April: Mexican!

For the April Dine-O-Round I chose Mexican Night as the theme. I made one old favorite recipe (with a twist) and a couple new ones. Libby and Mel also brought some very tasty dishes and I think the whole thing was definitely a success!

My husband LOVES Mexican food and will let me make enchiladas whenever I want. The problem is, I hate rolling them. I find it time consuming, messy, and frustrating (because the corn tortillas break so easily and I hate having to heat them up in small groups). I learned a trick from the Godsey's though, which is to tear the corn tortillas into quarters and turn the enchiladas into a layered casserole. Same great flavor and tons easier! My next project will be to make homemade enchilada sauce, as I'm just not feeling satisfied with the canned stuff.

 

 Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - boiled and shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce 

1. To Make Meat Mixture: Heat oil in medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, onion and green chile peppers and saute until browned, then add taco seasoning and prepare meat mixture according to package directions.
2. To Make Cheese Mixture: In a medium bowl mix sour cream with cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper; stir until well blended.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. To Assemble Enchiladas: Heat tortillas until soft. In each tortilla place a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of cheese mixture and a bit of shredded cheese. Roll tortillas and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with any remaining meat and cheese mixture, enchilada sauce and remaining shredded cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.  

Another one of my favorite chicken enchilada (or any other chicken dish) tips is to use rotisserie chicken and save yourself the time of cooking it yourself. Plus its so yummy!!

I also made a black bean and corn salad with a lime dressing that I thought was AWESOME. I will definitely be making it again, and also plan to use the lime dressing on my next taco salad. The recipe is pretty flexible and could be good with orzo or quinoa.

Black Bean & Corn Salad with Lime Dressing 

• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
2. In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.  

Mel brought some Spanish rice that was quite tasty.

I think dessert really took the night. Libby made an AMAZING Tres Leches cake (so amazing that Andy has requested it for his birthday next week). I hope I can do it! And to go with it I made Spicy Mexican Chocolate Semifreddo. I had ribbed and seeded the jalapenos for the semifreddo and next time I think I'll leave those in to up the spice a bit.

Spicy Mexican Chocolate Semifreddo

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 2 jalapeño chiles, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Two 4-ounce bars bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Line a greased 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch overhang. In a saucepan, bring 1/2 cup cream, the mint and jalapeños to a boil, then remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Strain; discard the solids.
2. In a double boiler, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and salt at high speed until tripled in volume and thick, about 8 minutes. Remove the bowl from the water and beat the mixture until cooled to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Mix in the jalapeño cream, chocolate and cinnamon; stir in the vanilla.
3. Using clean beaters, mix the remaining 1 cup cream until stiff peaks form. Fold about one-third of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest. Spoon into the prepared loaf pan, cover and freeze until firm, about 5 hours.
4. Uncover the semifreddo and invert onto a chilled platter. Slice crosswise into 6 pieces and sprinkle with more cinnamon before serving.