A Mexican dinner

With some friends coming over I wanted to try something a little different but not too elaborate. I decided on an old standby--enchiladas. I had thought about getting a Costco broiled chicken and saving myself a step, but I already had a bag of frozen chicken breasts from Trader Joe's in my freezer. I partially thawed these, then sliced them into strips and cooked them in an electric pan together with strips of poblano peppers. I then diced both and put a few tablespoons full into the center of large flour tortillas. I added some salsa ( I had a number of jars of different types from Harry and David's), folded and arranged them in a pan, sprinkled with a mix of grated cheeses (the Mexican style, also from Trader Joe's), some fresh cilantro, and some more salsa and set aside. Since the chicken was already cooked all I needed to do was bake in the oven until the cheese was melted and the enchiladas hot. The result was something not at all as goopy as what I usually get in a Mexican restaurant, and it most likely had far fewer calories.

To go with this I had shopped at the Vallarta supermarket for items I would not find elsewhere. I had a bag of dried red corn and a bag of diced cactus leaves (nopales). I had used a small slow cooker for a few hours to cook the corn with some dried chile mix, then I added the nopales. I added some butter at the end. I served this one side dish. The thick kernels are described on another web site as having a "soft, firm texture," which I take to mean they are a bit more chewy than the ordinary white or yellow corn we are more used to.

The other side dish was nothing more than a can of black beans (okay, also from Trader Joe's) mixed with still another salsa.

The nopales may not be to everyone's taste. One of my guests thought they were okra, and unccoked they have much a similar texture which my wife describes as "slimy" (the fluid that gives them this gummy quality can be removed by boiling). I also used them raw in the salad along with diced tomatoes, red peppers, and green onions, although next time I think I will cook them first.