You guys know I'm a sucker for an enchilada, so when I saw this shrimp version on Pinterest I was instantly intrigued. Shrimp isn't something I cook with a whole lot, and Joe loves it, so I thought he'd appreciate this take on enchiladas where shrimp features prominently.
I was intrigued by the filling for these enchiladas; in addition to shrimp, they contain spinach and cole slaw mix. I really liked the flavor and textural combinations that these elements provided. You get the sweetness of the shrimp, the earthiness of the spinach, and the crunch of carrots and cabbage in each bite. The enchiladas are topped with a simple jalapeno cream sauce, which tastes absolutely divine.
I will say that, with all the bold flavors in these enchiladas, the flavor of the shrimp got a little lost. It's such a subtle flavor, and when it was paired with all of the other flavors, it was somewhat overtaken. This could easily be solved by either adding more shrimp or reducing the amount of spices, so keep that in mind if you make these.
I couldn't get the boys to touch these, not surprisingly, but Joe was certainly a fan. So they're definitely husband-approved!
Shrimp Enchiladas Verdes with Jalapeno Cream Sauce
adapted from Gimme Some Oven
For the enchiladas:
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound peeled, devined shrimp
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Half a white onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cups cole slaw mix
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup green enchilada sauce
1 tablespoon honey
8-10 flour tortillas
2 cups Monterey jack cheese
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
2. In a large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan in an even layer and let cook without moving, about 1 minute. While cooking, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder on top of the shrimp. Then flip the shrimp over and continue to cook until just pink and opaque, 30 to 60 seconds longer. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside. When the shrimp is cool enough to handle, roughly chop into bite sized pieces, if desired. Set aside.
3. Melt the remaining butter in the pan. Add the garlic and onion, and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cole slaw and spinach, as well as the other 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, plus the cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well, and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the spinach just begins to wilt. Add the shrimp back in and stir to combine. Stir in green enchilada sauce and honey, heat through, then remove pan from heat and set aside.
4. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the flour, whisking until golden and bubbly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk the broth into the flour mixture. Stir in the sour cream, whisking if necessary to remove any lumps. Then add the minced jalapeno, and simmer until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh cilantro. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
5. To assemble the enchiladas, place a tortilla on a flat surface. Fill the middle of the tortilla with about 1/3 cup of the shrimp/cabbage filling. Then sprinkle some cheese on top, and carefully roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Drizzle the top with about half of the jalapeno cream sauce, then cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, or until tortillas are heated through.
6. Remove from the oven, then serve individual enchiladas drizzled with the remainder of the jalapeno cream sauce. Garnish with additional cilantro, cheese, and/or sour cream, if desired.
I'm forging ahead with my meal plan for this week, even though my motivation for cooking is still sorely lacking. My family needs to eat, after all, and at this point I'm pretty sure they're sick of the poor substitutes for real dinners I've put in front of them too often lately. Is there anything sadder than a food blogger with absolutely zero interest in food? Haha.
I've planned a delicious week of meals this week. I'm using lots of chicken, since my freezer is stocked with it due to a really good sale a couple of weeks ago. There are also (of course) a couple of meals carrying over from previous weeks. Here's hoping this week of yummy meals can get me out of my funk! (I think I've been saying that for a month now, but whatever. Maybe this is the week!)
Monday: Cheesy chicken tortilla soup. I've made this soup three or four times, at least, and I've never shared it. It's so good. I'll definitely share it this time around.
Tuesday: Creamy ranch chicken, rolls. I saw this recipe in a recent e-mail from BHG and was instantly sold. Of course I was.
Wednesday: Pork stir fry with cashew rice, cream cheese wontons. I'm ashamed to say that I will not be making the wontons myself, but rather purchasing them frozen from the store. Making my own is just too labor-intensive for a Wednesday. This stir fry is still the best I've ever made.
Thursday: Cashew chicken wraps, chips. More cashews! And a carryover from last week. I think these are going to be absolutely delicious, and I can't wait to try them.
Friday: Blueberry buttermilk pancakes, hash browns, bacon. This is Andrew's contribution to the meal plan. When I asked him what he wanted for dinner next week, he told me he wanted blueberry pancakes. He gets his wish! (It's an easy one to grant.)
Saturday: I recently joined a cooking club with a group of friends from high school, and Saturday is our first meet-up. The theme is Mexican food, and I've been designated to bring an appetizer. In my absence, I'm sure Joe and the boys will order pizza...or just eat pizza rolls. What is your favorite Mexican appetizer? I have no idea what I'm going to take.
Sunday: Grilled Cajun ranch chicken pasta. Another carryover from, I think, two weeks ago. It's probably wishful thinking, but I'm still hopeful we'll be able to fire up the grill for this one.
When it comes to cooking, eating, and sharing what I’m cooking and eating, I am officially in the biggest slump I’ve been in since starting this blog. For whatever reason, my motivation to meal plan, make dinner, take photos of dinner, upload the photos, and share the recipes here has been sorely lacking. It all started a month or so ago, when I was really sick. At that time I didn’t step foot in the kitchen for nearly a week, and since then it’s been decidedly hard for me to get my mojo back.
That’s not to say we haven’t eaten some delicious meals, because we definitely have. Take these tostadas for instance, which we all loved and which I can’t wait to make again. The chicken itself is rubbed with a spice blend that hits just the right balance of sweet (brown sugar) and heat (cayenne pepper). I topped these with cilantro ranch dressing, roasted corn and black bean salsa, and shredded cheddar cheese, and I loved that combination of toppings. The tangy dressing worked perfectly with the spicy-sweet chicken, and the salsa added the perfect bit of smoky heat. I strongly recommend making your own tostadas (instructions are below), because they taste so much better than store-bought!
You’ll have some of the spice mixture left over, but you’ll want to make these a lot, so it’ll definitely get used.
Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tostadas
adapted from What’s Cookin’, Chicago?
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Tostadas (store bought or homemade*)
Cilantro ranch dressing
Shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the spices in a small bowl.
2. Generously rub the spice mixture on the chicken, making sure to thoroughly coat.
3. Place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until juices run clear and the chicken is completely cooked through. Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken.
4. To assemble the tostadas, top each with chicken, shredded cheese, salsa, and a drizzle of cilantro ranch dressing.
*To make homemade tostadas, briefly fry corn tortillas in oil until crisp and lightly browned. Drain on a paper towel and cool slightly before topping.
There’s a Valentine’s Day commercial currently playing in my part of the country that talks about how guys have it easy on Valentine’s Day. They only have to buy a gift for their wives. Women, however? They get gifts for their husbands, their kids, their kids’ teachers, their kids’ classmates, etc. I can’t remember exactly how the commercial phrases it, but it calls women Valentine’s Day super heroes, or something like that.
After all the work I did yesterday to prepare for the boys’ Valentine’s Day parties at daycare, I definitely felt like something akin to a super hero. I filled out Valentine’s Day cards (which were store-bought, lest you believe I went to another level of effort), made another batch of sugar cookie bars, made fruit salsa and cinnamon chips, and put together a couple of different types of sweet snacks. After all that, I rewarded myself with the most decadent milkshake in the entire world. I felt like I totally deserved it.
I hope you’ve all had a great weekend so far. We certainly have. Joe and I went on a date on Friday night, which was wonderful. We had a delicious dinner out, then came home and watched a movie. The boys spent the night with my stepmom and had a blast, and it was so nice to be able to sleep in on Saturday morning. I can’t even remember the last time I was able to do that – or the last time I was able to go grocery shopping without two grabby little boys tagging along. It felt like such a luxury. All you moms understand this, right?
Anyway, due to our date and a few nights of general laziness last week, a few of our meals for this week are repeats. I’ve set myself up for a pretty easy week of meals, since I haven’t had a lot of energy for cooking lately.
Monday: Chicken fajitas and Mexican rice. This is a carry-over from last week that I didn’t make, but I am definitely making it this week. Fajitas just sound so good to me. I know I have some corn tortillas in the fridge, so I may even whip up some homemade tortilla chips and guac to go with this meal. It depends on how motivated I am.
Tuesday: Mostaccioli with roasted garlic and roasted tomatoes. I saw this recipe in one of my weekly e-mails from Betty Crocker, and I’m pretty sure I drooled a little bit. This pasta has such simple flavors, but they are flavors that I love SO MUCH. This is the perfect Valentine’s Day meal for us (since we already celebrated on Friday).
Wednesday: Cashew chicken wraps, chips. I stumbled upon this recipe when I was searching for something else, and I was immediately sold. Chicken, cashews, and a creamy honey mustard sauce, all wrapped up in a tortilla? Yes please! The only thing that could make it better would be some – you guessed it – bacon, so I may add that.
Thursday: Chicken with pimiento cheese sauce, rice pilaf, steamed broccoli. Another carry-over from last week. I’m really eager to experiment with this one.
Friday: I’m in training at work until 5:00, which is an hour later than I’m usually there, so I’ll be home a lot later. I’ll probably grab us something from the drive-thru on my way home, or order a pizza.
Saturday: Swedish meatballs, egg noodles, steamed green beans. Definitely one of our favorite meals. A neighbor recently brought us fresh eggs from his hens, so I will for sure be using those to make this batch of noodles.
Sunday: Farfalle with bacon, onions, and gouda, steamed broccoli. This sounds so delicious. I’m going to make a few changes based on some of the comments, and probably used smoked gouda because I think it’ll pair nicely with the bacon.
