Friday, December 11, 2009

Salmon Enchiladas




I love many, many things about the Latin American culture-- especially the food! I visited Puerto Vallarta for Thanksgiving and it inspired the flare of my kitchen recipes since I've returned.

Last night, I made Salmon Enchiladas. Here's the recipe!

1/2 lb. Salmon
1 Medium Size Red Onion
2 small limes
5-6 Green Onion stalks
10 oz. Crème Fraîche (or Cream Cheese)
2 cans Enchilada sauce
1/4 lb. Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
6 eight-inch flour tortillas

Spices Needed:

"Son of a Peach" Hot Sauce
Pepper
Seasoned Salt
Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Honey
Red Pepper Flakes
Cumin

Chop up red onions and green onions. Place into a bowl and squeeze fresh lime juice onto the mixture. Let sit for about an hour stirring occasionally to keep it well mixed. Right before preparing enchiladas, pour out excess lime juice

Salmon Preparation: Marinate Salmon in a cup of water, about 3 tbsp of "Son of a Peach" Hot Sauce, fresh ground pepper, and honey for about 1-2 hours. Pan fry Salmon with Marinated Juice until well cooked on each side. Finish off cooking by broiling in the oven for 4-5 minutes, or until brown on top. Chop up well and put to the side for later.

Enchilada Sauce: Store bought sauce will be fine, but I made my own with 1 can of Campbell's tomato soup. With it I mixed with an equal amount of water and adding spice to my own liking-- cumin, seasoned salt, pepper, cayenne paper, and red pepper flakes. Mix and let simmer for about an hour. Right before you prep the enchiladas, add about a 1/4 cup of water to sauce to thin it out.

Enchilada Preparation: Take a flour tortilla and spread a spoonful of Crème Fraîche on it. Add Red Onion/Green Onion mixture (about 1 tbsp), chopped Salmon (about 2 tbsps), drizzle a bit of Enchilada sauce over the layers along with sprinkling a bit of cheese. Repeat for other 5.

Place all enchiladas in a casserole dish and cover with the rest of the Enchilada sauce. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Let enchiladas bake for 10-12 minutes or until sauce starts to bubble. Place the remaining cheese over the enchiladas, and return to oven until the cheese is melted! Serve on plate and top with a spoonful of Crème Fraîche. ENJOY!

Serves 2 HUNGRY people. Mike and I ate three each!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Introduction

I've been whining about finding a creative outlet... or two or three! Lately, I've taken up cooking with the support of friends and my best friend Mike! Not many appetites leave my kitchen unsatisfied.

Honestly, I've always hated food and the process of cooking and preparing. It's not that I dislike to eat; it's that making food has always seemed to be too cumbersome, and therefore, I'd always buy fast food or get take out all the time. Not good for my wallet!

This talent of mine became evident a few weeks ago when I threw a housewarming party with my roommate. He and I both made up some unique dishes. Mine were of a Spanish tapas theme while Mike's were of an Asian theme. We had a great turnout and received wonderful feedback!

Now, I love to cook and jump at an opportunity to do so! I never plan to actually do this stuff on a large scale; therefore, I'll be sharing my recipes as I make them so I can at least have a reference if I want to make it again!

As they say in Japanese, "Itadakimasu" (similar to Bon Appetite)