turkey enchiladas...

as you may eventually notice I'm a big fan of mexican and south west food.

i used the leftover ingredients from my chorizo enchiladas to make some extremely delicious tasting turkey enchiladas





one thing i learned from this latest cooking expedition is a simpler way of doing black beans.

I didn't drain them this time. I poured them in a sauce pan and let them heat up over medium heat. I added 3 bay leaves, some of the turkey fat and that was it. the bay leaves gave a very subtle taste to them that complemented the rest of the meal.

chorizo enchiladas...the next day

well. we got back from the gym around 6:45...the enchiladas were out of the oven and plated by 7:45PM. i still have to upload pictures. this was my first time cooking with chorizo but here was my reactions to the meal:

• chorizo has a pretty strong, salty, smoky taste that overrides the taste of any subtle/accompanying spices.
• i liked the meal yesterday in the sense that it was an out-of-the-taste-box-recipe for me. i've really been trying to extend the food, ingredients, and tastes that i cook with this year since i felt like the last couple of years i had become so routine and typical. with that being said I'm not sure i would cook chorizo in an enchilada format for the future. i think it would work great for breakfast
• the black beans did not turn out as tasty for me this time around. i think i probably got too fancy with all the spices i added into it. originally i had planned this meal around refried beans so i think that was part of it as well.
• the zuccini, squash, and onions were delicious.
• i think i overcooked the enchiladas because i waited to long to start grilling the veggies. i had them in the oven for about 25 minutes at 375 but could probably have had them in for 15 minutes or so...

i'll post pictures asap.

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chorizo deconstructed:


stovetop:


plated:

no lc tonight.

as we segway into normal non-lc eats again i definitely have an increased excitement for cooking. this week i purchased a number of veggies from whole foods to play around with along with some chorizo and corn tortillas. on the menu for tonight:

chorizo enchiladas with seasoned veggies.

game plan:

1) take the chorizo out of the casing it's in. brown it and when it gets tender add some trader joes enchilada sauce

2) microwave the tortillas. prolly looking at 3/serving. i cook them pancake style ever since my santa fe trip.

3) line the cooking pan with enchilada sauce. and then layer the tortillas and chorizo with some dabs of enchilada sauce and cheese.

4) for cheese i'm using extra sharp cheddar and a chihuahua cheese.

5) for the veggies. i'm slicing and sauteeing squash, zucchini, onions and seasoning them with my heatwave seasoning served over refried beans and potentially topped with cilantro and green onions.

stay tuned for pictures.