Sunday, January 27, 2013

Enchiladas with Green Sauce

Hola!  So to begin the start of my blog my first theme is going to be Mexican food!  It is one of my favorite types of food and I definitely miss the authentic stuff I can find in Los Angeles.  I've grown up around my friends who for the majority are all Mexican  and have been able to learn a lot about their culture and food.  But realistically my friends haven't sat me around and explained the history of all the dishes they make and I'm sure they just enjoy the food, so here's a little history lesson my friends!

"An enchilada (pron.: /ˌɛnɨˈlɑːdə/Spanish: [entʃiˈlaða]) is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili pepper sauce. Enchiladas can be filled with a variety of ingredients, including meatcheesebeans,potatoesvegetablesseafood or combinations. 
Enchiladas originated in Mexico, where the practice of rolling tortillas around other food dates back at least to Mayantimes.[4] The people living in the lake region of the Valley of Mexico traditionally ate corn tortillas folded or rolled around small fish. Writing at the time of the Spanish conquistadors, Bernal Díaz del Castillo documented a feast enjoyed by Europeans hosted by Hernán Cortés in Coyoacán, which included foods served in corn tortillas. (Note that the nativeNahuatl name for the flat corn bread used was tlaxcalli; the Spanish give it the name tortilla.)[5][6][7][8] The Nahuatl word for enchilda is chīllapītzalli [t͡ʃiːlːapiː't͡salːi] which is formed of the Nahuatl word for "chili", chīlli ['t͡ʃiːlːi] and the Nahuatl word for "flute", tlapītzalli [t͡ɬapiː't͡salːi].[9] In the 19th century, as Mexican cuisine was being memorialized, enchiladas were mentioned in the first Mexican cookbook, El cocinero mexicano ("The Mexican Chef"), published in 1831,[4] and in Mariano Galvan Rivera's Diccionario de Cocina, published in 1845.[5][10] An early mention, in English, is a 1914 recipe found in California Mexican-Spanish Cookbook, by Bertha Haffner Ginger.[11]" 
Isn't that interesting!  Now you know a little more about where the delicious Enchiladas came from.  To learn more click here!

So now, for my recipe.  It is a lighter version I would say than the regular recipe just because I am personally watching what I eat a little more but you can swap things out to make regular or more authentic enchiladas.  I have included some tips also to make the green sauce have a more roasted flavor.  



Enchiladas with Green Sauce
  • 2 Chicken Breast
  • Water or Chicken Stock
  • 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/4 an onion 
First, boil your chicken breast in water or stock just enough to cover the chicken with onion and garlic cloves.  Once the chicken has cooked all the way through, take it out of the water and let it cool.  After it has cooled, shred the chicken and set to the side.
  • 1 tbsp. grape seed oil or whatever oil you like
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1/2 an onion, diced chopped
In a saucepan, heat up your oil and then add the garlic and onion until it is translucent. 
  • 4 tomatillos, quartered
  • 1 poblano pepper, rough chopped (deveined, if you don't want it to be spicy)
  • 1 jalapeno, rough chopped (deveined, if you don't want it to be spicy)
  • 1/4 a bunch of cilantro, rough chopped
  • 1/2 tbsp. salt or to taste
  • 1/2 tbsp. pepper or to taste 
  • 1/2 tbsp. cumin or to taste
    • I say to taste because I warn you I am not good at measuring.  I start of with a little and taste as I go.  I will try to get better at this as I make more recipes.  Promise!
Throw the tomatillos, poblano, jalapeno and cilantro in a blender.  You might need to add a little water or chicken stock in the sauce if you don't have a very good blender.  Blend all the way through.  You should have a very bright green sauce.  Then pour the sauce into your sautéed onions and garlic and add the salt, pepper and cumin.  Cook until you have the desired thickness to your sauce.  It should change from a bright green color to a darker green.
  • Sprouted Corn Tortillas (Food For Life: Sprouted Corn Tortillas are tasty and low calorie) or regular Corn Tortillas
  • Feta Cheese or Queso Fresco
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the tortillas on a skillet.  Add a tbsp. of grape seed oil to the pan and cook the tortilla in the oil for about 20-30 seconds on each side then dip it in the sauce.  Put it in a baking dish and add the chicken and cheese to the tortilla and roll them up.  Repeat until you have as many enchiladas.  With this recipe I made about 8. 

Put the baking dish in the oven until it is heated all the way through and the cheese is melted.

Serve and enjoy.

Tip: For a roasted taste you can roast the tomatillos, jalapeno and poblano first at 350 degrees then blend them and follow the same steps. 

Please let me know what you think.  Buen provecho!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Welcome to Elvia's Salsa con Coco!

Hola! Welcome to Elvia's Salsa con Coco!  I am so excited to finally get this blog started.  I have wanted to do this for a long time and I am so happy it's finally happening.

First, I would like to tell you a little about myself.  I am a 26 year old Ecuadorian young woman who was born and raised in California and proud of it!  I was born in Los Angeles and moved around in Southern California all my life.  Currently I live in Boston, MA and let's just say... it's different but I love it.  I moved here to continue my second year of service serving in AmeriCorps and decided to stay.  Serving in AmeriCorps is where I found my passion for serving others and decided I wanted to continue on that path.  I currently work for a non-profit that serves girls and helps them get to their full potential by providing them mentors that will help them get there.  Although, I am living out that passion from 9-5 everyday I wanted a way to live out my other passion... FOOD! 

Ever since I moved away from home I needed to feed myself somehow.  It wasn't an easy transition going from a home where my wonderful mother made homemade delicious meals every single day to having to cook for myself.  It definitely took me a while to enjoy it and find out how to make things that I really liked.  Now I can say I am pretty adventurous and will try to make anything, especially if I'm craving it.  I really love all kinds of food and will try anything at least once.  Being able to experience different types of cuisine has made me fall in love with cooking, culture and fresh ingredients.  I love looking at different recipes or learning from others and making recipes my own.  This is where I will finally show the world what I love to do.

On Elvia's Salsa con Coco, you will learn about food, culture and making some of your favorites into healthy or lighter meal options.  Sometimes there will be themes to my cooking and sometimes I won't have a healthy option because it's just that good the way it is.  All in all I just want a place to show how much I love food and share it with all of you.   

Buen provecho everybody!