Recipe: Chicken Chile Enchiladas (gluten free)

Here is a recipe that I got from my friend Beverly. I have tweaked the recipe slightly from the original and it is a family fav! Pictured above are the ingredients you will need (green chiles not pictured)

INGREDIENTS

3 c. shredded cooked chicken (I shred chicken off one rotisserie chicken from Costco)

1 4 oz can diced green chiles

1 t. salt (optional)

1 10 oz can green chile enchilada sauce

5 oz can evaporated milk

package of 10 corn tortillas (white or yellow)

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

Shred all the meat off the rotisserie chicken and put into large bowl. Stir in the diced green chiles and salt. Set aside. Take two paper towels, wet and wring out excess water. Take 3 corn tortillas and wrap them up into the damp wet towels. Microwave for 30 seconds. This will soften the tortillas and prevent them from splitting when you roll the meat up inside them. (you may also fry them in oil, my method has much less calories though!)

Take one tortilla at a time and place approx 1/4 cup of the meat mixture in a line in the middle of the tortilla. (as seen above) Fold one side up over the meat and while turning over, roll into a log shape. Place seam side down in a prepared (sprayed with non stick spray) 9x 13 casserole dish. Repeat until all 9-10 enchiladas are prepared and in the dish. (as seen below) Set aside

In a small bowl whisk together the enchilada sauce and the evaporated milk. Pour evenly over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

*tip: If you make this in advance, do not pour the enchilada sauce/milk mixture over the top until RIGHT before you bake. Otherwise, the sauce will be mostly absorbed by the tortillas and you will have a dry casserole.

Fall Decor

Welcome Fall! This is by far my favorite time of year, and I'm especially excited about it this year as I anticipate the trees of our community coming alive with bursts of color as their leaves turn bright reds and oranges! After 5 years in the desert where you might see 2 or 3 trees in a weeks time with brightly colored leaves, with the endless sea of tree lined streets of our community it will be a sight to see I know. Although our days are still warm and feel like Summer, our mornings are getting cooler and our evenings coming earlier and cooling off nicely. It won't be long before we can put our shorts and short sleeve shirts a way and bring out our pants and long sleeved shirts!

One thing I've already brought out is my fall decorations! I had a blast decorating the new house. A few of my blog readers have been asking for pics, so here goes!

Recipe: Taco Pie (gluten free)

This is one of Kevin's favorite meals. Lately I've been making with ground turkey instead of ground beef to be healthier. It's great either way. This is also an impressive meal to make for guests. You can double the recipe and put it in a 9x13 casserole dish as an alternative.

CRUST

1/4 cup/plus 1 T cornmeal, divided

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or rice flour, Bob's Red Mill gluten free baking flour...gfree flour of choice)
if you are gluten free

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/3 c. milk

1 T. vegetable oil

FILLING

1 lb lean ground beef or turkey

1 cup salsa (I use mild Pace Picante Sauce)

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

1/2- 3/4 c. chopped tomato

1/2 cup sliced black olives

Sour cream to garnish

optional (avocado slices)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Using vegy oil spray (like Pam) spray a 9" round pie plate. Sprinkle 1 T cornmeal evenly onto the bottom and sides of the prepared pie plate. Set aside. In mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 c. cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Add milk and oil, stir with milk until mixture forms a ball. Knead gently to combine all ingredients completely. Dough will be sticky at first. Transfer to lightly floured surface. Using lightly floured rolling pin, roll out crust to a 10 inch circle. Place in prepared pie plate and press dough in to fit. Press dough up sides of pan and trim excess. Using fork, crimp the edges (see picture for example) Set aside.

Cook and stir the ground meat in frying pan over medium/high heat for approx 10 minutes of until meat is no longer pink and is cooked through. Drain. Add the salsa and stir to combine. Pour meat/salsa mixture into prepared pie crust. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake 12-15 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese melted. Top pie with shredded lettuce, tomato and olives. Garnish with sour cream and optional avocado slices. Serve with additional salsa if required.

I like to serve this with Spanish rice as a side dish. Enjoy!