Saturday, February 14, 2015

Favorite Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe was shared with me by a friend in college who was culinarily inclined. I made these for the husband once, and he was hooked. I have adapted the recipe a bit, but nuts and bolts are the original. Thanks Cooper!


Ingredients
1.5 lbs of chicken, shredded
1 large can of green enchilada sauce
1 can of diced green chilies
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
hot sauce of your choice
juice of 1 lime
3 Tbs. chopped cilantro
8-10 Flour tortillas
3 c. Pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped (optional)
Sliced olives (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Mix shredded chicken, green chilies, cumin, chili powder, lime, cilantro, 1/2 c. enchilada sauce, 2 c. pepper jack cheese and cream cheese in a large bowl. Add a few shakes of your favorite hot sauce for heat.

2. Coat the bottom and bottom of the sides of a 9X13 casserole dish. Heat your tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds if they are inclined to break. Fill them with a spoonful of the chicken mixture, some enchilada sauce, and roll. Place into the pan, seam side down.

3. Pour about 1 c. remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas to coat. Top with remaining c. of pepper jack, olives, and green onions.

4. Cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about 5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted and the sides are bubbling.

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

Once you have all the ingredients for this delightful dish, it is actually very easy to throw together. It was a huge hit at my house with vegetarians and meat-lovers alike.

9-12 no-boil lasagna noodles
 2 Tbs olive oil
 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
 1 c chopped onion
 2 Tbs minced garlic
 1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of all excess water
 3 cups ricotta cheese
 4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
 1 teaspoon salt
 1 teaspoon dried oregano
 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
 2 eggs
 3 cups tomato pasta sauce (have two jars/cans on hand, amount is approximate)
 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Get out a 9X13 pan and spray with a little cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet. Add garlic and onions. Once tender, add the artichoke. Cook until the liquid has evaporated.

3. In a medium sized bowl combine the ricotta, eggs, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, and the drained spinach using an electric hand mixer. Beat for about one minute. Then stir in the parmesan cheese.

4. On the bottom of your 9X13 pan, spread about 1/2 c of the pasta sauce. Then lay 3 lasagna noodles on top. Next spread 1/3 the cheese/spinach mixture over the noodles. Then layer 1/3 the onion/artichoke mixture. Sprinkle 1 c. mozzarella cheese, following 1 c. pasta sauce. Repeat layering 2 times. Top with remaining noodles, sauce, and generous amount of mozzarella cheese.

5. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for about 10 minutes or until it looks bubbly and delicious. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes before serving.