Saturday, August 7, 2010

Creamy Chimichangas

I love Mexican food. I could eat it all day, every day. When I went to Mexican restaurants as a young girl, I would always order chicken fingers, and my family never lets me forget that. Thankfully, my taste buds decided to step it up a notch. I tried a chimichanga once, and I rarely get anything otherwise at this point. I love the crispy fried (and healthy- ha!) outside and the cheesy inside. One night for dinner, I was craving a chimichanga. I decided to try and whip up a creamy cheese sauce to go on top. I'd never had that before, but who doesn't love a creamy, cheese sauce?! Here's a picture of what I ended up with:


You know you want that recipe! Here it goes: my first very own recipe for others to try.

Salsa:
5 roma tomatoes
2 green onions
1/4 c chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic-minced (fresh is best)
1 1/2 T lime juice
1/2 t chili powder, onion powder, cumin, and paprika
1/4 t salt.

Wash and seed the tomatoes. Chop up the tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Mix it up and add the seasonings. This is best if it sits in the fridge for an hour before serving.

Cream sauce:
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
2 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 c heavy cream, divded
1/2 c shredded colby jack or cheddar
2 T corn starch
1/2 t chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder
1/4 t salt

Saute garlic in 2 T olive oil over medium heat. Saute until garlic is fragrant. Add chopped green onions. Saute about a 30 seconds longer. Add 1 c heavy cream and 1/2 c shredded cheese (I used colby-jack, but cheddar would be delicious, too!) Cook it over medium heat until the cheese melts. Add 2 T corn starch to 1/4 c cream. Stir until smooth and pour it in a little at a time into the sauce until you reach your desired consistency. Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Turn it to low heat, stirring occasionally, until the chimichangas are ready.

Chimichangas:
1 lb ground beef or shredded chicken
1 packet taco seasoning
4 large flour tortillas
1 c shredded cheese (cheddar or colby jack)
Oil for frying
Shredded lettuce, optional
chopped cilantro, optional

Cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Add the taco seasoning to the chicken or the beef. Heat oil in frying pan. The oil should be about 1/2-1 inch deep. Heat it over medium-high heat. While it is heating, prepare the chimichangas. Put about 1/3 c beef or chicken onto flour tortilla. Top with 1/4 c shredded cheese and spoon some cream sauce on top. Tuck in sides and roll up. Secure with toothpicks. Fry on all four sides in vegetable oil. Once fried, remove toothpicks and place on paper towel to drain. After it is drained, hold chimichangas in an 200 degree oven on an ovensafe dish or cookie sheet.

Shred lettuce and put on a plate. Put chimichanga on top. Top with cream sauce, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, and fresh salsa.

Grub!

I served it with seasoned refried beans, chips,salsa, and fresh fruit.

This is low-fat. And I'm the Queen of England. :)

2 comments:

  1. These look excellent! I also order chimichangas when we go out for mexican food. Our neighbor cooks a chuck roast and a pork butt roast in the crockpot with 2 tbsp cumin the night before, shreds it and adds a jar of salsa and uses that as the meat. It is delicious!

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  2. oh, dang! That does sound delicious. I need to try that. Thanks for the idea. mmmm.... (drooling)

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