Chile and Cheese Rice - Delicious!

Mmmmm, cheese, rice, green chile's, fresh corn, sour cream, I mean what's not to like?  This is chile and cheese rice which is so delicious I can't even begin to tell you.  My family also loved it so that is confirmation that this is one good recipe.

Rice is one of the most adaptable and creative ingredients you can put on  your table.  I can't even begin to imagine how many hundreds or even thousands of recipes there are that use rice.  You can eat rice for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  It makes great desserts and can be a tasty snack.  Most kids love rice too which is a BIG bonus.  Therefore, rice is surely one of the most universally accepted grains on the face of the planet.

I just had to know, so I looked up how much rice is grown world wide.  Care to take a guess?  In 2009 there were 678 million tons of rice grown in the world.  Now that's a lot of rice.

You know I'm a big fan of the Food Network.  Watching chefs and cooks on the network have given me so much confidence in my cooking ability and has allowed be to branch out and be creative in the things I make.  This recipe inspiration came from a show on Food Network called Mexican Made Easy.  When I watch Marcella Valladolid whip up her amazing recipes, I want to rush to the kitchen and try every one of them.  Why?  Because Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine are my favorite and her recipes are fantastic.  I like other ethnic foods, but if I had to choose it would always be Mexican.

Don't you get tired of making the same old tacos and rice over and over?  Well, here's a new recipe for you to try and I can say with much confidence that you will really, really love it.  Here is what you need.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 large white onion, minced
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups water
2 ears fresh corn kernels removed from the cob (or 2 cups frozen corn)
1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup sour cream or crema
1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
2 poblano peppers charred, peeled and chopped*
*I used one can chopped green chiles, works just great if you don't want to go to all the trouble of charring peppers.

Heat oil in medium sized skillet.  Add onion and saute until translucent - about 5 minutes.  Add rice and cook until opaque (stir so it doesn't burn) - about 10 minutes.  Stir in water and corn.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Cover.  Simmer until rice is tender - about 15 minutes.

Preheat broiler.  Fluff rice with fork, stir in chiles.  Transfer to 7x10 baking dish.  Drizzle with sour cream (or crema), sprinkle cheese on top.  Broil until brown in spots and cheese has melted - about 5-8 minutes.

Serve.  Yum.  All I have to say.

Next time you are looking for a different way to serve rice with taco or enchilada night, give this recipe a try.  It is absolutely outstanding.  Makes me want to whip up a batch right now.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“Without rice, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook”

Chinese Proverbs quotes

Better Than Numero Cinco - Chicken Enchiladas

What's your favorite ethnic food?  I like Italian and Greek, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese food, but I LOVE Mexican or Tex-Mex food.  It is my favorite.  All of the flavors speak to me somewhere deep in my soul, a primal place.  Perhaps I once lived in Mexico or the deep Southwest in another life.  It's really hard to say.  I just know from the moment I tasted Mexican food, I was hooked.

I had cooked those two whole chickens the other night when I made the chicken, broccoli super yummy casserole and I had a lot of chicken left.  Today was a busy day as I had my appointment for my visual field test and more pictures of my optic nerves.  In addition, our daughter had called and asked if we could watch our grandson for a bit while she got her hair done.  You know, there is nothing more important than a hair appointment, especially when you are 39 weeks pregnant!!  All you ladies will understand that!  So, we went over to play with little G while momma got her "hair did."  Then, off to the opthalmologist's office to finish up this year's eye examination and tests.  

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, sunny with clear blue skies.  People downtown were walking around in shorts and flip flops on February 2.  Talk about a great day!  Wow.  After we left the doctor's office, I told Dan that I thought we should have chicken enchiladas for supper.  I mean, come on - corn tortillas, chicken, cheese and green chiles in a beautiful bechamel sauce.  What could be better on such a gorgeous day?  So, we made a quick stop at the grocery before heading home to begin preparations for a delicious dinner.  Sunny days always make me want to cook something super good.  But then again, so do rainy days and cold days and every day I guess.  Who doesn't want good food to eat?  

I have made this recipe before and it is excellent.  I found it on where?  You guessed it - Pinterest - the world's greatest resource for all things yummy.  Here is what you will need.

Ingredients:

10-12 corn tortillas

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

3 cups shredded jack cheese 

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour (or 1.5 tsp corn starch for gluten free)

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 4 oz can diced green chiles

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 casserole with cooking spray.  

Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese in a bowl.  Roll up in tortillas and place in casserole dish.  

Here is a hint for your corn tortillas to keep them from breaking when rolling.  Make sure they are new tortillas.  Older ones break easier.  Heat a skillet and brush with cooking oil.  Heat a tortilla on each side for just a few seconds, dip in bechamel sauce, fill down the middle with chicken/cheese mixture, roll and place in casserole dish seam side down.   Not overfilling the tortillas also helps keep them from breaking.  If they do break, don't be alarmed.  You are going to cover them with sauce and cheese and no one will ever really know.

Making Bechamel sauce:

In a fairly deep saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the flour or corn starch, cooking for 1 min.  Add the chicken broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium until thick and bubbly.  Stir in sour cream and whole can of chiles.  Do not boil!  Remove pan from heat when you add the sour cream or your sour cream can curdle.  (This is the sauce you will dip your tortillas in before filling.)

Line the casserole with filled tortillas.  I had 12 in mine - two rows with 5 across and two across the bottom.     Pour the sauce over the enchiladas.  Top with 2 cups of shredded jack cheese.  Bake for 22 minutes and then broil for 2 - 3 minutes to brown the cheese.  Remove from the oven.  

This is a really easy and delicious recipe for all you enchilada lovers out there.  Be sure and use corn tortillas for authentic enchiladas.  Flour tortillas will tend to get gummy in the sauce anyway.  I served these enchiladas with black beans, rice and home made guacamole and chips.  Better than what we get at the local Mexican restaurant and way less expensive because we have left overs for tomorrow and fed 5 people this evening!  Wahoo!  

You can expect this recipe to feed 4 to  6 people easily if everyone eats two enchiladas and up to 12 if everyone has just one as they are very filling and oh so good!  I can tell you this, it's hard to eat just one, so make a double batch if you are expecting a crowd.

Give this recipe a try the next time you want something that is not too spicy, but very very tasty.  It's a great way to use left over chicken or you can even use one of the rotisserie chickens from the grocery.  This recipe can be made gluten free by substituting 1.5 tsp of corn starch for the flour in the bechamel sauce which I have done.  Talk about a great recipe to serve for a super bowl party this weekend!  Everyone will be talking about them and how good they are.  They will all want the recipe.

Tomorrow, I'm going to show you how to make super Mexican rice to complement your enchiladas - as good or better than they serve at your local restaurant!  It will even have that beautiful color they get and you always wonder how they do it.  It will no longer be a secret.  Now, how is that for temping you to come back tomorrow?

Everyday Donna

Things to remember:

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." -- Luciano Pavarotti

Chile Relleno Casserole - It's Better Than Good!

It's Monday again and the gift making continues.  There seems to be no end in sight at the moment and I have got to get some things in the mail or they are not going to arrive in time for Christmas.  Also, our oldest daughter and her family are moving to Nashville this weekend and next week we will be busy helping them get settled along with -- yes -- Christmas.  This happens to me every year even though I intend to be finished by this time.  Oh well, don't know why I am even remotely surprised.  

Since today was busy, busy, busy I needed something for dinner that wouldn't take a  lot of time and this casserole certainly filled the bill.  It's a recipe I found on Pinterest and knew I would give it a try because it has ingredients that we love.  The "Pinterest poster" called it beef, cheddar and chile casserole.  I call it chile relleno casserole because that is what it tastes like and my husband and son called it fantastic! 

This is a good one if you like Tex/Mex food and it is easy.  It's one that we will be having often.  I can tell you that because it is that good.  Here is what you need.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef (I use grass fed)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (I used canned)

2 teaspoons chili powder (I added more chili powder)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

3 cups water

1.5 cups corn meal

1 can creamed corn

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2  -4 ounce cans chopped chiles

Preheat oven to 350

Brown ground beef and onion until beef is just done.  Add garlic and the jalapenos and continue to cook for another minute.  Add the cumin, chili powder and salt - stir to combine.  Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine.  Remove pan from heat.

In a medium saucepan, bring three cups of water to a simmer.  Using a whisk, slowly add the corn meal and stir to remove lumps.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the creamed corn.  Stir in the egg, then stir in the baking powder, salt and grated cheese.  Mix well.

In a 9 x 13 casserole dish, layer the ingredients in the following order:

Spread green chiles evenly over the bottom of the casserole.  Spread cooked meat mixture over chiles.  Spread cornmeal mixture over meat, smoothing the surface.

Place the casserole dish in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.  This is how a serving looks -  full of meaty goodness topped with cheesy cornbread!

And this is how it tastes -- yummmmmmmmy!  Since Dan and Tyler declared it wonderful,  it will appear on the menu again (and again and again).

This casserole would be perfect for a crowd, holiday party, tailgate party, or family dinner.  It is easy and ever so tasty.  If you like chile relleno or tamales, you will love this recipe!  All you might need is a green salad and you are all set!  And maybe some guacamole or salsa and chips - yeah.  That sounds wonderful.  We also had black beans cooked with Rotel and Chiles, one of our favorites.  There are so many possibilities here.

With all the busy schedules in the coming days, this is a recipe that is tasty, quick and easy.  Give it a try. I think you are really going to like it.  Simply delicious.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas;
Soon the bells will start,
And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing
Right within your heart.