I need help spicing this up

[CHRIST1NE]

Chicken-Spinach Enchilada Casserole. It's from CL June 1998. Basically, it's cooked chicken, cheddar cheese, sour cream, cream mush soup wrapped in a flour tortillas and topped with spinach and mushrooms. I made it for dinner last night. My husband LOVED it but I thought it was just a tad bland. I was thinking next time I would put the spinach inside and maybe add some salsa to the top. You all have great suggestions soooo how would you spice things up?

[christinew]

Hi Christine!(I am Christine too). I would throw in some cumin. That sounds perfectly devine to me and serve with a topping of chives...how does that sound????

Christine

[lorilei]

You could throw some cayenne pepper in with the mushroom soup -- that would lend a bit of zip to the whole shebang. Or how about some garlic? (Campbells makes a delicious roasted garlic/mushroom soup if you want to try that)

And there's always the option of adding a chili or two... or three http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 07-21-2000).]

[TamiK]

I would experiment with several different things and see which one worked:

Onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper (diced and sauteed with the onion), white wine, or a dash of the "white" worcestershire (do they still make this?).

I know this is going to sound overly simplified, but sometimes these things just need a liberal dose of salt and pepper. I use seasoned salt in some of my more bland entrees to pick up the flavor a bit. I make several dishes with creamy bases. When they just don't have the "hit" of flavor I want, I often find that more salt and pepper brings out the flavors that are there. I don't mean 2 cups of salt or anything--just enough to enhance the recipe. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[CATHIEA]

Chris- How about fresh cilantro added to the sauce and sprinkled on top, then use a salsa on the side? Remember, your husband liked it fine, if you add too much spice to the base, you may adore it and he'll hate it.
CathieA

[BethH]

Could someone post this recipe (if available)? It sounds like something my SO would love too! Thanks!

My thoughts on spices: garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, garlic (did I mention garlic?)..sauteed with the spinach and mushrooms (if they are sauteed) That way, husband can remove the offending topping if its too spicy. I also agree with a liberal salting and peppering--it does make a big difference!

[CHRIST1NE]

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions. I would probably never have thought of those. Cathie, just a silly question... what is cilantro? I'm really new to this whole cooking thing and must admit I feel a little lost sometimes - especially with some of the strange CL ingredients and involved multi-step instructions. Beth, I will be glad to post the recipe for you. It will be later this weekend when I have a few quite minutes. By the way, the enchilada's are great left over too!

[Anne]

I'd vote for adding cumin and garlic when cooking, and raw chopped onion, jalepenos, and cilantro for optional toppings. A salsa would be good too. Corn tortillas might give you a bit more flavor too.

[CHRIST1NE]

BethH, here is the recipe. Hope you enjoy it. Christine

Cooking spray
1 (8-ounce) package mushrooms, sliced
4 (4-ounce) skinned boned chicken breast halves
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup low-fat sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

1. Preheat oven to 350º.

2. Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium- high heat until hot. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Remove from skillet; set aside. Recoat skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet; cool slightly. Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Combine chicken, 3/4 cup cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, and one-half can of mushroom soup in a bowl.

3. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place filled tortillas in 13 × 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; top with remaining soup, spreading evenly. Layer mushrooms and spinach over tortillas; sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese. Cover and bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Serving Size: 1 enchilada

[CATHIEA]

Christine-
Cilantro is a green, leafy herb that looks like a cross between Italian and curly leaf parsely. It's used a lot in Mexican and Indian cooking. Some people love it, some hate it. I'm a fan. Look for some in the produce section of your grocery store and sneak a bite. Good for you, willing to learn and experiment. Learning new foods is so much fun. Enjoy yourself.
CathieA-Who is still learning to cook after many, many years