Tessa's Southwest Chicken Rollups

I've had this recipe in my files for years. Every once in a while I pull it out and make a batch. They usually disappear about as quickly as they come out of the oven. This week, I served them with Sheri's Simple Salsa. Great mid-week meal, with chips and fresh fruit or a salad.




Tessa's Southwest Chicken Roll ups
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3-4 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast meat
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium onion
1 1/2 cups corn (if in season, about 2 large cobs, cooked and cut off cob)
1-15.5 oz can black beans, washed and drained
1 1/2- 2 cups fresh spinach, washed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cups grated Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, grated
14-16 10 inch tortillas, I prefer thin flour tortillas for this recipe
salt and pepper to taste

Place all filling ingredients together in a medium to large bowl.  Mix lightly.
Spread about 1/4 to 1/3 cup filling in the middle of each tortilla, depending on how thick or thin you want the rolls to be.  Roll tightly and place on a lightly greased or parchment lined cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Brush the top of the tortillas lightly with canola, vegetable or olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove and serve immediately or at room temperature with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

Tips:
-Great as an appetizer or main dish.
-Great as a make ahead dish. Prepare, cover tightly with foil. Place in fridge until ready to bake and serve.  Remove foil before baking. Make up to 2 days ahead.
-This recipe was altered from Tessa's original recipe - her recipe called for most of the same main ingredients, I just increased the amounts of the ingredients, to make the recipe more user and family friendly. Instead of 1/4 cup of black beans, I altered it to include the whole can of black beans.

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Guacamole Taquero (Taco-Shop Guac)

Found this recipe in last months issue of Saveur magazine. I altered it a bit. LOVE it. Perfect as a stand alone dip, or with tacos, or  on top of enchiladas, taco salad, etc.  Tonight we had it with some Southwest Chicken Roll ups, which I'll post soon.  Guacamole Taquero takes about 5 minutes to make. Makes me feel a little closer to my kid serving a mission in Mexico.  Last week was his 6 month mark! Wanna see a pic?

Guacamole Taquero
adapted from Saveur
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6-8 oz tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh line juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeno, ( 1/2 of the jalapeno seeded)
1 Anaheim chili, chopped
1 large or 2 small avocado, pitted and peeled
1/2 small white onion

Puree all ingredients in blender until smooth.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups, keeps in refrigerator for about 1 week.


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Sheri's Super Simple Salsa

This is our family go-to salsa. It's made with canned, crushed tomatoes so you can make it year round. It's as good in December as it is in July. In July, just add some fresh cut tomatoes to freshen it up a bit.
It takes about 5 minutes to throw together, and it's as popular with kids as it is with adults.
Perfect for the busy 4th weekend.















Sheri's Super Simple Salsa
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1 large can (28 oz)  crushed tomatoes
1  4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 can Rotel (see photo below)
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
juice of 1-2 limes (optional)

Mix all ingredients in medium size bowl.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 7 days.

Tips:
- This is best when served at room temperature.
-In the summer when fresh tomatoes are available, add 1-2 large chopped tomatoes.

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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
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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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Green Chili Enchiladas for a Crowd

I love enchiladas. We make several different types, my absolute favorite being this recipe for Santa Fe Enchiladas. It's a wonderful recipe, but time consuming. Not great if you have to make, say, enchiladas for 200.

I looked for a recipe I could easily make in bulk, without losing the great flavors found in the made from scratch recipe I love... read several different recipes and came up with my own simple dish.

"Green Chili Enchiladas for a Crowd".

Spanish for the day (per my live in translator): Puro delicioso. Va a gustarlo mucho! 

Green Chili Enchiladas for a Crowd
A Bountiful Kitchen
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for meat filling:
1-4-5 lb. roast, Beef Cross rib
1 package Lipton Onion  soup mix, dry
water

for meat filling, after cooked:
1-16 oz far Herdez Salsa Verde or any other type of green chili salsa

for enchiladas
1 - 28 oz. can Green Chili Enchilada Sauce, mild
24 small corn tortillas
1 lb Pepper Jack cheese, grated
1-2 cups sour cream, low fat or regular

Meat filling- early in the day or the day before serving:
Place roast in a crock pot on low, pour  dry soup mix over top, fill pan or crockpot with water, until water level reaches about 3/4 way up sides of roast. Cover tightly, cook for about 8 hours on low heat (275 if in oven).
Remove meat from pan, let cool slightly. Shred or chop meat, discarding any fat, and place in  9x13 pan salt and pepper generously. Pour Salsa Verde over top of meat.  Pour about 2 cups of the leftover juice over meat. Bottle any remaining juice and freeze for later use (gravy, soup, etc)
Preparing pan-Grease a jelly roll pan (approx 10 1/2 by 15 1/2 ") Pour about 1 cup green chili enchilada sauce into pan, making sure the sauce covers the bottom of the pan in a thin layer.
Cooking tortillas-Turn on a griddle or using a fry pan on the stove,  at medium high heat spray pan with non stick cooking spray. Quickly cook all of the tortillas on both sides, just until the tortillas are pliable or soften.  This will take about 15-30 seconds per tortillas (total for both sides, about 10-15 seconds per side). Do not overcook or the tortillas will become hard. Place the tortillas on a plate and stack them as you go.
Assembling tortillas: In an assembly line place the tortillas, sour cream, meat, cheese, and finally, the prepared jelly roll pan.
Take the tortilla and spoon about 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of sour cream in the center, spreading around a bit.  Add some meat and cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down on the pan. Continue to roll until all 24 of the tortillas are stuffed and rolled. You should have three rows of 8 tortillas each.
Pour the remaining sauce on top and bake at 375 for 30 minutes, loosely covered with a sheet of foil.
Remove from oven and top with some Jack or Cojita cheese. Let sit for 10 minutes and serve.

Tips:
-I like this with best with yellow corn tortillas.
-If you want to make this the day before, assemble the tortillas up to the baking point. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. The next day, Remove the wrap and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. You may need to add sauce as the tortillas will absorb some of the sauce overnight.
-These do not freeze well (become mushy). Better to make no more than one to two days ahead.
-These work well with slow cooked pork or chicken instead of beef.

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Tomato and Red Pepper Mexi- Rice

Shall we call this the series on Mexican dishes? Not super authentic, but dishes with a Mexi-flair. 
Earlier in the week , it was Mexican Breakfast Tortillas. In the next few days, I'll post a simple Green Chili Enchilada recipe for a crowd and a Mexican Salad. 
This rice dish can be thrown together in about 5 minutes, and cooks up in about 20. Super simple and fresh. Really, it kicks Rice-a Roni's backside every time. 








Fresh Tomato and Red Pepper Mexican Rice
A Bountiful Kitchen
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1-2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 cup chopped onion, I like it chunky
1 clove garlic, chopped or crushed
1 cup chopped tomato
1 chopped red pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, more if you like it hot
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
water if needed
Cilantro for garnish (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Use a 4 quart saucepan with a lid for cooking.
Saute the chopped onion in oil over medium high heat (uncovered) until onion is soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, cook for about 2 additional minutes. Add rest of ingredients to saucepan.  Bring to boil, cover pan with lid and reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 20 minutes or until rice is done.  Check the rice at about 12 minutes to see if more liquid is needed. Salt and pepper to taste.

Tips:
-If you don't have fresh tomatoes, you may use drained chopped tomatoes from a can.
-This cooks up quickly, make sure to keep the heat at medium, and the pan covered as much as possible.
- For cooking ahead-If you try to keep the rice warm too long after cooking, the grains will swell and the rice will become overcooked. Better to let it cool, then heat it up later when needed, or cook just before serving.

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Mexican Breakfast Tortillas

Last Wednesday, we dropped our son, Stephen off at the Missionary Training Center, in Provo, Utah. Stephen will be serving a two year mission for our church-The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka the Mormon church.

It was a day filled with mixed emotions. For almost 5 months, since he opened his mission call to Puebla, Mexico, we have planned and prepared. Almost every day, there was some type of mission prep.  Appointments with docs, removing tonsils, filling teeth, securing a passport, getting vaccinations, renewing drivers license, purchasing clothing, supplies, etc.  Bought everything from a raincoat to a sewing kit. Stuffed two-2 pant suits, 6 pairs of dress pants, 14 white shirts, 7 ties, 2 belts, 12 pair of socks, workout clothing, pj's underwear, bedding, towels, 3 pairs of shoes, medication, first aid supplies, toiletries, books, scriptures (along with a lot of other garb) into three suit cases for two years.

Is this foreign to you? If you want to read more about the whowhatwhenwherewhyandhow, click here.  The Mormon church has over 53,000 missionaries serving full time missions in 162 Nations around the world, and now, my son is one of them.

Last week went like this:
Me asking myself, where did 19 years go?
Lots of  "last _____(lunch, dinner, movies, fill in the blank)".
Lots of excitement.
Lots of prayers.
Lots of friends and family stopping by to say goodbye.
Lots of tears.
Lots of hugs.
And of course, lots of food.

The Sunday before Stephen left, we gathered at our home for a farewell brunch. Stephen wanted food with a Mexican flair, so we served up Mexican Breakfast Enchiladas   I busied myself with food prep and cleaning for days, so I wouldn't have to think about saying goodbye. If I kept busy enough, the lump in my throat went away, for a while. The actual goodbye?  Goodness. That's another post.
The food was great.  The company even better.





How do you celebrate your child's life and their decision to serve the Lord for two years? How do you ever begin to thank all those who have loved your kid, practically from the time they were born, through their teenage years? How do you thank them for the many lessons they have taught and hours they have given up with their own kids, to teach yours? How do you thank them for the profound influence they have had on your family? In our home, two words: 
Good Food.
Lots of it.

Mexican Breakfast
If you love breakfast casseroles and Mexican food, you'll love this. You can make it the night before and bake in the morning. It's hearty enough to eat for dinner too. 

Adapted from: A Pinch of Salt Lake

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1  cup low fat sour cream

1  10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup
1  4 oz can chopped green chilies
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
12 oz spicy ground sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)
2 tablespoons butter
7 large eggs
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley, fresh
1/4 cup chopped green onions, green stems only
8-10  12 inch flour tortillas, buttered lightly
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, divided
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese, divided
8-10 oz salsa, red or green

Whisk sour cream, soup, green chilies, cumin and coriander together in a mixing bowl.  Saute sausage, drain off grease.  Melt butter in Teflon skillet over medium heat, add eggs and cottage cheese and blend.  Cook until eggs are at soft scramble stage. Remove from heat and add green onions and fresh parsley. Add 2 tablespoons of the sour cream mixture and all of the sausage to the eggs. Lightly fold in 1 cup of the cheddar and one cup of the Jack cheese into the egg mixture.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease a 9x13 pan.
Place about 1 cup of the sour cream mixture into the baking dish. Spread to cover bottom of pan.  Divide filling into the eight or ten tortillas. Roll up the individual tortillas. Place filled tortillas into prepared dish. Top with remaining sauce mixture, 8 oz. of salsa and finally 2 cups remaining grated cheese.
Bake for 30-45 minutes or until cheeses are melted and eggs are heated and bubbly.

Tips:
-This dish has many variations.  Sheri always makes it without the sausage, and adds fresh spinach instead.
-The original recipe calls for a 7 oz can of green chili salsa, added to the sour cream mixture. We like the way it looks when the salsa is reserved to top the tortillas.
-You may use Chorizo instead of Jimmy Dean sausage.

-Even though this is rolled as individual tortillas, after baking, it is easily cut into squares and served as more of a casserole. You may cut a 9x13 dish into 16-20 servings .

-For make ahead, prepare the recipe up to the point of placing the filled tortillas in the dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate remaining sauce as well.  In the morning, remove the tortillas and top the dish with sauce and remaining salsa and cheese. Loosely cover and bake for 30-45 minutes at 325 . Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is heated thoroughly. 

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Mexican Pulled Pork Carnitas

I wanted to have a little Cinco De Mayo celebration earlier this month. Between baseball rain outs and reschedules, end of school year craziness, and lifeingeneral, our celebration was reduced to a throw together dinner. You know how my kids LOVE Boston Butt. I found a couple of recipes that looked easy and yummy-one was a Cooks Illustrated recipe and another claiming to be the "best pork carnitas, EVER."

So, I ran to Dick's Market, came home, turned on the oven, threw a butt roast in the oven for about 4 hours. Went back to micro managing my kids lives. At the 4 hour 15 min mark, dinner was ready. So- about 20 minutes total prep (working) time.

Other than Stephen picking off the radishes, it received rave reviews, which is no small victory. Trust me, this can be a tough crowd.

Mexican Pulled Pork Carnitas

adapted from Cooks Illustrated

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Pork

1- 3 1/2 to 4 lb boneless pork butt (don't go smaller than 4)

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 small onion, sliced

2 bay leaves, crushed

2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper, ground

2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)

1/2 cup water

1 medium orange, halved

Tortillas and garnishes:

12-15 6 inch corn tortillas, (I like white corn)

lime wedges

minced onion, red, white or yellow

fresh cilantro leaves

thinly sliced radishes

avocado, chunked

sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place roast in heavy oven proof pan. Squeeze lime and orange juice on top of roast. Rub pork with all dry ingredients. Pour water around sides of roast. Lay halves of lime and orange in pan with roast and water. Lay onion slices on top of roast. Cover pan with tight fitting lid.

Place roast in oven. Set timer for 2 hours. After 2 hours, turn oven to 225 degrees, or off completely. Do not open oven. Leave roast in oven for an additional hour, or two. Remove and let cool for a few minutes. Pull all remaining fat off of meat and discard. Chop pork and set aside.

About 15-20 minutes before you want to eat, chop garnishes and set aside. Turn on griddle to about 300 degrees, or if using a pan on stove, medium high heat. Spray surface with Pam or rub with vegetable oil. Quickly grill tortillas in hot pan until each side is puffed, about 10-15 seconds each side. You may grill the tortillas ahead of time and wrap in paper towel and foil to keep warm. Top each tortilla with a bit of meat and other garnishes.

Serves 4.

Tips, confessions:

-I actually forgot to add the orange juice, it was still wonderful.

-I grill the tortillas as we eat.

-Often people ask me if it's ok to substitute Pork Loin Roast for Boston Butt. Boston Butt is a roast that has a high fat content. If you use another type of roast in this type of recipe, it will not be as flavorful. If you trim the fat off of the Boston Butt, it will not be as flavorful. The fat is what keeps the meat moist, and gives it a hard to duplicate flavor.

-When I cook Boston Butt's I vary the amount of cooking time. It's a perfect Sunday or busy day type of roast. Set the timer to cook the meat for about 2 hours, then either reduce the heat to about 225-250 or simply turn the oven off for up to 3 hours. If the oven door is not opened, it will stay warm for several hours and continue to cook the roast at a low temperature.

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Smoky Grilled Corn Salsa

Two lessons I have learned as a cook:

1. Read the recipe. Twice. How many times have I made a recipe and not had all of the ingredients, or botched the assembly? Yearly lesson: Jam making. How it should be- Gather all of the ingredients. Check the list. Twice. Read the instructions. Twice. Follow the instructions. Make Jam.

My jam making experience: Read through ingredient list quickly. Start talking on phone, or to someone in the kitchen, throw the fruit in the pot, add sugar and pectin, boil. Pick up direction sheet. Rats! First batch, now (insert fruit used) SYRUP. This happens EVERY SUMMER.

Blackberry Syrup '09

2. Lesson #2. My kids will laugh about this bc when they were all learning to drive Grant would say "Lesson #1 Always buckle your seat belt." The next time they got in the car, lesson #1 would be "Always check the rear view mirror." Lesson #1 was always changing. They have had SO many laughs about that.

Anyway- back to my lesson #2: if you make something and the recipe says let it sit for ___ hours, then LET IT SIT. It really may taste better, set up better etc. e.g., Smoky Grilled Corn Salsa.

I made this last week when our local corner fruit/vegetable

stand had a delivery of fresh picked corn.

I love any type of corn salsa, and thought the grilled flavor would be a fun change. I made it, mixed it up - and tasted. Well, I won't be making this again, I thought. I would give it a 5 on a scale of 10. I placed it in the refridge until dinner time. A few hours later I took it out and WOW. Transformation. This is one recipe that really needs to sit so all of the flavors can blend and develop. So yes, my lesson #2 is an important one.

Oh - and the driving lessons. Thankfully we are 3 down and 1 to go with kids learning to drive. Teaching kids to drive...not one of my talents.

Smoky Grilled Corn Salsa
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2 red bell peppers, quartered, seeded
3 ears of fresh corn, husked
1/2 sweet onion, quartered
4 tablespoons (about) olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon bottled chipotle hot sauce
1 bunch green onions, green part only, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare barbecue (high heat). Brush bell peppers, corn, and sweet onion with some olive oil. Grill vegetables until well charred in spots, turning occasionally with tongs and removing pieces as they brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut bell peppers and onion into 1/3-inch pieces. Cut corn off cob.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy small skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cumin; sauté until garlic begins to sizzle but does not brown, about 30 seconds. Pour into large bowl; mix in lime juice and hot sauce. Mix in vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool completely; mix in chopped green onion and cilantro. Let sit in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

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Beef Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce and Fresh Peach Salsa

Whenever I ask my kids what they want for a birthday meal, or any meal for that matter, the answer I get most often is: enchiladas. I loved the Santa Fe Enchiladas we made a while back. The sauce was a little on the spicy side, and took a while to make, but worth every minute. This recipe calls for lots of tomatillos. Little, round, paper-like wrapped green things in the produce section of the grocery.

I added a few roasted Anaheims, because I love the flavor. The texture of this sauce was totally different than the Santa Fe's. If you like a smoother texture, go with the Santa Fe enchiladas. These are seedier. Tomatillos=little seeds. For a little heat- I used one Serrano chili, you can add two if you like to have your mouth on fire while enjoying your a meal. Remember to use gloves, or a plastic sack over your hands to remove the seeds. Don't say I didn't warn you. And don't touch your eyes. Can you tell I'm a MOM?? Oh - and the peach salsa - enough with the peaches already! I know that's what you are thinking. You know how I love fruit with salty and spicy. This was my way to slip in the sweet and use up a few more peaches. Try these, I know you're going to love them.

Beef Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

1 small red onion, halved

2 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed

3 large anaheim peppers

1 Serrano chili pepper, stemmed and seeded

1 cup of chicken broth

2 tablespoons sour cream, optional

kosher salt

sugar

16 corn tortillas

6 cups shredded chuck roast*

6 1/2 cups shredded cheese- jack, mozzarella or cheddar/jack combo, divided

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped and divided

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3/4 crumbled queso fresco or crumbled feta

Preheat broiler. Slice half of onion into thin rings and set aside for garnish. Place the other onion half, tomatillos and chilies on a foil lined baking sheet. Broil until all of the vegetables are softened and slightly browned about 7-10 minutes, turn if needed. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl, and chop with hand immersion blender, or transfer to a blender and blend in batches until smooth. Add chicken broth and sour cream, puree. Season with salt and a dash of sugar. Set aside.

Prepare 2- 9x13 pans for cooking. Spray both pans lightly with Pam, and put about 1/2 cup of the sauce mixture in each pan. Spread mixture around so it covers the bottom of the pan.

Stack the tortillas and wrap in a damp paper towel in microwave and heat just until warm and soft, about 1 minute. Keep covered. Toss the meat with 4 cups of the grated cheese and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Place some of the meat mixture in the middle of a tortilla, roll up and place seam side down in the prepared 9x13 pan. After filling all of the tortillas, brush with a little olive oil and broil until golden about 2-3 minutes. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. Reduce oven heat to 350 and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Garnish with sliced red onion, and queso or feta cheese and fresh cilantro. Serve with fruit salsa.

Tips:

-This recipe makes 2 9x13 pans, and can easily be halved.

- I used a 3-4 lb roast. Early in the day, or the next time you cook a roast for dinner, throw in another one for an additional meal. Place roast in pan, fat side up (if not trimmed), season well. Add about 1/2 cup water (around the sides of the meat, not poured over the top), a whole sliced onion on top of the meat and cook low and slow - in crock pot for about 8-10 hours or in a 275 oven in heavy dish covered with foil for about 8 hours. Remove from oven, discard any fat, shred or chop meat when cooled a bit. If making before day of use, cook then refrigerate, or freeze for later use. Save the broth from meat in a jar and freeze to make gravy or soup base.

-If making enchiladas ahead and baking later in the day, wait to cover the enchiladas with sauce until just before baking. Bring pan of enchiladas to room temperature, then proceed with broiling instructions. Cover with sauce and proceed with baking instructions. Otherwise, the enchiladas will absorb too much of the sauce before baking.

Fresh Peach Salsa

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2 Peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 avocado, chopped, optional

2-3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice

pinch sugar

salt

pepper

Mix together all ingredients in bowl. Season to taste.

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