I’ve already posted the Enchilada sauce recipe and here is the anniversary dinner I made for Karthik – Chicken Enchilada Casserole. It came out really yummy and tasted so good. Karthik loved it and he kept going back for the leftovers.

As I mentioned earlier this is one of the easiest casseroles I’ve ever made.Try this recipe and let me know if you liked it too.

Preparation Time: 60 minutes
No of servings : 4-5

Method of Preparation :

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Now  grease the  13-in. x 9-in. baking casserole dish.
3. Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce into the bottom of a medium casserole. Now layer in 3 corn tortillas or even 4.
4. Then top with some shredded chicken mix with some enchilada sauce and small spoonful of sour cream.
5. Sprinkle with little Swiss and jack cheeses and some jalapenos..
6. Repeat this step twice more.
7. Put the casserole dish on a baking sheet and bake it for 30 to 40 minutes until you see cheese bubbles on top.
8. The baking sheet will catch any drips of sauce or cheese.
9. After that remove from heat and garnish it with raw red onion rings if you want or you can skip this step.

If you wanted to try out a mexican food recipe it can’t get easier than this.

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We (my husband & I) love mexican Food. I always love to make anything spicy. Enchilada is one of our fav dishes in Mexican Cuisine. I have always wanted to make that. Last sunday was our anniversary, I was gonna make a cake but decided why bake cake all the time let’s do something new & different and something favorite for my husband.

I knew enchilada was one of them so I made this for my husband from scratch. It came out well. And you know what? He loved it and of course I was extremely happy, when you get compliments from your loved one.

Enchilada Casserole is coming soon. 

Preparation Time: 45 minutes
No of cups : 4 cups

Ingredients:

• Red chilies : 5
• Chicken Stock : 1 cup (low-sodium)
• Tomatoes : 4 (large)
• Poblano Pepper : 1 (small)
• Extra virgin Olive oil : 3 tbsp
• Onion : 1 (cut into pieces)
• Tomato Paste : 1/4 cup
• Garlic : 3 cloves (chopped)
• Scallion : 2 (diced)
• Cumin Powder : 1 tsp
• Fresh Oregano : 1 tsp (chopped)
• Salt : 1/2 tsp

Method Of Preparation:

1. Remove seeds from the red chilies and set it aside.
2. Heat chicken stock and  2 cups of water in a small sauce pan and bring in to boil. After that add the red chilies and simmer for about 15 minutes or until it gets tender. Set it aside.
3. Fill a medium saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Set aside.
4. Now cut an X in tomato bottoms, add that to the boiling water one at a time. Simmer in heat until the skin begins to peel.
5. After that transfer the tomatoes to that ice water immediately. Cool it down and peel the skins out. Chop the tomatoes and set aside.
6.  Now place the Poblona pepper directly onto the gas stove over high heat. Turn pepper with tongs as each sides blackens. (you may also place the poblano pepper on a baking sheet and broil in the oven, turning as each side becomes charred.)
7. Now transfer that poblano pepper into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit in the steam for about 15 minutes.
8. After that peel off blackened skin and keep it aside. Remove seeds from the pepper and chop it into pieces. Also keep the juices that have collected in the bowl.
9. Heat olive oil in a large pan, add onion, scallion, and garlic saute until translucent about 10 minutes. After that add tomatoes, tomato paste, red chilies and water from step 2, Pablanos and liquid, cumin powder, chopped oregano, and salt.
10. Mix it all together. Cook in medium heat for 15 minutes.
11. After that transfer that mixture into a blender or a food processor, puree until smooth.
12. Return to pan. You can refrigerate it up to 4-5 days.

You can serve this with Tortilla chips or use it as a base in different Mexican dish recipes.

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Chicken Fajitas are one of our favorite Mexican dishes. There is something about the juicy grilled chicken in combination with sauteed bell peppers and onions wrapped in warm flour or corn tortilla. It is heavenly.

We just bought a new grill this summer and have been cooking on it a lot lately.  I’ve bought some fresh tortilla at the store the other day and decided to make Chicken Fajitas.

What other dish could scream summer like colors of the bell peppers and the grilled chicken. You could also use the same recipe to make Steak fajitas too.

Preparation Time : 30 mins
No of servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breasts/Thighs : 1 1/2  pounds
• Salt and pepper
• Onion : 1 ( large) ( cut into 1/4 inch strips)
• Bell peppers : 3 ( yellow, red and green) ( cut into 1/4 inch strips)
• Zucchini : 2 ( medium) ( cut into 1/4 inch strips)
• Tortillas : 5-6

Marinade:

• Olive oil : 1/4 cup
• Apple cider vinegar/Regular vinegar : 2 tbsp
• Honey : 1/4 tsp
• Cup water : 1/4
• Fresh lime juice : 1 tbsp
• Worcestershire sauce : 1/2 tbsp
• Hot sauce : 1/4 tsp
• Garlic : 3 ( minced)
• Oregano Leaves : 1/2 tsp
• Soy sauce : 1tsp

Method Of Preparation :

1. You can use this marinade mix mentioned above or Fajita seasonings from store.
2. Combine the ingredients for the marinade and place them in a glass bowl or Ziploc bag.
3. Wash the  chicken and put into the marinade mix above. I happen to like chicken thighs so I use them in this recipe. If you are concerned about fat intake use chicken breast.
4. Marinade the chicken  for couple of hours or you can marinade overnight.
5. Now Slice all the vegetables and  add  1 tbsp lime juice, salt and pepper into them. Keep it aside for an hour.
6. You can either grill or just pan fry the marinade chicken.

Pan Fry:

7. For pan fry you should cut the chicken into 1/4 inch strips.
8. Heat your cast iron or non-stick pan and add a tbsp of olive oil/vegetable oil. Once it’s hot add the chicken and turn them as they cook.
9. It’s usually cook fast between 5-8 minutes, because the chicken pieces are pretty small.
10. Remove them from heat once it’s done.



11. Now add the marinade veggies into the pan and cook. Cook them in high heat for about 3-4 minutes and till it becomes little crunch(make sure you don’t burn them).

Grilling the chicken fajita:

1. I’ve used this method for my chicken fajita. Just preheat your grill and place all your chicken breasts( don’t cut them if you try this method).
2. Cook them until it’s done and remove from heat, now cut them into 1/4 inch strips.



3. You can just grill the vegetables for few minutes and fry them in the pan mentioned in step 10.

Tortillas:

4. You can either just microwave the tortillas for 5 minutes or if you use grill just place them for 3-4 minutes.



5. Or Warm all your  flour tortillas in the oven by wrapping them in foil and placing in a 250 degree oven for a 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Finally serve your fajita by placing your chicken and veggies into them and wrap it.
7. Serve it with guacamole and sour cream.

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Bean Burrito is one of my favorite in Taco Bell’s Menu. Bean along with cheese, sour cream, rice, etc. are wrapped in a slightly grilled tortilla. I can imagine how wonderful is a bite of it with the hot sauce. My version of burrito is with vegetables and bean. I just loved it. Here I have used the readily available tortillas. You can also make them at home. For your information I have given the recipe for home made tortillas. Here you go…

Preparation time: 30 minutes

No. of servings: 3 to 4

Spice level: 2.5 out of 5

Ingredients:

Flour Tortilla:

• All purpose flour – 1 cup
• Wheat flour – 1 cup
• Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
• Vegetable shortening – 1/4 cup
• Hot water – 1 cup
• Salt – 1/2 tsp (adjust to taste)

Stuffing:

• Flour tortillas – 4
• Chopped onion – 3/4 cup
• Garlic cloves – 3
• Jalapeños pepper - 3 tbsp
• Tomato – 1
• Corn kernels – 4 tbsp
• Black beans – 1 can
• Cream cheese – 2 tbsp
• Shredded cheddar cheese – 1/4 cup
• Sour cream – 1/2 cup
• Chopped Cilantro – 1/4 cup
• Avocado – 1
• Oil – 1 tbsp

Method of Preparation:

Tortilla:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add vegetable shortening and mix with the flour.
3. Now add hot water and knead the dough for a  few minutes.
4. Make small balls and roll them to a thin bread. Dust each ball with a little flour before rolling.
5. Grill them in a pan.
6. You can also use the ready made tortillas available in stores.

Stuffing:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add onions and sauté till it becomes soft.
2. Add garlic, jalapeños and let it cook for 3 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Drain the beans and add it to the pan and cook them for 10 minutes.
5. In between mash one third of beans and add corn kernels and cream cheese and mix thoroughly.
6. Stir in chopped cilantro and remove the pan from heat. Bean stuffing is ready.
7. Slit open avocado and mash the flesh.

If you are using the ready made tortillas, grill them slightly and scoop out some stuffing and place it in the middle, add a tbsp mashed avocado, sour cream, some cheddar cheese (adjust to taste)  and roll it. You can also add cilantro rice to it if you like. Burrito is ready.

Serve hot with hot sauce…

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Mexican cuisine is known for its variety of flavours. They have simple and traditional dishes. The first time I had Mexican food, I really didn’t think it will grow so much on me. Whenever I browse for a new recipe, Mexican cuisine is always in my choice. For the past few days, I have been drooling on Mexican food. I am so addicted that I am planning on trying different dishes. I am here starting with the Cheese Quesadilla.

Cheese Quesadilla is so simple and yummy that I can have a bite of it anytime. One can eat healthy using less cheese and loads of vegetables. I tried it both ways and believe me it was mouth watering nonetheless. I served it with a scoop of Guacamole and Sour Cream (totally optional) and it made my day. Here you go…

Ingredients:

For Quesadilla:

• Big Size flour tortillas – 4
• Portabella mushroom – 1
• Chopped onions – 1/2 cup
• Cheddar-Monterey cheese – 2 cups
• Chopped fresh thyme – 1 tsp
• Olive oil – 1 tsp
• A pinch of salt

For Guacamole:

• Ripe Avocado - 1
• Finely chopped onions – 1/4 cup
• Finely chopped tomatoes – 1/4 cup
• Chopped cilantro – 2 tbsp
• Cayenne pepper – 1/6 tsp
• Salt to taste

Preparation of Quesadilla:

1. Heat oil in a wide pan, add chopped mushrooms and toss for a couple of minutes.
2. Sprinkle the thyme and keep tossing till mushrroms are cooked.
3. Transfer the mushroom to a container and wipe the pan.
4. Again heat the pan and spread the tortilla in the pan. Turn both the sides till it is brown.
5. Now at one half of the tortilla, sprinkle some onions, cooked mushrooms, shredded cheese and fold with the other side over it.
6. The cheese melts and sticks. Turn both the sides and cook for a minute.
7. It will be tasty even if it is a little crispy.
8. Take it out of the pan and cut it into three pieces and serve hot with a scoop of guacamole and sour cream.

Quick Guacamole Preparation:

1. Cut avocado into half, remove the seed and scoop out the flesh into a bowl.
2. Mash it well and add onions, tomatoes and cilantro.
3. Sprinkle some cayenne pepper and salt and mix well.
4. Fresh and quick Guacamole is ready.
5. This is to serve as a side for the quesadilla. You can also use the remaining as a dip for tostitos or any chips.
6. But an authentic dip requires much more ingredients and details which I will post later.

Hurray!! An Award from a friend…

Maya and Lakshmi from YummyOYummy have passed on this lovely award to us. We are happy and honored to receive this. Maya and Lakshmi has a lovely blog with authentic recipes. I was really impressed with your Vishu Kani post. That was awesome. Thanks for the award. Now it is time to pass the torch to other blogging friends. We would like to share it with all the fellow bloggers but then I guess we need to give others a chance to pass this on …

Swathi of KitchenSwathi

Vinolia of Saappadu

Mallika of VegBowl

Katrina of BakingandBoys

IndoSunGod

Sharmilee of Sharmis-passions

Shabitha of MyHomeKitchenRecipes

and Chitra of abcdsofcooking

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It’s been a very long time I’ve posted any recipes. I am really sorry about my sparse posting. My new year resolution is to be more active here and bring you lot more recipes from my kitchen. When I first came to U.S one of my first  favorite Mexican dish was Quesadilla. We just bought this quesadilla maker in the Thanksgiving shopping. Before that I used to bake this in a conventional oven but Quesadilla maker has made my life easier.  Try this easy Quesadilla recipe and let me know how it turned out.
Ingredients:

• Vegetable Oil : 2 tbsp
• Onion: 1
• Red Bell Pepper : 1
• Green Bell Pepper: 1
• Mushroom : 1 cup (Optional)
• Chicken : 1 cup (Grilled or Cooked)
• Salsa: 1 cup
• Sour Cream : 3 tbsp (optional)
• Cheddar or Mozarella Cheese : 2 cups
• Tortilla : 2

Method Of Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add onion and sautee it for a few minutes.
2. Now add both the peppers and mushroom(optional) with a little salt.
3. Fry them till the peppers and mushroom becomes soft. Keep them aside.
4. I’ve marinated the chicken with some oil and salsa and grilled it Or you can just boil the chicken and cut it into pieces and fry the chicken in a pan with some salsa (hot).



5. Now if you have a Quesdilla maker just put the tortilla and sprinkle some cheese and on top of it add 2 tbsp of stuffing  we prepared before and spread 2 tbsp of salsa  and add the above prepared chicken (avoid chicken if you are making veggie Quesdilla) and again sprinkle some cheese, finally cover the stuffing with another tortilla.



6. Close the maker and let it stand for 4-5 minutes and remove from pan serve hot with sour cream and Gaucamole.



7. If you don’t have a Quesdilla maker just heat the tortilla in a pan with some butter on it and after that put the tortilla sandwich just like explained above in a 375 F preheated oven for 8-10 minutes and remove from oven cut it into a even sized slices.

Try this easy Quesadilla recipe and let me know how it turned out. This could make for a tasty evening snack or even as some light lunch.

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