Chilaquilies

Chilaquiles.

Really, what could be better than eggs, cheese, tortillas, and red chile?

There are a variety of ways to make this recipe– you can use corn tortillas instead of chips (we had a bag of chips so I used them) and you can use green chile instead of red chile. Or if you don't have chile options, salsa would work great. I used queso fresco– the mild Mexican cheese– but you could use any other cheese that melts well. Finally, you can add chicken or other meats. The options are endless!

Take my basic recipe below and mix it up. You'll find you have an easy dinner for a crowd or on a night when you need something you don't have to think much about throwing together. 

Easy Chilaquiles

12 eggs, scrambled

1 bag tortilla chips

1 pound queso fresco

16 ounces chile sauce or salsa

In a 9x13 baking dish, place the tortilla chips on the bottom. Then spread the scrambled eggs on top of them and do the same with the chile sauce. Finally, evenly crumble the queso fresco. Place in the oven at 350 degrees for about twenty minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

The Red Chile Egg Pancake

Over twenty years ago when I moved to New Mexico, I had no idea how the food would influence my life. I had grown up on fairly bland food because my father liked it that way. My mom was constantly sneaking onions into things and, later, adding red pepper on top of everything, especially pizza. But moving to Albuquerque introduced to me to a whole new type of cuisine: New Mexican food. 

The food here is very unique, a blend of Mexican and Native American influences, addicting everyone to red and green chile. It took me some time to figure out recipes that are my own but I would be remiss if I didn't say that they are influenced by both the food I've had here and my own cooking experiences.

I've been making my own red chile, recently using the dried pods. It's easy today to get the dried pods or the frozen puree no matter where you live. And it's not a lot of work to make the sauce (just remember to keep the blender lid on tight– I once ended up turning my white kitchen red) and it's cheaper to buy the pods. Bueno Foods is just one of several web sites where you can buy chile. The recipe I use to make my sauce is also from Bueno.

Here is the recipe to make what you see in the photo. Trust me, it's even better than it looks.

Serves 2

4 potatoes diced, skin on

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

salt and pepper

2 eggs whisked slightly

colby longhorn or other cheese that melts well

red chile sauce (see linked recipe for amount– what you see there gives you leftovers put on other dishes)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover cookie sheet or other shallow pan with non-stick cooking spray. Mix potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper and then spread of cookie sheet. Bake for approximately an hour (depending on your oven and how crispy you like the potatoes– I tend to like mine more crispy). 

When the potatoes are finished, cover a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and heat on medium. Drop the eggs into the frying pan and when they have bubbles on top (like a pancake would), flip the egg pancake with a spatula. 

In the meantime, cover a plate with the potatoes and add the egg pancake when it's ready. Then top with the red chile sauce and cheese. Heat in the microwave until the cheese is melted (should be less than a minute).

If you can't get red or green chile, use salsa instead.

Eating Gluten Free: The Red Chile Enchilada Casserole

I don't necessarily have to eat gluten free. I'm not allergic to gluten, however, what I like about this recipe is that it has high in protein: chicken, black beans, and the quinoa add a good bit of protein and the red chile is filled with Vitamin C. I also didn't have red quinoa and used the tricolor from Trader Joe's instead.

The recipe comes from The Albuquerque Journal newspaper and is copied below. I used this recipe from Bueno Foods to make the red chile sauce. I have a number of pods and it was a good way to start using them up 

And this is the kind of casserole you can cut up and put in the freezer in small bags to reach for quickly later or for lunches.

Black bean chicken and quinoa enchilada casserole

1 cup of red quinoa

2 cups low- or no-sodium-added chicken stock

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 15-ounce can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups diced cooked chicken breast

2 cups red chile sauce 

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Rinse the quinoa. Use a rice cooker or the stovetop, preparing the quinoa as you would rice. Add the chicken stock and quinoa to a pot, bring to a boil, lower to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid for about 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.

In a large skillet, sauté the onions in the olive oil until translucent then add garlic. Sauté for another minute and add quinoa, beans and chicken. Stir until well blended.

In a 9×13-inch casserole dish add a small amount of the red chile to the bottom of the dish then spoon the quinoa mixture into the dish and top with the rest of the red chile and then sprinkle the shredded cheese over that. Bake in oven at 375 degrees about 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.