Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Turkey Enchiladas & Spanish Quinoa :)

I get nervous cooking ONE new recipe, let alone two, but there I was in the kitchen tonight--recipes printed and ingredients lined up.  I figured I couldn't go wrong with a Lynne Rosetto Kasper recipe.  But the other random recipe from VinoGirl on Food.com?  Felt like a crap shoot.
How did dinner turn out?  Great!  It was a great combo.  The best part?  Neither one really took that long to make.

Turkey Enchiladas
(click here for printable copy)

"This recipe is originally from Lynne Rossetto Kasper, the host of The Splendid Table on NPR. It's a great way to use up leftover turkey. It's especially good with smoked turkey!"
Ingredients
2 cups shredded roast turkey ( smoked turkey is fabulous in this recipe!)
2 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups grated monterey jack cheese
2 (7 ounce) cans salsa verde (look for Herdez brand) or 1 (13 ounce) cans tomatillos ( look for Herdez brand)
2 -4 tablespoons canned chopped green jalapenos, drained
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
8 corn tortillas
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine the turkey, green onions, cream cheese, and 1 cup of the Jack cheese. Set aside.
In a blender or food processor, combine the salsa verde or tomatillos, chiles, cilantro, and cream. Blend until smooth.
Heat the oil in a heavy, 6-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
Using tongs, carefully place 1 tortilla at a time in the hot oil, and leave it in for 5 to 10 seconds until softened. Turn the tortilla over and soften the other side.
Drain over the skillet; then place on a plate lined with a paper towel. Place another paper towel on top and press to absorb the oil.
Repeat until all 8 tortillas are softened and drained.
Place one-eighth (about 1/3 cup) of the turkey mixture in the center of each tortilla. Roll tightly and place, seam-side down, in a 7 1/2-by-11-inch baking pan.
Pour the salsa verde-cream sauce over the enchiladas, and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of Jack cheese down the center.
Bake until heated through and bubbly, about 20-30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Spanish Quinoa
by VinoGirl on Food.com

Ingredients
1 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onions, diced
water
1 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup quinoa, washed and drained (Fran said that toasting the quinoa would add flavor)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Directions
Drain tomatoes and reserve juice.
Heat oil and saute garlic and onions until translucent.
Place the tomato juice in a liquid measuring cup and add enough water to equal 1 cup of liquid.
Add the liquid to the sauteed garlic and onions; bring to a boil.
Stir in the quinoa, pepper, and salt.
Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
Stir in tomatoes, chili powder, and cumin; cook another 2-4 minutes until hot.

3 comments:

Quinoa Diet Tips said...

Awesome recipes. Quinoa is a great side dish, you can basically eat it wit anything or everything.
Thanks for the recipes!

Dani K. said...

Ok, so I have this leftover turkey and one of my guests last night says she loves to make enchiladas with her leftover turkey. SOOOO, I think to myself: great idea! Today, I jump online to do a search for a decent recipe (preferably with stuff I already have on hand) and check it out: I click on a link and find myself at my Aunt K's blog. Funny that!!!!!

KandN said...

That's hilarious!
For some reason I have several items on this blog that rank high in searches, which results in quite a few people arriving after doing an image search.
If I remember right, those enchiladas were worthy of sharing, but could've used a bit more heat/spice.