Chimichangas

Oh I wish I had a picture of these tasty chimichangas! They are so yummy! I got the idea from a dear friend in SLC a few months ago. I put my own spin them, and they turned out delicious! So, thank you Michelle! You're the best!
So here's how you do it--

First off, you want to put a beef roast in a crock pot with 2 cans of your favorite green chili sauce. I really like the Hatch Green Chili sauce, but I can't find it in Southern Utah. You also want to add a few cloves of chopped garlic and chopped onions. Stick that baby in the crockpot the night before, and cook it on low until your ready to shred it for the chimis.

Next, you'll want to make your Creamy Tomatilla Dressing. Yes, it's similar to Cafe Rio's. These are what you'll dip your bites into.

• 3 tomatillos, peeled and cut into 1/4's
• 1 1/2 TBSP lime juice or the juice from 2 limes
  
• 1/2 c. buttermilk (or milk with a little bit lemon juice stirred in)
  
• 1/2 c. mayo--DO NOT substitute Miracle Whip
  
• 3/4 c. sour cream
• 1 pkg. dry ranch buttermilk dressing
• 1 c. fresh finely chopped cilantro
• 6 green onions, with ends
• 1 TBSP of green chili sauce
  
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 jalapeno, sliced thin--if you want your dressing to be HOT, then add the seeds, but I warned you, it'll be HOT HOT
  

Directions: Mix well in blender. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Set aside.

Next, we are going to make our rice. It's my recipe for Cilantro Lime Rice. Yes, it's similar to Cafe Rio's too. I LOVE Cafe Rio!

• 1 cup Uncooked Rice
• 2 teaspoon Butter
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
  
• 1 can (15 Oz. Can) Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Water
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Cilantro
• 3 Tablespoons of Green Chili Sauce or half a can of diced green chilis

Ok, first we are going to melt the butter in a medium sized pot. We are then going to stir in the garlic, and the green chilis/sauce, then we are going to stir in the rice. You just want to brown the rice to a golden brown color. Then stir in your lime juice, chicken broth, water and cilantro. Put a lid on your pot and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender.

Okay, so now we've got our rice and meat. All we need is a can of Black or Pinto beans--your choice, sometimes I mix them, a pound of shredded cheese--cheddar or jack and a package or 2 of uncooked tortillas--I LOVE the ones from Costco.

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a cookie sheet or cake pan-either will work. Let's assemble these Chimichangas--you'll take an uncooked tortilla, layer with rice, beans, meat and cheese. Then roll it up like a burrito, and put it on your pan. Keep doing this until you run out or mixture. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until golden brown and enjoy with the creamy tomatilla dressing!!

These are great frozen! Just pop them in the microwave for a quick lunch or snack!

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Yes, this is similar to the house dressing at Cafe Rio! It's pretty tasty if I say so myself!

Here's how you do it--

• 3 tomatillos, peeled and cut into 1/4's
• 1 1/2 TBSP lime juice or the juice from 2 limes
  
• 1/2 c. buttermilk (or milk with a little bit lemon juice stirred in)
  
• 1/2 c. mayo--DO NOT substitute Miracle Whip
  
• 3/4 c. sour cream
• 1 pkg. dry ranch buttermilk dressing
• 1 c. fresh finely chopped cilantro
• 6 green onions, with ends
• 1 TBSP of green chili sauce
  
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 jalapeno, sliced thin--if you want your dressing to be HOT, then add the seeds, but I warned you, it'll be HOT HOT
  

Directions: Mix well in blender. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Set aside.

Cilantro Lime Rice

While working at the B&B, I learned to make Mexican Rice. Ever since, I've loved experimenting with rice. This is similar to Cafe Rio's Rice also! Hope ya enjoy!

Here's how ya do it--

• 1 cup Uncooked Rice
• 2 teaspoon Butter
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
  
• 1 can (15 Oz. Can) Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Water
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Cilantro
• 3 Tablespoons of Green Chili Sauce or half a can of diced green chilis

Ok, first we are going to melt the butter in a medium sized pot. We are then going to stir in the garlic, and the green chilis/sauce, then we are going to stir in the rice. You just want to brown the rice to a golden brown color. Then stir in your lime juice, chicken broth, water and cilantro. Put a lid on your pot and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

My aunt Jennifer & I made these a few months ago, and they were absolutely wonderful! Like I've said before, I LOVE enchiladas. The chicken alone would be good, but it's even better in the enchiladas! I typically serve this with my homemade Spanish rice or green salad. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!


Here's how ya do it--

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup lime juice
  
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)

• 12 corn tortillas
• 2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)
• 1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream

• nonstick cooking spray or oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the raw chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator. Then BBQ until cooked, and shred

Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use. You can also just warm these in the microwave if you need to save time.

Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish.

Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.

Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top.

Creamy Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas

Oh Enchiladas! I could eat enchiladas every day if I could--creamy enchiladas, green chili enchiladas, honey lime enchiladas, or red enchiladas. They are all delicious! This is a family recipe with my own little spin. Enjoy!

Here's how ya do it-

Preheat Oven to 375.

1 lb of chicken breast-raw, cubed--typically 4 breasts
1/4 c sliced onion
a pinch of fresh garlic
a pinch or 2 of seasoning salt
a pinch or 2 of fresh ground pepper
a pinch of cayenne pepper

Place in a well oiled pan, and saute til the chicken is no longer pink. Set aside.

1 C Sour Cream
1/2 block (4 oz) Softened Cream Cheese
1-2 Cans of Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can of diced green chilis OR 1 small can of green chili enchilada sauce
1/2 C diced black olives

Mix together. Fold in Chicken & 2 C Cheddar Cheese to the cream mixture.

Grease a Round Casserole dish, and layer your chicken enchilada cream & tortillas. Then Top with more cheddar cheese. Bake until middle is hot, and cheese is melted! ENJOY!