Burrito Enchiladas - the verdict!

Tonight was the night...after thinking about THESE all night I couldn't wait to make them today.

After lunch was made, eaten, and cleaned up - I set out to make another mess (my poor kitchen!). I creamed the beans, mixed the sauce, and sauteed the onions and mushrooms. I used white tortilla shells because we have some on  hand that should be used up and I personally prefer white ones for enchiladas (I prefer whole wheat for my lunchtime veggie wraps). I kept about 1/4 of the beans whole, but would probably do more next time.

First off - the creamed beans recipe makes A LOT! I have 4 ziploc bags filled half full of it in the freezer. LOL I added a can of green chilies which was nice. But I definitely recommend doing a *fresh* spice bouquet as I think there was something a big too strong from using the dried ones. A little trickier to *remove* as well (I didn't even try to be honest). The rice - good but made the inside of the enchilada a bit too dry....Next time I would add sauce to the inside of it as well and less rice than I put in each one (so about 2 Tbsp). I also added cheese inside each one and topped at the end of cooking in the oven. I added some chili powder to the sauce, trying to make it more like the one from THIS enchilada recipe. And I also thickened it a bit with water and cornstarch - otherwise it's much too runny.

They were good...not great...I would doctor it quite a bit next time so may perhaps come up with my own recipe. I did not top with green onions, corn, and olives - although I would do the green onions next time because I LOVE them (I actually just forgot to tonight). And I did add about a cup of corn to the bean mixture just because :) I don't think salsa would be great on top of these (the sauce is enough) - same with the guacamole (even though I LOVE guacamole).

I also made up a second batch of sauce (from the other enchilada recipe) for the inside of our enchiladas - they were just too dry and one spice from the beans was too potent not to. A filling meal though and definitely enjoyable enough - but not TO DIE FOR, at least not as the recipe stands.

SERIOUSLY SCRUMPTIOUS RATING: 3 STARS

Burrito Enchiladas

CHECK OUT THE RATING HERE

I love me some enchiladas :D So when I happened upon this recipe (from Original Fast Foods) I knew I had to try it!

I was hoping to make it this evening for supper, but it turns out the creamed beans have to be cooked for 8 hours before you can *cream* them - so it'll have to wait until tomorrow. :(

Here's the Recipe for the creamed beans - and then I'll post the enchilada recipe :)

Creamed Beans (yield 8 cups)
4 cups dried pinto beans or dried black beans (I used black)
Enough water to cover beans (at least 2 inches)
1 large onion or 2 medium onions, chopped
2-4 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced (I just did 3 cloves)
1-2 tsp sea salt (optional - I did not add this)
1 herb bouque made from parsley, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves (I did not have fresh herbs so added about 1 1/2 tsp of each - we'll see how it turns out)

Soak your choice of beans overnight, then drain and rinse. Place beans in slow cooker with onions, herbs, and garlic. Cover with water by at least 2 inches and cook for 8 hours, adding water as necessary. After beans are cooked, remove herb bouquet (I will just have to strain mine out I think), pour off any remaining water and reserve for blending. Place half the beans in a blender and blend until smooth. Add reserved cook water as needed. Return blended beans to slow cooker and mix well. You can blend all beans if you want them 100% creamy.

Burrito Enchiladas
10 to 12 tortillas (I bought whole wheat ones)
5 cups creamed beans (see recipe above)
4 cups cooked brown rice (I am just using the rice we have...kokuho I think)
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup olives, sliced (will be leaving out)
1 recipe, salsa (will make my own epicure fruit salsa which I LOVE)
1 recipe guacamole (will also make my own - will post recipe after)
1 recipe red or white enchilada sauce (I will be making the red but will post both options below)

Saute onion and mushrooms in vegetable broth and set aside. Pour 2 cups of enchilada sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. Spread beans, rice, and mushrooms down the center of each tortilla. Roll and place seam side down in dish. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with green onions, corn, and olives. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Garnish with salsa and guacamole - Enjoy! (I am seriously bummed as I want to eat this now!!)

NOTE: I will be adding shredded cheese in them as well and may even add a can of green chilies to the mix as well. We'll see :)

Guacamole #1 (from the book)
3-4 ripe avocados
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tsp lemon juice

Guacamole #2 (the one I'll be using - from Company's Coming Mexican)
4 ripe avocados
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise/miracle whip
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt (I don't put this in)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I don't put this in)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (I don't put this in either)

**This recipe can be frozen if you have not put the tomatoes in**

Red Enchilada Sauce (the one I'll be using)
4 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock (I'll be using vegetable stock)
1 8 oz can tomato paste
1 cup celery minced (use the handy chopper machine)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard (I will have to use regular mustard as I am out of dry)

Add water/veg stock and tomato paste in saucepan on medium-high heat and whisk until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, and mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

White Enchilada Sauce
2 21 oz cans coconut milk
1-2 cups cilantro, chopped
1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1-2 limes, juiced
1 pinch of salt
3-5 Tbsp Ultra Gel (any grain based thickener)

Combine all ingredients except Ultra Gel in a blender and blend until smooth. Bring to a slow boil and then simmer in a sauce pan until sauce is slightly thickened (30-40 minutes). Add 3-5 Tbsp Ultra Gel until desired thickness is achieved.

So as mentioned - this will be dinner tomorrow night!! I am sooo excited! Will let you know the verdict when we've tried it and will note any alterations I make :)

Sour Cream and Chicken Enchiladas

I have always loved - LOVED - chicken enchiladas. The way they look fresh out of the oven - makes my mouth water. Unfortunately for me, my husband isn't a huge fan. He much prefers his sister's enchiladas, which I can't blame him for. They are DIVINE! But I don't really think they can be compared - chicken vs hamburger. I love both...equally I'd say....for different reasons.

When I saw my cousin Kym's recipe for her Chicken Enchiladas I knew I wanted to try them. They really are pretty similar to the other recipes I've tried over the years, except for the southwest or cajun seasoning for the chicken. I knew I should have doubled the sauce recipe like I normally do, but even still - these were delicious. Brent chose to eat the leftover soup from the night before which was fine by me. More for my tummy :D I also had a friend over (and her husband stopped by after work later that night and also enjoyed a couple) and another friend for lunch the next day - this meal was definitely enjoyed! Here's how you do it:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 3 and cubed them pretty small)
2 Tbsp oil
1 package southwest or Cajun seasoning (I just bought cajun seasoning and sprinkled the chicken while I cooked it - not sure how much...maybe 1-2 Tbsp?)
1 small can green chilis or 1/2 cup salsa (I used green chilis)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2-1 cup milk
2 cups cheddar cheese
10 large flour tortillas (the 3 chicken breasts gave me enough to fill 8)

Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken and seasoning and cook until no longer pink inside. Just use garlic and salt if you can't find seasoning - I used my garlic salt with parsley in addition to the cajun seasoning.

Mix remaining ingredients together in large bowl. Dip each tortilla into sauce to coat both sides (I did not do this, figured it would be too messy). Place about 1/4 cup chicken down center of tortilla and roll up, laying seam down in pan. I always put a bit of the sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish so they don't stick. I also put a bit of sauce inside each tortilla along with a small topping of grated cheese :). Pour remainder of sauce on enchiladas and bake for 35 minutes at 350. Then I throw a bit more grated cheese on the top (remember, I'm a cheese addict. lol) and it's ready to serve. DELICIOUS!!! I served this with orange almond salad - nothing else is really needed. It was perfect.

SERIOUSLY SCRUMPTIOUS RATING: 5 STARS - FOR SURE!!!

mmm...Enchiladas

This recipe comes from my sister in law, Rachelle (although I don't think she made it up). I've only made a few changes to customize it for our family :) It's a little more time consuming than some other recipes I use, but still is not too bad and is really easy - not to mention Scrumptious!

Appropriately named - Rachelle's Enchiladas :)

Filling:
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (handy chopper again)
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp chili powder (I use closer to 2)
1 tsp salt (I do not add salt)
1 tsp garlic powder (I use 1 1/2)
1/2 tsp cumin (I use 1)
1/4 tsp rubbed sage (I've never added this)
1 can stewed tomatoes (I blend these together first in either the handy chopper (of course) or my food processor)

Cook beef and onion. Add flour and seasonings and mix well. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. I just usually let it simmer without making sure it boils first.

Sauce:
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup margarine
1/2 cup flour
1 can beef broth
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz) (I just use our spaghetti sauce - president's choice brand with mushrooms)
1 cup water (use the tomato sauce can (half full) to get the remaining sauce out too)
1-2 Tbsp chili powder (I use about 3)
1-2 tsp cumin (I use about 3)
1-2 tsp sage (never added)
1/2 tsp salt (never added)

Saute garlic in margarine until tender. Stir in flour until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until bubbly (I just add the rest of the ingredients right away - I don't wait). Stir in tomato sauce and seasonings. Heath through. Lightly cover bottom of pan (casserole dish) with sauce (so tortillas don't stick).

Fill each tortilla shell with about 1/4 cup of filling (I don't actually measure it out - I just scoop some with a spoon)and some shredded cheese. Roll tightly to fit as many as you can into the dish (there is usually some extra space at the end of the pan - I usually squeeze some in going the other direction or I cut a couple in half and put them in for the kids). Pour the remaining sauce over top.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. If you've just finished making the filling and sauce and they are still hot, you only need about 15 minutes to cook. Then top with shredded cheese and put in oven until melted.

SERIOUSLY SCRUMPTIOUS RATING: 5 STARS

**Add garlic toast and a salad to finish this meal off. The Orange Almond Salad is my favorite but any will work**