Viva Mexico! Easy and Tasty Mexican Dinner

Last week, we headed south of the border to Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point to the Gringos) with friends for three days of fun in the sun. After a bit of a delay due to a flooded bridge, we enjoyed several days of cool breezes, cold drinks and great food. These are two of our standard recipes we create and take with us each time we go down there, so that the first night's meal is a snap. They may not be authentic, but they're pretty tasty.

Black Bean Salsa

6 servings

1 15 oz can black beans (low sodium if you can find), drained and rinsed

1 11 oz can Green Giant super sweet or white shoepeg corn, drained and rinsed

Juice of ½ lime

1 t. ground cumin

½ t. ground coriander

½ t. garlic powder

½ t. onion powder

¼ t. salt

Mix. Let sit for 30 minutes and serve with “scoop” tortilla chips

Options:

1/4 c. diced red onion

½ diced jalapeño

½ diced mango

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

3 chicken breasts

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. onion powder

1 t. salt

Pepper

1 jar Salsa Verde (Safeway brand is great)

1 lb. container cottage cheese

24 oz. sour cream (low fat is fine)

1 large bag Monterey Jack shredded cheese

10 flour tortillas

½ container cherry tomatoes, cut in half

In pot of water, add chicken and spices. Let chicken poach in simmering water for 20 minutes. Remove from water, let cool and cut or shred into bite-sized pieces.

Heat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.

In large mixing bowl, combine cottage cheese, ¾ of the sour cream (save rest for garnish) and ¼ of the cheese. Add shredded chicken and mix well.

Pour a light layer of the salsa over the bottom of the casserole dish. Spread the filling evenly among the 10 tortillas and roll them up, placing them side by side in the dish. It’s okay to pack them in. Cover with rest of salsa, then cheese, then tomatoes.

Spray a large piece of aluminum foil with nonstick spray, and place over the casserole. Place in oven and cook 20 minutes until bubbly. Remove foil and allow to brown for 10 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.