Paneer/Chicken Enchiladas

A good dish for a nice dinner with friends. It's one of those dishes, that works good served by itself. A side salad and my quick nachos from my earlier post would make this a complete and impressive meal. I made this for my friends who were visiting this weekend, and they were really impressed.

I got store bought enchilada sauce, but it tasted really bad, so I made it from scratch. The re fried beans however taste really good from the can. Taco bell's re fried beans work really well here.

Update: I made this dish again with paneer instead of chicken. It tasted really good too. Just substitute the chicken with panner. The rest of the process is the same.

Chicken Filling:
Ground chicken/Paneer - 1 pound
Onion - 1
Green chilis - 2
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Taco seasoning - 1 pack
Salt - to taste
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Cilantro - few sprigs
Oil - 1 tbsp

In a pan, add the oil and fry the chopped onions and green chilis. When soft ad the chicken/Paneer and fry till slightly browned. Add the taco seasoning, cumin powder, salt, red chili powder and fry till done. Add the chopped cilantro and keep aside.

Enchilada sauce:
Tomato puree - 1 cup
Chili powder - 1 tbsp
Instant coffee powder - 1 tsp
Dried Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Garlic powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Chicken stock/Water - 1/2 cup

Simmer all the ingredients together until well incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Re fried beans - 1 Can
Flour tortillas - 6
Onion - 1 chopped
Cilantro - small bunch - chopped
Sharp cheddar cheese - 1 pack grated

Heat the tortillas on a pan until heated through. lay them on a chopping board and spoon 2 tbsp of re fried beans on each of the tortillas and spread evenly. Add a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the chicken/Paneer filling on each of the tortillas and top with onions, cilantro and some cheese.
Roll the tortillas and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Spoon the sauce on the tortillas and cover evenly. Spread the grated cheese on top and bake in a pre-heated 400F oven for 15 to 20 min.
The tortillas will start to get crisp at the ends and the cheese will be melted and bubbly.
Serve with shredded lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole.

It is well worth the effort as this is a really tasty dish.

Desi mexican thin crust pizza

I used leftover paneer filling and enchilada sauce from the enchiladas I made earlier. The paneer gives it a familiar desi taste and the rest of the ingredients make it mexican. A pretty good dish, and I have to say, my best homemade pizza till date.

Pizza base - Refer to my previous pizza posts
Paneer/chicken filling - 1 1/2 cups - Refer to my enchilada recipe
Enchilada/Pizza sauce - 1 cup - Refer to my enchilada recipe
Olives - 1/2 cup
Red onion - 1 diced
Grated cheese - 1 cup (I used mexican blend)

Roll out the pizza base really thin. I used store bought fresh whole wheat base here.
Spread the sauce on the base. Top with paneer filling. I used the chicken filling recipe here, and substituted chicken with the paneer. The rest of the process is the same.
Top with olives, onions and cheese.

Bake in a preheated 400F oven for about 12 min, until the base is crispy and cheese melts.

Remove, top with chopped cilantro, slice and serve.

Veggie Quesadillas

 A perfect recipe to finish any leftover veggies in the fridge. All we need is tortillas, any kind of melting cheese and some veggies. I had a few bags of corn, carrots and beans, broccoli in the freezer, and each had a handful or less left. This was a great recipe to finish them all.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat tortillas/rotis - 3
Pesto/Salsa - 1/2 cup
Pepper jack/cheddar/Mozzarella cheese - 3/4 cup
Onion - 1/2
Garlic - 2 cloves
Assorted frozen/fresh veggies - 1 cup
Jalapeño - 1
Black pepper and salt - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Tabasco sauce - to taste

In a pan, heat the oil and add the sliced onion, jalapeno and garlic cloves. Fry till soft and add the veggies. I used diced carrots, corn, broccoli and capsicum. Fry till soft and add the salt and pepper. Keep aside.
Heat the tortillas and cook on one side. Lay the uncooked side down and spread some sauce on each tortilla. I used leftover cilantro and basil pesto from my previous post. Spread the veggies on top and top with cheese. Sprinkle some tabasco sauce on top. Fold int half and cook on a grill or a pan. Turn and cook till crisp on the other side, and until the cheese melts. Slice and serve hot with toppings of your choice. Guacamole, sour cream or salsa works great here. Substitute the veggies with cooked and sliced chicken or any filling of your choice.

Tortilla crusted Chicken with roasted red pepper sauce

This dish is inspired from the prevention magazine. It's a light and protein packed meal. The sauce compliments the chicken well.

Crushed tortilla chips - 1 cup
Chicken breasts - 2
Red chili powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Garlic powder - 1 tsp
Eggs - 2

Sauce:
Roasted red peppers - 2 whole
Salt and black pepper powder - to taste
Cream - 2 tbsp
Tomato paste - 1 tbsp
Basil - few leaves
Garlic clove - 1

Clean and pat dry the chicken breasts. Break the eggs and mix them with some salt and black pepper.
Crush the tortilla chips with hand, or place them in a bag an run a roller over the bag. Mix in  the red chili powder, garlic powder and some salt with the crushed chips. Keep in mind the chips are salty too.
Spray a baking pan with some non-stick cooking spray or spread a few drops of oil. Dip the breasts in the eggs, and then into the crushed chips. Place on the baking pan.
Pre-heat the oven to 400F and cook for about 20 min, until they are cooked through. Turn midway.
Remove and let them rest for a few min, then slice them.

Roasted red pepper sauce:
Blend all the ingredients for the sauce. I used store bought roasted peppers. Alternately, roast the red peppers  under the broiler until charred. Peel and use here.

Serve the chicken over the sauce.

2 minute Nachos

This is a quick and easy way to brighten up a boring weekday evening. Looks like you put some effort into it, and it is bound to bring a smile on your loved ones face. All you need is a bag of tortilla chips in the pantry, any kind of grated cheese and you can put together a quick nacho dish with any toppings of your choice. I used regular and blue corn tortilla chips. The black ones are the blue corn chips, and they are not burnt :)

Tortilla Chips 

Tomato - 1

Onion - 1/2

Cilantro - a few sprigs

Store bought pesto or marinara sauce - 1/2 cup (Optional)

Jalapeños  - 1 to 2 (Fresh or pickled)

Kidney beans or refried beans - 1/2 cup

Shredded Mexican cheese blend - 1/2 cup

Salt and pepper to taste

Cumin powder - 1 tbsp

Garlic powder - 1 tbsp

Slice the Jalapeños  into thin rounds. Chop the Onions, tomatoes and cilantro.

In an oven proof baking pan, spray with some non-stick cooking spray and spread the tortilla chips in a single layer. Top with the kidney beans, chopped tomato, onion,  Jalapeños, marinara or pesto sauce, salt and pepper, cumin and garlic powder and the cheese.

Pop this under the broiler for a couple minutes until the cheese melts.

Top with fresh cilantro and serve.

Top with Guacamole, sour creme or any additional toppings of your choice.

Tofu and spinach empanadas

Empanadas are a common Latin american delicacy, and the filling mostly comprises of meat like ground pork,beef or chicken. Maybe the similarity in my dish and the original ends with the name. But no matter what you call it, I can tell you this was one healthy and complete dish that tastes much better than the picture does justice for. Tofu is not something that many people like, and those who do swear by it. I am one of those people, but my hubby does not share my love for tofu. I feel that tofu is like a blank canvas, and it takes up the taste of anything you cook it with. In this dish, it surprisingly tasted so much like scrambled eggs, that I didn't have to convince him to take a bite. He believed that the filling was egg and loved it. I had some leftover  pizza dough in my refrigerator, and used it to make my empanadas. Now that I think about it, maybe I should have named them calzones. Anyway, here's the recipe:

For the dough:

Refer to my Broccoli and pepper pizza post.

For the filling:

Onion - 1 small

Capsicum - 1

Spinach - 2 cups

Tofu - 3/4 pack

Marinara sauce - 1/2 cup

Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp

Black pepper - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Garlic - 2 cloves

Chop the veggies really fine. In a pan, add the oil and the garlic and red pepper flakes. When the garlic is aromatic, add the onions and capsicum and fry till tender. Add the spinach and fry till it's wilted. Now add the tofu and cook for some time. Add the salt and the marinara sauce. Keep aside till it's cool enough to handle.

Take dough the size of tennis ball and roll out into 1/2 inch thickness. Now add 3/4 cup filling and roll it into half and seal the sides with water. At this stage, you can brush the outside with egg wash. It will give it a golden brown exterior. I skipped this part and hence the dull looking empanada.

Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 17 to 20 min. Serve hot with marinara sauce or hot sauce.