Category Archives: Mexican/Spanish Recipes

Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Poultry, Recipes

Rene’s Chicken Chile Rellano Casserole

First Published on my LiveJournal blog on July 13, 2012

Maybe a bit oddly, this 4th of July I went for some comfort food from my formative years. Not your ordinary comfort food, but the kind of food that I relate to home and family. In this case, it is a Mexican dish, with my own twist, that brings back many fond memories from my childhood. I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, and Mexican food was as common as steak and potatoes in my family. (Both of my mother’s parents had been Texas ranchers.) At least once a month, and often more than that, the whole family would go out to dinner at one of the local Mexican restaurants. My grandfather’s favorite dish, and the one he ordered all the time, was chile rellanos. I didn’t develop a taste for them until I was in my teen years, but the memories of my grandfather are always associated with this dish. And that, to me, is comfort food.

This recipe is my one I have developed over the years and can be made with Anaheim chiles, fresh or canned. Keep in mind the bulk of the hot spice is in the seeds and discard them if you want the flavor without the burn. If you use fresh, you will need to roast or blister the peppers and peel them. I add chicken or turkey to the stuffing then bake them in a casserole rather than frying them. They can be made without the meat, if you prefer a meatless dish.

Rene’s Chicken Chile Rellano Casserole

1 – 16 oz can Fire-Roasted Whole Green Chiles (approx. 8)
1 cup Fire-roasted Diced Tomatoes, Mexican style or add onions and peppers, if desired
8 ounces Chicken Breast, diced or shredded
8 sliced sticks of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, about ½” x ½ inch and long enough to fill the chile
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Shredded Mexican Four Cheese blend or Cheddar and Jack Cheese
4 Eggs
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Water
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers, sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Split the chiles open and stuff each with chicken and 1 tablespoon of cheese.

Whisk together the eggs, cream cheese, and cream with 1/4 cup water in a bowl, add salt and pepper, a bit of garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon of red chile powder (if desired). Pour the mixture over the chiles and cheese. Top with sliced sweet peppers and remaining cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven until set, about 40 minutes. Remove casserole and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.


While the casserole continues to set, heat diced tomatoes in a saucepan. Add chopped onions and peppers, if desired. To serve, carefully cut along the chiles to try to remove them as a whole chile rather than just cutting the dish into squares.

Each serving is one chile topped with diced tomatoes.
About 270 calories and 5 net carbs per serving.

 

Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Poultry, Recipes

Muy Delicioso – Enchiladas con Pollo y Calabaza

That’s Enchiladas with Chicken and Butternut Squash, for those who don’t speak any Spanish. But it is appropriate as we are approaching Cinco de Mayo and all the Mexican celebrations coming up. I love Mexican food, grew up eating it, so it’s a part of my Tex-Mex culture. My Spanish, on the other hand, is limited in spite of growing up on the border. But when it comes to food, I am pretty fluent.

This is a non-traditional dish made even more so by being made low carb. I got the original base recipe from AllRecipes.com, which was posted by Elizabeth there, but I made a few changes and it doesn’t look much like the original any more. It is delicious and flavorful with the added flavors of butternut squash, spinach and chipotle salsa. It is not good for either phase I or II of Atkins, but it is worth the slight indulgence.

Enchiladas with Chicken and Butternut Squash

8 low carb Flour Tortillas, 7″ (La Tortilla and Mama Lupe’s are 3 net carbs per tortilla)
1/2 unpeeled Butternut Squash, seeded (1 cup)
2 Chicken half breasts, boneless
1/4 cup Water
1 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 Onion, chopped
1 cup fresh Spinach, packed
1 cup red Enchilada Sauce
1/2 cup Chipotle Salsa
3/4 cup Mexican 4 Cheese mix
2 tablespoons chopped Cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)
1/4 cup Sour Cream, for topping (optional)

A few ingredients: Butternut squash, spinach, olives, onions and garlic.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Put butternut squash half in a baking dish, pour in water and spray top with butter cooking spray. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes to roast. Take out and let cool enough to handle, then peel and dice the flesh. It will make about one cup. Place into a mixing bowl and set aside.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and broil or grill the chicken until it is just done, but still juicy. Let cool and cut into cubes or shreds. Add to the butternut squash.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and olives, then stir-cook until the spinach wilts. Fold the spinach mixture into the diced butternut squash.

Put enchilada sauce into a small pan, add 1/4 cup chipotle salsa and stir- cook with a wooden spoon until it thickens enough to coat the spoon.

Heat a tortilla over an a gas flame to soften it. If you don’t have a gas stove, use a griddle on the burner to heat the tortilla. Place the tortilla on a plate, spread about 1 tablespoon of enchilada sauce over it. Spoon in 1/8th of the filling (about 1/4 cup), about 1 tablespoon of cheese and roll the tortilla. Secure with a toothpick if you need to and place seam side down in a baking dish. Repeat with each of the tortillas.

Pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over it.

Bake in the preheated oven until hot, about 10 minutes. Garnish each enchilada with chopped cilantro leaves and a dollop of sour cream to serve.

Makes 8 enchiladas

Nutrition per enchilada
Calories: 155.7 Fat: 8 g Net Carbs: 8.25 g Protein: 10.7g

Posted on 5/2/2013

Breakfast & Brunch, Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes

Eggs with Asparagus for Sunday Brunch

Huevos Rancheros are a part of my Texas up-bringing and I’ve enjoyed them many times and in many ways over the years. This recipe is based on my version that I inherited from my grandma with a couple of new twists, like adding the asparagus and chipotle salsa to it. Low carb tortillas can be purchased at most grocery stores, just look for the lowest net carbohydrate count (La Tortilla Factory and Mama Lupe’s both have ones that are 3 net carbs.)

I call these “spring” ranch eggs because they are best made when asparagus is arriving in supermarkets (or your garden) in the spring. You definitely want to use fresh asparagus for it. At times that you can’t get asparagus or the price is just too high, try broccolini (baby broccoli) with it or skip it altogether.

I used what I call Mexican style chorizo, which is a beef or pork sausage packed with chili in a plastic casing. Remove the casing and it almost melts in the pan while it’s cooking. It’s a spicy, but not too hot sausage that also makes fabulous scrambled eggs with sausage burritos. You can also use ground beef or pork sausage to make this.

I am a light eater these days, so one egg is enough for me, but if you want more food, there is plenty of room for a second egg on the tortilla.

Heuvos Rancheros Primavera

2 low carb Tortillas
2 to 4 Eggs
1/2 link Mexican-style Chorizo or 1/2 cup ground Beef or Pork
Queso Blanco or Queso Fresca cheese
1/2 cup Enchilada Sauce (canned or homemade)
3 tablespoons Pico de Gallo (tomato, onion, jalapeno and cilantro)
2 tablespoons Chipotle Salsa or other Salsa
6 spears of Asparagus or Broccolini
2 tablespoons Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 365 degrees F.

Wash and trim the asparagus spears. Bring a pot of water to a boil and put the asparagus spears in for two minutes to blanch. Remove and drain the spears.

Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray or a silicone mat or parchment paper to prevent sticking. Put enchilada sauce in a pie pan and dip each tortilla in it, making sure the whole tortilla is covered. Place on the baking sheet and put in the hot oven to cook for about 10 minutes.

Remove the chorizo from its casing and stir fry it in a small skillet until it is done. In another skillet, fry the eggs the way you like them. Or poach the eggs. Or you can scramble the eggs with the chorizo.

Mix the salsa with the pico de gallo in a small bowl.

Put a tortilla on the plate, arrange 3 asparagus spears in a trio with the tops meeting and the bottoms spread across the tortilla. Put the egg on top, then put the chorizo around the edge of the eggs. Put a little salsa on each side and across the tops of the spears. Crumble queso fresco or queso blanca over the entire tortilla, about 2 to 3 tablespoons, then put sour cream on top of the egg.

Add salt and pepper, if desired and serve immediately. Serves 2.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 263.7 Fat: 18.1 g Net Carbs: 8.4 g Protein: 14.4 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 5/14/2013 1:22 PM

Beef, Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes

Spaghetti Squash Tamale Pie

Sometimes reading a recipe will kick off and idea for a new recipe with similar ingredients. This one started as a Spaghetti Taco Pie recipe and quickly morphed to a spaghetti squash tamale pie. It isn’t exactly a tamale pie since there isn’t any cornmeal in sight, but most of the flavors are in it. I used the spaghetti squash to form the crust rather than cornmeal and added a little riced cauliflower to the meat mixture to fill in for the whole corn. The result? A wonderfully delicious pie that has all the flavor of a tamale pie and is lower in calories and carbs.

Spaghetti Squash Tamale Pie

Ground beef, lean, 16 oz
1 packet Taco Seasoning
2 1/2 cups Spaghetti Squash, (about half a medium-sized one)
1 cup Cauliflower, frozen and thawed or freshly cooked
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped Black Olives (optional)
1 cup Mexican Style Four Cheese
1/4 cup Queso Fresco
1 can (15.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes,
1 tablespoon Chili powder
1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
1 large Egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the spaghetti squash, remove seeds and use about 1/2 for this recipe. Put the rest away for another dish. Put thawed cauliflower in a food processor and process for a few seconds until it is like rice. Set aside.

In a large skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onions. Add the grounded beef and use a spatula to break into small pieces while cooking. Add your favorite taco seasoning and mix well. When lightly browned, add the diced tomatoes, cauliflower, chili powder and cajun seasonings. Stir well and cook for about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, mix together the spaghetti squash, egg and half the cheese. Add a bit of salt, pepper and a little cajun seasoning. Spray a baking pan or pie pan with cooking spray and spread the spaghetti squash into it, smoothing it to form the crust and go up the sides of the pan. Fill this shell with the meat mixture. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the top and break the Queso Fresco into crumbled over that.

Use spaghetti squash mixture to form the crust or shell of the pie. Bring it up the sides as high as you can.

 

Spread the meat mixture evenly over the “crust”. If you want a thicker layer of the meat mixture, you can add more beef to it. It won’t increase the carbs, but it will increase the calories.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Let cool for about 10 minutes then serve. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Info:
Calories; 345.4 Fat: 23.6 g Net carbs: 8.7 g Protein: 21.3 g

Posted on 8/26/2013

Beef, Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes, Soups and Stews

Pumpkin Adds A Twist to Chile

Again, this was the hint of a recipe I spotted over the weekend in a “what to do with your leftover pumpkin” article from Bon Appetit magazine. Being adventurous and having some pumpkin left over in the ‘fridge, I thought I would try it. The original recipe uses spicy sausage but I happened to have some left over stewing beef after making soup about a week ago that needed using, so this is a beef chile. I noticed when adding the pumpkin that, like adding tomato sauce to spaghetti sauce, the chile thickened up immediately. The recipe also didn’t give any amounts, so I added the amounts for mine. The result is a very tasty chile that I will definitely make again.

Spicy Pumpkin and Beef Chile

1 pound Beef, round steak, or stewing beef, cubed**
1 cup chopped Onions*
1/4 cup Carbquick flour (or other low carb flour)
1 tablespoon Red Chile Powder
1/4 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
1/2 cup sliced Bell Peppers *
1 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree
1 15 oz can Mexican style Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 teaspoon Cumin
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 teaspoon black Pepper
1/1 teaspoon Garlic
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

*For a quicker version, you can use the same amount of frozen onions and bell peppers.

** You can also use 1 pound of lean ground beef for a quicker version

Mix flour with seasoning salt in a pan and dredge the meat into it. Heat olive oil in a large pot and brown the meat. Add garlic and onions and sauté until just starting to get tender. Add chile powder, bell peppers, tomatoes, cumin, pepper flakes and black pepper and mix well, then stir in the pumpkin puree. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Cover and cook for about 1 hour until meat is completely done. Add any additional salt or pepper to your preference.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, cheddar jack cheese and chopped chives or green onions on top, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info (without toppings):
Calories: 303.4 Net Carbs: 10 g Protein: 42.3

Posted on 11/28/2012