Cheese and Onion Enchiladas

Extended Shelf Life for: Onions

With fresh, Bacon Fat Tortillas, ready to go, it was time to kick a Mexican food craving in the rear and enjoy some home-made enchiladas. These guys were not even close to being a disappointment! Only bummer of the whole meal was not having enough Chile Powder to make this enchilada sauce correctly, regardless, a few extra shakes of Cayenne Pepper and a short prayer were all that was needed to thoroughly enjoy this weeknight meal.

Ingredients/Directions:

Spread a bit of Enchilada Sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan (or have two square pans ready to go) then begin filling each tortilla with a small handful of Onions (sauteed if that's your preference - we're not opposed to raw, so I left them that way), Cheese and a touch of Enchilada Sauce. Arrange tortillas in the pan, once it's full spread remaining Enchilada Sauce over the top, sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese is melty and sauce is bubbly. Enjoy!

Bacon Fat Tortillas

Extended Shelf Life for: Bacon Fat

When the Bacon Delivery-Man had the misfortune of dumping his good near Laramie and the towns people enjoyed the gift of free bacon, I decided it was 100% necessary to look into saving bacon fat and what possibilities may be had.

There were many recommendations to use the delicious fat to fry up eggs, add flavor to beans and grease various pans depending on the dish.

Knowing that the best tortillas are in fact made with lard, I opted to throw some of my refrigerated bacon grease into a double batch of tortillas and quite satisfied with the results!

Ingredients/Directions:
From The Joy of Cooking

This recipe is for a single batch, although I doubled my batch with no problems.

Mix together 2 cups Flour, 1 tsp. Baking Powder, 1 tsp. Salt, 1/4 cup Bacon Fat and 3/4 cups Hot Water. Knead (or mix with dough hook) until  dough is smooth. Divide dough into 8 equal parts, let set for 20 minutes, covered.

Roll out each dough ball into a 6-8 inch tortilla.

Heat a large non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook about 30 seconds on the first side, 15 seconds on second side until bubbly, browned and delicious looking! Enjoy as is or with your favorite filling.

Tangerine Salsa

Extended Shelf Life for: Tangerines, Tomatoes, Onions, Jalapenos

We've been eating tangerines, cuties, oranges with great frequency.

I've begun a major research project regarding what to do with all of the peels and have made dishes such as Avocado-Orange Pasta, pints of Orange Marmalade, Candied Orange Peels and of course Fresh Orange Juice (with a few other veggies and fruits thrown in).

But after all of these dishes...I still had fruit to use up.

So, with a taco night in the works for church, I decided to do up a batch of tangerine salsa and the results were quite tasty indeed!

Ingredients/Directions:
Adapted from Appetite for China

Roughly chop 8-10 Tangerines, 2-3 Roma Tomatoes, 1 Red Onion and 1 Jalapeno. Mix together, toss in the juice of 1 Lime. Season with Salt and Cumin.

Chicken Taco Soup

Extended Shelf Life for: Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions, Avocados, Limes

If I am truthful, I will let you know that I remember very little about the true way in which this soup came together and as is incredibly common in this kitchen, I have no idea what amount of what went in or stayed out, etc. And I realize that makes me a poor food blogger. But here's the thing, I believe, that sometimes in the kitchen, the most important thing is knowing what goes together, to know your personal preference for how much broth to have compared to the density of other ingredients and above all else, I think what is important is to use what you have, to use it well and enjoy the results as they are...this was a delicious soup and I'm going to tell you what goes into, but as for how much and exact measurements, let go of that and just let it come together, it's a soup for goodness sake!

Ingredients/Directions:
Inspired by Rachel Ray's recipe Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

 In a stock pot or dutch oven saute 1 chopped onion in a drizzle of olive oil until tender and translucent. Add 2-3 (or more) minced Garlic Cloves and 1 minced pepper of choice (or a couple and a variety if you like spice - we have handy-dandy roasted jalapeno ice cubes which I added at the end), saute for a couple of minutes, then push to the side. Add additional olive oil if needed and begin cooking 4-6 Chicken Breasts until juices run clear. At this point, I like to take a pair of kitchen sheers and a fork and cut the breasts into bite size pieces. Add 2-cups Home Made (or store bought) Chicken Broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Run about 10 tomatoes through a juicer (but not on the juicer mode...more like mincing/blending mode) or blender and add to boiling broth. Adjust liquid according to personal preference by adding water or broth. Season with, lime juice, salt, pepper, cayenne, chili powder and cumin. Scoop into bowls top with Shredded Cheddar Cheese and slices of Avocado (or mashed avocado if they're a little ripe ;)).

Taco Soup

This soup received rave reviews. Actually, I keep forgetting to post the recipe, but one friend has reminded me via Facebook that she would like to make this recipe, or rather she'd like her husband to make this recipe, so I suppose I should get to posting the recipe ^^

Unfortunately, for those living in South Korea, all of the ingredients aren't that easy to come by such as ranch dressing packets or Mexican chili powder. However, I think the ranch seasoning can be left out and perhaps you can replace the Mexican chili powder with Korean chili powder or take a look at some of Korea's online grocery stores.

Anyway, on to the recipe.

Ingredients/Directions:

Adapted from the Fix-it and Forge-it-Cookbook

I use a slow-cooker otherwise called a crock-pot which we purchased at Costco to prepare this soup, however it can easily be made in a large pot on the stove and should take significantly less time. It is ready to eat when it's been thoroughly heated.

Into a large crockpot mix together 2 cups prepared Black Beans, 2 cups diced tomatoes (either canned or fresh - if you use fresh you may need to add water or chicken broth to the soup for the purpose of consistency), 1 diced Onion, 3-5 roasted and chopped Green Chilies, 1 can of Tomato Sauce, 1 can of Corn. Season the soup with 3-4 Tbsp. Mexican Chili Powder, 1/2 or whole package of dry Ranch Dressing seaoning (depending on what other uses you have for it/how difficult it is to get where you are currently located ^.~), a shake of Cumin, Cayenne Pepper (Tobasco Sauce would also work) Salt, Pepper, and 2-3 minced cloves of Garlic. Stir and add any liquid if necessary. Turn the slow-cooker to low and cook for 6-8 hours or heat on the stove-top for an hour or so. Serve with Cheese and Tortilla Chips!

Chilie Sour Cream Pork Layer Enchiladas

This was delicious. So much so, we ate it two nights in a row. So much so, that the man and the Lady (annyeong) licked the plates clean.

I recently made yogurt. Two jars were exactly what I wanted my yogurt to be. Three jars were a little more sour and thick than I had intended, a little like sour cream, so I decided. Therefore, I searched for recipes that used sour cream and substituted my home-made sour-creamish yogurt.

There's a lot of parts to enchiladas. Don't fret. Just breath and take your time, the efforts quite worth it!

Ingredients/Directions:

I began with the sauce which came together by melting 1/4 cup Butter in a small saucepan and then adding 1/4 cup Flour and stirring about 5 minutes to make a roux. (The author of my recipe inspiration states the key to roux is working the flour-butter mixture until  the flour smell resides). Slowly whisk in 1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth before reducing the heat and whisk in 1 1/2 cups Sour Cream. Once sauce is well mixed, add diced green chilies from a can or fresh diced green chilies, salt and pepper all to taste.

With the sauce complete, move on to the meat filling. For this, I simply diced up one Onion, minced 2-3 Garlic cloves and sauteed them before adding a small package of ground pork and cooking it through.

Now, it's time for assembly. You can do the whole wrapped enchilada concept which will likely look more lovely, however, in an itty-bitty oven I've found the layered, casserole style dish is a much better option. For this, I just dip a corn tortilla in the cream sauce, place in the bottom of a small round casserole dish, sprinkle with pork filling and shredded Monterrey jack cheese until the dish is filled. Pop the dish in the oven at 350*F (177*C) and bake for 15 minutes with a cover and 5 minutes uncovered until golden and bubbly. Enjoy!

Enchilada Suizas Soup and a Re-Make

Occasionally, (or quite often) when it comes to cooking I want something homemade, delicious and quick. I recognize, that sometimes, a meal that takes some time and effort to put together is worth the effort and so often phenomenal in a way quick and easy can't be. Nonetheless, I'm a sucker for easy. And what is easier than taking what appears to be a delicious recipe and tweaking it so that it's a soup. Nothing! Nothing is easier than soup! So, I found a bomb-A recipe for Enchiladas Suizas, decided I was lacking energy and motivation to do the whole saucing, filling, rolling, baking work of enchiladas and opted instead to soupify (in a non-liquefying way) this recipe for enchiladas suizas.

Ingredients/Directions:

Roast some chilies to ensure a bowl full of spicy flavor-ful-ness. Melt a bit of butter and saute a diced onion in a sauce pan. Season buttery onions with minced garlic, cumin and salt, add a bit of flour to thicken and create a roux-like concept. Add 2-3 cups Chicken Broth and simmer for a bit. Add unto the mixture, 2 cups of cooked/shredded chicken and chopped, roasted green chilies. Simmer a bit longer until things smell phenomenal. You are encouraged to add any additional soup ingredients you desire such as: potatoes, tomatoes, etc. Just before serving, add about one cup of heavy cream, some shredded cheese and stir until incorporated. Ladle into a bowl, top with crushed tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream if you are so luck to have it readily available and enjoy my friends, enjoy! (Please note, these are potentially the least accurate measurments and directions I've ever posted, so take caution and don't fear changing things up a bit).

As for the remake...

Reheat left over soup liquid on the stove - just strain it off a bit. Dip tortillas in a thickened liquid (thickend with flour, heating, etc.) Brown up some potatoes, shredd some cheese, use the none liquid part of the soup and begin filling enchiladas or creating an enchilada casserole by layering. Simple. Easy. Delicious!

Throw it in a Dish -- Call it Dinner

Occassionally (a.k.a. more-often-than-not), there are foods in the fridge that have been there too long, are in too small of quantities to do something new with, and that have lost their original intrigue (such as leftovers).

This "throw-it-in-a-dish" meal is one such example.

Leftover filling from Stuffed Peppers.

Diced Peppers that weren't stuffed.

Last of the Corn Tortiallas (two)

Bottom of a bag of Corn Chips (two small for dipping)

Cheese. Glorious Cheese.

Casserole Dish, followed by tortilla, followed by half the pepper filling and cheese,  followed by tortilla, more pepper filling and cheese, topped with tortilla chip crumbs and of course cheese.

Baked for about 20-30 minutes. Topped with Blender/Food Processor Salsa and Friends, you have a meal!

Just another take on ... Blender Salsa

Salsa is really, REALLY easy to make...and there are plenty of recipes available on the web. I have nothing special to offer...except a word of encouragement that you should all be making your own salsa...because it's EASY!

When I was 'extending shelf life' - I threw some rescued tomatoes and cilantro into the blender to make this salsa.

Recently, I threw some roasted chilies (with some serious KICK), onions, garlic, tomatoes and cumin into a food processor and what do you know? I had a Kickin' Salsa!

Other 'Korea' Salsa's have featured less spicy chiles, roasted tomatoes and on occassion, cilantro.

Salsa...it's easy. No need for Pace ^_^

Home-made Enchilada Sauce + Enchilada's

May 5th. Children's Day. Korean Holiday.

May 5th. Mexican Independence Day. Inspiration for Mexican Inspired Dining.

10 Minute Enchilada Sauce. Cheese and Onion Enchiladas. Perfect 'Holiday' meal.

Ingredients/Directions:

In a skillet heat 1/4 Vegetable Oil (or a little less). Stir in 2 Tbsp. Flour and 1/4 cup Chili Powder, reduce heat to medium and cook til lightly browned. Stir Constantly. Gradually stir in 8 oz. Tomato Sauce, 1 1/2 cup Water (or 2:1 Water:Soju Hot Sauce), Cumin and Garlic Powder until smooth. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, season with salt.



For Enchilada's simply coat corn or flour tortillas in Enchilada Sauce, stuff with choice of ingredients, wrap and set in a shallow baking dish, bake at about 350 degrees for 20-40 minutes. Enjoy with fresh tomatoes and home made guacomole.

Mexican Tortilla Lasagna

Finding inspiration from Martha Stewart's Tortilla and Black Bean Pie and being thrilled with my recent NiceDeli purchase (in huge thanks to Jen M.) I was eager to throw together a bit of Mexican flare with this Mexican style Tortilla Lasagna.

Ingredients/Directions:

Saute Onion, Green Chile and 2 Cloves Garlic in a bit of oil 5-ish minutes. Add 1.5-2 cups Black Beans, drained. Season with Salt, Pepper, Cumin and Chili Powder. Add 1 cup of Beer and simmer until thickened (if you become impatient, it is acceptable to drain off some of the liquid). In a round pan or casserole dish set down a corn tortilla, top with a portion of the black bean mixture, followed by shredded cheddar, a tortilla and so-on until the bean mixture has been completely used. Top final layer with cheese and cover. Place in oven of about 350 degrees for 30 minutes or so until cheese is melty and beautiful. (Can remove lid for the last 10 minutes so as to get a golden look to the top of the dish). Enjoy with a margarita, glass of beer or your beverage of choice and good company.

Double Bean Burritos

Often at '519 Kitchen' there is a last ditch effort to use up a handful of ingredients prior to their turning sour, smelly, slimy, or otherwise unsightly. This weekend was no different as a ziploc of beans sat anticipating usage next to a package of mushrooms, garlic, and sesame leaves and 'marinated' beef from the infamous Sesame Leaf Beef Sandwiches. So it was, on Saturday, February 19th I threw a random assortment of ingredients into a pot, heated them up, spread them onto a flour tortilla, toasted them in a skillet and served them up to the man I love and my own growling belly.

Ingredients and Directions:

Throw into a saucepan 3-4 cups of beans (I had on hand black beans and black-eyed peas). Add salsa, about one cup or so, diced mushrooms, minced garlic, broth or tea (just enough to prevent burning), 2-3 roasted chilis and heat through - once heated add a handful of chopped sesame leaves. Dump into tortillas, top with cheese, wrap and toast in a warm skillet before serving them up with additional salsa on the side or as is.