Smothered Burritos

We don't do a lot of leftovers around here, so when my husband specifically asks to have something the next night, I know its definitely being added into our regular rotation! These enchilada-style burritos are yummy and HUGE! You can see in the photo below how they fit snugly in a 9x13, and I could barely fit 6 of them in the pan. A smothered burrito is my favorite kind of burrito, and I am happy to finally have a good, solid recipe to make these at home.

I will say something about the sauce - I was a little concerned after blending it because I wasn't totally keen on the taste of it, it was a little too sweet for my taste. BUT, once it had been baked on top of the burritos I was pleasantly surprised at how it all worked together. Any enchilada sauce or even a tomatillo sauce would work well on these though if you don't want to go through the trouble of making the one here.

Recipe adapted from Marci's Menu, she got it from The Recipe Club

Smothered Burritos 

  For the rice: 

1 cup rice, either long grain or basmati 

2 Tbsp. butter 

1/4 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp garlic powder 

1/4 tsp cumin 

1/3 cup cilantro 

2 cups chicken broth 

Juice of ½ lime 

 1. Melt butter in a pot and add all seasonings and cilantro. Add rice and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add broth and lime juice, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook about 30 minutes. Set aside. 

For the chicken: 

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded - you can cook the chicken any way you want. I used a rotisserie chicken that I shredded and then cooked for about 30 minutes on the stove with some taco seasoning and water. 

For the sauce: 1 cup salsa verde 

1 package buttermilk ranch 

1/3 cup cilantro 

1/3 cup sour cream 

1/3 cup mayo 

1 tsp. minced garlic 

1/2 tsp coarse salt 

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice 

1/4 tsp cumin 

1/4 cup sugar 

Put in a blender and blend away 

To assemble: 

6 burrito-size tortillas 

Shredded cheese 

1- 15 oz can black beans, drained 

Rice, recipe above 

 Put the chicken, rice, beans and cheese in the tortillas. Wrap them up cover them with sauce and then put them in the oven on 350 for 40 min covered with tin foil, then take the tin foil off, sprinkle more cheese on top and then cook them for another 10 minutes. Top with sour cream, guacamole, and/or pico!

Green Chile Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast is the favorite meal in our house. We LOVE making breakfast and going out to breakfast and would probably eat breakfast foods 3x a day if that was allowed.

Our breakfasts are typically of the savory variety - eggs and hash browns, casseroles, burritos, etc. We don't do much of the sweet stuff, just our preference.

So, knowing that we have had our fair share of breakfast casseroles, when my husband says this might be his favorite one yet, you know its got to be fantastic!

I could tell we would like it just from the picture (found here), and luckily it exceeded expectations! I feel the same way Kelly does in the recipe post - I didn't invent this, but I wish I had!

Here's why this is fabulous: the english muffins are the perfect base, after baking they take on a spongy, dense cake-like quality that holds up the rest of the goodies. The green chiles give it that little something extra without being spicy, and hello its topped with lots of cheesy ooey-gooey goodness. Have I mentioned its perfect for leftovers too? I'll be enjoying some again today!

Green Chile Breakfast Casserole

adapted from The Meaning of Pie

*Note: This is a make-ahead recipe and works best if it sits overnight - so plan ahead!

Ingredients

4 sourdough english muffins, split

2 Tbsp. spreadable butter

1 lb. bulk pork sausage

12 eggs

1 1/4 cups sour cream

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 (4 oz) cans diced green chiles

3 cups shredded coldy jack cheese

Directions

1. Lightly grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Spread butter onto english muffin halves. Place 6 halves buttered side down in casserole dish. Tear the remaining 2 halves into smaller pieces and place in the dish to fill in any gaps.

2. Cook sausage. Remove from pan and drain fat on paper towels.

3. In a large bowl, lightly whisk eggs. Add sour cream, garlic powder, salt and pepper and whisk to combine (you may still have some lumps, that's okay). 

4. To assemble: Sprinkle half the sausage on top of the english muffins, then add 1 can of green chiles and half the cheese. Pour all the eggs over the top, then create one more layer of sausage, chiles and cheese. Cover and refrigerate over night.

5. Remove casserole from fridge 30 mintues before baking. Heat oven to 350 and bake 30-40 minutes or until eggs are set and cheese is melted and bubbly. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Twice-Baked Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

I had this recipe in my mind for a while before I actually decided to take it on, and now I'm wondering why I waited so long! The sweet potato-chipotle combination is such a perfect balance of slightly sweet and slightly smoky - as my 2 year-old says, "yum, yum, yum!"

One thing: be sure not to go overboard with chipotles, otherwise you might end up with seriously spicy potatoes! I kept them to a minimum and was very pleased with how the chipotle flavor is prominent but not overwhelming. You can even skip the "twice baked" part of this and just enjoy these potatoes right out of the blender, which is what I would have done if I didn't have other mouths to feed :)

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp. sour cream
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 Tbsp. finely chopped chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
Fresh cilantro, for garnish (can also use green onion tops)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce sweet potatoes all over with a fork, then place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

2. Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise, and scoop out the pulp; set potato skins aside. Combine pulp, sour cream, butter, chipotle and salt in a blender and puree until smooth.

3. Place potato skins back on baking sheet. Fill each shell with 1/4 of the sweet potato mixture. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with cilantro.