In today’s LENS, we share some ideas for a great gameday menu. Here are some more recipes to try out:
Green Enchiladas
Bee staff writer Niesha Lofing has been making these enchiladas for years and they’re always a hit. The secret is running the tortillas through warm milk before assembling.
Note: The enchiladas can be prepared the night before, refrigerated, and baked up to 24 hours later. They also may be frozen before baking. Simply defrost in refrigerator, or add about 30 to 40 minutes to cook time.
To cut calories, use chicken breasts, low-fat sour cream, low-fat flour tortillas and fat-free pepper Jack cheese.
Ingredients
• One 16-ounce or 20-ounce can green enchilada sauce, mild or medium
• 1 pound cooked chicken, shredded, without skin or bone (store-bought rotisserie chicken is fine)
• 3/4 pound pepper Jack cheese, shredded
• One 12-ounce container sour cream
• 1 cup milk
• 10 to 15 flour tortillas
• One 4-ounce can mild green chilies, diced
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take all ingredients out and form an assembly line near the stove and place an empty plate and a lasagna pan on the counter. Arrange the following ingredients near the plate: enchilada sauce, chicken, cheese, sour cream, green chilies.
Spread about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, or enough to coat, in the bottom of the lasagna pan.
In a skillet big enough to fit a tortilla, warm the milk over low heat (but don’t let it scorch it should just be warm to the touch). Run one tortilla through the warm milk and then place it on the plate. Spread a small palmful of chicken about 1/4 cup toward the top of the tortilla and top with a sprinkling of cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Wrap up the tortilla like a burrito and place in the lasagna pan. Repeat these steps until the pan is full.
Top with enchilada sauce enough to cover the tortillas, but not so much that they’re swimming in sauce (you may have sauce left over). Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on top of the enchiladas and top with green chilies.
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Makes six to eight servings.
Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies
This easy recipe is from Mollie Katzen’s “Vegetable Heaven” (Hyperion, 1997). The texture lands somewhere between fudgy and caky; remove 2 minutes earlier for slightly fudgier brownies.
Note: If desired, the finely chopped peanuts and 1/4 cup of the chips can be held out of the dough and sprinkled on top before baking.
The prep time does not include the 30-minute cool time after brownies are baked.
Ingredients
• A little oil or butter for the pan, if it’s not nonstick
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup good-quality smooth or chunky peanut butter
• 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted peanut butter)
• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch pan (unless it’s nonstick).
Cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars in a medium-large mixing bowl with an electric mixer at high speed. Turn the speed down to medium, and add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla, beating well after each. Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix by hand until everything is uniformly blended.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake on the center rack of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the top feels firm and a toothpick inserted all the way into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached.
Cut into squares while still hot, but let them cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.
Makes about 18 medium-size brownies.
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Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Bee senior editor Mark Morris snagged this delicious recipe from his niece.
Ingredients
• 2 ears corn, husks removed
• 6 vine-ripened tomatoes
• 1 Walla Walla onion
• 2 to 3 jalapenos
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
• Two 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained well
• Juice from 1 1/2 limes
• Salt (may subsitute Johnny’s Seasoning Salt instead)
• Pepper
Instructions
Wrap ears of corn in foil and grill until plump. Remove foil and grill a little longer to give kernels a smoky flavor. Set aside and let cool.
Chop tomatoes and onion so they are about the same size as the corn kernels and combine in a large bowl. Drain excess liquid from bowl, if any.
Remove seeds from the jalapenos and finely chop (wear gloves). Add to bowl.
Cut corn off cobs and add to bowl.
Add cilantro, black beans, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Makes about 9 cups.
Chunky Bean Dip
This recipe is adapted from one by Jodie Rawls, of Texas.
Ingredients
• One 15-ounce can black beans
• One 15-ounce can pinto beans
• One 11-ounce can yellow corn
• 1 small purple onion, chopped
• One 4-ounce can sliced black olives
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper, cored and chopped
• One 16-ounce jar salsa
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Drain and rinse black beans, pinto beans and corn. Combine in a large bowl. Add onion, olives and yellow and orange pepper and salsa and stir gently to coat. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving, add tomato and avocado, and season with salt and pepper.
Makes about 12 cups.
Shrimp Nachos with White Cheddar Sauce
This recipe is courtesy of chef Tyler Florence and the Hass Avocado Board.
Ingredients
For the salsa:
• 3 ripe, fresh Hass avocados, peeled, seeded and scooped out
• 1 cup diced ruby red grapefruit
• 1 serrano chili, finely diced (wear gloves)
• 3 scallions, sliced into `-inch thick circles
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
For the shrimp nachos with white cheddar sauce:
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided use
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 dried chipotle chile
• 1 pound peeled shrimp, finely diced
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 10-ounce bag baked tortilla chips
• Hass avocado grapefruit salsa (see make-ahead recipe above)
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, for garnish
Instructions
For the salsa: Place the avocado in a bowl and gently mash with a fork. Add the grapefruit, serrano chili, scallions, cilantro and oil, and gently mix together. Season with kosher salt and black pepper; set aside.
For the nachos: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 4-5 minutes. Gradually add the milk, stirring until it becomes thick and smooth, about 5 minutes.
Add the cheese, and stir until melted and sauce is smooth. Whisk in half of the cumin and season with kosher salt; set aside.
Place a skillet over medium heat and add the oil, chili and remaining half of cumin. Once the oil is hot, carefully add the shrimp, and cook for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. Remove the chipotle chili before serving.
To serve, pile the tortilla chips on a platter and top with the cheese sauce, chipotle shrimp and Hass avocado grapefruit salsa. Garnish with shredded cheese.
Makes eight servings.