Do you have that one genre of food that hits every inch of your taste buds? A genre that you know you could eat 3-4 (maybe even more) times a week, but you restrain for fear of isolating yourself from the throng of culinary options? Well, I do, and it’s Mexican food. Throw some chiles, cumin, cilantro, avocados…etc etc…into any dish and I’m immediately comforted.

Every year for my birthday we have a big Mexican food feast and strawberry cake at my mother’s house. This year, Mom and I teamed up to make a Chicken Enchilada Casserole that was quick, simple, and absolutely delicious.

There really aren’t any set rules when it comes to casseroles. Feel free to experiment and add some of your favorite ingredients. Just as long as you have enough sauce covering the tortillas so they don’t dry out, you really can’t go wrong.

Happy Eating!

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Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp red pepper
• 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 7oz can chopped green chiles, divided
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 4 oz sour cream
• 8oz grilled chicken
• 12 corn tortillas
• cooking spray
• 1/2 cup shredded 4 cheese Mexican cheese blend
• 15oz can fire roasted tomato enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat and saute the onions until translucent, around 4-5 minutes. Add the next 7 ingredients, through the salsa, and saute until the ingredients are well combined, around 5-6 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and chicken and heat through. Adjust seasonings according to taste.

2. Spray  a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Fill each tortilla with 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture and roll up like an enchilada. Don’t worry about the tortillas cracking. Once you’ve filled all the tortillas spray the tops with cooking spray. If you have leftover mixture, just throw it on top of the tortillas.

3. Sprinkle the remaining chiles on top of the tortillas along with the shredded cheese. Drizzle the enchilada sauce evenly over the top until thoroughly coated. Bake in the oven 30 minutes until bubbly.

I like to serve my casserole with the following condiments:

• Shredded Iceberg lettuce
• Diced Tomato
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole
• Fresh Salsa
• Fresh jalapenos

The sky’s the limit! Enjoy!

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On the Run:

Raggamuffin: