Homemade Enchilada Sauce is simple and authentic, from a recipe out of Hatch, New Mexico and handed down through generations.
Here we have an authentic Hatch recipe for red enchilada sauce, given to me by a friend who grew up in Hatch. Made with very simple ingredients and chili powder as the primary one. I always have all these ingredients on hand so I can whip this up anytime. After I made the enchilada sauce, I poached a couple eggs, put them on a piece of toast, smothered them with the sauce and topped it with some avocado slices. Makes a great brunch dish. This has a bit of a smokey taste. I used medium chili powder; next time I’ll try it with my hot Chimayo chili powder.
While making this, I noticed it didn’t behave quite as I expected. I’m used to making a roux with butter and flour, which gets very thick very quickly as you cook it. Here the roux is with olive oil and flour, and it stayed very liquid as it cooked. Only when I added the chili powder did it thicken … and very quickly. I had to rapidly add the chicken broth and stir a lot.
I’ve only tried this on eggs so far, but I’m going to try it on cheese and chicken enchiladas. Should be very good!
In a small saucepan, pour in the olive oil and then the flour. Stirring constantly, cook this roux over medium heat until it begins to turn brown, about 3-4 minutes. It will stay liquid.
Add the chili powder and start gradually adding the chicken broth while stirring constantly. It will thicken very quickly.
Stir in the crushed garlic and cook for another minute.
Salt to taste and serve over enchiladas (or whatever).
You can also pour it into a container and refrigerate for several weeks.
Mexican Pot Roast is an easy slow cooker recipe full of Southwestern flavors and a chile-tomato sauce that makes it good on tacos, rice, sandwiches, whatever…
Mexican Pot Roast is easy peasy and very versatile. You can slice it and serve it with its spicy sauce on a plate or in a sandwich, chop it up and serve it on rice or noodles, or shred it and make it into a street taco (as in the photo above). With beef instead of pork, a different balance of spices is needed to get just the right flavor.
When I first made this, I thought it had too much sauce in proportion to the meat … but then I decided to shred it and make tacos (or tostadas) and every bit of that sauce was needed. I just stirred it in with the shredded beef. This is a good dish for freezing. Personally, I’ll probably make a double batch next time and then shred the whole thing, mix it with the sauce, and pack it up in small containers for freezing. That way I can pull out one dinner’s worth and have dinner on the table in 15 minutes. Yay! It’s also a low fat, nutritious dish. At our house, this one’s a keeper!
You need to be careful to go light on the hot sauce, green chiles, and chili powder and then add more to get the right heat. I used hot chiles and hot chili powder and only 2 tbsp of the hot sauce. With milder chiles and chili powder, use more hot sauce.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season beef chuck roast with salt and pepper.
Sear roast in hot oil until browned entirely, about 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer browned roast to a slow cooker.
Sprinkle onion, green chiles, hot sauce, taco seasoning, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder over the roast.
Cook on low until meat is fall-apart tender, 8 to 10 hours.
Notes
* I used Chamula hot sauce (similar to Chalula), but most hot sauces will do, just adjust for varying heat * I also used hot Sandia green chiles and hot Chimayo chile powder. You may need to increase the hot sauce if using mild chiles and mild chile powder. * I used the Cuisinart 3-in-1 multicooker and seared the meat in the cooker. You can either place the inside pot on the stove or set the cooker settings to high heat. Fabulous! You don't need to use a separate skillet to brown the meat.
Cornbread Chile Bites are little spicy flavorful mini-muffins full of corn, green chiles and cheese – perfect for a brunch or party.
I took these to a going away party for Kim & Rocky – they’re moving from our snowy, beautiful mountains to … Arizona! Quite a change. So of course, some spicy Colorado chile dishes are a must for giving them a great sendoff.
These little mini muffins are really easy to make, based on one of my classic favorite recipes. They are moist and spicy, easy to pop in your mouth. I made a giant double batch, split it in two, and made half mild and half spicy. Yeah, you could use mild in one half and hot chiles in the other, but I took the lazy way out. I made the entire batch with mild and then added extra hot chiles to the second bowl of batter. Worked just fine.
Then to make it easy for party guests to tell the difference between hot and mild, I put a piece of green chile on top of each mild muffin and a red chile on top of the hot ones. When I ran out of red chiles, I used red bell pepper (what you see in the photo). Extra cheese on top makes a pretty, bubbly, slightly crunchy top.
When I doubled the batch, I was making enough to feed a football team. It was taking longer to bake than I expected and I had to run out to the party. Still had a big bowl of batter that wouldn’t fit in the fridge … so I put it in the cooler and put the cooler right outside by the kitchen patio door. (Yeah, it was cold and snowy outside and this usually works pretty well.) Guess what? When I came home, the cooler had been capsized and the bowl was licked clean. A bear had gotten into it. Guess they like spicy food. Won’t do that again!
Whoa! This one goes to the top of the list. I took it to a Mother’s Day party on Sunday & it was pronounced “killer.” The whole quiche disappeared in about 5 minutes. I had to jump on it to get a photo with my iPhone. And the photo below is just a sliver, because that’s the most I could grab with pieces going so fast. And I didn’t even get to eat it myself. Fortunately, when I baked it, I poured a half cup of the filling into a little ramekin and baked it along with the quiche – so I know what it tastes like.
This is really easy to make, especially if you’re not making your own pie crust. I used Pillsbury frozen pie crust – the kind that is a round disk of dough rolled up and frozen in a plastic sleeve. You just thaw it and place it in your own pie baking dish. Easy peasy, and that way you can use your own gorgeous pie dish.
I used fresh spinach – I steamed it, chopped it and squeezed it thoroughly to get all liquid out. It cooks way down – so to get a half cup I’d guess I used almost 4 cups of fresh spinach leaves. I also used about half mild green chiles (Anaheim mild) and half hot (Sandia). In the future I’ll stick with that or use all hot – this quiche can take it hot, especially since there’s only a half cup of chiles in it. It will also be awesome with mild because the flavors in this balance really well.
Try this – I’ll bet it ends up in your favorite recipes, too!
½ cup drained frozen chopped spinach (1/2 10 oz package)
½ cup diced green chiles
¼ cup melted butter
1 unbaked pie crust
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
Cook bacon until barely crisp. Place on paper towels to drain.
Beat the eggs with a mixer in a mixing bowl until smooth. Whisk in the flour mixture until lumps are gone.
Stir in the cheese, cottage cheese, spinach, green chiles, and melted butter until evenly blended. Crumble the bacon and stir in. Pour into the pie crust.
Bake the quiche in the preheated oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking until the quiche is lightly browned and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Notes
Commentary: Whoa! This one goes to the top of the list. I took it to a Mother’s Day party on Sunday & it was pronounced “killer.” The whole quiche disappeared in about 5 minutes. I had to jump on it to get a photo with my iPhone. And the photo below is just a sliver, because that’s the most I could grab with pieces going so fast. And I didn’t even get to eat it myself. Fortunately, when I baked it, I poured a half cup of the filling into a little ramekin and baked it along with the quiche – so I know what it tastes like.
This is really easy to make, especially if you’re not making your own pie crust. I used Pillsbury frozen pie crust – the kind that is a round disk of dough rolled up and frozen in a plastic sleeve. You just thaw it and place it in your own pie baking dish. Easy peasy, and that way you can use your own gorgeous pie dish.
I used fresh spinach – I steamed it, chopped it and squeezed it thoroughly to get all liquid out. It cooks way down – so to get a half cup I’d guess I used almost 4 cups of fresh spinach leaves. I also used about half mild green chiles (Anaheim mild) and half hot (Sandia). In the future I’ll stick with that or use all hot – this quiche can take it hot, especially since there’s only a half cup of chiles in it. It will also be awesome with mild because the flavors in this balance really well.
Try this – I’ll bet it ends up in your favorite recipes, too!
Beef Stew Quesadilla has become a family favorite – and it’s simple. Just a simple quesadilla made with shredded chunks of beef from stew, a bit of the sauce, cheese, between 2 tortillas.
Beef Stew Quesadilla?? Yeah, you heard right. I made a big batch of my family traditional beef stew this past week, then a few days later, my son asked if I could make him a “beef stew quesadilla.” It’s all his fault!
It turned out to be brain-dead simple, and we’ve had it for dinner 3 times this week! All you do is fish out some chunks of beef, smash them (basically shredding them) and put the beef in a classic cheese quesadilla, dribbling a little bit of the sauce on top of the beef. I also topped the shredded beef with diced green chiles – yum!
You can use my family’s favorite beef stew recipe – handed down for generations – or really any beef stew will do. This beef stew freezes very well, so now I can pull some out of the freezer and in no time serve either beef stew or beef stew quesadillas!
Fish chunks of beef from the stew and place on a small plate. Smash or shred with a fork or 2 forks (fingers work well, too).
Place a tortilla in a quesadilla maker or on a skillet on the stove.
Cover with a layer of shredded cheese.
Spread a layer of the beef on top of the cheese.
Dot little dollops of the stew sauce sparsely on top of the beef. I also include some of the smallest chunks of carrots and yams.
Spread a layer of diced green chiles on top, if desired.
Spread another layer of shredded cheese on top.
Top with a second tortilla.
Plug quesadilla maker in, or turn the stove on to medium-high heat.
Cook until tortilla starts to brown (you'll have to peek).
If using a stove, you'll have to flip the quesadilla and lightly brown the other side - be very careful or it will start coming apart. You might slide it onto a plate, put the skillet upside down on top of it, then flip the plate and skillet together.
Serve with shredded lettuce and sour cream, if desired.
If using 4 smaller tortillas, you'll have to do it again to make your second quesadilla.
Edge Family Beef Stew is an amazingly simple, awfully good recipe. Nutritious and full of flavor, at our house we make this regularly.
So easy, and so good! My family has been making this for years, and I rarely venture into trying other beef stew recipes. Why, when this one’s hard to top??
Freezes well, too. Plus, I’m venturing into other ways to serve it. Check out my Beef Stew Quesdadillas that my son came up with – fabulous, fat, quesadilla-as-a-meal.
Cucumber Quinoa Salad is a satisfying, nutritious blend of classic salad makin’s and nutty, wholesome quinoa grain. Add more green chiles to spice it up and serve it as a side or even a main vegetarian dish.
I love playing around with quinoa dishes. Main dishes, soups, salads – quinoa just makes a tasty and nutritious foundation for all kinds of dishes.
This salad is very simple with cucumber, tomato, onion, green chiles, and quinoa. Add the McCormick Bruschetta seasoning and you have a full flavored side dish. I’ve been getting attached to this Bruschetta seasoning – it’s great in all kind of dishes.
I had this for lunch today, and some meat and chopped hard boiled egg to make this into a main dish salad. I had planned to add chopped avocado, but my avocado is still too hard. Bummer. Nothing like a hard avocado to ruin some festive plans.
2 cups diced cucumber (I didn't peel it, but you might prefer it peeled)
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Boil the water in a large saucepan. Add the chicken bouillon and the quinoa, then lower the heat and simmer until water is nearly absorbed, about 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let sit for about 15 minutes or until water is fully absorbed.
In a medium bowl, blend the tomatoes, chiles, seasoning, vinegar, and olive oil. Pour over the quinoa and mix.
Add the onion and cucumber and mix well, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with additional chopped tomato and serve as a side dish.
Anita’s Hodgepodge Curry Soup is a classic, wonderfully flavorful basic soup … with whatever vegetables you want to use up thrown in. Plus green chiles, of course!
Do you ever just want a fabulous soup where you can throw in all the vegetables and leftovers you really need to use up? I concocted this from various ingredients that I just needed to use up – canned and packaged foods hitting their expiration date and vegetables that were about to go over the hill. It turned out great!
I had a can of chicken noodle soup expiring, a package of Bob’s Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix that had been in the cabinet at least 2 years, and yams and red bell peppers that were past their prime. This turned out to be a soup that I’ll make (with infinite variations) time and time again.
(ie, ¼ c yellow split peas, ¼ c green split peas, ¼ c lentils, ¼ cup small pasta)
4 cups water
1 can chicken noodle soup
2 tbsp chicken bouillon
1 can coconut milk (I used full fat, which makes it richer)
2 tsp curry powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 skinless boneless chicken breast
Optional veggies:
1½ cup diced yam
1½ cup diced red bell pepper
½ cup diced green chiles
** Other suggested veggies: carrots, celery, onions, cabbage, green beans, turnips, brussels sprouts, squash, pumpkin, whatever
Instructions
Put the Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix in a crockpot with 4 cups of water. Add any vegetables that take a long time to cook (yams, potatoes, carrots, etc). Cook on high heat for 2 to 3 hours. Test to make sure they are soft enough to eat. (When lentils and peas are too old, they will stay hard no matter how long you cook them)
Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for another hour.
Remove chicken breast. Let cool enough to handle (about 5 minutes) and dice. Dump back into the crockpot.
Cook on low for another half hour. Adjust seasonings (salt, pepper, more curry powder, more chicken bouillon, etc.) as desired.
Pork Green Chili with Posole is my adaptation of a very popular green chili from Helen Dollaghan of the Denver Post. It’s very tomato-y but still tastes like a green chili, Thick, flavorful, spicy, serve with tortillas
This is green chili?? It’s red! Well, yeah, it does taste like green chili, but it has lots and lots of tomatoes in it. This recipe is my adaptation of Helen Dollaghan’s green chili recipe – one of the most requested recipes ever from the Denver Post. It’s easy, got great flavor … and I now have a giant (yeah, massive) batch of it frozen in a variety of freezer containers. I had 4 lbs of pork loin that I needed to use, so I cooked up a quadruple batch. Then I put posole in half. Fortunately, it’s a very good recipe, so it will really come in handy. Speaking of freezing, do you keep some homemade green chili in your freezer? It freezes really well, and I’ve had times when company pops in and I can serve some amazing green chili in about 15 minutes. I like to use plastic jars (like mayonnaise jars) because they seal well. If the seal is good, it keeps for at least 6 months.
Here are the changes I made to Helen’s recipe:
I only used about 2/3 of the tomatoes in her recipe (and I used crushed tomatoes)
I used half the amount of chicken broth (her recipe is far more liquid)
I added chicken bouillon
I used hot Chimayo chili powder instead of Dark Chili Powder
I used about half hot Sandia green chiles and half medium hot Big Jim instead of mild green chiles
I did not use the jalapenos and will add them to taste later to adjust the heat right before serving
I am definitely adding this recipe to my repertoire of favorites because it is different with all the tomatoes, but also really good…
1 pound diced pork (I used pork loin, but any cut will do)
⅛ cup cooking oil
1 tbsp ground cumin
1½ tbsp hot chili powder (if using regular, adjust heat later with jalapenos -see notes)
1½ tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp chicken bouillon
2 cloves garlic, pressed, or 1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 cup diced onion
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
2½ cups crushed tomatoes (see notes)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup diced green chiles
3-5 jalapeño peppers (to taste), diced with seeds (remove seeds to bring down the heat factor)
1 15 oz can posole (hominy) or about 2 cups prepared posole
Tortillas
Shredded cheese
Instructions
Brown pork on all sides in oil over medium high heat. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, chicken bouillon, onion and broth.
Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 hour.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and green chiles. Taste, then dice and add jalapeños a little at a time, tasting and adjusting heat as you go.
Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 hours (or place in a slow cooker up to 8 hours), until pork is very tender, then stir in posole. Add water as needed to get desired consistency.
Serve with warm tortillas and shredded cheese.
Notes
- Original recipe uses dark chili powder (available at Walmart), which is hotter and smokier than regular chili powder. I used hot Chimayo chili powder, which is hot but not smoky. You can use regular chili powder, but may need to adjust the heat. - You can use 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles instead of the crushed tomatoes. You may want to reduce the amount of green chiles slightly.
Yum! I still have lots of extra cabbage from St. Patrick’s Day sales. It keeps pretty well. I love cabbage, and this recipe takes it into a whole other dimension. I could eat a tub of this. It’s just got a nice balance of spices, onion, and garlic and that touch of heat and special flavor of the green chiles.
I made it in a big wok, works great. You might want to increase the amount of bacon and maybe add something like sausage to turn it into a one-dish meal.
I hope you like this! This dish has inspired me to experiment a bit more with cabbage … so watch out. Cabbage rolls are probably next!
Fry bacon in very large wok or stockpot over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon and place on a plate, leaving the bacon fat in the pot.
Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes
Add garlic and cook until onion caramelizes, about 5 more minutes.
Stir in cabbage and cook over medium heat, stirring periodically until cabbage cooks down into a soft but not soggy state, about 10-15 more minutes.
Season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and paprika and stir in well.
Add chiles and balsamic vinegar, crumble the bacon and add, then stir and cook about another 5 minutes.
