Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas and a Cookbook Review/Giveaway

“Mom, what’s for Supper?”

I hear this every single day, as I’m sure a lot of you do. Sometimes that very simple question can strike fear into your heart. “Eek! What is for supper?”

It’s so easy to fall into a rut as far as dinners go. Not to mention trying to please everyone at the table. Southern Living has a new book that helps with these two problems, and it’s packed--bursting with easy 30 minute meals that are sure to make your life easier.

Contest is closed, but the enchilada recipe is still fantastic! Our random winner is comment #30, Amy M. Congrats, Amy! Thank you all for reading and entering.

“What’s for Supper” is written by Southern Living Test Kitchen Specialist Vanessa McNeil Rocchio, who has over 20 years of experience in the Southern Living Test Kitchens. The book is based on her popular column of the same name in Southern Living, and it includes more than 250 recipes!

Read through to enter for a chance to win your own copy of What’s for Supper!

Chapters and their descriptions are:

• The Supper Table. Simple, quick-fix ideas for salads, beverages, breads, and desserts.
• Dinner’s in the Pantry. Recipes made with pantry staples.
• Don’t Drive Through, Drive Home. Quick favorites that taste better than fast food.
• No-Cook Suppers. Leave the oven or stove off for these gems.
• Slow Cooker. Hands-off meals that cook so you don’t have to.
• Picky Eaters. Kid-friendly recipes to suit any taste.
• Cooking for Two. Downsized dishes that can easily be increased for a crowd.
• Weeknight Company. Special recipes that welcome company any night of the week.

Plus, scattered throughout the book are Vanessa’s Savvy Secrets, which are techniques and tips from the Southern Living Test Kitchen; Sidekicks, convenient side-dish suggestions; Time-Saving Tips; and Table Talk, dinner table conversation starters.

I fell in love with this book right away. Every recipe has a full color, stunning photo. They make you want to try everything immediately! The recipe text is laid out right inside the photos which makes it lovely to look at, as well. I have so many recipes earmarked to try, and I’m sure you will, too! There are a few recipes that make use of convenience items like a flavor/seasoning packet, a can of soup, or a jar of sauce. Are these deal breakers? No way! If you want to use them, feel free! If not, make your substitution and go, like I did with the enchilada sauce in this recipe. The recipes are worth it. There are so many great ideas in this book. From salads and sandwiches (hot and cold!), to meats and vegetables, pastas, casseroles, grilling recipes--it’s all covered in here. Go have a look inside the book!

We absolutely loved these Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas! Even my seventeen year old, who was pretty sure she wasn’t going to like them. The filling is delicious--creamy and full of chicken. And simple, too! I will definitely make these again.

Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas*

Makes 6 servings.

1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed
1 (16 oz) jar chunky salsa, DIVIDED
20 oz enchilada sauce (Recipe follows, or use 2 -20 oz cans ready made sauce.)
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
10 (8  inch) flour tortillas
1 (16 oz) bag shredded Mexican four cheese blend
Toppings/Side Ideas:
Shredded lettuce
Chopped cilantro
Chopped red onion
Halved grape tomatoes

Enchilada Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

Olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce

In a medium sauce pan, heat a bit of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the broth and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. I like to pour it into a square baking dish so it can cool a bit, and so it's easier to dip the tortillas into it.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish. Set aside. Drain spinach, squeezing out as much liquid as you can.

Stir 1/4 cup of the salsa into the enchilada sauce, and set aside. Microwave the cream cheese in a medium sized bowl for one minute. Stir in the spinach, chicken, and remaining salsa. Stir until well blended.

I like to do this next step on a large cutting board for easy clean up. Dip each tortilla into the enchilada sauce and place it on the cutting board. Spoon a heaping 1/3 cupful of the filling down the center of each tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place it in the prepared pan, seam side down. Continue until you've used all the of the tortillas. I had some extra tortillas and made a few extra for a total of 13. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.

• I serve ours with a simple side salad of lettuce, sliced avocado, tomatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Top with a spoonful of Greek yogurt or sour cream.
• Southern Living used 2 (10 oz) cans of red enchilada sauce. I had everything on hand to make homemade, so that's what I used. They also don’t dip the tortillas in the sauce before filling and rolling, but I like to.
• I’ll have another recipe for you from the book later in the week, so stay tuned!

*Recipe reprinted with permission from Southern Living What's for Supper, Oxmoor House 2012. I was given a copy of the book for review at no charge, and was not paid for my opinion.

Win your very own copy of What’s for Supper!

I have one copy to give to a lucky, hungry reader. Entering is extremely simple--just leave a comment on this post. Simple as that!

1) Leave a comment on this post for one entry.

Extra, Optional Entries:

2) Tweet about this giveaway if you like, and leave a comment here for an extra entry.

3) If you would like to share about this on Facebook, leave one more comment here telling me you did.

That’s three chances for you to win!

I’ll choose a random winner on Wednesday, August 8th at midnight, EST. US shipping only. Good luck!

What is the trick to making enchiladas pose nicely for a photo?!?

Damn enchiladas. They taste incredibly good, but those irritating little filled tortillas like to get all ugly for the camera. At least that's how it is for me. This is the second enchilada recipe that I've made and photographed, and the first one is still sitting in my files because even though they're delicious, the photos are just not good. Maybe I should just do a few days of ugly photo posts and be done with it, hehe.

Anyway, these enchiladas are George's recipe, at Culinary Travels of a Kitchen Goddess. (Check out her enchilada photos--they're much prettier!) I admit it, I'm a sucker for enchiladas, and these looked really interesting! I always make chicken ones, but these were ground beef and ground pork, with beans, too. Which is what my husband has been asking for--guess he wanted a break from chicken. They certainly don't disappoint! Now, she says right from the start that the spices are toned way down in these, because they were made for her Mum. No biggie, I just upped the spices, adding more cumin, chili powder, and as a quick afterthought, some of the homemade taco seasoning I keep on hand. Same with the sauce, just up the spices. For you recipe tweakers out there, this is a perfect one for you! You get an awesome base recipe, but you can personalize it to suit your spice/heat levels.

I only had one issue, and it wasn't a bad one. This makes 8 large enchiladas, like burrito size! So I used 2 11 x 7 pans with 4 enchiladas in each. This meant I didn't have enough sauce, and no more ingredients to make more of George's sauce. So I pulled out my trusty enchilada sauce recipe which is made from pantry staples and only takes about 15 minutes to make, and added it to George's sauce. The combination was perfection!!

And oh my goodness, are they delicious! Oh! Instead of buying ground beef and pork, I bought a meatloaf mix of ground pork, beef and veal. I also added a bit of a shredded cheese blend to the called for mozzarella topping--whatever kind you have on hand would be fine. Also, subbed black beans for the kidney beans.

These are satisfying and filling. And so good, that my husband took one for lunch, and wants the rest for dinner tonight. So there's a testimony for you!

And in case you're curious, here is my trusty enchilada sauce recipe, because the two sauces mixed together were just perfect--hers has pieces of tomato in it, and mine doesn't, but they added a nice texture to my sauce. Hers also has lime juice, which added an overall brighter flavor to the sauce.

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1-2 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 1/2 tsp cocoa
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil in a 2-quart saucepan until onion is tender.
Stir in broth, spices, salt and tomato sauce.
Heat to boiling; reduce heat, simmer uncovered 10 minutes.

Thanks, George, for another winning recipe! :)

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