Tomatillo Verde Enchilada Casserole

I found this recipe on Recipezaar.com and thought it looked fairly easy to make. Here's the link to the actual recipe.

Time: 55 min (20 min prep, 30-35 bake)

Ingredients

Tomatillo Verde

• 6-8 tomatillos
• 1 jalapeno (2 if you prefer spicy)
• 1 lime
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup fat-free cottage cheese or sour cream
• fresh cilantro(optional)

Enchilada Filling

• 1 chicken breast, cooked
• 9-12 corn tortillas
• 1 cup low-fat jalapeno monterey jack cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced jalapeno(optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Unpeel the tomatillos and rinse them in the sink. Cut them into quarters and throw them into a food processor (a blender can also be used).
3. Add the sliced jalapeno, garlic, as well as the squeezed lime and cilantro. (if you wear contacts, you might want to wear a glove while cutting the jalepeno so you don't burn your eyes later)
   
4. Add a few pinches of fresh ground salt and pepper and run food processor until all ingredients are blended together.
5. Pour mixture into a sauce pan over low heat. Let simmer for 10 minutes to bring out the taste in the tomatillos. They should slowly change from a bright green to paler shade. (when they say low heat, they mean it!)
   
6. As the verde is simmering, you can start to get the rest of your ingredients ready for the casserole.
7. Cut up your cooked chicken breast and put it into your food processor. Course a few times until the chicken is shredded. Should yield just over a cup. Put into a bowl and put to the side.
8. Grate the jalapeno jack. Pending on your taste, a 1/2 cup - cup will do. Put into another bowl and to the side. (we like cheese at our house, so I used well over a cup..and my hubby still said it could use more)
   
9. I prefer a round pie dish, though a rectangular casserole dish can be substituted, as well.
10. Spray your dish with a non-stick spray and in the bottom, line with 3 corn tortillas and try to cover as much as the dish as possible though there will be overlap, as well as uncovered corners. (I was out of spray, so I just used a napkin to spread some veggie oil on the dish)
    
11. The Tomatillo Verde sauce should now be a pale shade of green. Add the cottage cheese or sour cream and stir until well-blended. Leave on the heat for another 1-2 min stirring regularly.
12. With a spoon scoop onto the corn tortillas until covered. Add a handful of chicken and a handful of cheese until covered. Add a few sliced jalapenos for taste. (I did not add jalepenos, because I can't take the heat! And, I didn't feel like cutting up more jalepenos)
    
13. Repeat 3 more corn tortillas on top of the first layer; sauce, chicken and cheese.
14. You should finish the dish with 3 tortillas on top and enough sauce to drizzle over so they don't burn. I also like to finish with a sprinkling of cheese and a few jalapenos for garnish.
15. Put in oven for 30-35 minutes. Garnish with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro and a dollop of sour cream. Cut into pie slices and serve.

**I would give this recipe 4-5 stars. My family loved it, and I felt really proud of myself when I was able to make something that turned out so well. Yipee!! The only suggestion my husband had, like I mentioned earlier, would be to add more cheese. Other than that...a success!

Oh, and I served it with lime wedges, cilantro, sour cream and cilantro & lime black beans. (combine a drained can of black beans, cilantro & lime juice, then heat 'em up. Yummy in your tummy!!)

Here is the photographic evidence that this meal was a hit. This plate belongs to my son, who is a picky eater and rarely finishes his dinner.

Green Rice

This one was a little harder than I expected it to be. I didn't want to use a premade green sauce, because for me that wouldn't really "count." I wanted to use real tomatillos. So many of the recipes I found that called for real ones were just recipes to make the green sauce. Either that, or they were for a Mexican casserole that was already pretty similar sounding to the Chilaquiles I mentioned in my challenge post. Eventually I found this recipe for a side dish that sounded pretty good. I made it as instructed, no adjustments. I cooked it a little too long because I was working on chicken enchiladas at the same time, so it kind-of burnt to the pan a little bit.

We gave the rice four stars on flavor. I would probably make it as a side dish with a Mexican meal if I were having guests over to dinner. However, I only give it two stars for ease of preparation. It wasn't hard or complicated, but it was just more work than I want to put into a side dish, and rice of all things. And it wasn't even green! :(

The original recipe can be found here: Green Rice

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Green Rice

6 large tomatillos (about 3/4 lb)
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
4 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeno peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups uncooked long grain rice

Discard husks and stems from the tomatillos. Cook the tomatillos in boiling water in a medium saucepan for 4 minutes or until soft; drain. Combine the tomatillos and 2 teaspoons water in a blender and process until smooth. Pour the tomatillo mixture into a 4 cup glass measure, and add enough water to mixture to measure 2& 1/2 cups. Combine the tomatillo mixture, cilantro, jalapeño, salt and garlic in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add rice; cover mixture, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and fluff with fork.
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Tangy Pork with Tomatillos, Tomatoes, and Cilantro

I got the recipe here.

Ingredients
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
* Cooking spray
* 1 cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
* 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
* 2 cups chopped tomatillos (about 8 ounces)
* 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (about 8 ounces)
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 4 cups hot cooked instant rice

Preparation
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add pork; toss well. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Add pork; sauté 3 minutes. Remove pork from pan; keep warm.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté for 30 seconds. Add tomatillos; sauté 1 minute. Add pork; cover and cook 10 minutes or until pork is done. Add tomatoes and cilantro; cover and cook for 1 minute. Serve with rice.


Comments
I didn't use the cooking spray at all, just the small amount of oil. I made some baked country style apple/brown sugar pork ribs last night, so instead of the tenderloin, I used most of the leftovers of those. (I usually crock pot them and there are no leftovers, but they weren't as good baked). It added a really nice sweet component, and they were better in this than they were by themselves.

I added extra ground red pepper because we love spice, but it probably didn't need it. (as in, almost too hot for me). I also used two large fresh cloves of garlic instead of the bottled.

I probably wouldn't have used quite so many tomatillos and tomatoes, OR I would've added more pork. The ratio wasn't quite right for me.

My daughter is sick and hubby is asleep, so I'm the only one who ate it. I enjoyed it overall, but would probably only give it 3 stars to keep at home.

ETA: I like a little sauce on my rice and it seemed sort of dry, so I added about 1 c of chicken broth when I added the pork back in. I probably could've used a bit less, but it made a nice spicy sauce when served over the rice.

Also, hubby didn't care for it at all. hahaha. niiiiiiiiiice.

Challenge Ingredient: TOMATILLOS

Well, two weeks in a row now we've gotten the challenge out late in the evening on Sunday. Sorry about that.

Let me first introduce myself briefly, since I know that most of you know Jillian, and none of you know me. My name is Janelle, and while I've never actually met Jillian, she and I have a history together. We'll leave it at that for now. I live in Cleveland, OH with my husband and beautiful 10-and-a-half month old daughter.

My first challenge ingredient is tomatillos (pronounced toe-mah-TEE-yos). See, I really like love Mexican food. I always have. I've also had the wonderful opportunity to eat real, authentic Mexican food, homemade in Mexican kitchens. I love a good green sauce.

Many people who aren't very familiar with Mexican food may think that green sauce (or salsa verde) is made either from green tomatoes or from peppers. Neither is true. It's made from tomatillos, which are part of the tomato family, but not actually tomatoes. When I buy tomatillos at the store, I find them in the same spot as the tomatoes and avocados. This is what they generally look like in the store:
They have a papery-like husk surrounding them. I usually turn them upside down and peel back the paper a little bit to check the color and surface of the fruit before choosing it.
The brighter the green, the better the tomatillo. Also, you want to choose fruit that is as big as its husk. Don't choose one that has a big husk with a tiny fruit inside...it won't be as ripe as it's not fully grown. Additionally, sometimes there may be a little bit of mold growth beneath the surface of the husk. Don't buy that fruit either, as it may be brown all the way through.

Once you get the fruit home and you begin your recipe, you'll definitely want to rinse the fruit off before using it. Peel the husk off, and you will find the surface of the tomatillo to be a bit sticky. When I clean these, I really rub at them with my thumbs, to get as much of the stickiness off as I can.

I actually only have one recipe that I've ever made using tomatillos, but I absolutely love it. It's one of the more authentic Mexican dishes out there (you'd be hard-pressed to find it on a menu at a restaurant), and surprisingly easy. It's called Chicken Chilaquiles (but it can be made with pork, beef, or turkey...I used up some Thanksgiving leftovers with it once), and the recipe can be found here. (By the way, it's pronounced chee-la-KEE-lays.)

Happy cooking!

Mexican Pork Salad

Mexican Pork Salad
by: Janet Eyring

I got this off KSL News recipe section at a suggestion from a friend. I don't have a picture because I skipped off to pack night before it all got set on the table. I didn't think half empty bowls would be too appealing.

Sweet Pork
1 (3-5 lb.) sirloin or boneless pork loin roast
1 cup salsa
1 cup packed brown sugar

Method:
Place ingredients in a greased 3 ½ - 5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 8-10 hours. Shred pork with a fork or potato masher before serving. Use meat in salads, burritos, or tacos.

Cilantro-Lime Rice
1 cup uncooked converted white rice
1 teaspoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated lime peel (zest)
1 can (15 ounces) chicken broth
¼ cup water
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
3 Tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro

Method:
In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, lime zest, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, sugar, and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice. Serve warm.

Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing
1 cup sour cream
1 envelope Ranch Salad Dressing
½ envelope Fiesta Ranch Salad Dressing
6 tomatillos, husked and cut in half
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice from 2 freshly squeezed limes
¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a blender. And blend until smooth. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Notes: This got mixed reviews. I loved it. I'd give it 4 stars (because the best thing I've ever eaten is dinner at Flemming's, chocolate lave cake included). I'd definitely serve it to guests. It'd be great for a ladies luncheon. I ate the leftovers every day for lunch. My husband only gives it 3 stars, because the pork isn't his favorite. I imagine you could use this recipe with chicken or beef and it would still be fabulous. The dressing had a strong flavor. I don't think it'd be good on a non-Mexican type salad. Some of my kids liked it. Others didn't. It was a little tart. Maybe I didn't pick good tomatillos (Here's where I admit that I kind of cheated a little. Last week I saw what this week's challenge was and since I had already bought tomatillos to try this recipe I thought I'd count it anyway, even though I made this last Thursday. If I'd waited I'd have read the great "how to choose a tomatillo" tips before hand). I suggest getting small ones. My food processor doesn't blend things very smoothly, so it was a bit chunky. That could have been part of the problem. The rice recipe was good. It doesn't go as far as the meat and dressing. We didn't have any leftovers after the first night.

Serving suggestions: black beans, tortilla chips, sour cream, guacamole (or diced avocado), tomato, salsa, shredded cheese, etc.

Chicken Tomatillo Quesadillas

First of all, I made this recipe up, being inspired by this and next week's challenge ingredients! I cooked 3 chicken breasts on low heat in 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a skillet. When ready to flip I smothered the cooked side in Salsa Verde (green taco sauce). This was a great idea it turns out, because after it was all cooked and chopped up in a bowl my husband came in the kitchen and snitched some. His response was very positive! After chopping up the chicken, I warmed a tortilla on a clean skillet, adding mozzarella cheese, chopped olives, sour cream, and the tomatillo chicken pieces. Then I topped it all with another layer of mozzarella cheese and added a second tortilla on top. After flipping the tortilla to let the cheese melt on the other side, I used a pizza cutter to slice it into 6 triangle pieces. The kids love the little triangles. Repeat this until all your chicken is gone! Serve with Salsa Verde and/or sour cream. Enjoy! Sorry no picture, I spaced it until they were all gobbled up!
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I would rate this recipe with 3 stars, definitely keeping it at home. I mean, who brings quesadillas to a dinner party? It definitely tastes great enough to though!