Cinco De Mayo

I think I have officially left my "cinco de drinko" days behind me. I would much rather spend time with my family on my patio with a bottle of good wine and a home cooked meal. I find staying at home so much more pleasant. Plus, I know the service will be good ;)
If you know me, you know that I theme EVERYTHING. I love to make events out of every occasion. Naturally a gluten free cinco de mayo feast was in store for last night's dinner. There are a plethora of mexican restaurants in our area, so I think I have had my fair share of mexican fare to know how to make an enchilado or two. The best part is, I can eat corn, a staple of the cuisine.
I took a couple recipes from glutenfreegoddess and made them my own. For my enchilades, I added artichokes and roasted red peppers to a slow roasted chicken filling, spiced it up with some green chiles, and tingled our tastebuds with some pineapple salsa.

To begin the meal, I made a heaping bowl of guacamole. You can put as much heat as you would like in yours. Mine turned out mild but absolutely addictive.

6 large, ripe avocados
3 tomatillos, chopped
2-3 ripe red tomatoes, seeded, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded, diced fine (add the seeds for heat!)
Sea salt, to taste
3-4 fresh juicy limes

Peel and pit the avocados; cut the fruit into chunks and toss into a large bowl. Mash the guacamole down for a smoother consistancy. I had mine slightly chunky. Add the chopped tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic, and jalapeños. Toss lightly. Season with sea salt to taste. I did a couple taste test, just to be sure of course. Squeeze fresh lime juice all over the guac mix and toss again again.

Another taste test!

Serve the guacamole with lime wedges and lots of blue corn tortilla chips. We topped our enchilades with the extra.

Now for enchilades that made my husband and father-in-law go loco!

Chicken, Artichoke, and Fire Roasted Red Pepper Enchiladas with Pineapple Salsa

2 cups of your favorite pineapple salsa-I used Newmans Own Pineapple Salsa
1 lb cooked chicken, shredded (see below for how I cooked mine)
Juice from one big fresh lime
Sea salt and ground pepper
Extra Virgin Olive oil, as needed
12 corn tortillas
1 4-oz. can chopped green chiles
shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 can Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1/2 can Artichoke hearts, quartered

Prep chicken:
I slow roasted 1 pound of organic, free range chicken in a slow cooker with organic, low sodium chicken broth for about 4 hours on high. It shredded very easy when I took it out with tongs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Pour about a half cup of salsa into the bottom a lightly oiled 9x12" baking dish.


Squeeze lime juice all over the cooked chicken; season with sea salt and pepper and toss well to coat. Add fire roasted tomatoes, and artichokes.


Heat a couple tbs of olive oil in a skillet, and heat one corn tortilla until softened, turning it over once to coat with oil. Just a few seconds or so on each side. You do not want it to crisp up as it will break when you begin to roll. Place the tortilla into the sauced baking dish; fill with chicken mixture, and roll up seam side down, placing it at the far end of the dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas, adding more oil, if needed. I added after every 2 or 3.


Pour the remaining salsa all over the rolled tortillas. Top with chiles. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.


Bake in a 350 degree F. oven until the enchiladas are bubbling and heated through, about 30 minutes.


This recipe is easily doubled (with a larger pan, or use two pans).


Serves 3 to 4, depending upon appetites.

For my son, or those picky eaters that may attend your fiesta, I made chicken and cheese quesadillas on the panini press.

***I used the left over chicken mix, artichokes, and artichoke hearts and put them over spinach for lunch today. A couple pieces of mango did the trick to bring it all together. MMMMM

OLE!