İCelebre Cinco de Mayo!

I love random holidays that give me an excuse to spice up a normal weeknight with something festive for dinner. Cinco de Mayo is not actually the same as our Fourth of July like many think it is; in fact, it is much more similar to our Battle of Bunker Hill or Battle of Bull Run. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla, where the Mexican army was victorious over much stronger French forces. Mexican Independence Day is actually in September. And yes, I knew this without having to search Wikipedia like some of you may be doing right now in an attempt to prove me wrong! Nonetheless, Cinco de Mayo is a day we Americans use as an excuse to consume entirely too much tequila and cerveza. In fact, I think Corona may have invented this holiday for just that purpose (personal opinion).

Enough of my history lesson, let’s get to the purpose of my writing today: I love Mexican food!! I live in Texas where fresh ingredients for Mexican cooking are plentiful aaaand Dan could eat Mexican food every day and never get bored. Therefore, I prepare Mexican dishes quite often at home. They’re typically pretty simple and if you’re making authentic dishes, they’re not all that bad for you! I tend to stay away from canned sauces and smothering everything in cheese and instead use traditional spice combinations to give delicious flavor to my creations. The one thing I don’t make from scratch: tortillas. Sorry, I’ve tried, it’s just not pretty (or yummy); I use store-bought tortillas and pop them in the microwave or oven for just a minute or so to give them that fresh from the griddle feel. Plus now, I can find whole grain flour tortillas and tortillas infused with various vitamins and minerals … living in TX definitely has its advantages when it comes to cooking.

For dinner tonight, I’m making Tex-Mex loaded beef nachos and I was going to make traditional fajitas but Dan was more in the mood for some cheesy enchiladas. Since I’m trying to watch what I eat (ha!), I’m making a healthified version of my normal chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce, Mexican rice & black beans.

Loaded Nachos
1 bag tortilla chips – I try to get the kind that have big individual chips vs. the little round chips
1 can refried beans (low-sodium, non-fat)
1 lb ground beef (97% lean)
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar made with 2% milk)
2 tbsp taco or fajita seasoning
2 tbsp water
¾ cup salsa
lettuce, tomato, jalapeño (optional)

Cook the ground beef in a skillet and drain, return to pan and add taco seasoning and a tablespoon or two of water and allow the beef to simmer in the seasoning for at least 10min. Heat the refried beans in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are heated through and the consistency thins.

Lay tortilla chips out in a single layer on a baking sheet with very little overlap (you’re going to make two layers); top with about half of the refried beans, half the beef, 1/3 of the cheese and ½ cup of salsa. Lay out a 2nd layer of tortilla chips and cover with the rest of the refried beans, rest of the beef, ¼ cup of salsa and the rest of the cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 7-10 minutes until the cheese is all nice and melty/bubbly. While that’s baking, shred your lettuce, dice your tomato and slice your jalapeño into thin rings (or drain the jar if you bought already prepared jalapeño). Let the nachos cool for about 3-4 minutes then top with the lettuce, tomato and jalapeño (I only put this on half because I hate lettuce and tomato); serve warm and enjoy!!

Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce
3 skinless/boneless chicken breasts
12 whole wheat flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese (either Monterey Jack or Cheddar made with 2% milk)
¼ cup light butter
¾ cup chopped onion (about ½ of a large onion)
¼ cup flour
2 cups low-sodium non-fat chicken broth
1 cup non-fat sour cream
2 jalapeños, diced finely (or a small can of diced green chilies)
Salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder
Olive oil

Lightly sprinkle the salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder on both sides of each chicken breast then bake in the oven until cooked through. Pull/Cut/Shred the chicken into little pieces and set aside. (I was lazy tonight and picked up a rotisserie chicken that I shredded then sprinkled with cumin and chili powder so I could skip to the next step)

Sauté onion in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil until they are clear, add chicken and sauté with a little more cumin and chili powder for about 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool.

Microwave the tortillas (only 3-4 at a time; don’t put the whole stack in there) for 15-20 seconds to get them to soften so they roll without breaking. Add the cheese to the cooled chicken mixture and spoon into the tortillas, roll the tortilla from one end to the other and place seam side down in a baking dish (I use my lasagna pan). I usually add the cheese to the chicken mix and fill the tortillas as they come out of the microwave

In a saucepan, melt the butter, whisk in the flour and add the chicken broth. Cook about 3-4 minutes until it starts to thicken. Stir in sour cream and jalapeños and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes while stirring. Spoon the sauce over the tortillas then bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes; let them cool for a few minutes before serving or they fall apart.