Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

It's been well over 2 years since we ate this particular form of enchiladas but I still remember it clearly.  Our friends had us over for dinner and after we ate I knew I couldn't leave before obtaining a copy of Glenda's recipe.  Turns out it was from the Cooking Light magazine which is great - makes me feel healthier, right?  :)

After moving a few times since then, both domestically and internationally, turns out I hadn't lost the copy after all this time.  You might be surprised by that, but people who know me well probably wouldn't be!

I don't own a blender yet, so the sauce looks a little "chunkier" than the recipe calls for.  But it tastes the same!  I did utilize my awesome food chopper to practically mutilate the onion, so that was fun.

The sauce doesn't drench the enchiladas like some recipes call for, so if you like it SAUCY then definitely double the sauce portion.

I'd highly recommend serving this with some form of Mexican rice, black beans, tortilla chips, and lime.  And don't forget the salsa!

Oh, and definitely don't accidentally miss the "cooking spray" part of the recipe...or when you try to dish them up, they will look like this:

Print recipe here.

Nacho's Nachos

The secret is out!  For those of you who live in Oregon, one of the oldest restaurants in Eugene is Nacho's.  That's not the secret, though...

It also was my very first restaurant review, but that's not a secret either!

I have been "commissioned," if you will, to share with you some recipes that include the newly available Nacho's Famous House Dressing.

If you have ever eaten at Nacho's (and, yes, that's where the apostrophe is), you probably noticed a slight sweetness to most of the dishes.  This is the Famous House Dressing.  Sound a little funny for Mexican food? I thought so, too.  Yet, it is unbelievable...  The combination of the slightly sweet dressing with the melted cheese and other ingredients is paramount!

So many people have asked me "what's up with that sauce?" or "what is that different flavor I'm tasting in my burrito?"  Well, now that "sauce" is for sale at local Market of Choices in Eugene and Corvallis just so all you curious people out there can test these dishes out yourselves!

And, very soon, it should be in even more stores, so keep your eyes out!  Here is me several months ago posing with the salsa in its eye-level spot at the store!  (We were very excited, can you tell?)  Okay, well, it is eye-level for most people...

The first dish I decided to test out in my own kitchen had to be, of course, nachos.  On our way back to the house this afternoon, we stopped by the restaurant (where you can also buy the products) and picked up one of each: red salsa, green salsa, pico de gallo, and the house dressing.

It is really quite simple.  Take a large dinner plate and put down one layer of chips (mine were from the restaurant but any good hardy chip will do).

Evenly sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded cheese over the chips.  Use a mixture of Cheddar and Monterey Jack - it is easiest to buy it pre-combined.

Using a tablespoon, evenly pour 3 spoonfuls of the Famous House Dressing over the cheese.

Now, here comes a decision that needs to be made.  There are technically 3 sizes served by the restaurant.  The "mini" would stop here at one layer.  The "regular" (which you'll see below) has two layers and the "large" has three layers.

Since there weren't a lot of us eating this night I opted for a "regular" size.  So, going that route, add another layer of chips.

And another layer of the cheese mixture.

Now, this time, only sprinkle 2 1/2 tablespoons of the Famous House Dressing.  When I tried another full 3, it was just a little much.  2 1/2 was perfect and seemed to all the tasters to match the restaurant's well.

Apparently, I was so excited to place it in the microwave next, I forgot to take the last step picture.  But you get the idea, right?

Place it in the microwave.

Now, here comes a "tricky" step but it isn't really that tricky.  I just can't give you a straight answer!  Mine took about 1 minute and 9 seconds to melt to perfection.  Remember two things: make sure all the cheese is melted and you can always melt it a little longer if you check on it when it's not quite done.

When you order it at the restaurant, it comes with taco meat and you have the option of "el picador."  This adds refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, diced tomatoes, and sliced black olives.  Now, I actually forgot to buy or make guacamole and I also added onions because we love onions.  So please just imagine a few dollops of guac on this photo!

I have just now taught you how to make Nacho's #1 - Nacho's Own Seasoned Taco Meat.

One of the secrets of Nacho's Nachos that you really can't duplicate is the seasoning on its chips.  They hope soon to have it in stores...

For a second option, which happens to be our very favorite, most of the steps are the same.  The main difference is there are THREE kinds of cheeses in the mix: Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Pepper Jack.

Place one layer of chips on a large dinner plate.

Evenly sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded cheese over the chips.  Remember to use a mixture of Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Pepper Jack this time.  Then, drop 3 tablespoonfuls of the Famous House Dressing all over the cheese.

Next comes the other chip layer.

Another half of cup of cheese!  (And, yes, I forgot the pepper jack on the first layer.  Oops!)

Two and a half tablespoons of Famous House Dressing...

Heat it up in the microwave as before (a little of 1 minute).

And dig in!!

Some of the best parts of cooking for your family is you can enlist help - thanks, Dad!

Click here for printable recipe.

I hope all you local readers rush to your nearest Market of Choice and pile your carts full of Nacho's salsa...quick!  Go!  Before they sell out!  It's been known to happen!

Casa Mexico

I'm hesitant of how to begin this review...should I focus on the different dishes my friends and I experienced or should I try to make you drool as much as I did after tasting their salsa again?

I say "again" because I actually used to work in Eagle - at a credit union where we would often get a huge bag of chips and a container of salsa for the break room from this very restaurant.  I remember inhaling loving it, but I haven't had it for years and couldn't properly compare it to Nacho's salsa.  Now that I have had both in the same week, I honestly think it's tied.  They're both phenomenal.

(Snapped with my cell phone)

The nachos, on the other hand, left a lot of crunchiness to be desired...Mike said, "these are obviously oven-cooked." ...remember, his dad owns a Mexican restaurant, we know all the secrets.  wink wink.  But despite the sogginess, the flavor was actually quite good.  Just needed a fork.

I was with a good-sized group that night, so here were some of the comments I scribbled down about the various dishes:
Cheese Enchilada: pretty good, strange sauce
Arroz con Pollo: 7.5 out of 10
Mole sauce: unbelievably amazing, super good, fantastic, wonderful
Nachos Ranchero: (what Husband and I split - see above)
Seafood Chile Relleno: 8 out of 10, best S.C.R. ever had
Prawns & Mushrooms: good, just seemed like canned mushrooms and garlic powder, not fresh but tasty anyway

And there you have it!  A wonderful restaurant with a few different locations - see them here and visit one soon!

Mazatlan in Newport

I just don’t have a lot to say about this restaurant.  It was average at best.  The food came out suspiciously fast after we ordered it, and it just didn't really have much flavor at all.  We tried tamales (they have one “mixed” option), enchiladas, and the chicken burrito.  Maybe we just didn't pick out the better dishes.

Their salsa WAS pretty yummy and had quite a spice kick to it...not the best I’ve ever had but quite good.

We had “goin’ to the Oregon Coast Aquarium next” on the brain, so we didn’t remember to take a single picture.  Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that I’ll snap one next time we’re there because we’ll probably never go back.

Is that too harsh?

Birthday Beef

Okay, Readers, raise your hands if you’ve ever made enchiladas before…Oh?  What’s that?  Almost ALL of you?!

Well, now I’m finally in the cool club.  Happy birthday, Dad!