"A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body."
Benjamin Franklin
But I do try and make most of my food from scratch, using real ingredients, fresh or fresh canned, not "store bought" canned. Fruits and vegetables are eaten with abundance, wild asparagus growing out back and a garden soon to supplement it all when I can.So I will occasionally "tweak" a recipe to make it healthier. I love Southwest Cooking and wanted to make some enchiladas.
Canned enchilada sauce, for a lot of brands, is full of refined sugar, preservatives and some chemicals. Not to mention a couple bucks for some tiny cans.
How about making a sauce from scratch? I was looking for something other than traditional salsa, with a dark smoky richness, an almost undetectable hint of sweet and cheap to make. (Did I mention I have a Scottish grandfather?) It was made with bulk spices on hand that I use frequently, leftover chicken breast sauteed with green chili and onion, black beans, and low fat cheese (which yes, as you can see, doesn't melt as well but tastes just fine). Wrap it up in Trader Joe's whole wheat tortillas, served with salad and iced tea, this meal was less than $3.00 a serving, and healthy. (don't faint).
I shared with my best friend who is picky about their Southwest food but always willing to try something new. It was a hit. The response? "Excellent!, can you make these again?".Enchiladas Range Style
click to enlarge the photos
14 comments:
Those look GOOD. But the real question is, do you deliver?
Bacon Flavor Floss ?!!! LOL!!
The enchiladas look awesome, what gifts or bribes do I have to offer to get a dinner invite?
This is a fun cookbook to experiment with if you want to do fresh Southwest at home on the cheap and have a reliable source for canned chipotles and achiote paste.
We originally bought it while on the hunt for a better carnitas recipe (pork braised in Pepsi), but all of the dishes turn out really well in our experience.
http://tinyurl.com/2e9t3jk
Don't be turned off by the pedigree of the book. Sadly, the chain does not cook to this standard any more.
(Some hardcore types will balk at prepackaged achiote, but making it from scratch only brings a small improvement in taste IMHO.)
Is anyone else having trouble with blogger comments? I just had one comment show up twice?
Those do look yummy! I'll have to try it with the black beans. I was craving enchiladas one day but just couldn't bring myself to cart everyone to the grocery store for a can of sauce...dug around on the internet and found that making my own sauce really wasn't that difficult at all--and the pantry contained everything I needed. Rick Bayless has been my go-to chef/recipe person for most things Mexican...including a very yummy (and easy) recipe for green enchilada sauce using tomatillos...
Interesting comment regarding the cookbook...I'd forgotten all about that. We never received our book either.
Brigid...that's just as well. After I sent the comment off I realized that it had the potential to come across as curt and harsh! Never my intention. No coffee, a 2-year-old on my lap and an early morning--not the time to be commenting on something like that! Oddly enough, we're sitting here watching "Where Eagles Dare" and "someone" is offering snark on movie guns...
That looked so good, instead of cooking, we ran down to our local texmex cafe. I had the chicken fajita quesadillas. Yum!
Brigid,
Fresh made Enchilada sauce is truly a great experience. Amazing how little it costs to make. We normally use left over turkey, steam the tortillas to soften them, black beans and sometims Skim Mozzerralla. Normally we go with Monterrey Jack and wipe out the fat reduction in the other ingredients. I have also found some canned Enchilada Sauce is salty and has oil in it.
Most of my Mexican recipes have been converted to low fat and tasty!
Nom Nom on the enchiladas. About that occasional unhealthy treat.
That's a "base" instinct. We all have a few of them. It's all about the moderation. Or not.
FYI, I've seen remarks on several blogs this week, alluding to issues with comments - on & off again, among other things.
That looks so good, I think I could eat it for breakfast, with a couple of sunny side up eggs!
Zots and Beer NOT good for you?
Damn..........
Oh well, back to the drawing board.
So the real question is... when is the Home On The Range Cookbook due for publishing? (or have I missed that already?)
I should have gone to bed already, I have to get up early. I've enjoyed scrolling through your blog so much though! When I wake up grouchy I'll think about caffeinated dog treats. A Glock will just go off in your pants! How true. You know some real talented dogs. Thanks Wes from MN
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