16 Spice Shredded Beef Enchiladas with Zucchini and Onions

Tacos are one of my fast and easy "go to" meals.  I have always used ground beef until I recently tried cooking a beef chuck roast in the crockpot for my taco meat.  Check out the Tacos de Barbacoa recipe here.  I wanted to use the same concept but with a different spice rub.  I chose Bobby Flay's 16 Spice Rub.  I made this spice blend a while back and still had a lot left.  It was perfect for this meal.  I know 16 spices looks a little intimidating, but many of them I already had.  You could use any spice mixture that you want and still make these enchiladas.  But, I challenge you to make the 16 spice rub sometime.  It is really delicious.  It has some heat but also some warm and earthy flavors from the allspice, cinnamon and cloves.

I made this recipe up as I went along.  I don't post many of the meals that I make simply because they are usually just thrown together.  I had a good feeling about this one so I actually wrote things down as I cooked. 

My husband was skeptical when he walked in the kitchen and the enchiladas did not look like the usual covered-in-cheese-and-meat ones we have cooked for the past 15 years. These were plain on top.  I decided to bake the enchiladas without sauce on top because I knew the salsa I planned on using would make them soggy as they baked.  They were not filled with the old standard meat and cheese of the old days.  These were filled with shredded beef, onions, peppers, a little sour cream and cheese, and guess what...zucchini.  Yes, zucchini.  I've learned that zucchini can be a great filler and make a meal go a lot farther.  AND add some nutrition.  They don't have a lot of flavor so they are perfect for this. These enchiladas are stuffed full, but not with a lot of fat and bad-for-you stuff.

These enchiladas were a hit!  My husband even apologized later for judging and jumping to conclusions before he had eaten them.  WOW!  (That doesn't happen too often and it made me feel good).  He ate them for lunch the next day and said they were great reheated, too. 

The roast that you cook is enough for two meals.  I made tacos one night and these enchiladas the next night. 

Bobby Flay's 16 Spice Rub and Roast

3 tablespoons ancho chile powder (heat level: 4)
3 tablespoons pasilla chile powder (heat level:4)
3 tablespoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons ground coriander
3 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground fennel seed
1 teaspoon chile de arbol – can substitute cayenne (heat level:7)
3 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (heat level:8)

4 lb beef chuck roast
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 cup water or beef broth

In a small bowl stir all spices together.   Rub on all sides of the roast; rub in with your fingers. If you can, put it in the refrigerator for a while (I let it sit for about 2 hours).

Place in a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker with broth. Add sliced onions on top of the roast.  Cook, covered on low-heat setting 10-12 hours or until tender. (I cooked mine for about 8 hours and it was perfect).


Enchiladas
 
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup zucchini, chopped fine
1/2 cup poblano pepper, chopped
1 jalepeno, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup lowfat sour cream
1 cup cheese, grated (cheddar or monterey jack)
12 corn tortillas
4 cups of salsa
 
Directions:
 
Preheat oven to 350F.  Heat a large nonstick pan to medium high heat.  Add olive oil.  Add onions, zucchini, and peppers. Cook for about 7 minutes or until the onions start to turn translucent.  Stir in the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.  Stir in cheese and sour cream.  Set aside. 
 
Cover two cookie sheets with foil or spray with nonstick spray.  Lay out tortillas on the pans in a single layer.  Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Place pans in the oven and cook for about 4 minutes. 
 
Spray a 13x9 baking dish with nonstick spray.  Spread about 2 tbsp of zucchini mixture on one of the warm tortillas and add some of the shredded taco meat.  Roll up the tortilla and place in the pan seam side down.  Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.  Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. 
 
Serve the enchiladas with warm salsa on top. 
 

I have linked up this post to Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative.

Green Chile Cream Cheese Burger

Cinnamon Spice decided to start a Blogger Burger Club and she chose the green chile pepper and cream cheese burger to start it.  I knew that I had to try it.  I used some freshly roasted poblano peppers and some homemade buns.  The buns came from the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes Master recipe.  I am addicted to this recipe! 

I don't really have a recipe necessarily.  I just mixed up some caramelized onions, salt, pepper and garlic in my hamburger meat.  Grilled the patties and piled some chopped roasted poblanos and slathered some fat free cream cheese on the bun.  Yummo!

I give this 4 stars!

Chicken, Green Chile and Spinach Enchiladas

These are some really yummy enchiladas!  The first time I made them they turned out a little too spicy for our family.  I only used one of the chipotle peppers this time and they turned out perfect.  I added some chopped baby spinach to the green chile sauce, mostly because I had it and needed to use it before it went bad.  I found the recipe at Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice. 

Printable Recipe

Chicken, Green Chile and Spinach Enchiladas

(by Reeni)

4 cups Chicken, boneless, skinless, cooked and cut into bite-size hunks
2 and 1/2 cups Sharp Cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup fresh Cilantro, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 cup Sour Cream plus additional for serving
Salt and pepper
8-10 taco size flour Tortillas


Green Chile Sauce:

1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
1 tablespoon Canola oil
2 tablespoon Butter
2 tablespoon Flour
1 and 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
1 small can Green Chiles
1 -3 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo, seeds scraped out, minced
1 and 1/2 cups Sour Cream
2 cups baby spinach, chopped

In a medium saucepan saute the Onion in the oil over medium-low heat until soft. Push the Onions to one side and add the Butter and Flour. Whisk together and cook for three minutes. Slowly whisk in Broth. Add Green Chiles and Chipotle(adjust the amount according to your heat preference). Bring to a slow simmer and continue to simmer about five minutes, whisking occasionally. Add the Sour Cream and spinach. Whisk until sour cream is melted and spinach is wilted and incorporated. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with baking spray and put a thin layer of Enchilada sauce in the bottom.

To a large mixing bowl add the Chicken, 1 cup Cheese, Cilantro, ½ cup Sour Cream, 1 cup Green Chile Sauce, dash of salt and pepper, and mix well.

In a skillet heat the Tortillas one at a time over medium heat about 30 seconds on each side.

Put a 1/2 - 2/3 cup of the Chicken mixture into each Tortilla, one at a time. Roll and place in pan. Repeat until all the Chicken mixture is used up. Pour the rest of the Green Chile sauce over the top. Sprinkle the remaining Cheese evenly over top.

Bake 20-25 minutes until bubbly throughout. Let set for five minutes before serving. Serve with Sour Cream and Avocado.

Chicken, Brie, Onion and Roasted Poblano Pannini

I'm not a big fan of sandwiches.  I think I ate so many of them as a child that I just don't want them anymore.  I will eat a good hot sandwich occasionally, though.  When I saw this recipe for Steak, Roasted Pasilla Pepper, and Sharp Cheddar Cheese Panini  at For the Love of Cooking, I knew I needed to try this sandwich.  Poblano and jalapeno peppers have become favorites of mine.  They aren't too spicy (without the seeds and ribs) and have wonderful flavor.  I've decided that I need to try some different types of peppers and experiment.  I'm not sure which one to try next, though.  Any ideas?

I had some leftover chicken breast leftover from dinner the previous night, so I used that instead of steak.  I also used brie instead of cheddar and added some carmelized onions.  I skimped on the peppers because I was afraid it was going to be too spicy.  I wish I hadn't.  Next time, more peppers will be piled on! 

Per sandwich:

cooked chicken cut into thin strips
2 slices of whole wheat sour dough bread
poblano peppers, roasted
brie
Mayonnaise
Hot Sauce


Roast the peppers:

Clean the poblano peppers and carefully slit them down the center. Gently remove the seeds from the inside of the pepper. Line a baking sheet with tin foil then place the pepper on top.  Broil until peppers are blackened on all sides. Transfer the peppers to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool for 10 minutes. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the blackened skin and stem gently. Slice into strips.


Prepare the sandwich:

Preheat your panini grill or a large skillet over medium heat. Mix a few tablespoons of mayonnaise with a few teaspoons of hot sauce; taste and add more hot sauce if desired.

Spread the mayonnaise mixture on each slice of bread. Next add the slices of chicken then roasted poblano peppers and finally the brie; top the sandwich with the other slice of bread and place on the panini maker then cook for 5 minutes.

If you are using a skillet, cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until it's golden brown. Place a heavy pan on top of your sandwich so it presses and smooshes it a little.  Slice and serve with extra mayonnaise sauce on the side.