Mary Ellen's Enchiladas

A few years back my friend Stacy sent me her sister Mary Ellen's cooking blog and it really was the beginning of my cooking hobby. I started checking out what she was making and realizing that I could do it too! Not only do I eat healthier because I cook, but I also eat more satisfying meals. One of my absolute favorite Mary Ellen recipes are her enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce. The first time I made this recipe I was blown away, I love the flavors. I've probably made it 10 times or more at this point, so I do make a few changes here and there... YUM. Its a regular around here and it makes fantastic leftovers, which is really important for Chris and I because of our (well...his...) busy schedule. Thanks Mary Ellen for all of your recipes over the years :)

There are 2 parts to this recipe - the enchiladas and the enchilada sauce. 

First up, enchilada sauce. Now I know its tempting to just buy jarred enchilada sauce, but seriously - just make it yourself. First of all, because it tastes WAY better. And second of all, because you probably have the spices around your house and therefore all you have to do is spend $2 on chicken stock and tomato paste. Um, that is cheaper than the $4 jar and there are no mystery ingredients (chemicals). I have a mystery food allergy that randomly rears its ugly head so I appreciate knowing what is in my food. 

Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 10 ounces tomato paste 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 

1. In a medium saucepan heat oil, add flour, smoothing and stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 1 minute. 

2. Add chili powder and cook for 30 seconds. 

3. Add stock, tomato paste, oregano, and cumin. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken and smooth out. Adjust the seasonings.

Notes: 

Mary Ellen uses 6 oz. of tomato paste instead of 10 oz. I don't know what I normally do but last night I used 10 oz. It definitely tastes very tomato-y but I enjoyed it all the same - whichever size you buy is fine. I also used 2 cups of chicken stock and Mary Ellen uses 14.5 oz (typical can size) but again, it really didn't make a huge difference - I just had 2 cups left in a carton and wanted to use it up. Have you ever smelled bad chicken stock? phew, stinky. Use it up! Also, sometimes I add a dash of cayenne like Mary Ellen does, but last night I didn't because I had some  spicy going on in my Mexican rice dish (to be posted later). 

Ok, on to those beautifullll enchiladas! Mary Ellen's original recipe can be found here - but I make a few changes. My changes are to include the whole green and red peppers and more corn - the more veggies I can cram into a dish, the better! I also use a whole block of cream cheese instead of 1/2 because we like it creamy and it binds all those extra veggies together with the chicken. 

Ingredients

• 1 pound of chicken breasts, trimmed
• Chili powder and cumin (I just sprinkle it on each side to coat them before cooking) 
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped (I go ahead and use a whole pepper)
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped (Again, I use the whole pepper)
• 1 small onion, chopped 
• 1-2 green onions, chopped (I skip these, as I've stated - I never bother with green onions, I'm lazy like that) 
• 1-2 jalapenos, chopped with seeds (I go with 2 - and definitely keep those seeds! spicyyy!) 
• 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels (I tend to use extra - probably closer to 1/2 c.)
• 1/2 block cream cheese (I use a whole block) 
• 1/4 cup salsa (sometimes I use salsa, sometimes I just use enchilada sauce - doesn't matter) 
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or a mix of shredded cheeses
• Enchilada sauce
• 6 flour tortilla shells (I actually get 10 enchiladas out of this recipe because of the extra veggies! yay more food! more leftovers!) 

Directions

1.   Cook chicken in pan with the spices. Once done, shred with 2 forks. (usually, while the chicken is cooking I chop... there is a lot of chopping to be done here, I admit it.) 

2.  Heat a large pan. Add onions, jalapeños and all peppers. Saute for a few minutes until things get soft. Look at those beautiful colors! God, I love veggies. 

3.  Add the chicken and stir.

4.  Add the cream cheese slowly, blending everything together. (helpful hint: chop up the cream cheese into smaller bits so it melts easier) 

5.  Add the salsa (or enchilada sauce) and corn. 

6.  Stir over medium heat until you have a creamy mixture.

7.  Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce into a casserole dish. (or 2 if you make 10 enchiladas like me) 

8.  Spoon some of the chicken/pepper/heaven mixture into the middle of a tortilla shell. Roll up, place in a casserole dish seam side down. Continue until you are done with the mixture. 

9.  Top with some of the enchilada sauce and cheese. 

10. Bake on 375 for about 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. (Are you mad I didn't tell you to preheat your oven? I should tell you - it really doesn't matter for this recipe if you preheat. Eco-friendly tip = you can skip preheating for most recipes - except for baking breads and cakes usually. If it is a flexible bake time (ex. "cheese bubbles" or "top is browned") then you really don't need to preheat. Save the earth folks...for the polar bears. And check out this awesome magazine for more eco-friendly tips, you'd be surprised how simple it is.)

As always, we loved these. I served them with tons of sour cream and Mexican Rice from Pioneer Woman Cooks and I will be posting that recipe shortly. 

Be sure to check out http://mecookingcreations.blogspot.com/ for her fabulous recipes as well!