It’s that time of year, my friends! Shiny, sharpened pencils, desks all in a row, bulletin boards are up and we’re ready to go….
” back-to-school, back-to-school, to prove to dad that I’m not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don’t get in a fight. Oh back to school…”
Ok, so maybe Adam Sandler squeezing his “grown-up” frame into a six-year-old’s desk isn’t what immediately pops into your brain when you think about going back-to-school, but my brain is weird (always) and very sleep-deprived (at the moment). So please, have a little patience for a tired, tired teacher.
Tired teacher? Yes, you read that right. While all of the 20 chairs in my classroom have remained conspicuously empty, I have been working for weeks to get everything ready, and I’m still not even close to being finished. Are any of us ever really finished with our insurmountable list of to-dos, though? Sometimes we have to take a step back, breathe, and remember that all we can do is our very best. In my case, I know if I want to be my best self for the 20 (actually… 40) sweet little 7 year-olds I will get to love on every day for the next 180+ days, I also have to take care of myself and my other loved ones.
But how can I accomplish that with so little free time? I, for one, would make these killer chicken enchiladas with creamy salsa verde. They are so insanely flavorful, no one will even know they’re eating a lightened-up version of a tex-mex favorite. This is a simple recipe that can be made even simpler when using store-bought chicken and making the salsa verde ahead of time. I did a double-batch of the salsa and it disappeared in a day! It’s seriously addicting. ¡Buen provecho and happy back-to-school!
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked
- 1 cup plus ½ cup salsa verde (store bought or use recipe that follow)
- ¾ cup lowfat greek yogurt
- 3 Tablespoons crema mexicana (could sub mayonnaise or vegenaise)
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt (or to taste)
- juice of 1 lime (about 1 Tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce (such as Valentina or Cholula, optional)
- 1 cup monterrey jack cheese or queso fresco, divided
- 8 corn tortillas
- Preheat oven to broil (or about 400 degrees F). Ladel ½ cup salsa verde into the bottom of a large casserole dish and spread around.
- Poach (boil) chicken breast until cooked through and let cool (or use rotisserie chicken). In a large bowl, shred cooked chicken using 2 forks. In another bowl, whisk together greek yogurt, crema/mayonnaise, lime, cumin, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Add in ½ cup of cheese and all shredded chicken into the bowl and mix to combine. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Fill tortillas with about ½ cup filling and roll up, placing folded side down into casserole dish. Continue this process until you have used all filling/tortillas.
- Pour remaining (1 cup) salsa over the enchiladas and top with remaining (1/2 cup) cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly.
- 1½ pounds (about 20 medium sized) tomatillos, peeled and cut in half
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 jalapeño, halved
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 avocado
- 1 handful cilantro
- salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel tomatillos and wash off until no longer sticky.
- Cut in half and place on a baking sheet, along with peeled and quartered onion, jalapeño halves, and peeled garlic cloves. Roast for about 20 minutes.
- Pour into a blender/food processor along with avocado and cilantro. (If using blender and vegetables are still hot, make sure you hold the top down with a rag so it doesn't explode!) Salt to taste. Cool and enjoy.