Shrimp Enchiladas Verdes with Jalapeno Cream Sauce

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.

Pork Chops with Cabbage and Bacon

I know cabbage is one of those ingredients that people either love or hate. Growing up with a Hungarian grandma, cabbage was definitely a common ingredient in my diet, and it’s still one of my favorite comfort foods. My love of cabbage is such that I can’t really understand why people don’t like it. Is it the smell? Because I even find that to be delicious.

This recipe comes from Everyday Food (one of my favorite resources for simple and delicious dinners), and it features cabbage prominently. It’s hard not to love cabbage when it’s fried in butter and bacon fat, like it is in this recipe.

The cabbage is paired with pork chops, bacon and onions, and it all and cooks together in a delicious, flavorful milk gravy -- which is perfect on top of a side of mashed potatoes.

Pork Chops with Cabbage and Bacon
slightly adapted from Everyday Food

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless pork chops (1/2 to 1 inch thick)
Coarse salt and ground black pepper
4 strips bacon, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 head green cabbage (about 2 1/2 pounds), cored and cut into 8 wedges
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add oil to a large, high-sided skillet over medium high heat. Season pork with salt and pepper; brown on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add bacon; cook until nearly crisp, about 5 minutes. Add onion; cook until softened. Remove bacon and onions from pan and transfer to the plate with the pork chops.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and cabbage to pan, cut side down, and cook until light golden, about 6 minutes. Flip and cook until slightly tender, about 3 minutes.

4. Add flour and stir until coated. Add milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then nestle the pork chops, bacon and onions in sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until pork chops are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Asian Cabbage Slaw

I love cole slaw, so when I saw this recipe in the May issue of Everyday Food, I was intrigued by the idea of doing an Asian twist on something so quintessentially American. And I have to say that I really, really enjoyed this version. The cilantro gave it a sharpness, the jalapeno provided just the right amount of heat, and the dressing was perfectly tangy. I used a few of handfuls of cole slaw mix instead of fresh carrot and cabbage, just for convenience's sake. This is a wonderful alternative to a typical run-of-the-mill cole slaw.

Asian Cabbage Slaw
Source: adapted from Everyday Food, May 2009

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt
3 handfuls cole slaw mix
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 scallions, cut into matchsticks
1/2 fresh jalapeno, minced

1. In a large bowl, combine lime juice, rice vinegar, vegetable oil, and sugar; season with salt and whisk.

2. To dressing, add cole slaw mix, cilantro, scallions, and jalapeno, and toss to combine.

Bratwurst, Potato and Cabbage Soup

Today was the first day of real snow in our part of Ohio. We've had a few days of flurries, but today it really came down outside. It started snowing midmorning, and as I type this at about 9:00 PM the snow is still falling.

It seemed like the perfect day to lounge around and cuddle, and after a few errands this morning, that's exacty what my son and I did for the rest of the day. We took a nap, we played, we napped some more, and we cooked a big pot of hearty soup to combat the chilly weather.

I had this soup on our menu last week and just didn't get around to making it then, but I'm glad I decided to fix it today. It was delicious and exactly what I was craving on a winter day like this one. It reminds me a lot of a cabbage and potato cream soup that my mom used to make, but I really liked the addition of bratwurst (casings removed, so it's really just like sausage).

I made a few changes to the recipe, which are reflected below in purple. To me, soup just isn't soup without some kind of stock and a couple of bay leaves, and I think without those additions (plus salt and lots of pepper) this would have been way too bland. I couldn't have made it without Andrew's help, of course:

Joe and I both really enjoyed this soup. It's a delicious winter soup, and absolutely perfect with buttered bread for dipping! As much as I'd like to keep the leftovers for myself, I'm taking them to my dad tomorrow. He's a huge cabbage fan and I think he'll really like this!

Bratwurst, Potato and Cabbage Soup
Source: Allrecipes

16 ounces bratwurst, casings removed
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I used golden potatoes, so I left the skin on for texture)
1 onion, chopped
2 cups water (reduced to 1 cup)
2 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
1 medium head cabbage, chopped
3 cups milk, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces Swiss cheese, diced (I used shredded mozzarella because I didn't have Swiss, and it tasted fine)

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, saute the sausage for 10 minutes, or until browned and crumbled. Drain well and discard the fat.

2. In the same pot, saute onions and potatoes for a few minutes in the bratwurst drippings. Add sausage, water, chicken stock and bay leaves to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cabbage, return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for another 20 minutes.

3. Add 2 1/2 cups of the milk and heat slowly to just under a boil.

4. In a separate small bowl, mix the flour with the remaining milk, and add to the pot slowly, stirring constantly, so that the flour does not clump. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. When the mixture in the pot thickens, add the cheese and stir off and on until the cheese has melted.

Cabbage and Noodles

It's an aquired taste. But if you grew up like I did, with a Hungarian grandmother who served this all the time, and her son (your father) followed in her footsteps and made it once a week, you'd love it too. My husband thinks it's all right, nothing really special, but he puts up with it because he knows how much I enjoy it. Cabbage and noodles is Eastern European comfort food, and the smell of it reminds me of my childhood. All the bacon grease renders it completely unhealthy, but in this case I don't really care all that much. This is definitely one of my favorite meals to make, because it reminds me of everything that represents home.


Cabbage and Noodles
Source: my grandmother

Half of a 1-pound bag of egg noodles
Half a head of cabbage, chopped
Half a package of bacon, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add egg noodles and cabbage and boil until noodles are cooked. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, add chopped bacon to a skillet over medium heat and cook until crispy. Add noodles and cabbage to bacon and grease and toss to combine. Add salt to taste (you probably won't need much, since the bacon's salty) and lots of black pepper.