Cheap Eats: Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

I had always assumed that enchiladas were extremely difficult and time consuming to make, but after a recent dinner at my mom's, I learned just how simple they really are. So, a few days ago, I decided to try my hand at some Mexican cooking and while shopping for my ingredients, I discovered that enchiladas are, in fact, cheap eats! Think about this: at a typical Mexican restaurant, you'll pay around $12.00 for two enchiladas. Well, for just a few dollars, you can make a whole pan of them, enough to feed 4 people, and they'll taste even better.

Enchiladas are a great way to use up leftover roast chicken, but if you don't have any on hand, you could use black beans as a substitute, or they're great with just plain cheese. Anyway you slice it, enchiladas are cheap eats.

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded cooked chicken meat
1 1/2-2 cups shredded cheese (such as colby jack or Monterrey jack)

10 corn tortillas

1 very large vidalia onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chilli powder

2 tbsp cumin

1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 can of crushed tomatoes, plus 1/2 can of water

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. In a cast iron skillet, saute your onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent and almost starting to brown. Add in the spices, saute for about a minute and then pour in the tomatoes and water. Allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Taste and season as desired. Transfer sauce to a blender and pulse until desired consistency. (You could also use an immersion blender directly in the skillet or pass the sauce through a food mill.)
3. Cover a large baking dish or roasting pan with 1/3 of the sauce.
4. Soften the corn tortillas by placing between two moistened paper towels and microwave for about 20 seconds. Fill each tortilla with a tablespoon each of cheese and chicken. Roll and place seam side down in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling on the sides.
5. Serve hot with rice, beans, and salad.