Ground Turkey Enchiladas with Corn and Cilantro Topping

I was out of town last week, so I didn't blog about any of our Mother's Day happenings...This was the scene at our house on Mother's Day after church:

Elder Gonzales and Stephen on SKYPE!

Our son Stephen (read about him here) is serving a mission for two years in Mexico. Stephen says he thinks he is the only English speaking person in his city. He is having a hard time convincing the Mexican people he is not a native, but from the U.S., and that his Grandmother is Japanese. He is doing well, loves life and the people of Mexico. 

 Mother's Day fam photo, 2011

How do you know when  recipe is worth trying. A keeper? One your fam will love?
For me, it may be a combo of ingredients I like. Sometimes it's a combo of ingredients I know work well together.  Once in a while, I pick recipes that are stinkers.  When I do, I throw out the hard copy or put a big "X" through the recipe ( if in a book), often with the word "ICK" next to it.
Then, there are times I get a recipe and I know it's a winner, before I taste it. A few weeks ago this happened. Sheri and I were having a convo about ground turkey. For the record, I HATE turkey burgers.  I know turkey or veggie or tofu burgers are in, but not for me.  I think it's the texture. Spongy. Anyway, Sheri told me about these enchiladas made with ground turkey, said she made them for Scott (her hubs), and he loved them. She says "You'll love them too".  I was skeptical, but after I looked over the recipe, I knew she was right. I'm going to go out on a limb and say this is THE best recipe using ground turkey.
Ever.
I'm not a huge leftover fan, but I ate this for 4 or was it 5? meals in three days.
Loved it.

Ground Turkey Enchiladas with Corn and Cilantro Topping
adapted from Taste of Home
print recipe


for topping:
1 1/4 cups frozen corn, thawed
1- 4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

for enchiladas:
 3/4 pound ground turkey
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup mild red salsa (we used "El Pinto" brand)
1 tablespoon cornmeal
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground oregano
salt and pepper
8 corn tortillas, warmed or grilled
1 1/2 cups cheese, pepper jack or Mexican cheese blend, divided
1/4 cup sliced olives, optional

Place the first six ingredients in a food processor, cover and pulse until blended. Do not over pulse.
In a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Remove from heat, stir in salsa, cornmeal and seasonings.
Spoon 1/3 cup turkey mixture down the center of each tortilla, top with two tablespoons cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 9x13 pan. Lay the tortillas so you have two rows of four tortillas, side by side. Spoon corn mixture over the top.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for additional 5-10 minutes longer until heated and cheese is bubbly on top.
Serves 4

Tips:
- We doubled this for a family of 6.
-I only used one can (instead of two) of green chilies when doubling the recipe, and only 3 teaspoons of chili powder instead of 4.
-You can grill the tortillas on a griddle on both sides till soft or microwave them for a few seconds on a paper towel.
-If you want to cut the fat, use half and half instead of cream for the corn topping.

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