Enchiladas Verdes, Birdeye

Delish and super low-fat

Tomatillos and green onions are the key to the sauce

My compost bucket which I am looking forward to
using this spring in the raised beds...details soon.  This is where I put my
coffee grounds, tomatillo husks and all left over produce including egg shells.

I BIG thanks to mother for getting me this seed starter for Christmas,
these are Cilantro, Oregano, Basil, Parsley and Dill seeds.  I'm
looking forward to sharing with Martin and Kara

The Gooch watching (on a homemade pedestal by Chloe) the Animal Planet DVD...yes, I'm wondering too where I live and what goes on when I'm not around....according to Chloe this is Gooch's favorite place.....hmmmm....what went on last week.....And
no wonder we found him in our chicken coop recently.

Friday, February 25, 2011

What a thrill it was to have the ingredients on hand for another Terry Conlan classic recipe.  After getting back from Ft. Lauderdale and knowing I had some tomatillos in the refrigerator to use in a recipe, I pulled this together tonight and served it with black beans with toppings of chopped cilantro, green onions and japs.  Tomatillos at one time intimidated me.  You can get them at Hays and Wal-mart in the produce section.  They have a husk around them and are a tomato and gooseberry cousin and will keep in your refrigerator for a good two weeks.  Here's this fabulous recipe from Fresh, Terry's cookbook.  And yes, after dinner CoCo put in a DVD for the Gooch Man and I couldn't believe the set up she had for him.  Cracks me up....

Enchiladas Verdes

"In the hierarchy of Tex-Mex, green enchiladas (verde means green) rank second only to the ubiquitous "chili and cheese".  Traditionally made with chicken or cheese or a combination of both, and topped with a feisty green tomatillo sauce, they offer a delicious (and vegetarian-friendly) alternative of all Mexican food lovers.  Interestingly, the star ingredient in this sauce-even though tomatillo translates directly as "little tomato" -is not a true tomato at all, but a member of the gooseberry family.  You will find fresh tomatillos wrapped in their papery green husks in the produce section of many grocery stores.  Canned tomatillos may be substituted (NEVER DO THIS), but be leery of canned tomatillo salsas which can be quite hot."

3 cups tomatillos, husked
1 small onion, quartered
3 green onions, sliced in 2 inch segments
2 large garlic cloves, minced, I used 4
3/4 C fat free sour cream, I used lite
1/2 C chopped cilantro
2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime, I used one lime, paleease...lol!
1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled and seeded, I used 4 of my own that I froze last fall, let them come to room temperature and then roast in an oven on 450 degrees for a good 12 minutes
12 corn tortillas
1 lb. cooked chicken breasts, shredded, I used 4 of the organic, boneless, skinless chicken breasts from Wal-Mart, as far as I know I can't get organic chicken at Hay's yet.
3/4 C. shredded low-fat cheddar, I didn't have low-fat so we had the real deal

Combine both onions and tomatillos in a 3 qt. saucepan covered with water over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes, drain.  Combine the tomatillo-onion mixture with the garlic, cumin, cilantro, chile, salt sugar and lime juice in a food processor or blender (I always use a blender) and puree.  Add the sour cream and pulse to mix.  Soften the tortillas by either steaming them or briefly microwaving them in a plastic bag.  Place a tortilla on a clean work surface and add cheese  and chicken and roll the tortilla tightly and place, seam side down, in a baking dish (I always spray with Pam).  Once all tortillas are rolled and arranged in the baking dish, pour the salsa over the top.  Scatter some shredded cheese over the top of the enchiladas.  Bake at 375 until the cheese melts and the enchiladas are heated through.   Note:  The tomatillo-onion puree, with out the sour cream makes and excellent salsa verde with may uses of its own.  BTW, I made this in two casserole dishes and froze the second one (that's 5 enchiladas per casserole dish).  There's nothing better on a busy school night to pull out a delicious casserole like this one and add some black beans to it and you're good to go!

Nutrients per serving:  Cal 332, Prot 32 gr, Carbs 35 g, Fat 7 gr, Sod 359 mg