Do you have a favorite type of food? Maybe a genre of food, if you will. Is there a specific type of food you could eat daily? From experience and those I know, most people have some sort of food routine, or type of food they gravitate toward. Perhaps it’s their favorite or prefernece because it’s comforting, bringing back memories of childhood meals. In another sense, maybe it’s what they desire because it’s a part of their culture or family tradition. On an simpler basis, people may eat what they do out of ease.
For me and my family growing up, meals were fairly basic. There was no frivolity, flair, or fanciness in our food. My dad and mom both cooked, sharing that “chore”. Neither of them excelled or called it their favorite thing to do. This is not a bad thing, nor did it affect me negatively. We had food to eat, never went hungry, and had a decent meal around the table many nights. At the end of the day, that’s what mattered, and still does for my own family.
To give you a little out-to-eat-background: we didn’t do it often. Going out to eat at a restaurant was its own delicacy. Being from a small town, the selection was scarce. We had three restaurants: a diner, a country cookin’ type place, and a pizza joint. Every once in a while, we’d get to eat at one of these places, especially the country cookin’ restaurant named Renee’s. I still recall the look, feel, and smell of the food from Renee’s. In the “big city” (the largest city near us), the restaurant selection was plentiful.
Along the run-of-the-mill fast food restaurants, we has and still have a Mexican restaurant named Fiesta Mexicana. For whatever reason, my family never went. It wasn’t until college when I finally tried it. If I had to take a stab at the reasoning, it would be that my parents weren’t big spenders, and not in a financial place to be visiting restaurants. If you read one of my previous blog entries, I wrote about eating at the buffet Ponderosa as a child. It honestly may have been one of the only “big” restaurants we went to, outside of my local hometown places.
All this to say, I didn’t experience an enchilada until later in life at a place called Don Pancho’s. This restaurant was in the town of my college, and I only went when my roommate would invite me along with her parents. Once trying them, I could tell I had been missing out on something spectacular! This dish quickly became one of my favorites on my list of restaurant food. It being my favorite turned out to be a good thing, as I would discover that Mexican is Brandon’s favorite type of food to make and eat. Unlike my family, his family ate a great deal of Mexican, and even enjoyed that meal almost weekly at home.
Brandon doesn’t exactly share my love for enchiladas. He’s more of a fajita guy. Our children adore Mexican food as well, and could live on rice and beans if necessity called for it! We’ve visited many types of Mexican restaurants in our thirteen years together, and we even enjoyed a taco bar at our wedding reception! It was a memorable hit.
Oh, my love for the cheesy, flavorful goodness of enchiladas. Trying new styles of enchiladas at a Mexican restaurant is, in my opinion, one of the most fun out-to-eat experiences. Most restaurants have their signature enchilada, and all have their own version: some spicy, some more saucy, larger, smaller, etc. I love a good combination enchilada plate where you’re treated to a little of it all. Every once in awhile, I eat my way into an enchilada that isn’t worth it, or just isn’t as good as I desire it to be. Topping the enchilada offenses list are a bland sauce, overcooked, and lack of “stuffing”. A little bit of shredded chicken isn’t enough to fill the tortilla, let alone my belly! And listen, maybe a traditional, Mexican enchilada is just that: a little meat in a tortilla. If it is, call me non-traditional.
Fast forward to about 10 years ago when I was working as the Lunch Lady. If you’re confused about me being a lunch lady, go check out one of my “About Me” blog entries. During my lunch lady days, I made chicken and cheese enchiladas with a homemade enchilada sauce. Sour cream was added to the “stuffing”, and I served it with black beans and rice. You’d better believe it was a hit! The students absolutely loved them and devoured them with hotdog-eating-contest-level enthusiasm. It was then I fell in love making with the dish. Although challenging and time consuming, making the sauce was the best part. I wish I could remember the exact recipe I used! True to myself, it was probably a concoction born from a combination of recipes.
A few weeks back, I was having a serious enchilada craving. A hunkering for something, as some people say. Being the person I am, not wanting to leave home once I’m in for the night, I didn’t want to drive to a restaurant. We are country dwellers, and the closest Mexican restaurant is 25 minutes away. Plus, I’m extremely frugal and determined. Frugal in how I spend my money, and determined in how I can cook almost anything comparable to or even better to restaurant fare. All of this led me to create what I call the not-so-average enchiladas! Not-so-average, meaning they probably wouldn’t be found on a restaurant menu, but not so average in the since that they’re lacking any components.
One of my greatest strengths in the kitchen is creating dishes from whatever we have on hand. I can somehow bring harmony and balance to the most random of items. It must be a gift from God, because it’s not something I necessarily worked hard for, or really learned how. I just started experimenting with things, and by golly, they worked. When I open a fridge, cupboard, pick something from the store, or stand in the garden, my brain is flooded with possibilities. The imagineable ways the item can be cooked, blended, or prepared into something grand become numerous. On the day of the craving, I had everything I needed to make traditional, original enchiladas: tortillas, meat, cheese, and a jar of enchilada sauce.
You may be wondering why I had a jar of sauce instead of making the sauce I was raving about a couple paragraphs ago. Like I stated, that sauce is, a. tedious at best, b. a long-forgotten recipe, and c. pointless to make when I had a jar of good stuff on hand. My husband, knowing my enchilada love and how much I use the brand Siete, had purchased a jar of their enchilada sauce awhile back. It’s made with avocado oil, is preservative-free, and has minimal ingredients. All things I appreciate and look for in a quality product.
After making the dish with Siete’s enchilada sauce, I will surely be using it again! It’s mild, yet robust flavor made for a wonderful, family-friendly sauce. To give you an idea, most enchilada sauces include ingredients like an oil, flour (or any other thickening agent), chili pepper/powder, onion, garlic, cumin, tomato/tomato paste, and sometimes other spices or broths. If you go on a search, you can find numerous varieties of flavors, additions, and twists.
For the other enchilada components, I used Siete’s almond flour tortillas, cheese, and what I call a simple, chopped salad topper. If you are an individual who requires gluten-free or simply enjoys gluten-free from time to time, this is your tortilla. They hold up well, are delicious, and I do not notice (or miss) the flour from a traditional tortilla. Although most Mexican-based dishes are made with types of queso cheeses, like queso fresco (not the runny, cheese dip from Americanized Mexican restaurants), I do not, and probably have never had that cheese on hand. Being a person who doesn’t do a lot of dairy because of stomach sensitivities, I do not always have cheese on hand. This time, however, I randomly had cheddar and havarti slices.
From the vegetable drawer, I had half a white onion, and two bell peppers, desperate to be used before they took a turn for the worst. And don’t forget cilantro–the perfect, bright compliment to all things Mexican. For meat, I had ground beef, and although the meat was enough, I had the fun idea to add black beans into the mix. With the beef, peppers, onion, and some garlic, I cooked them in the Instant Pot, and pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees in the mean time. Using the Instant Pot freed up my time to cook the tortillas, something required for Siete tortillas. Even though it takes a smidge more time, I believe it’s worth it to have a fresh tortilla. Each tortilla only took about 30 seconds, and I definitely had to watch not overcooking them. A too-crispy tortilla will not fold or bend well when being rolled!
Let’s call the beef-bean-peppers-onion-garlic-cilantro mixture the enchilada insides, for sake of typing and time, okay? Once I had the enchilada insides cooked, I added it to a bowl, along with chunks of cheese, and then began the rolling process. The stuffing and rolling process took a little longer than I would have preferred, but I assure you it was well worth it. After rolling and placing them in a baking dish, it was finally time for their shining finale: the sauce. The sauce was poured in its entirety, and more cheese placed atop. Who doesn’t love a crispy, cheesy top? If and when I do have cheese, I make it worth the experience.
Once the enchiladas completed their 15 minute trip to the oven, they were finally ready to eat! Altogether, it took about 45 minutes to complete this meal. While the enchiladas baked, I made the simple chopped salad topper by chopping avocado, complete with a squeeze of lime. The pop of color, and fresh taste of the chopped salad was a perfect addition to the enchiladas. Even my children, who are typically good eaters but sometimes leery of my concoctions, ate the enchiladas with gusto. Plus, we were able to get another meal out of them the next day. Always a huge win in my book, when leftovers are utilized.
All in all, I love my enchilada creation. I was craving a traditional, restaurant-style, praise worthy enchilada. The ones with predictably great sauce, and melted cheese sticking to and bubbling on the plate. I certainly got what I wanted: a delicious meal reminiscent of my favorite Mexican food that was nutritious, filling, also satisfying my whim to create. I believe this dish will make its way into our monthly rotation.
If it were up to me, I’d be making and eating enchiladas multiple times per week. I’m sure my family would agree. But with too many amazing foods and meals out there to make, there’s no time to repeat a meal too often! Unless the craving strikes and I find myself rummaging for a new take on an old favorite, like I did with the enchiladas. My hope is that this dish will be adored (and gobbled) by all! Enjoy the recipe below, and save it for those future cravings.
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© 2022 Everything's Albright. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy
© 2022 Everything's Albright.
All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy