Eat Like A New Mexican...

My son is absolutely convinced that he is a New Mexican, despite being born in Denver. Being a child of mixed race, he's very familiar with the concept of getting some of his genetics from his dad and some from his mom- and so his logic concludes that since I, his mother, am New Mexican, so is he. Where his logic breaks down is acknowledging that really, he's a Coloradan first and foremost. But whatever. He's six. And because I am, in fact, proud of the quirky Albuquerque culture that helped shape who I am, I don't tend to argue with him.

Where my New Mexican influence has been lost is persuading my children that spicy food is, in fact, edible food. What's worse is that on Sunday, I brought home two bushels of freshly roasted green chile, relishing the aroma that tells me it is time for the fall season. The scent of roasted green chile is enough to make me smile, cry and laugh, all at the same time. My children's response? Something like this: "EW! Mom! What is that NASTY smell?!" It broke my heart just a little bit.

My good friend Allison shared our green chile bounty and turned what would have otherwise been a dreary Sunday afternoon prepping my weekly ingredients (while missing the Bronco's game) into a delightful afternoon of sipping red wine, peeling tons of green chile and engaging in adult conversation. Among the topics of conversation heralded the question, "what are we going to do with all of this green chile?!"

Now of course, being from NM, this is not a question I struggle with. It was ingrained upon me at an early age that green chile does, in fact, go with everything. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and yes, even dessert- all can be sublimely complimented with green chile, or as we New Mexicans refer to it- the green nectar of God.

So this post (and probably a few others) will be dedicated to utilizing this fabulous, low-calorie, flavor enhancing food in some creative ways. Admittedly, to "eat like a New Mexican" generally does not include a particularly healthy assortment of foods. I have a delightful and reduced calorie recipe for green chile chicken enchiladas, but to put that in your "healthy meals" category would be a stretch. Really, it's just a slightly leaner option of a most decadent indulgence. I will, however, include this recipe below, for your enjoyment.

Today for lunch I enjoyed a variation on a caprese salad: i diced up 3 roma tomatoes, about 3 oz of fresh mozzarella, about 1 TBS of fresh basil from my next door neighbor's garden, and 2 green chiles (roasted and peeled, but not cooked further). I tossed it all together with about 1/2 TBS of olive oil and some salt. It was very good. Some avocado chunks would have sent this right over the edge of fabulous, but I didn't have any.

Also on the menu this week is the basic ratatouille recipe, but with, of course, green chile. We're eating it tonight and I can't WAIT to try it. I will let you know the verdict.

The only downer to Sunday's green chile-fest was the fact that it was 94* outside- it was just a little anti-climatic. I'm excited to make some healthy (and at least one decidedly NOT healthy) soups, all centered around this fabulous fruit. If you have a great recipe utilizing green chile (especially an unusual or unexpected one) will you share it with us? Post it in the comments section- I'd love to see it and try it!

Here's the enchilada's recipe:

Rachie's Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (flat, not rolled because I'm too lazy)
Makes 1 big pan
1 pkg corn tortillas (18 tortillas) (flour will also work and gives just a slightly different texture/flavor)
3  cooked and diced boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 rotisserie chicken boned and cut into pieces
1 C. chopped green chile (fresh or frozen- whatever you can find)
1 can Hatch Green Chile sauce (I don't have an alternative to this, so if you live in an area where you can't buy green chile sauce at the store, let me know and I'll try to think of something else.)
1 small tub of reduced fat sour cream (i tend to shy away from fat-free, but feel free...)
8-12 oz of reduced fat cheddar cheese (the less you use, the lower in calories- if you're really concerned, you can wait and only put cheddar cheese on the top layer of the casserole- or you can omit it all together.)
A few handfuls of fresh or frozen (and thawed/drained) spinach (I usually just use fresh)
You could also include cooked, diced zucchini, fresh diced tomatoes- really any veggies you want to sneak in here

In a sauce pan, add the green chile to the can of green chile sauce and mix together. It's my humble opinion that you can't have too much green chile in these enchiladas. It also allows you to adjust the heat to your liking.
In a 9X13 greased pan, spoon in a thin layer of green chile sauce. Lay down 6 slightly overlapping corn tortillas. Spread some sour cream (to your liking) along the tortillas with a spatula.  Layer 1/2 the chicken, 1/2 the spinach, a little cheese and any other veggies you may want to include. Top with a couple of ladles of green chile sauce. Repeat the process with another round of tortillas, sour cream, chicken, veggies and cheese. More sauce. Put the last of the tortillas on the top, with lots of sauce and top with the remaining cheese.
At this point, you can cover with foil and refrigerate for later, or you can place into a preheated 375* oven for 20-30 minutes. Everything is cooked, so it just needs to be heated through and the cheese on top needs to be brown and bubbly. It really does make a difference if you only melt the cheese instead of getting it browned, so be patient. You can put it under a low broiler, if needed.

Serve with some guacamole on the side! Yum!