Friday, February 4, 2011

Mexican Dinner

When The Hubby bought a new oven we both agreed that it was the best oven we ever owned. It had five stove top burners, a large oven that I can fit 24 cupcakes in at a time (big whoop!) and most of all it came with a rotisserie and drip pan. We love to cook so this oven was really worth it.

However we haven't really used the rotisserie yet and over a year later we finally did. He just rubbed oil on two whole chickens and salted and peppered them, stuck them into the rotisserie and two hours later we had roasted chicken. It was very good and the skin was crispy delicious. We had tons of leftover chicken though so I asked on Twitter what I could make with leftover chicken. Chicken soup, chicken stir fry, chicken salad, these were just a few of the suggestions I got. But when Jamie of Your Lighter Side suggested her recipe for Chipotle Burrito Bowl I got a Mexican bee in my bonnet that I couldn't shake. I had to have something Mexican!

Hubby LOVES Mexican food. When we went to Boracay we stayed at this lovely hotel and they had pretty good Mexican food. If there's one thing he misses about the US the most, it's Taco Bell and he can only get it when we go to Manila. So I looked for recipes and researched high and low and finally decided on my Mexican Dinner : Chicken Enchilada with Spanish Rice.

It took a lot of prep work since there's basically three phases of this dinner: the Enchilada Sauce, making the Chicken Enchilada and then making the Spanish Rice. I did it all in three hours, not my best day in the kitchen. But everything turned out so well. Hubby made his own Spanish rice using Jasmine rice but I made cauli rice and it tasted wonderful.

Phase One: Enchilada Sauce



I looked for a good recipe and didn't have to look far. Linda Sue took care of that for me with her easy Red Enchilada Sauce.

Phase Two: Chicken Enchilada


Saute onions, red and green bell pepers in butter. Then add shredded chicken. I had about four cups of chicken. Then mix in a cup of the enchilada sauce. Pour into a baking dish, grate cheddar cheese on top and broil until cheese has melted. Top with sliced green onions if preferred.




Phase Three: Spanish Rice

Prepare cauliflower rice as usual. Saute a cup of "rice" in butter and add half a cup of Enchilada Sauce.



This dinner was very delicious. We still have leftovers which I am sure we will take care of. It definitely curbed that Mexican  craving. So if you love Mexican food, why not give this meal a try? Let me know what you think of it. 

    

8 comments:

Layla said...

This looks amazing! I haven't made cauliflower rice yet but this definitely makes me want to try it. Mexican food is one of my high carb downfalls. :/ I love it so much! I'm always looking for low carb Mexican alternatives, so I really appreciate this!

Regay said...

Ok, I am going to try it. So you didn't try to make low carb tortillas? I have been thinking about it lately. What is the link to Linda Sue's Enchilada Sauce?
Your dish looks great!!

Adriana said...

I <3 it Dee! The enchilada bake looks soooooo cheesy, comforting and delish! I was raised eating Mexican foods and of course it is my favorite cuisine to eat! Keep up the great work in the kitchen my low carb friend! :)

Dee said...

Layla, the cauli rice is crazy fast and easy to make if you have a food processor. I used to use a cheese grater but I am so challenged with things like graters and vegetable peelers that I hurt myself when I use them LOL So now I use my hand blender and it worked fine. Give it a try and see if you like it. I've seen so many different variations like curry rice, deluxe fried rice from Adriana. I wanna make lemon and cilantro rice soon once I finish my Spanish rice. :)

Regay, hello! No I didn't make low carb tortillas because the ingredients are unavailable where I am. The link to the enchilada sauce is right there on the post, just click on the name of the recipe. :)

Adriana, Thanks! You're a great low carb recipe goddess yourself. I love Mexican food but there are no Mexican restaurants here! Seriously! Well, maybe that's a good thing. No temptation. I do love burritos and tacos and huevos rancheros... Yum! :)

Eileen said...

This looks awesome! I love making enchiladas and I'd make it with low carb tortillas on occasion. I never thought to try it without tortillas but it looks so delicious! I've tried cauliflower puree in place of mashed potatoes and wasn't a fan but this rice looks pretty good too.

Dee said...

Hi Eileen! Just skipping the tortillas and turning it into a casserole worked :) My husband loves loves Mexican food and he couldn't get enough of this. He didn't even miss the tortilla (he's not LC like me but I cook so he has no choice LOL) I like cauliflower mashed and riced, it's not the same as the real high carb things but when you think about it rice and potatoes are just extenders sometimes. So when I drench the "rice" with the enchilada sauce, it tastes so good I forget. :)

Worker Bee said...

Try these low carb enchiladas I stumbled across! The "tortilla" is actually an egg crepe.. no flour of any kind.. only eggs and cream. They roll up and everything! http://lowcarbgal.com/2010/09/beef-enchiladas/

Anonymous said...

How many peppers/onions and what size casserole dish did you use? Thanks!

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