Tamale Chicken Casserole

I know this looks a little messy, but let me tell you, it is sooooo good. I love a good tamale. I loved them so much I found a good recipe so that I could make tamales myself at home... and they are always a hit. Enter the tamale casserole. All the flavor of a good tamale, but with a whole lot less prep time and work. I found this Chili Verde Chicken Tamale Casserole recipe on Pinterest, and while the originial was ok, and actually less time consuming, I think the changes I made raised it to another level. The original used canned poblanos and rotisserie chicken. In addition to cooking a spicy chicken to use, I also added jalapeños and onion to counter balance the sweetness of the corn in the original recipe... And there is so much flavor packed into this casserole... so very much flavor. It is delicious. And if you have a small family, buy some roughly 9x9 inches, almost 3 inches deep, poultry aluminum pans, and split the recipe into two servings and freeze one of them. Two birds, one stone! That's my kind of cooking!

FOR THE CHICKEN FILLING:
2.5-3 lbs chicken
Seasonings - adobo, garlic powder, cayenne, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup chile verde enchilada sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp garlic powder

FOR THE TAMALE DOUGH:
3 c. masa harina
Couple of tablespoons of olive oil
2-3 poblanos (roasted) - depending on how spicy you want it
1-2 jalapeños (roasted) - depending on how spicy they are are and how spicy you want it
1 medium onion (roasted)
2 tsp coarse kosher sea salt
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
12 tbsp unsalted butter - cold and cut into 12 pieces
3 cups frozen corn - thawed, divided
2 1/4 cups chicken broth - more if needed

OTHER:
3-4 cups grated monterey jack cheese - divided (I used more than this, especially when I divided it into two separate servings)
1 cup chile verde enchilada sauce
2 Tbsp cilantro for garnish



Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coat the peppers and onions in olive oil.



Roast them in a 350 degree oven until the peppers are blistered. Carefully peel off the peppers' skins. I used a fork and my fingers; just be careful not to burn yourself.



Season both sides of the chicken; cook on med-high until seared on both sides. 

Set the chicken aside on a plate to cool; set the skillet aside - you'll use this again. Once the chicken is cooled, shred it.

Now to make the masa for the tamale part of the casserole, I had to divide mine into two batches. All of the ingredients overloaded my food processor the first time I made this. In your food process (or blender) add half of the following ingredients: masa; the roasted poblanos, jalapeños and onion; salt; sugar; baking powder; black pepper; and butter, and 1 cup of corn.



Pulse until mixture is coarse and blended.



Slowly drizzle just over 1 cup of chicken broth until the mixture resembles the consistency of peanut butter.

Scrape out that portion into a bowl, and then mix up the remaining half. Blend the two portions together, and then add the remaining cup of corn and mix in. Set aside while you finish preparing the chicken.

In the skillet you cooked the chicken in, put the shredded chicken back in it. Add the chicken broth, enchilada sauce, garlic powder, and cilantro. Mix together, and then simmer until warmed through and thickened slightly.



Lightly spray your pan(s) - one 9x13 or two 8x8 or 9x9, just ensure they are between 2.5-3 inches deep - with cooking spray.

If using one pan, press half the tamale mixture into the bottom of your pan. Top with about 3/4-1 cup of cheese. Next layer the chicken filling evenly. Top with another 3/4-1 cup of cheese. Layer the remaining tamale mixture. Pour 1 cup (or a little more to get an even layer of coverage) of enchilada sauce over the tamale mixture. Top it all with 1.5-2 cups of cheese.

If using two pans, press quarter of the tamale mixture into the bottom of your pan. Top with about 1/2 cup of cheese. Next layer half the chicken filling evenly. Top with another 1/2 cup of cheese. Layer another quarter of the tamale mixture. Pour 1/2 cup (or a little more to get an even layer of coverage) of enchilada sauce over the tamale mixture. Top it all with 3/4-1 cup of cheese. Repeat for second dish.

If you used two pans and you're going to freeze one, cut a piece of plastic and lightly spray it with cooking spray. Cover the dish and freeze until solid. Then vacuum seal it. If you can't vacuum seal, then tightly wrap the dish in plastic and then cover that with aluminum foil. Before baking, thaw the dish (overnight in the fridge would work well).

To bake, cover the dish with aluminum foil (spray with cooking spray to keep the cheese from sticking). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking another 10 minutes or so until the top is bubbly and browned to your liking. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Wrap

I love spicy food. I think peppers make most meals better. Not only do the spices and peppers make this meal delicious, but it's pretty healthy too. As it's prepared below this is how a wrap stacks up: 267 calories; 9.7 grams fat; 88.7 mg cholesterol; 19.9 carbs; 35 grams protein. I like to cook up 3 or 4 chicken breasts, slice them and then eat on it all week.

1-2 lbs Chicken (I prefer breast, but use your preference)
Olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder
paprika
cumin
Adobo seasoning
pepper spices (cayenne, chipotle, or any kind you prefer)
Xtreme Wellness Spinach and Herb Tortillas
Quesadilla cheese (or your preferred cheese)
Salsa Verde
Romaine lettuce (thinly sliced)

Clean and prep the chicken. Salt, pepper and apply the spices the each side of each piece of chicken. Apply the amount of spice that matches your tastebuds. Start with a light coating on each side.

Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Cook chicken on each side several minutes until browned. If your chicken pieces are thinner, ensure that the chicken is cooked through and stop here.

If the chicken pieces are thick, foil line a pan, and after browning the chicken on each side, bake in the oven 10-15 minutes until it is cooked through. Let chicken cool 10 minutes or so and then slice thinly. Prepare the wrap by adding 3-4 ounces of chicken, an ounce of cheese, a tablespoon or two of salsa verde, and an ounce of your favorite lettuce. Roll up and enjoy!

Cheese Dip

I love cheese... hot melted yummy cheese, but not so much cold cheese. I've never liked cubed cold cheese, and there's only one sandwich that I can eat cold cheese on - pastrami with provolone. But I digress... Cheese dip is a gift from god. I love all kinds of cheese dip... yellow, white, with meat, without. So, this is the recipe, sort of, that my dad made when I was growing up. I have altered it just a bit from his recipe, but not much. What makes this dip so amazing is not using can "Rotel" but instead using fresh diced onion, tomato and peppers. The flavor explosion you get with the fresh vegetables is incomparable. In the summer, when a wider variety of peppers are available, I will use several different ones, but in the winter months, I usually use just jalapeños because they are easier to get. When I make this just for me, it is not for the faint of heart. When making it for a large group, I will try to use less peppers and crushed peppers, but it will still have a little heat. So dial it up, or down, as suits your taste.

1 lb Mexican Velveeta

1/2 to 1 lb regular Velveeta

1-2 large tomatoes (0r 3-5 small or Roma tomatoes)

1 medium onion

2-4 peppers (jalapeño, Anaheim, cowhorn, cayenne)

Milk

Season all salt

Crushed pepper

Cube the Velveeta and place in a large pot or crock pot. Dice tomatoes, onion and peppers and place in pot. You can reduce the heat of the peppers a little by knocking out some of the seeds. This will preserve the flavor of the peppers and give you the amount of heat you want. 

Add a little milk to achieve the consistency you prefer - I usually use about 1/2-1 cup because I like my cheese dip a little thinner. Add about 1-2 tsp of season all salt and crushed peppers to taste. Warm slowly, stirring frequently until melted. 

Serve and enjoy!

Chili

While I do fix my chili year round, there is nothing quite as wonderful as a steaming bowl of chili on a cold winter day. It's taken my daughter a number of years to be able to tolerate the heat of my chili, but I suppose I've finally numbed her taste buds sufficiently because she no longer complains of it being "hot." lol I love this chili not only as just a bowl of chili, but it is a wonderful consistency to use for chili dogs or chili, chips, and cheese or Frito chili pie. You can use any type of peppers that you like, and I'm usually of the mind that the more the merrier.

2 lbs ground beef

3 15-ounce cans chili beans

3 15-ounce cans tomato sauce

2 packages Chili-O

Fresh peppers - jalapeno, Anaheim, cowhorn, cayenne, etc.

Chili seasoning, seasonall salt, cumin

I do all of the chili in the same pot. Brown the meat in your soup pot over medium-high. I season the ground beef with both seasonall salt and some chili powder.

Cut and de-seed the peppers while be meat is cooking. When there is only a bit of pink left in the meat, add the peppers. Please note, I use lean ground beef, so I do not drain the little bit of fat the remains. I believe that it adds great flavor back to the chili. If you are using a less lean meat selection, then you might want to drain at least some of the fat. Once the meat is fully cooked, add the Chili-O, chili beans, and tomato sauce. Add several dashes of cumin and additional chili powder. I do this to taste. The cumin adds a nice smoky flavor to the chili. 

Blend thoroughly and cook over medium-low heat for at least 20-30 minutes. If you have time to let it simmer longer, let it. The longer it simmers, the more the seasonings infuse the chili. Serve as desired!

Crockpot Shredded Chicken

I mentioned in my last post that I love Mexican food. Even Americanized Mexican food. Any day of the week. So, I planned to fix a late birthday dinner for my sister, and she sent me a recipe for tacos and said she wanted chicken. Well, I can do chicken, but there were ingredients on the recipe that I didn't even know what they were, and was pretty sure Walmart wouldn't carry them. So, I went on a search to find a chicken taco recipe that we could both live with. I made them today, and by the verbal accounts and the amount of chicken left, I think I did okay! Here's the link to the original recipe I ended up sort of following: Crock Pot Chipotle Chicken. I did make quite a few adjustments to this recipe. I knew I wasn't going to use that much chicken, so everything is altered. Here is what I used:

1 lb (or so) of boneless, skinless chicken  (I bought a really think sliced breast that would cook faster)

1/2 can black beans

1/2 can corn kernels

1 cup chicken stock

1 medium jalapeño

1/4 (or so) diced onion

1/2 tsp lime juice

garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chipotle pepper, paprika, black pepper

I began by rinsing off and cutting any fat chunks that remained on the chicken. I also rinsed off and drained the beans and the corn. Place the chicken pieces in your crock pot. Pour 1/2 a can of black beans and 1/2 can of corn over the chicken. Add the onion and jalapeños (I knock out some of the seeds to reduce the heat but keep the flavor). Measure out 1 cup of chicken stock, add the lime juice, and pour mixture over chicken, beans and corn. Now here's sort of the tricky part. I didn't actually measure any of the other spices. I used probably ABOUT 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne and chipotle, 1/4 tsp paprika and black pepper. Listen carefully - about... I did not measure these, so tread lightly and adjust to your own taste. 

Cook in the crock pot for about 4 hours. I started mine shortly before 8 a.m., and by 11:30 a.m., most of the juice was cooked out and the chicken was beginning to shred. By 12:15-30 when we ate, it was dang near perfect. To help with the shredding, take two forks and pull the chicken apart. Let me know if you try it and what you do different!

Empanadas

I love Mexican food. It is a staple of my diet. And it is definitely one of my comfort foods. This is a recipe I started making several years back when I lived in South Carolina. I found it in a hand-me-down cookbook from my mom. I completely hijacked it and changed it, because I tend to like simpler recipes, and I am very picky on what goes in my food. I'm fairly certain that most anyone of Mexican descent would be horrified at my calling these empanada Mexican food, but it works for my family. They are tasty and reheat very well (can we say lunch?).

1 lb ground beef
1-3 jalapeños, diced
2-4 cloves of garlic, diced
1 packet of taco seasoning
1/4 cup water
1 can refried beans
cumin, cayenne pepper, season all salt

Brown the ground beef, with season all salt added, over medium-high heat and break into small pieces. Just before the ground beef is completely cooked, add the jalapeños and garlic. Add the taco seasoning, and any of the other spices that you'd like depending on how spicy you want it. Add the water and stir occasionally until it cooks down over medium heat. Add a can of refried beans and stir until well mixed. Turn off heat.

Shells
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
8 Tbsp butter or margarine
8 Tbsp crisco
12-16 Tbsp water

Use a pastry cutter to blend the butter and crisco into the flour and salt until you have a crumbly mixture and you can't see any chunks. You can test it by pinching the mixture between your fingers and if it hold the shape, it's ready. Add the tablespoons of water and with a fork toss dough until it pulls away from the side and all of the dough is incorporated.

Take a small piece of the dough, about the size of a golf ball, and cover in flour. Place in a tortilla press and flatten.

Get a small bowl of water, and gather your pressed dough and mixture close together. Take a circle of dough, dip your finger in water and lightly wet 1/4 of the edge of the dough. Fold dough in half and seal the half that is wet. With a small spoon, scoop mixture into the dough pocket packing it as much as you can while leaving sufficient room to finish sealing the empanadas. Wet your fingertip again and wet one side of the other half of the dough and seal completely. Once they are all filled and sealed, take a fork and poke three holes on each side.

Add oil to your skillet. Cook on both sides until a light golden brown color. I usually have to stand them up for a minute in the oil to ensure that the bottom gets cooked well. As with most of my recipes, this one is not very difficult, it just takes time, but they are so worth it! When my daughter got home today, she walked in and said, "Mmmmm. Empanadas???" That's why I do this. :-)

Chicken Tamales

Tamales from scratch are rather time consuming, but, oh my, are they so worth it! Absolutely delicious! And you can freeze part of the batch to enjoy at a later time, so you get two dinners out of one cooking session, and I am all about that! Here is the link to the recipe that I found online several years ago: http://www.pastrywiz.com/dailyrecipes/recipes/115.htm. I've made these many times since, and never been disappointed... except for that time I burned up my pot by letting all the water evaporate. lol I didn't know you could burn a hole through a pot, but take it from me, you can. So, check the water level often!

Tamale Filling:

2 lbs. lean, boneless beef or chicken

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups water

2 tsp. beef base (or chicken - I've used both)

1 (7-ounce) can green chilies, chopped

4 large cloves garlic, finely minced

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 to 3 tsp ground red chili pepper

1 Tbsp ground chili powder

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1/4 cup tomato sauce

In a large sauce pan, cook meat in water until tender. Cool slightly and shred.

In large skillet, heat oil until hot and add beef or chicken and cook until brown. Add the remaining ingredients in the order given. (I stir in the flour slightly, then add the water. I also add the chilies and garlic at the same time, and mix the spices in one bowl and add together). Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Soak corn husks in hot water for 30 minutes to make pliable.

Tamale dough (this is the recipe on the website):

1 1/2 cups lard

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 1/2 cups masa harina (corn flour)

2 2/3 cups warm water

This is the recipe I use:

4 cups Maseca

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp salt

1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder

Tamale Dough (again, this is the recipe on the website):

In a large mixing bowl, beat the lard and salt until fluffy. Dissolve masa haring in warm water and add to lard mixture, beating well until all the ingredients are combined.

My recipe:

Put dry ingredients in a bowl. Add oil and water and mix well. Add water and mix until masa is smooth. It can't be wet, but if it's too dry, it won't hold together or spread on the corn husk easily.

How to assemble tamales:

Spread a thin coating of tamale dough over the cornhusk, allowing room at the bottom to turn down.

Spread filling down the center of the dough. Fold the sides of the husk firmly together. Turn up one or both ends.

If turning up both ends, tear some of the husks lengthwise in narrow strips and use for tying each tamale across the top flap.

To cook tamales:

Cook tamales in a conventional steamer or blancher. Fill the bottom of the steamer up to the level indicated and bring to a boil. When the steamer is dry you will need to add more water.

Line the steamer with corn husks, covering the bottom and sites. Stack the tamales upright.

Place the tamales firmly but not too tightly, because the husks swell as the dough cooks. Cover the tamales with more husks and the top of the steamer with a thick cloth to absorb the moisture. Cover with a tight fitting lid.

Steam for about 2 1/2 hours. To test the tamales for doneness, remove one from center of the steamer. The dough should peel away easily from the husks and be completely smooth. The dough should also appear spongy and well cooked throughout.