15-minute Mexican Breakfast: Cheesy Chilaquiles

I don't remember if I've mentioned this, but I'm a total breakfast person. If I could make breakfast every morning (or have someone make it for me), I'd be the happiest person in the world. I love sweet, salty, and savory breakfasts. I love fancy ones. I love simple home-style breakfasts. I'll eat them all with a smile and a cup of coffee. 

With that said, I don't get to eat a nice, home-cooked breakfast unless I have loads of time and fresh ingredients at hand. So I generally have to make do with something fast, like toast and coffee.

This weekend kicked of my spring break. THANK GOD. I need a week of sleeping in, overeating and going out with my husband, who's also taken off most of the week. We began our relaxation with something delicious, comforting and flavorful: chilaquiles.

If you've never had the pleasure, you don't know what you're missing. Chilaquiles are considered a comfort food to Mexicans. You can spice them up, smother them with cheese, and even cover them with chicken, guacamole, or sour cream for additional decadence. They're crispy, but soft because of the egg. They're spicy, but the cheese adds richness. I love them.

I like these because they're so simple to make, and you don't need to have tons of ingredients to go make them. The main ingredient is stale tortillas. If you're planning on making them, just leave some tortillas out for a night or two. Then you'll be well on your way to a great breakfast. 

Cheesy Chilaquiles 

Ingredients
12 stale corn tortillas (if they're fresh, leave them out overnight. Otherwise, your frying time will be extended)
Cooking oil
1 (7.75 oz) can El Pato, a spicy Mexican tomato sauce (If you have fresh salsa, 1 cup can be substituted)
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice
4 eggs
1/4 cup white onion, roughly chopped
Seasoned salt

• Cut your tortillas into fourths. My tortillas were very dry, so I simply broke them into pieces.

•  Generously pour your cooking oil into a large sauté pan. Turn your heat to medium high. Once your oil is hot, add the tortillas. You’ll want to be able to coat the tortillas, but not completely submerge them.

• Fry your tortillas until they are a nice golden brown, which should take about 5 minutes. 

Turn them every minute or so to keep everything from burning.

• Remove tortillas and place them a paper towel-lined plate to soak up any excess oil, then remove the majority of your oil and any excess tortilla pieces left in your pan. There is no need to clean it. 

• Re-add your tortillas and onion in the pan, and pour the tomato sauce onto your tortillas. Toss the tortillas to coat them completely, and set your heat to medium-low. Season your sauce covered tortillas with your seasoned salt.

Your onion will cook as the food is tossed and mixed.

• Add your eggs to the pan, and gently toss the tortillas. Continue to cook and mix your tortillas until the "wetness" from the egg is mostly removed, which should be five minutes. Your eggs will take on the appearance of scrambled eggs. Season once again, if necessary.

• Sprinkle the mixture with cheese, and cover your chilaquiles with the pot lid to allow for the cheese to melt. 

• Serve immediately with additional salsa, refried beans, sour cream or guacamole. Enjoy!

Not your momma's chicken soup

When I was a freshman in college, I had the worst cold I've ever had in my life. I couldn't breathe, slept all day, and was a complete zombie for a few days. I had never missed my mother the way I did while I was sick; I missed her giving me medicine, and most importantly, doting on me with some delicious chicken soup. 

I would've killed for some soup. It immediately made me feel better, and I knew that the moment I started sipping the broth, my foggy state would clear. However, I was in the dorm. There were no Mexican mothers there, so I had the next best thing: cup of noodles. 

I was so sad. It didn't do the job, especially since it didn't have the right texture, taste, or smell. 

Now that I'm grown, I have crafted my own version of Mom's soup. It' delicious, hearty, filling and flavorful. Unlike some soups that call for itty bits of vegetables, my soup calls for large pieces, which add huge amounts of flavor. It'll keep for several days, but it probably won't last long. 

If you're sick with a cold, or if you need to warm up from the cold, this is the soup for you. Enjoy.

Not your momma's chicken soup

4 chicken breasts
2 large potatoes (can be substituted for 4-6 small potatoes)
1/4 yellow onion
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tablespoon oregano
salt, to taste
2 cups frozen starchy vegetables of your preference
2 medium zucchini
1/4 lb. string beans
1/4 cup cilantro
avocado 

• Place chicken breasts in a 7-qt Dutch oven or soup pot, and cover with water. There should be enough water for the chicken to be completely submerged. It will float. Add the onion and garlic, and allow your chicken to boil on medium high for 45 minutes. Cover your pot, but leave it cracked so that steam may escape. Once your chicken has fully cooked, salt the broth to taste. Add your oregano.

The water will get murky as the chicken begins to cook.

• Carefully and thoroughly scrub your potatoes. Cut your potatoes into halves (if you use smaller potatoes, they may stay whole), and place into the water with the chicken. I leave the skin on so that your potato stays intact. Your potatoes should cook completely, but not dissolve, about 20 minutes, depending on the potato.

Since this potato is medium sized, I cut it in half. Some might need to be cut into thirds.

• Pour your frozen vegetables into your soup. I prefer broccoli, carrots, corn and cauliflower. Allow for your vegetables to defrost. 

Your soup will start smelling heavenly.

• Carefully clean your zucchini, string beans and cilantro, cutting off ends. Place them into your pot whole, and allow to boil, approximately 10 minutes.

• Serve carefully, so as to not dissolve the vegetables. One way to keep your vegetables intact is to place them in a separate container while serving, and pouring broth over them once they have been served on top of the chicken. Garnish with avocado slices.

• To really enjoy your soup in true Mexican style, serve with Spanish rice, salsa, and tortillas. It'll clear up any sniffles you have, guaranteed!

I can't really guarantee this will heal you. Sorry. 

Three-meat, two cheese lasagna

There’s something comforting about a delicious lasagna that makes me happy on all levels. It’s saucy, cheesy, and just a little spicy. It hits all culinary levels of satisfaction, and leaves me perfectly sated.

Don't you just want to eat all the cheese?

Lasagna also happens to be a favorite of my husband, who is the most meat-and-cheese focused man you’ll ever meet. If I am ever in trouble, you can bet that this will be the dish that I make him so that he forgives and forgets (Mostly he’d forget because he’s so busy eating).

I’ve adapted this recipe from my mother’s own, removing the ricotta for preference. Of COURSE you can add ricotta mixed with eggs. Of COURSE you can add spinach, fresh mushrooms, or other veggies of choice. However, for sake of beauty and simplicity, I present to you my most basic three-meat, two cheese lasagna.

Andrea’s three-meat, two cheese lasagna.

Approximately 12 servings

1 pound hot Italian sausage 

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef

50 slices of pepperoni

½ cup cubed yellow onion

3-4 roma tomatoes

½ cup water

2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce

3 teaspoons Italian seasoning

sea salt

ground black pepper

seasoning salt

red pepper flakes to taste

10-12 lasagna noodles

16 ounces mozarella cheese

 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon cooking oil

•  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Cube your tomatoes and onions. In the pot you’re planning to cook your sauce, sauté your onion and tomato at a medium heat, seasoning them with your Italian seasoning. Cook until the onion becomes tender. This lends a great flavor to your sauce.
• Add your water, tomato paste, and tomato sauce to your pot, and set it at low to simmer while your meat cooks.

Leave it boiling as you prep your other ingredients. 

• Cook your ground beef at a medium heat, seasoning it with seasoned salt, salt and pepper to taste. Allow it to cook completely, then drain the grease.
• Remove casing from hot Italian sausage, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon as it browns. Make sure that the sausage cooks completely.

• Slice pepperoni slices into halves, drizzling them into sauce. 

• Add sausage and ground beef as well, stirring well. At this point, taste your sauce. If it’s too sweet, add some more seasoned salt or salt to your sauce, stirring it and tasting again. I also like to add ½ teaspoon to a full teaspoon of red peppers to the sauce. Leave it on low.

Thick and beefy, the way I like my... sauce.

• Now it’s time for noodles. Bring water to a boil in another pot, and add salt. Place noodles in the water and cook until al dente.

• While the noodles boil, begin shredding your cheese. If you’re cool, you’ll use this activity as a way to work out your forearms.

My arms are SO buff. 

• Once the noodles are ready, begin layering your lasagna. Begin with a thin layer of sauce, followed by lasagna noodles. Make sure to overlap noodles. Cover noodles with a heavy layer of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layering process until you have reached the top of your pan. Sprinkle the top liberally with mozzarella.
  

Sauce to die over. 

Noodles.

The more cheese you add, the more flavor. 

• Cover your lasagna with foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes. At the end of the 20 minutes, remove the foil and leave in the oven for another 10 to allow for the cheese to brown.
  

• Serve after ten minutes, allowing for the lasagna to set. If you don’t mind soupy lasagna, dig in!

We may have gotten over-excited and over-eaten.

Really Good (and Real) Spanish Rice

Is there anyone who doesn't love side dishes? Sometimes I wonder why people don't immediately serve huge portions of sides. I firmly believe that a good side could easily be made into a main dish. 

That's how I feel about my Spanish rice. It's got a lot of flavor packed into a small grain. 

Doesn't this enchilada plate look so much better with rice?

That said, it's also pretty easy to make. If you end up with leftovers, do what I do: put some cheddar on the rice, add sour cream, salsa and go to town.

Really Good (and real) Spanish Rice

1 cup long grain rice

1/8 cup chopped white onion

1 roma tomato, diced

2 1/4 cup water **chicken stock may be substituted for up to 1 1/2 cups of water 

3-4 tablespoons chicken bouillon, to taste

2 tablespoons cooking oil

• In a pot, begin browning your onion and your oil to cook on medium high heat. 

• Once your onion becomes aromatic (approximately 4-5 minutes), mix in the rice. Stir your rice every 3-4 minutes, allowing your rice to be coated in oil. Your rice should become toasted and begin browning.

Your rice should be a beautiful color, and  your kitchen will smell like heaven.

• Once your rice has reached a light brown color, carefully pour in water or stock. **Be careful not to burn yourself with the steam that comes up the moment the water makes contact with the pot.
• Stir in the tomato, and add chicken bouillon a tablespoon at a time, stirring with each addition. Once the broth has reached the right level of flavor, cover the mixture.

• Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to the lowest setting. Allow the rice to continue cooking for approximately 12-15 minutes. The rice should be soft, with no water left in the pot.

Do not lower  your heat until the rice bubbles, like so.

• Immediately remove from heat and serve.  Enjoy!

Don't you just want to grab a spoon and go to town?

Andrea's Almost-all-the-way Authentic Green Chicken Enchiladas

I grew up around great cooks. It all started with my grandma, who loved making us feel at home by stuffing us to the brim with some of the best Mexican food known to humanity. No one could make Mexican food like my grandma, which made it hard to ever go to Mexican restaurants. My mom and aunt followed suit, and are amazing cooks in their own right. Growing up in Southern California, both of them were exposed to different styles of cooking, like Italian, Asian and American. Because of this, I am used to gobbling up home-style cuisine from all over. Now, I'm going to share some secrets of that amazing cooking with you.

Now, before we start, it's important to mention the following about Mexican cooking: no two women will EVER make it the same. Aside from the different region styles of cooking, each family has a "secret" recipe trick that they guard carefully, sharing only with the other women of their family. Heck, even some daughters-in-law miss out on the awesome flavors.

Second, most of these recipes are learned by watching; exact numbers are almost never written down. You have to do it "por ojo," or to taste. This leads to highly individualized flavors. With that been said, this will be highly reflected in most of my original cooking recipes.

With that all said... on to the enchilada!

Ay, que enchilada!

A good enchilada will always be followed by one thing: seconds. They're gooey. They're spicy. They're hearty. I combine mine with Spanish rice, sour cream, and an empty stomach. There are far more complex ways to make enchiladas, and you can make your own tomatillo sauce, but this is a recipe that my mom taught me to make when I'm dying for good Mexican food but don't have hours to sit and stew tomatillos, garlic, and peppers.

Andrea's Almost-Authentic Green Chicken Enchiladas

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves **I prefer dark meat, so I swapped out the breast for 8 thighs
18 (6 inch) corn tortillas, torn in half
1 (28 ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce
1 (7 ounce) can salsa verde
1 (16 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 small onion

1/2 cup chicken broth
Season salt to taste
Salt to taste
Garlic salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Cajun seasoning to taste

6-8 tablespoons canola oil

1 small container of sour cream for topping

You should be able to see flecks of pepper. Taste the chicken, love it.

1. Set your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Boil your chicken in a pot, completely covered. This will take approximately 25 minutes. You want your chicken to fall apart easily, as you'll be shredding it. Pull your chicken out of the pot, and set aside the chicken's broth for the enchilada sauce.
3. Pull apart your chicken into large chunks, and once they have cooled, season your chicken with garlic salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. This allows for flavor throughout your enchilada.

You can choose spicier sauces, if you dare.

4. Once your chicken has been seasoned, take your two green sauces and the 1/3 cup of chicken broth and put them in a large sauce pan, putting them to simmer down. Stir occasionally. 

**Remember, these sauces, while fine the way they are out of the can, are very basic. If you want more of an authentic flavor, throw in a dry habanero pepper, as well as salt, garlic salt and season salt to get rid of the canned taste. Allow your sauce to simmer on low. It will stay on low for the remainder of your enchilada prep time.

So saucy.

5. As your sauce simmers, shred your cheese and cut your onions. These will be part of your stuffing, along with the chicken. To make enchilada assembly easier, I strongly suggest having all of your stuffing nearby, with the casserole dish that you will place your enchiladas on nearby. You'll be moving quickly, and you need to make sure that you aren't wasting time scrambling for parts of your enchiladas.

6. Pour canola oil into a frying pan, leaving it at medium high. This should be right next to your green enchilada sauce, which should still be simmering. 

Be careful when working with hot oil.

7. Once the oil is hot enough to fry, place one tortilla in the oil, flipping it to cover both sides in oil for approximately 5-8 seconds. 

8. Immediately move the tortilla to the green sauce, coating both sides heavily with sauce. Be careful to use a wide spoon or spatula, as you don't want to have the tortilla tear. **Make sure that you use a different cooking utensil for flipping your tortilla in the oil and coating the sauce. Otherwise, the oil will splatter. 

Pick up the tortilla from the middle.
It allows for less tears.

9. Place tortilla onto a plate for enchilada assembly. Sprinkle onion, cheese and chicken onto the tortilla, then roll it onto a casserole dish. This will be a little messy, so be prepared to catch drippings from the sauce.

I won't judge you if you lick your fingers while assembling.

10. Once you have all of your enchiladas rolled, place more cheese and sauce onto the enchiladas. 

Though tempting, don't eat these before putting them in the oven!

11. Place enchiladas into the oven for 20 minutes. The cheese on top should be completely melted. and the sauce on top of the enchiladas should be thickened.

12. Serve immediately, with a dollop of sour cream on top of the enchiladas. Add to the flavor with some Spanish rice, and watch just how quickly these enchiladas disappear!

You know it's good when you're dying for seconds while still eating the first serving.