I haven't been writing a whole lot lately. This is partially due to a crazy schedule and partially because I couldn't think of a topic that I wanted to ramble about. And oh yeah I haven't been cooking a whole lot lately either. However, I realized tonight that I have a food and wine blog so I don't always have to have a "topic" or a "life lesson" in order to write. So tonight I am writing just a plain 'ol food blog...ya know the kind of blog that is about...well food.

Thank you to CS for making me this pot holder!

The other night I made Chicken Enchiladas, courtesy of Food Network. Several years ago I tried their recipe for GREEN chicken enchiladas and I loved them. It is actually a recipe that I repeat...yup believe it or not I have made it on several occasions and here it is if you want to try it: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chicken-and-cheese-enchiladas-recipe.html

However, last week I tried their recipe that had a RED enchilada sauce and  to be honest it did not disappoint. And now I am actually having an internal enchilada battle over which recipe I enjoyed more. This recipe is definitely a little on the lighter side and I love the acidity of the red sauce, but I do love the citrus and tart flavors that are captured in the green sauce recipe. Any which way if you make either of these enchilada recipes you will not be disappointed and if you are in a bind, just make both...they are both incredible leftover!!


To begin with saute the jalapeno, garlic, thyme and half the onion in olive oil. For some strange reason both of my grocery stores were out of jalapeno and so I used canned jalapeno and that worked fine. Cook until soft.

Add the chicken (make sure it is very thin otherwise it will not cook through), salt and water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender, approximately 6 minutes. Believer it or not that is actually enough time for the chicken to cook through. I was very impressed with how moist the chicken was!!

Remove the chicken and shred with a fork when cool. I scorched the hell out of my hands so seriously make sure it is cool or just don't touch it. Lesson learned!!



Take the chicken cooking liquid and add it to blender with the chopped tomatoes and allspice. I wasn't sure of the whole allspice thing, but it gave the sauce a nice herbal flavor and complimented the tomatoes.

Puree the mixture and remember to take the center piece out of the top of the blender so it doesn't include...take it from someone who knows hot liquid loves to explode all over your kitchen!!


Add the sauce mixture back to the pan and cook, adding in the olive oil, until slightly reduced. Pour the sauce into the baking dish.


Brush the corn tortillas with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 5 minutes. Top each tortilla with chicken and muenster cheese. For some reason I couldn't find a block of muenster cheese so I bought sliced and threw it into a food processor and that worked perfectly. Roll up the tortilla and arrange with the seam side down, spooning the sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Bake until the cheese melts.

Yup I just had to add a little extra cheese

Toss the parsley, cilantro, onion and salt in a bowl. Top the enchiladas with the herb mixture.


Here is the actual recipe:


Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 medium white onion, minced
1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, halved lengthwise
Kosher salt
3 to 4 tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), cored and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
8 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded muenster cheese (about 6 ounces)
1 cup mixed fresh parsley and cilantro, chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the jalapeno, garlic, thyme and half of the onion. Cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook until the chicken is tender, about 6 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a plate. Transfer the cooking liquid and vegetables to a blender; add the tomatoes and allspice and puree with the lid ajar. Wipe out the skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Add the tomato mixture and cook until slightly reduced, 6 minutes. Pour into a baking dish.

Brush the tortillas with olive oil and put on a baking sheet; bake 5 minutes. Shred the chicken. Top each tortilla with chicken and cheese, then roll up and arrange in the baking dish, seam-side down, spooning some sauce on top. Bake until the cheese melts, 4 minutes.

Toss the herbs, remaining onion, and salt to taste. Sprinkle on top.


I am not trying to brag here, but I was seriously happy with these enchiladas. They were easy, they were cheesy and they just downright made me happy. They had a  lot of great flavor, they were guilt free and they were light and fresh tasting. Enjoy my friends and cheers!