cinco de mayo celebration!

For cinco de mayo we celebrated with some home-cooked enchiladas, guacamole and black beans!

Enchiladas are great because they can feed many people, or you can freeze them for later. They are one of the few foods that make great leftovers!

To make the enchiladas you will need:

about 25 corn tortillas
2 cups cooked chicken
2 medium onions
cilantro
2 jalepenos for kick
queso fresco
1 19 oz. can of red enchilada sauce
vegetable oil

***you can always make your own enchilada sauce which is preferable, I just feel like there is are many steps involved that the canned sauce is a time saver!

The first step is to get either pre-cooked chicken, or boil it in water for about 15-20 minutes.

Next chop up the chicken, onions, cilantro and jalepenos. Sprinkle some queso fresco on top. I also sprinkle some salt, pepper, cayenne and cumin on top for a kick.

The next step, which will be the most time consuming, is to fry your corn tortillas in vegetable oil. I usually try to get my oil nice and hot in a nonstick skillet while I am chopping the other ingredients. Usually the oil doesn't need to be any higher than on medium heat.

If your pan is big enough, try to fry 2 tortillas at a time. Let each side fry until the edges start to brown. You have to be careful though, because you dont want to end up making a giant tortilla chip, but you also don't want to have a soggy enchilada!

Have 1-2 paper towels handy, and place the tortillas on the paper towels once they are done. Quickly roll the tortilla into the shape of a burrito. You will also want to have 2 well greased 9X13 baking pans for placing your enchiladas.

The true multi-tasker can fry tortillas while also filling the tortillas that are finished. I usually start with a spoonful of enchilada sauce, and a handful of filling. Place the enchiladas side by side in the pan so that they do not lose their shape.

I typically make as many enchiladas as long as I have the filling. This usually makes about 20 to 25 enchiladas. Once I have finished, I layer the enchiladas with more sauce and more queso fresco.

Bake the enchiladas in the oven about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

For the guacamole you will need:

3 avacados, peeled and de-pitted.

chopped cilantro

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

3 limes, juiced

2 serrano peppers ***caution start with one, it may be too hot!***

1 cup of monterey jack cheese

salt & pepper

Using an avocado masher, break up the avocados. Mix everything together in a bowl. Some may prefer to use a blender or a food processor if you don't like your guacamole chunky. I also throw some lime zest for a kick.

¡feliz cinco de mayo cada uno!