Recipes

So, I have had an idea for posting for a while now. I love to cook and even more I love trying new recipes. I thought I would post some of my favorites and some of the new ones I try--only if I think they are keepers. Last night I tried a new one from my Whole Foods Cookbook. This cookbook has lots of keepers in it. I'll post one of Jon's favorites sometime soon.

Southwest King Ranch Casserole
The Mexican Chicken Filling
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 1/2 cups diced yellow onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp coarsley ground pepper (I just used regular black pepper and it was fine)
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups shredded cooked boneless chicken (tip: you can used leftover baked or rotisserie chicken for this dish. I boiled 3 medium/smallish skinless, boneless chicken breasts until they were cooked and then shredded it in the food processor. You can even cook the chicken breasts early in the day to save you time putting dinner together.)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

The Casserole
2 cups grated Monterrey Jack Cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (tip: we always have a bag of shredded MJ and Cheddar cheese on hand so I just used that)
2 cups bottled tomatillo sauce (I used Herdez brand bottled sauce--it was the perfect amount)
8 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green chilies, drained

To Prepare the Mecixan Chicken Filling:
Preheat oven to 350.
Heat the canola oil over med-high in a large saute pan. Add the onions, and cook them until they are translucent, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the garlic, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and salt. Add the chicken, and heat through. Remove the pan from the heat; stir in cilantro.
To Prepare the Casserole:
In a small bowl, combine the cheeses. On the bottom of an 8X8 1/2 inch pan at least 2 inches deep (I used a square brownie pan) spread 1 cup of the tomatillo sauce. Top with 4 tortillas, overlapping as necessary. Spread half the sour cream evenly over the tortillas. Add 1/2 cup of the remaining tomatillo sauce, 1 1/2 cups of the chicken filling, 1 cup of the cheese mixture, and one half of the green chilies.
Top with 4 more tortillas, the remainder of the sour cream, tomatillo sauce, and chicken filling, 1 cup of the cheese mixture, and the remaining green chilies. End with 1 cup of the cheese sprinkled on top. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly on the surface.

Yummy!

Serve with a nice green or spinach salad and you have a tasty meal! It tastes even better the 2nd day. I am eating some now for lunch! I don't think it is too spicy for kids but mine wouldn't touch it last night. They were missing out!