Saturday, April 5, 2014

Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce

As I established in my post for chicken enchiladas with a green chili and sour cream sauce, I LOVE enchiladas! These enchiladas are filled with ground beef, green chilies, cheddar cheese, black olives, and green onions. They are then wrapped in corn tortillas and rolled in a red enchilada sauce. There are so many great flavors all wrapped up into these little enchiladas! They are perfect for a Mexican fiesta!

To make roughly 3 servings (about 10 enchiladas) you will need:
  • 8 oz. GROUND BEEF (I used 80/20, but feel free to use whatever your normally use!)
  • 1 small ONION, chopped
  • 1 (4 oz.) can GREEN CHILIES
  • about 10 CORN TORTILLAS
  • 1 & 1/2 cup CHEDDAR CHEESE, grated
  • 1 (2.25 oz.) can BLACK OLIVES, chopped
  • 4-6 GREEN ONIONS, chopped
  • 1/4 cup CILANTRO, chopped
For the sauce you will need:
  • 1 & 1/2 tsp of CANOLA OIL
  • 1 & 1/2 tsp FLOUR
  • 1 (14 oz.) can of ENCHILADA SAUCE
  • 1 cup CHICKEN BROTH
  • 1/4 tsp SALT
  • 1/4 tsp PEPPER
  • 1 Tbs FRESH CILANTRO, chopped

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk the oil and flour together in a medium sized saucepan. Then add the enchilada sauce, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes while you cook the beef.  


Saute the onion in a skillet until they just begin to turn translucent, then add the ground beef. Cook the beef until done and then stir in the green chilies. 


Heat up either a skillet or a large griddle and spray on a little cooking spray. Cook the corn tortillas for about 2 minutes on each side in order to make them easier to fill. (Doing this will prevent some of the cracking that usually happens when you try to roll corn tortillas.)



Once the sauce is done simmering, pour a little bit into the bottom of your baking dish so that it just coats the bottom. (I used a 10 x 10 inch pan, but you could use a 9 x 13 inch pan)


Now it's time to build the enchiladas! Once the tortillas have been cooked on each side, dip them into the red sauce. Make sure that the whole tortilla is coated! Then  layer on the beef mixture, cheese, black olives, green onions, and cilantro!


Next, roll up the tortilla and lay it in the baking pan seam side down! You may need to use a toothpick to keep it from unrolling until you get a few enchiladas into the pan.


Repeat this process until you either use up all of the beef mixture or fill you pan!


Pour the extra sauce over the top of the enchiladas...


...and top with any extra cheese, green onions, or black olives you have left!


Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly!


Top with any extra cilantro and then serve it up!










Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce

Ingredients:

To make roughly 3 servings (about 10 enchiladas) you will need:
  • 8 oz. GROUND BEEF (I used 80/20, but feel free to use whatever your normally use!)
  • 1 small ONION, chopped
  • 1 (4 oz.) can GREEN CHILIES
  • about 10 CORN TORTILLAS
  • 1 & 1/2 cup CHEDDAR CHEESE, grated
  • 1 (2.25 oz.) can BLACK OLIVES, chopped
  • 4-6 GREEN ONIONS, chopped
  • 1/4 cup CILANTRO, chopped
For the sauce you will need:
  • 1 & 1/2 tsp of CANOLA OIL
  • 1 & 1/2 tsp FLOUR
  • 1 (14 oz.) can of ENCHILADA SAUCE
  • 1 cup CHICKEN BROTH
  • 1/4 tsp SALT
  • 1/4 tsp PEPPER
  • 1 Tbs FRESH CILANTRO, chopped

    Directions:
    1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 
    2. Whisk the oil and flour together in a medium sized saucepan. Then add the enchilada sauce, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes while you cook the beef.  
    3. Saute the onion in a skillet until they just begin to turn translucent, then add the ground beef. Cook the beef until done and then stir in the green chilies. 
    4. Heat up either a skillet or a large griddle and spray on a little cooking spray. Cook the corn tortillas for about 2 minutes on each side in order to make them easier to fill.
      • Doing this will prevent some of the cracking that usually happens when you try to roll corn tortillas.
    5. Once the sauce is done simmering, pour a little bit into the bottom of your baking dish so that it just coats the bottom. 
      • I used a 10 x 10 inch pan, but you could use a 9 x 13 inch pan.
    6. Once the tortillas have been cooked on each side, dip them into the red sauce. Make sure that the whole tortilla is coated! 
    7. Layer the beef mixture, cheese, black olives, green onions, and cilantro onto the coated tortilla.
    8. Next, roll up the tortilla and lay it seam side down in the baking pan! 
      • You may need to use a toothpick to keep it from unrolling until you get a few enchiladas into the pan.
    9. Repeat this process until you either use up all of the beef mixture or fill you pan!
    10. Pour the extra sauce over the top of the enchiladas and top with any extra cheese, green onions, or black olives you have left!
    11. Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly!
    12. Top with any extra cilantro and then serve it up!



      I adapted this recipe from the following blog: http://jamiecooksitup.net/2011/09/ground-beef-enchiladas/

      Wednesday, April 2, 2014

      Chocolate Zucchini Bread



      It is no secret that cakes and breads are not exactly "healthy." This is a problem because I love to bake and I especially love to eat what I bake! This chocolate zucchini bread is great because it is fluffy, moist, chocolaty, AND relatively healthy! There is absolutely no flour or sugar in this recipe but you would never know it by tasting the bread! I think it actually tastes more like a chocolate cake than a bread!

      To make this chocolate zucchini bread you will need:
      • 1 cup ALMOND BUTTER
      • 3 Tbs HONEY
      • 2 Tbs COCOA POWDER
      • 2 LARGE EGGS
      • 1/8 tsp SALT
      • 1 Tbs VANILLA
      • 1 tsp APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
      • 1/2 tsp BAKING SODA
      • 1 cup ZUCCHINI, shredded (squeeze as much of the excess water out as possible)
      • Optional: 1/3 cup NUTS (I used pecans)

      Start off by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. Then put the almond butter, honey, cocoa powder, eggs, salt, and vanilla into a medium bowl. Use a handheld mixer to blend on a medium speed for 2 minutes.

      Add the vinegar and baking soda to the mixture and blend for another 30 seconds.


      Next, fold in the zucchini and the nuts with a spatula.


      It won't exactly look pretty... but I promise it tastes good!


      Pour the batter into a loaf pan that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray.


      Bake the bread for 25-35 minutes depending on how much water you were able to get out of the zucchini.

      Note: I would recommend checking the bread with a toothpick every few minutes after the first 25 minutes until it comes out clean.


      You can serve it warm or at room temperature!


      I cut my bread into pieces that were 3/4 to 1 inch thick which gave me about 10 slices.






      Chocolate Zucchini Bread

      Ingredients:
      • 1 cup ALMOND BUTTER
      • 3 Tbs HONEY
      • 2 Tbs COCOA POWDER
      • LARGE EGGS
      • 1/8 tsp SALT
      • 1 Tbs VANILLA
      • 1 tsp APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
      • 1/2 tsp BAKING SODA
      • 1 cup ZUCCHINI, shredded (squeeze as much of the excess water out as possible)
      • Optional: 1/3 cup NUTS (I used pecans)
        Directions:
        1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F
        2. Put the almond butter, honey, cocoa powder, eggs, salt, and vanilla into a medium bowl. Use a handheld mixer to blend on a medium speed for 2 minutes.
        3. Add the vinegar and baking soda to the mixture and blend for another 30 seconds.
        4. Next, fold in the zucchini and the nuts with a spatula.
        5. Pour the batter into a loaf pan that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray
        6. Bake the bread for 25-35 minutes depending on how much water you were able to get out of the zucchini. Note: I would recommend checking the bread with a toothpick every few minutes after the first 25 minutes until it comes out clean.



          I adapted this recipe from the following blog: http://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/organic-chocolate-zucchini-bread-recipe/