Salad, because that's exactly what I did. I just made it up! So while I don't have a picture of it, I will try to include what I remember of how I concocted it.

The verdict on this meal: definitely a repeat! And even better as leftovers!

One note on this, however. The recipe says to make your own sauce, but I'm a fan of the canned enchilada sauce; I love the flavor and the ease! Just open a can and you're ready to go! I made half a recipe of these enchiladas, so I bought 1 28-oz. can of enchilada sauce and had PLENTY leftover.

Photo courtesy Taste of Home

Cheese Enchiladas



Ingredients:

2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
1-1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
16 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed (I used whole wheat)
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided (used lowfat)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream (used lowfat)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (omitted, accidentally!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Shredded lettuce, sliced ripe olives and additional sour cream, optional

Directions:

In a large saucepan, combine the first six ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Spoon 2 tablespoons sauce over each tortilla.

In a large bowl, combine the Monterey Jack, 2 cups cheddar cheese, onions, sour cream, parsley, salt and pepper (I added a little extra cumin and chili powder to the cheese mixture for extra depth of flavor). Place about 1/3 cup down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes. Pour remaining sauce over top.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake 4-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Garnish with lettuce, olives and sour cream if desired. Yield: 16 enchiladas.

Made-Up Salad
 
Ingredients:
 
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
1 poblano pepper, chopped, seeds & ribs removed
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped, seeds & ribs removed
15 baby carrots (approximately), chopped
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 c. canola or olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. dried oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
 
Directions:
 
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients in a liquid measurer until well combined. Pour wet ingredients over vegetables and stir until coated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Enchilada Lasagna

Summer's here!!!!! One of the things I've decided to do with my new-found plethora of free time is to cook only recipes I've never tried before. So far, it looks like this is going to consist a lot of my collection of Taste of Home recipes I've been wanting to try, and this one was up first.

I adapted it alot from how it was originally printed in the current issue of Taste of Home. Below is the original recipe with my adaptations in parentheses.

We both really loved this dish. Matt is a huge lasagna fan anyway, and I rarely make it, except for his birthday. This lasagna has my favorite Mexican flavors but still the saucy, cheesy, layered goodness of a traditional lasagna.

(Recipe and picture from Taste of Home)

 

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds ground beef (used 93/7 lean ground chicken)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced (used 4 :)
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin (used 3 t; also added 2 T. chili powder, a sprinkle of red chili flakes, and about 1/2 t. dried oregano to add to the heat factor and Mexican flavors)
1 egg, beaten (used 2 egg whites)
(3 T. chopped fresh cilantro, divided)
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 4% cottage cheese (used lowfat)
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend 
8 flour tortillas (8 inches), cut in half (used whole wheat)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
(For the cheeses, I just used 4 c. low-fat cheddar)

Directions

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, enchilada sauce and cumin (I added my other seasonings in here). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine egg and cottage cheese; set aside (I added salt, pepper, and 2 T. cilantro). Spread a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the cheese blend, tortillas, cottage cheese mixture and remaining meat sauce. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.

(Nutrition facts are calculated based on original recipe ingredients.)
Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 387 calories, 21 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 87 mg cholesterol, 771 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 25 g protein.