Thursday, August 16, 2012

Ridiculously easy green enchiladas


These enchiladas are easy and versatile.  I made them with imitation crab, but you could substitute cooked chicken, shrimp, beef, or heartier vegetables like sauteed zucchini, red pepper, and spinach (I think I would just omit the sherry/apple juice). We used imitation crab because 1) we like the taste of crab, 2) we can't afford the real stuff.  Imitation crab really lends itself well to cooked entrees like this with other strong flavors.   Richard ate it three times in a row.  I actually made two pans of it, but left the second pan in the oven overnight by accident.  But Richard had liked it so much, that he still ate one of the overnight enchiladas before I threw out the rest of the pan.  He did not get sick by the way.
These are, as the title suggests, ridiculously easy.  So easy, that even with a harrowing day with my toddler and newborn, I was able to literally throw these together and get them in the oven in about 15 minutes.  I am guessing at the amounts, since most of the time I just eyeball it!  Add more or less of any of the ingredients to suit your preferences. Enjoy!!

Green crab enchiladas

Filling:
1/2  cup of chopped onions
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup chopped cilantro
4 oz of chopped green chilies
1/4 cup cooking sherry (or the real thing) or apple juice
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese

1 lb imitation crab, roughly chopped (you can certainly substitute the real thing, or 1lb of any other kind of cooked meat or vegetable)

Sauce:
14 oz of green enchilada sauce, canned or home made
1 cup of sour cream
4 oz. chopped green chiles

12-16 corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray.

For the sauce, just heat all the ingredients in a pan on the stove until they are thoroughly combined and nicely warm.

For the filling, just saute the onion until softened, then add the corn, cilantro, chilies, sherry, and crab and cook for a few more minutes.  Add in the sour cream and cheese and stir to combine.  Feel free to add salt and pepper if you like.  I found mine flavorful enough.

To assemble, just microwave the corn tortillas for about 30 seconds to a minute to soften them.  Then, one at a time, dip both sides of each tortilla lightly in the sauce mixture.  Lay the sauced up tortilla in the pan and add some of the filling, roll and lay seam side down in the pan.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.  If there is any leftover sauce, spoon it over the top.  Cover the enchiladas with as much cheese as you want and bake for about 25 minutes.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions if desired!