Enchiladas - Recipe

Yesterday, I decided it was time for something we hadn't had in a long while—enchiladas! After a busy day at work, I was on my way home and realized it was getting late. I also had a Skype date with my friends in Sweden, so I needed something quick and delicious. A stop at Sainsbury's for corn tortillas and chicken breasts gave me the perfect idea. I already had some enchilada and fajita spice mixes from an Old El Paso kit at home, so with my husband’s help, we whipped it all together in no time. Here’s my twist on simple enchiladas!

Ingredients:

1,5 big chicken breasts, sliced 

1 red bell pepper, sliced

3 large mushrooms, chopped

10 cm of a leek, sliced (wash properly to remove hidden dirt)

6 cm aubergine, sliced

 1 small can of sweet corn

2 tsp fajita spice mix

1,5 tbsp enchilada spice mix

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cup grated cheese

2 cups tomato sauce

8-10 corn tortilla bread

Process:

1- Slice and chop all the ingredients. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and cook the chicken until the liquid evaporates. Add half of the enchilada spice mix to the chicken and fry together with the sweet corn until well combined.

2- In another pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and sauté the vegetables with the remaining enchilada spice mix. Once both the chicken and vegetables are golden brown, combine them and let the flavors blend for a few minutes. Add 1 cup of tomato sauce and mix well.

3- Place some of the filling onto each tortilla, roll them up, and place them seam-side down in an ovenproof dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

4- In a small bowl, mix 1 cup of tomato sauce with the fajita spice mix, then pour it over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle the grated cheese generously on top.

5 - Bake in the oven at 180-200°C for 30-45 minutes, depending on your oven, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

I used the Old El Paso enchilada spice mix for the filling and fajita spice mix in the tomato sauce, which gives the dish a smoky, rich flavor. Traditionally, enchiladas are made with fewer vegetables, but I love adding my own twist with a variety of veggies. They bring new layers of flavor and add some healthy balance to the dish. I hope you give this version a try!

 

Enjoy!

Moroccan Chicken & Chickpea Tagine -A flavorful Moroccan-inspired Dish Recipe

After reading the food article How to cook an authentic Moroccan tagine by Rebecca Davies in the "The Telegraph" I was so inspired to make something similar today. It was such a coincidence as I just saw a food program few days ago about Moroccan Food on the bbc channel. As chicken was bought yesterday, I had just about the right ingredients at home to make a chicken and chickpea tagine. This recipe is a mix of various recipes I found online, so this is by no means an authentic recipe, just my variation :)

The taste was absolutely amazing and I will definitely try more Moroccan food inspired recipes from now on. In the past I have been reluctant in cooking anything Morrocan, as I thought it look to complicated. But I have to say that after reading and watching the food network channel, especially watching Jenny Morris Cooks Marocco I have been greatly inspired to try more recipes with inspiration from this flavorful and colorful country. Jenny Morris is so warm, informative and engaging in her programs, I simple love watching her cook and share her recipes. 

Now, back to my Chicken & Chickpea Tagine recipe!

Ingredients:

A mix of chicken pieces (two drums, 5 wings, 1 breast)

1 cup butternut squash, diced

1/5 leek, chopped,

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

1.2 yellow bell pepper

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed

1 can of chopped tomatoes

2-3 cups of chicken stock

2 tbsp of honey

1/5 cup of dried sultanas

3 tbsp olive oil

1 1/5 cup of couscous

2tbsp oliv oil

Spice mix: 1/5 tsp of turmeric, ground ginger, ground garlic, all season salt, pepper mix, paprika, cumin and coriander. 1/4 tsp cinnamon  1 tbsp of parsley. 4-5 slices of preserved lemon. (Feel free to add more/less of these above mentioned spices, to taste).

Process:

1- Dice and slice all the vegetables and chicken breasts evenly to ensure consistent cooking.

2- Place the chicken in a pot and add enough water to cover it. Bring it to a boil and cook the chicken through (this usually takes just a few minutes). Once the chicken is cooked, drain the water. Add all the spices, except for the lemon, along with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix well so that the chicken pieces are well coated with the spices. At this point, the pot should smell heavenly!

3- Add all the vegetables, chickpeas, and chopped tomatoes to the pot. Pour in 2-3 cups of chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. 

  

4- Stir in the sultanas, then reduce the heat to low-medium. Let the tagine simmer for 30-45 minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce by half and all the flavors to meld together.

5- Before the tagine finished simmering, I scooped out half a cup of the broth and added it to 500 ml of boiled water. This flavorful liquid was then used to prepare the couscous, adding even more depth to the dish. Simply pour the hot liquid over the couscous, along with a little olive oil, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it's fluffy.

 

Enjoy!