Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Adapted from This Week for Dinner

*These were good, but not as simple as the other Chicken Enchiladas I've made.  Great with Cilantro Lime Rice.


Ingredients:
2 C chicken, cooked & shredded
2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed
8 oz tomato sauce
1/4 t salt
3 C heavy cream (I used half and half, less calories)
5 bouillon cubes – chicken
8 tortillas
1 1/2 C monterey jack grated cheese
1 large onion
1/4 t sugar

Directions:
1.  Sautee onion in 2 T oil until translucent. Stir in garlic, tomato sauce, salt, sugar and chicken. Cover and simmer 5 mins. In a large saucepan heat cream. Dissolve bouillon in cream – don’t heat too hot. Set aside. 2.  Dip tortilla in cream mixture, add about 1/4 c chicken mixture and roll up. Place rolled tortilla seam side down in 9X13 baking dish.
3.  Pour any remaining sauce over enchiladas. Cover with grated cheese. Bake 350 25-30 mins.

Fish Tacos with Creamy Cilantro & Green Chile Sauce

From Cookin' Canuck

*I thought these were so good, though better the second day.  The corn tortillas doubled-up were a bit much for me, but if you fry them for just a few minutes and use only 1 instead of 2, they are a perfect compliment to the delicate fish.  Honestly, my kids didn't really go for the tacos, but they ate the fish!  I really liked the creamy sauce...I must.
  

• Sauce:
  1/3 cup light mayonnaise
  1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
  2 tbsp skim milk
  2 oz. canned diced green chiles
  2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  1/2 tsp ground cumin
  1/4 tsp kosher salt
  1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  Fish:
  3/4 tsp chili powder
  3/4 tsp ground cumin
  1/4 tsp kosher salt
  4 fillets (4 oz. each) firm white fish, such as Mahi Mahi or halibut
  1 tbsp canola oil
  16 corn tortillas
  3 oz. Cotija or queso fresco cheese, crumbled
  1/2 small green cabbage, cut into shreds
  2 medium tomatoes, diced
  Sauce:
  In the bowl of a food processor, puree mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, diced chiles, lime juice, cumin and salt until smooth. Add cilantro and pulse until just combined.
  Fish:
  In a small bowl, mix chili powder, cumin and salt. Pat the fish fillets with paper towel to remove excess moisture. Rub both sides of each fish fillet with spice mixture.
  Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add fish fillets and cook on both sides until fish is just opaque. The time will vary depending on thickness of the fillets.  The halibut fillets I used took about 4 minutes per side.
  Remove fish from skillet, let cool slightly and gently pull apart with your hands to form strips.
  Wrap tortillas in foil and warm on lowest setting of the oven. Using 2 corn tortillas for each taco, fill with fish, cheese, cabbage, tomato and desired amount of sauce. Serve.
  Makes 8 tacos (2 per person).

Orange Pecan French Toast

From Allrecipes

*Yummm, like sticky buns.  I used a baguette that was a day too old and I didn't let it soak in the eggs as long as suggested, but it was still good.  Make sure you balance the sweetness with some protein or fruit.

Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/3 cup butter, melted
  2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  1/3 cup chopped pecans (I used walnuts)
  12 (3/4 inch thick) slices French bread
  1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  1 cup fresh orange juice
  1/2 cup 2% milk
  3 tablespoons white sugar
  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  3 egg whites
  2 eggs
  1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting
  
  
  Directions:
  1. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, melted butter, and corn syrup. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish, and spread evenly. Sprinkle pecans over the sugar mixture. Arrange the bread slices in the bottom of the dish so they are in a snug single layer.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, egg whites, and eggs. Pour this mixture over the bread, pressing on the bread slices to help absorb the liquid. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the cover from the baking dish, and let stand for 20 minutes at room temperature.
  4. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Tomatillo Chicken Filling

*This recipe came from a friend's blog--I don't think I can express the same love and devotion for this meal that she did (sometimes crock pot chicken is just too...soft), but it was good.  My kids finished their first tacos before I even got started.  I personally liked it better the next day after I heated it up on the stove.  Still a good meal and who can resist just how cute tomatillos are?  What beautiful little fruits!

From 365 Days of Slow Cooking

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast halves
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
8-10 medium tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed well and halved
1 red onion, diced
1 jalapeno chile, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded and chopped coarsely
1 poblano chile, stemmed and seeded and chopped coarsely (I used some banana peppers from my garden and a few green chiles)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano (fresh)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
2 tsp lime juice

Makes 6-7 servings

Directions:
1. Thaw chicken, pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker.
2. Combine onion, chiles, garlic, oregano, cumin and oil in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 4-5 minutes, stirring every minute until onion is soft. Transfer to slow cooker. Add in the tomatillos.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
4. Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks.
5. Strain the liquid in the slow cooker into a bowl. Puree the strained solids in a blender. Add puree into the chicken. Add more cumin, salt and pepper to taste and 2 tsp fresh lime juice. If needed, add in some of the strained liquid.
6. Serve the filling wrapped up in tortillas with sour cream, cilantro, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and other toppings of your choice.