Enchiladas

I made enchiladas last night for dinner. I've made them before but never with meat and never made enough to freeze.

I made up a recipe based on things that sounded good* --

chicken breast, oven-cooked in salsa then shredded

sweet corn

onion, sauteed w/a bit of oil & finished with a dash of apple cider vinegar

black & pinto beans, heated & crushed a bit in pan with onions

salsa

cayenne pepper

Mexican seasoning

Mix everything together. Place filling in tortillas, top with cheese and roll.

Prior to cooking, cover with enchilada sauce (my recipe is from my grandmother) & top with a sprinkle of cheese.

Couple of things I learned:

If you use corn tortillas, nuke them in the microwave. If you don't, they break.

If you plan on freezing: If you freeze with sauce, cook first. If you freeze without sauce, do not cook. @pdxFoodDude provided me with this website to answer that question.

*Next time I'll add red pepper but I forgot to pick one up at the store. I'd also like to add more veggies (not a fan of zucchini or yellow squash, which are frequently added to enchiladas) so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know!

** To make dairy-free, eliminate cheese or use vegan cheese. Make special note of taco seasoning ingredients, many contain lactose or other milk-based ingredients.

*** To make gluten-free, use corn tortillas and again, be sure to check taco seasoning ingredients for any gluten ingredients, prior to use.

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Last winter, I made an attempt to add more chicken (aka protein) to my diet and with summer and salmon season, I soon forgot about chicken.

It's probably the preparations I've chosen but chicken seems more appropriate in cold weather. Surprisingly, that left me opportunity in August. I anticipate wet chill in June but August and September mean summer in Oregon. Usually.

The other night, I whipped up a batch of my mom's barbeque sauce / marinade and marinated two bone-in chicken breasts, overnight.

Moms Barbecue Sauce

1/4 c vinegar
1/2 c water
2 T sugar
1 T mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 thick slice lemon
1 onion sliced
1/4 c margarine
1/2 c catsup
2 T Worcestershire sauce

Mix first 10 ingredients & simmer 20 min. Add catsup and Worcestershire sauce & bring to boil.

About an hour before I planned to serve dinner, I took the lid off of the glass container, preheated the oven to 350 and inserted my oven thermometer into the thickest part of one of the chicken breasts. Once the oven temperature reached 350, I put the chicken in the oven, attached the probe (160 degrees) and waited.

Yum!

* If dairy-free is important to you, be sure to check ingredient list for margarine (or use vegan) as some margarines do contain milk products.