Recipe Swap: Mexican Sour Cream Rice

For our recipe swap this time we were given one blog and were allowed to choose anything we wanted to make from it. I received A Taste of Home Cooking, which just happens to be Sarah's blog who coordinates the swaps! She had so many recipes to choose from so I decided to look up a side dish that would complement the Mexican meal I planned to make this week. I have been making a lot of cilantro lime rice with dishes lately so I wanted to try something a little bit different. I chose this Mexican sour cream rice since I had all of the ingredients (except the green chiles, but I substituted something similar). After I made this dish and sat down to blog it, I realized that I have actually blogged about it before! Of course that was about 3 years ago so I completely forgot. And, I will blame mommy brain for part of it. :) However, this dish is so good that it deserves to be blogged about twice! The chiles in the salsa verde gave it a nice little kick and it went really well with the shredded chicken and black bean burritos we had with it. I encourage you to try a new side dish to enjoy with your Mexican food next time!

Mexican Sour Cream Rice
Source: Slightly adapted from A Taste of Home Cooking, who modified it from ...and a cookie for dessert

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers (I used salsa verde since I didn't have any chile peppers)
2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a small casserole dish.

2. Combine rice and chicken broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

3. Once rice is finished, add the sour cream, green chile peppers, 1 cup cheese, corn and cilantro. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Transfer mixture to casserole dish, then top with remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden brown.Pin It

Spicy Avocado Chicken Enchiladas

We eat Mexican food often in our house. It's typically very quick and I usually have the ingredients on hand if I have nothing else to make for dinner. I have had this recipe pinned for awhile because I love avocados, but unfortunately my husband does not. I know...who doesn't love avocados?! So, I left the avocados out of his enchiladas, and they still tasted delicious. However, I highly recommend adding them because they give this dish a nice, creamy element! 

Also - enchiladas taste amazing, but are unfortunately a very messy food to photograph!

Spicy Avocado Chicken Enchiladas

Source: Very slightly adapted from The Novice Chef

Ingredients:

for the sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 Serrano pepper, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup medium salsa verde
1/2 cup low sour cream

for the enchiladas:
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
8 oz Cabot Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded & divided
3 avocados, peeled and chopped
8-10 flour tortillas

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Make the sauce -- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pepper and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Then add the flour, whisking constantly for about 2 minutes. Then add the chicken stock, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a low boil. Lastly, add the cilantro, salsa verde and sour cream. Remove from heat.

3. Put about 3/4 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Then assemble the enchiladas. Put the chicken, cheese, and avocados down the center of a tortilla, then roll and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce.

4. Bake for 20 minutes.

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Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

I love Mexican food. I make it at least once a week and sometimes sneak it into the menu twice a week. I like that it's super flavorful and is usually quick to prepare. I have actually never made stuffed peppers before because I was under the impression that my husband did not like them. However, he informed me a couple of weeks ago that he doesn't mind when they are cooked so I decided to get stuffed peppers on the menu soon. This recipe gives stuffed peppers a Mexican spin, which I think is great. It takes no time at all to whip up the filling, but you do have to wait about 45 minutes for the peppers to bake. So, you'll need to give yourself enough time for that, but it's a super easy dinner otherwise.  I enjoyed this meal and will most likely make it again at some point. I think it would also be a great meal to serve to friends!

Just one note - I recommend using green or red peppers instead of orange, but unfortunately the grocery store was having a huge sale on peppers and I got there at the tail end of it so orange was all they had left.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers
Source: Sunny Side Up in San Diego, who adapted it from Real Simple

Ingredients:
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 pound ground beef
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup black beans
1 4.5 ounce can chopped green chilies 
1/4 cup salsa  
1 tsp cumin  
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne red pepper
4 ounces (1 cup) grated Monterey Jack cheese, divided
kosher salt and black pepper
4 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed (I just used 2, but plan to use the leftovers as burrito filling for lunches) 
1/2 cup light sour cream 
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
Juice from 1/2 lime

Directions:
1. Cook the rice according to the package directions. 

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Season with the cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. Then add in the corn, black beans, green chilies, salsa, cooked rice, and 1/2 cup of the cheese.

3. Put 1/2 cup of water in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, then put in the peppers, cut-side up. Fill the peppers with the filling. Cover the dish tightly with foil, then bake for 30-40 minutes. Uncover, add the rest of the cheese, then bake for 5-8 more minutes until cheese is golden brown.

4. While the peppers are cooking, make the sauce. Mix together the sour cream, garlic, and lime juice. You can thin the sauce out more by adding up to 1 tablespoon of water, if needed.

5. Once the peppers are finished cooking, drizzle the sauce over them and serve.Pin It