What's On the Menu Wednesday and CHEESE ENCHILADAS

  It’s been gray and dreary around here lately even though the temperatures have been  fairly moderate (my kind of winter), and I felt the need for some tummy-warming comfort food.  Plus spicy.  Plus easy.  Plus ingredients on hand.  These cheese enchiladas were perfect for that.


You can actually stuff these with almost anything you have on hand – shrimp, chicken, pork, beef, veggies.  Since I am trying to omit meat from two to three meals per week, I went with just cheese.  That’s Hubby’s favorite anyway.


 

CHEESE ENCLILADAS

Salsa:
1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes (I prefer using fresh tomatoes.), drained
1 medium jalapeno, seeded and chopped finely
1 medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
Mix the tomatoes, jalapeno, half of the onion, chopped cilantro and lime juice in a small bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and set aside in the refrigerator while you make the enchiladas.


Enchiladas:
4 large flour tortillas
4 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated
5 ounces Mozzarella cheese, grated
(or any combination of your favorite cheeses)|
3/4 cup crème fraiche (or sour cream or thickened Greek yogurt)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the two cheeses together in a bowl.  Next, warm the tortillas in a skillet for 6-10 seconds on each side.  Place one tortilla on a flat surface and spread a tablespoon of salsa over it, but not quite to the edges, sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture, then follow this with a tablespoon of the crème fraiche.  Roll the tortilla up and place it in a baking dish with the sealed-side down.  Repeat this with the others, then spread the remaining crème fraiche on top of the tortillas in the dish and sprinkle the remaining salsa over the top followed by the remaining cheeses and red onion.  Place the dish on a high shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes.  Garnish with the extra cilantro and serve immediately.  They will become soggy if you try to hold them.

Easy and delicious. 


Congratulations to Our Treasured Home for winning the Merry Merry Munchies giveaway this year.  Please send your mailing address so that I can get that to you.


Please share your delicious dishes!


Congratulations to my favorite college team!  # 5 in the nation!!!

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Merry Merry Munchies–Homemade Bagels

This is the final week for Merry Merry Munchies.  Each entry  this week earns two entries for the giveaway.  Watch next week for that announcement.
We really love bagels at our house, but I try to refrain from them because they are so calorie-laden.  Some of the ones that can be bought at the deli are so big that they could actually feed two or three people.  When I saw this recipe in last month’s Cooking Light, I just knew that I would have to give it a try.
Awesome!  That’s an overused word these days, but it certainly applies to these.  I hope you will give them a try.

Real Homemade Bagels
YIELD: Serves 12 (serving size: 1 bagel)

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (100° to 110°)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 28 1/2 ounces bread flour, divided (about 6 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Cooking spray
• 12 cups water
• 3/4 cup sugar

  
  

  1. Combine 2 cups warm water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface. Weigh or lightly spoon 28.13 ounces flour (about 6 1/4 cups) into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour, syrup, and salt to yeast mixture. Mix dough at low speed 6 minutes. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead 2 minutes or until smooth and elastic; add enough of remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes.

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 12 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), shape each portion into a ball. Make a hole in the center of each ball using your index finger. Using fingers of both hands, gently pull dough away from center to make a 1 1/2-inch hole. Place bagels on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat bagels with cooking spray; cover with plastic wrap. Let rise 10 minutes (bagels will rise only slightly).

3. Preheat oven to 450°.

4. Combine 12 cups water and 3/4 cup sugar in a Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Gently lower 3 bagels into pan. Cook for 30 seconds. Transfer the bagels to a wire rack lightly coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining bagels, working in batches of 3. Divide the bagels between two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 450° for 7 minutes. Rotate pans, and bake for 7 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

I made half of the recipe.  Before the first rising, I divided the dough into six equal pieces.  I flavored two of the bagels with feta and cracked black pepper and two of them with Parmesan.  I brushed the tops with a thinned egg wash and  sprinkled poppy seeds on two and sesame seeds on two.  The other two I left plain.  I plan to make some asiago cheese ones on the next round.  Any other suggestions?

You can substitute molasses for the barley malt syrup.  The ratio is 2/3 cup molasses to  1 cup barley malt syrup.  I used 1 Tablespoon molasses in the six that I made.

They aren’t perfect, but they are mine:)

Linked to Full Plate Thursday.

Be sure to link up below for extra opportunities for the giveaway.

With the new year, I have decided to take the blog in a new directions.  While I will still be sharing recipes, I want to branch out with other food-related ideas.  I am going to take a hiatus from sponsoring food linky parties for a few months to see  how it goes.   You will still be able to link up and share so come visit often.  With more and more work and family obligations, I find that I need some breathing room.  I’m sure you understand.

If you have a food-related question or idea that you would like for me to explore, I would welcome hearing those.

In the mean time, Happy New Year!