Creamy Poblano Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

* 2 Poblano peppers
* 3 TBSP vegetable oil
* ½ onion, finely chopped
* 2 cups rice
* 2 cups warm water
* 1½ cup whole milk
* ½ cup sour cream
* salt and pepper

Method:

1. Poblano peppers have a thick, waxy skin so it is a good idea to clean them first by roasting them. This video shows how to do this.
2. After cleaning the skin, devein, rinse and pad dry the Poblanos and slice them lengthwise.
3. In a large saucepan preheat oil over medium heat.
4. Sauté onion until translucent.
5. Add rice and let it fry until it stars turning golden.
6. Add water, salt and pepper to taste and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover.
7. Add milk, sour cream and pepper slices when the water has almost evaporated completely.
8. Stir gently every five minutes. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until rice has absorbed the liquids.

Mexican Style Grilled Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:

3 to 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts ( about 1 1/2 to 2lbs. )
1 poblano chili
1 red pepper
1/2 head lettuce ( shredded )
2 tomatoes ( small dice )
1tbsp. salt
1teas. pepper
1 teas. chili powder
1/2 teas cumin
1 teas. onion powder
1/2 teas. garlic powder
2tbsp. olive oil
2 to 4oz. queso fresco, crumbled ( an authentic Mexican cheese )
12 to 16 corn tortillas ( 6in.)
2 to 3 cups vegetable oil
hot sauce

Method: Chicken mixture

Always thoroughly wash and dry your chicken before using. In a large ziplock bag add chicken, olive oil, salt, pepper, chili powder, onion powder, cumin and garlic powder. Close bag and mix well by “squishing” it around in the bag. I like this method because it’s less messy and there is virtually no clean up. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. You can marinate overnight but you want the chicken to be at room temperature before grilling. If you are using the 30 minute method just leave your bag of chicken out at room temperature. Don’t worry, you will be cooking it before anything bad can happen to it.

While your chicken is marinating roast the poblano chili and red pepper. This can be done in different ways.

Placing them on a high heat grill turning them until the skin turns black is recommended. This takes a few minutes and will give you the best flavor. The hotter the grill the better since what you are trying to do is blister the skin to make it easy to peel off. Place the roasted peppers into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, let stand for about 15 minutes. This will “sweat” the peppers making it easier to peel off the charred skin . Peel and remove the seeds then dice into about 1/4 inch pieces and reserve.

You can use a gas burner as well following the same steps or place them on a cookie sheet and roast in a 450 to 500 degree oven for about 20 minutes ( until the skins have blackened ).

Grill chicken on medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes ( 10 to 12 minutes a side ) until juices run clear ( 165 degrees internal temp. ). Remove to a plate and let cool. Dice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes or tear into pieces about the same size.

Add chicken and peppers to a bowl and mix well. Your filling is now ready for assembly.

Method: (tortillas)

Heat oil in an 8in. cast iron skillet for more even cooking. You can use any 8in. skillet, I just like the performance of cast iron for frying. Or use a deep fryer. Never fill pan more than 1/2 full of oil, it may bubble over during cooking.Heat to 350 degrees. It is very important to reach 350 degrees or the tortillas will not cook right. With a pair of tongs place 1 tortilla into the oil and fry for about 3-5 seconds, just long enough to make the tortillas pliable and easy to work with. Repeat process until all tortillas are cooked, stack them on a plate, flip the entire stack over and get ready for assembly.

Note: Always be careful when using hot oil it can be very dangerous if not handled properly.

Assembly: (tacos)

Take about 2 to 3oz. of chicken mixture and place on upper half of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half and insert 2 toothpicks. Kind of like sewing. Repeat until all of the tacos are done. You might want to turn the heat down on the oil while doing this.
The method is the same as my shredded beef tacos, here is a link to some helpful pictures 1 and 2.

Cooking:

Take 2 to 3 tacos at a time and place into 350 degree oil and cook for about 1 to 3 minutes a side, or until crispy. You might notice after a batch or two that the oil will lower in temperature. There is something called “recovery time” when using hot oil. This is caused by putting a cool product into something hot.

Remove tacos and let stand for 1 minute. Remove toothpicks, open and add shredded lettuce, cheese and diced tomatoes. You’re ready to eat!

This is a good time to add your favorite toppings such as: hot sauce, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo or anything else you like.

Note: It is best to cook your tacos just before you eat for best results. Any uncooked tacos can be refrigerated for a few days but do not freeze them, the tortillas will fall apart when frying after being frozen.

Mexican Style Carne Asada ( Steak ) Enchiladas in Red Sauce

Carne Asada Enchiladas

Ingredients: Red Sauce

2 oz. Guajillo chili’s ( dried pablanos, about 3-4 )
1 oz. pasilla-ancho chili’s ( dried jalapenos, about 6 )
1 onion ( 1/2 in. dice )
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. dry Mexican oregano
6 cups water
1 tbsp. corn starch
10 tbsp. water

Method: Red Sauce

Add your chili’s to a dry skillet preheated to medium heat and cook just long enough to smell them, about 20-30 seconds a side for the pasilla-anchos and about a minute for the guajillos. Be careful, they are already dried and will burn very easily. Heating them first will just give you a little more flavor. Remove them to your cutting board, remove the stems and cut them into bite size pieces.

Add your garlic to a blender or food processor and pulse long enough to mince the garlic. Add the onion and pulse again. Add the chili’s, cilantro, salt, oregano and water and blend until it has the consistency of a thin marinara sauce, about 2 minutes. You might have to do this in 2 batches, don’t worry about measuring everything into 2 batches, it’s all going into the same sauce pan to cook. Add your mixture and the tomato sauce to a 3 to 5 qt. sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer covered for about 1 1/2 hours.

After your sauce is cooked, pour the mixture through a strainer. Using the back of a wood spoon press the mixture through the strainer. After straining you should have basically a ball of “chili paste” left in the strainer. You can save this for stock or discard. The sauce you’ll end up with is a beautiful red enchilada sauce.

Add your sauce back to a clean pan. Stir the tbsp. of corn starch into the 10 tbsp. of water to make a slurry and pour that into your sauce and bring it to a boil, this will thicken your sauce. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes then remove it from the heat, your sauce is ready.

Canned enchilada sauce is good but if you have the time this will be well worth your trouble. It will give you just under 2 qts. of sauce. Any unused sauce can be frozen for 2 to 3 months, just be sure to label and date it:-) This also makes a wonderful taco sauce.

Ingredients: Carne Asada ( Steak )

2 lbs. chuck steak ( trim fat and cube to 1/2 in. chunks )
1 tbsp. salt
1 teas. fresh cracked pepper
2 cloves fresh garlic ( minced ) or 1 teas. garlic powder
1 1/2 teas. onion powder ( recommended ) or 1/2 onion ( small dice )
1/2 teas. dry Mexican oregano
2 pinches ground cumin ( about 1/8 teas. )
3 tbsp. olive oil

Method: Carne Asada ( Steak )

Spread your steak chunks out on your cutting board to make a thin layer and sprinkle with the fresh garlic and all of the seasonings.
Add the meat to a ziplock bag and pour in the 3 tbsp. of olive oil. Seal the bag and “smoosh” it around to thoroughly blend the seasonings.
Let marinate for about 30 minutes.
Heat a skillet to high heat, as hot as you can get it and add just enough meat to cover the bottom of your pan.
Too much meat at one time will steam the meat and wont give it a good sear so it’s better to do a few batches.
Cook each batch until nicely browned, about 10 minutes a batch.
Remove your cooked meat to a foil lined bowl to keep warm.

Lining your bowl with foil, leaving a flap to cover the top with will keep your meat hot for about 20 to 30 minutes, this really is a nice trick and a great idea when barbecuing. Continue until all of the meat has been cooked. Set it aside for now.

Ingredients: Carne Asada Enchiladas

15 to 20 oz. red enchilada sauce
cooked steak
about 20 6in. corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese ( I’m using Monterey Jack )
1/2 cup vegetable oil ( for frying )

Method: Carne Asada Enchiladas

Add the oil to a small pan just big enough to hold 1 tortilla and heat to about 350 degrees, medium heat should work.
Carefully place one tortilla into the oil and fry for about 10 to 20 seconds a side, just enough to be pliable.
Remove to a small plate and continue until all of the tortillas are done. With a pair of tongs, flip the entire stack over.
Ladle about 4 to 6 ounces of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a baking dish.
Add about 2 or 3 big tbsps. of the steak in a line across the middle of a tortilla, roll it up a place it in your baking dish.
Continue until you have a full pan of enchiladas ( recipe should make 2 small pans ).
Ladle more enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese.

Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove them from the oven, let cool for a minute or two and serve. Now is the time to add your favorite toppings.

Today I’m using fresh guacamole, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and a drizzle of the red enchilada sauce over the top… YUMMY!

Sour cream and black olives are also great garnishes.

Mexican Chicken Casserole recipe

Weight Watchers Mexican Chicken Casserole recipe
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 (6 ounce) package stove top chicken flavor stuffing mix
1/2 cup reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
3/4 cup salsa
1 1/4 cups hot water
1 tablespoon lowfat margarine (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a 2-quart baking pan, stir in the water, 1/4 cup of the salsa, seasoning packet and margarine (if using).
3. Arrange the chicken over the stuffing.
5. Pour the remaining salsa over the chicken.
6. Loosely cover pan with foil; bake for about 35 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with cheese while still hot and serve.

One serving is approximately 235 grams.

Ingredients

1 package (8 oz) manicotti shells
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 small onion diced
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa
2/3 cup milk

Method

Cook manicotti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the chicken, 1 1/2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, half of the onion and 6 tablespoons chilies. In another bowl, combine the soup, salsa, milk, and remaining onion and chilies. Spread 1/2 cup in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in baking dish.

Drain manicotti; stuff each with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture. Arrange over sauce in backing dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells.

Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining Monterey jack cheese. Back 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.