South of the Border...Down Mexico Way...

Today we had a Mexican-themed dinner. Chicken enchiladas, Mexican rice, and a green salad with fresh carrots and cucumbers. Lydia emailed me this chicken enchilada recipe forever ago -- May 22, 2007, to be exact. Yes, I still have the email. I never got around to making it for some reason until now. I got the Mexican rice recipe from Lydia too. Thanks, Lydia!

(I forgot to take a picture before we ate.)

Chicken Enchiladas
1/4 tsp. Chili powder

1/4 tsp. Garlic Salt

1/4 tsp. Cumin

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded

corn tortillas

red enchilada sauce (Lydia uses green, but I could only find red)

cheddar cheese, shredded

Boil the whole chicken breasts in a pot with some chicken bullion cubes added (for flavor). When they are done, shred with a fork. In a frying pan, cook the onion with a little bit of olive oil until soft then add the chicken and mix in spices. When the chicken is done and spiced, spread it out on a cookie sheet to cool. This way it won't melt the cheese when it is mixed in. Once the chicken is cool enough to not melt the cheese, mix in the shredded cheddar. The amount you use depends on your taste -- we probably used about a cup, though next time, I think I'll use some more. I like the cheese to be very prevalent.

In a separate frying pan, warm a small amount (1/4 tsp or so) of olive oil, then brown the tortillas about 15 seconds on each side. This is just to get the tortillas warm and pliable so they don't crack and split when you are rolling them. Add a little bit of olive oil, just enough to spread around the pan, each time you put on a new tortilla, so they won't stick.

Roll the chicken mixture up in the tortillas and line them up in the pan. Pour the enchilada sauce over the top -- use as much or little as you like. We also added a bit more cheese -- probably about 1/4 cup. Bake at 400F about 15 minutes until heated through. This made enough to fill an 8" x 9" pan, which was just about perfect for us. We used small corn tortillas (because I couldn't find large ones), and they worked fine, but bigger ones would have been easier.

Mexican Rice Excelente

1 cup uncooked rice

2 cups cold water

2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

Olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 can dice tomatoes

Hot pepper of your choice, sliced lengthwise

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp cumin

1 Tbs chicken bouillon

Salt, to taste

Put a little olive oil (Tbs or so) into a medium-sized pot and heat to a medium temperature, add the rice, uncooked, and brown in the oil. Make sure all the rice is lightly coated with the oil. Towards the end of the browning, add the minced garlic. Next, dump the water on the rice and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low to medium, and let cook for 20-30 minutes.

The essential rule of this recipe is "Do Not Peek" while the rice is cooking.When it is ready, all the water will be absorbed, the rice will fluff, and each grain will be "split open" because of the browning. It should be dry, not saucy. You can adjust the spices/peppers to your taste. The recipe can be changed by keeping with the 1 cup rice/2 cups water ratio, and adjusting remaining ingredients.

Everything was delicious, and I'm looking forward to the leftovers. Thanks, Lydia!