Traditional versus Easy

We've all made some recipe the hard way and then stumbled upon a much easier recipe with some short cuts that was just as good.

I've done both for enchiladas. It depends what I have on hand and/or how much work I am willing to do. Today I will give you both versions.

Traditional Enchiladas

3 boneless chicken breasts, poached and shredded.
Your favorite beans (optional) I used cannelini here
Rotel tomatoes (mild or hot, your choice)
Plenty of cheese!!! (I prefer the milder colby than the cheddar)
Corn Tortillas
Large Can of Enchilada Sauce
Oil for frying
Green Onions for garnish.

The beauty of the enchilada...you can put whatever you want in them. Shredded chicken. Beef and onion, spinach and cheese, pico de gallo and shredded pork, peanut butter and jelly (um, not really. Just seeing if you are paying attention! LOL)

So my list above doesn't really matter, you just need a meat of choice, cheese, tortillas and enchilada sauce. Everything thing else is MUCHO BUENO!

1. Prepare the filling you want inside. I boiled my chicken breasts with some bay leaf, garlic powder, mexican oregano. Took them out when they were cooked after 10 minutes or so and shredded them in a bowl. Let cool.
2. Decide if you want your filling to be just meat or with other things. Remember you can't make a burrito sized enchilada here! But you definitely need some cheese inside as your glue.
3. After your filling is decided upon. Set aside. Grease your baking dish and get ready to prep the tortillas.
4. In a shallow pan place about 1/2 inch oil and heat. Once the oil is hot you have to work fast. Get a plate ready with some paper towels and the tongs. Put in your tortilla, it will start to sizzle and then turn it over. Take it out. Literally like 30 seconds total. If you keep them in too long they will start to fall apart and if you keep them in even LONGER, they will get crispy. So there is a fine line. You CANNOT skip this step (I've learned this) for if you don't fry them first....the tortilla will crack and break. This step keeps them pliable. Cook tortillas one by one and stack them on your paper towel lined plate.
5. Got your tortillas all ready? Alrighty. Time to set up your assembly line. In this order:
Tortillas, pie pan with enchilada sauce in it (about 1 cup), filling and greased baking pan.
6. Take tortilla and place it in enchilada sauce and turn it over. Place saucy tortilla in hand and place about 1/4 cup of filling in it. Tri-fold the enchilada and place edge side down. Repeat over and over until you run out of space or enchiladas.
7. Put any leftover sauce from plate on the enchiladas and pour the remaining sauce all over the enchiladas. Bake for 25 minutes @ 350 degrees.
8. Remove from oven and sprinkle on cheese generously. Bake for another 5 minutes or until all melted and bubbly.
9. Chop your green onions or cilantro (whatever you want for extra flavor and garnish....just make it green).

K-man actually growls when he smells and sees this for dinner. He LOVES these.

NOW.....for the EASY PEASY version:

FAKE OUT ENCHILADAS

1 box of taquitos, thawed or frozen (your choice of flavor)
1 large can enchilada sauce
Large bag of cheese
Green Onions
Sour cream

(Now I am laughing) See those above steps 1-6? Gone, eliminated.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put enchilada sauce in bowl wide enough to fit taquito in. Grease baking pan.
3. Dip each taquito in enchilada sauce and place in baking pan. Repeat until pan is full. Pour all the rest of the sauce in the pan. If it looks like too much sauce, it's okay the taquitos were fried and hard. They need to absorb the sauce somewhat.
4. Bake for 30-45 minutes. I give such a large time range for it depends if you used thawed or frozen taquitos. You just need to check to when the taquitos are soft. If you used thawed taquitos then 30 minutes may be just right. But if you used frozen ones....they may take a bit longer.
5. When soft....pile on that CHEESE! Put bake in oven to melt.
6. Chop your green onions and this I suggest to use for you will get more flavor like a traditional enchilada.
7. After cheese melted. Put on green onions and let it set for 5-10 minutes. Plate your 'fake out' enchiladas on a plate - three are good and pile on the sour cream either one fat dallop in the middle or a line that goes across the 3 enchiladas.

The beauty of this fake out version....it tastes great. Of course your traditional ones are very meaty...but these will work if you are looking for tasty in less time. Try it....I think you will like it!!!