The History of Green

One of my favorite recipes for a busy weeknight is one for green chilaquiles that we lovingly call “green stuff” or “chicken crack” (no relation to the infamous crack wrap). It’s called “green stuff” because well, it’s green. It’s called “chicken crack” because, in all honesty, its just that good. I know I could eat a whole pan of it. BUT because of how light the recipe is, it’s quite realistic to have half a pan.

And now, time for Spanish Mini-Lesson #3!

Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish typically served as a hangover cure for breakfast or brunch. I learned, from the adorable Alton Brown, that corn tortillas are among few foods that can be brought back to their original state through cooking, and this is the goal of chilaquiles. The traditionally crispy fried tortillas are doused in sauce and simmered until the final state resembles corn mush.

There are many types of chilaquiles, usually named after the sauce:

• verdes: green, tomatillo based sauce
• rojos: red, tomato based sauce
• mole: a complex sauce, including cocoa and 27 other spices

There are also tons of traditional toppings:

• crema: sour cream
• salsa: yeah, that’d be salsa
• chile: usually diced or sliced hot peppers

I had mine tonight with half the called for amount of cheese, and traditional “crema” on the side.

I did something right with the sauce, and the lighter cheese made this the perfect simple meal with 2 purposes: 1) use up shredded chicken and 2) be simple after the afternoon I had.

That’s right, I had a bad afternoon. I ran over a piece of rusty metal in my car, and got a flat tire. On a 2 lane road. In the country. I got a tow truck to help me change my tire on the sloping driveway I found to pull into, and I’ll need a new tire. NOT what I wanted to spend money on…

While I was waiting for the tow truck, I learned of the FoodBuzz Blog Awards on Twitter. I know there are tons of food bloggers out there, but I’d really love it if you all (or some of you?) could nominate me for “Food Blogger You’d Most Like to Cook You A Meall”. I’d be forever grateful! You don’t have to have a blog to nominate, and it only takes a couple minutes.

I also learned today that, no matter how delicious the other POMx Teas are, I just don’t like hibiscus.

Have a great Tuesday!

Tagged as: cheese, chicken, dinner, Mexican, simple recipe, Spanish