Delicioso!

Tonight for dinner I made a "Chelsea Classic." For those of you that have eaten at my house before, you know one of my favorite dishes to make is green chile enchiladas. Living in New Mexico, I learned so much about the wonderful food made there. When you order enchiladas in southern New Mexico, they are usually stacked (lasagna style), rather than rolled, like you will find most places. So, after eating them at many restaurants there, I came up with my own version that is simple, quick, and cheap! This can also be frozen before baked or stuck in the fridge and baked later. This is a great dish to bring to a friend that may need a meal because they can just stick it in the oven so it will taste very fresh. Here is the recipe:

Chelsea's New Mexico Style Stacked Enchiladas:

• 6 corn tortillas
• about 1-1 1/2 cups shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend
• 1 can Hatch brand green chile enchilada sauce (any brand will work, this is just my favorite, and it's from New Mexico)
  
• 2 eggs (optional)
• Fresh chopped cilantro (for garnish)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees
   
2. Pour enchilada sauce into microwave-safe dish, and heat for about 20 seconds
3. Heat tortillas in microwave for about 20 seconds
4. Spray baking dish with cooking spray.
5. Place 2 tortillas in bottom of dish
   
6. Pour some enchilada sauce over tortillas (just enough to cover the tortillas). Top with a small handful of cheese. Repeat layers twice, placing most of the cheese and sauce over the top layer.
   
7. Bake in oven about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
   
8. Top with a fried egg over easy and fresh cilantro.

This will serve about 4-6, depending on serving size. You can also just make one stack (with just three tortillas) for a single serving. The egg isn't necessary, but adds a nice touch. The yolk tastes really good mixed with the enchilada sauce, and adds a little protein. Plus, it makes it a more authentic New Mexican dish!

For breakfast, I looked at what we had in the house and thought of a quick but filling breakfast for Josh and me. Toast a slice of wheat bread, top it with a fried egg, fresh grated parmesan, Italian parsley, and pepper, and voila!

Last night I tried two new recipes for dinner. One was a steak recipe from my Cooking Light cookbook, and the other was a recipe for potato gratin I found in the latest issue of Cooking Light. You can find the recipe here. The potato gratin was really good but it was a little more time consuming with having to peel and slice the potatoes (I could really use a mandolin). The steak recipe was for a beef tenderloin with a wine sauce. The sauce was good, but it was difficult to get the steak just right because our cuts were so big (but everything is bigger in Texas, so what do you expect)?

For the steaks season 2 beef tenderloin steaks with salt and pepper. Place in pan on medium-high heat for 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan. Pour 1/2 cup sweet red wine and 1/2 cup low sodium beef broth in pan, reduce heat to medium. Return steaks to pan and cook until desired degree of doneness (2-4 minutes per side?). Remove from pan, add 1 tablespoon butter cut into small pieces, stir until melted. Cover steaks with sauce from pan.

I also cooked an easy asparagus recipe I came up with on my own that I like to cook often. Place asparagus in a baking dish or on a baking sheet (this may be better so you can spread them out). Place a few garlic cloves in with them as well. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with a little salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. After you take them out, you can also top with fresh grated parmesan if you would like. These have a nice crispy texture and great flavor. They are easy but look elegant enough for entertaining. I made these at Thanksgiving, and everyone loved them.

I ran again this morning (I am trying to do it every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). It went much better today. It may have been because it was warmer (a balmy 34 degrees), or I just paced myself better. Anyway, I just felt better overall, and even had energy toward the end of the run to pick up my pace more. And my ipod didn't freeze this time! Running and eating a good breakfast really makes me feel better and more energetic throughout the day as well.