Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

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Sausage and Potato Enchiladas

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I feel like most people more or less have the same New Year’s Resolutions – lose weight, travel, meet new people, and fight some sort of internal vice.

And every year, most people start off buying gym memberships, vigorously filling in their new calendars, cleaning their house, waking up at 5 am for yoga, study for exams on time, and making elaborate plans with old friends.  Things are surprisingly consistent and then February rolls around… you eat a few burgers, you sleep in a few days, you stay in and watch Netflix for three weekends straight…and well things go downhill from there.

I can assure you that I am no different. But I’m going to keep it simple this year. Although, I must say that I do have my fantasy resolutions too.

 

 

Fatima’s Dream-world New Year’s Resolutions:

  1. Become a viral superstar! A true fashion icon! A desi version of Chrissie Teigen!
  2. Have speaking engagements and book deals! Land on the New York Best-Sellers – my wide-grinned, sultry-eye, picture-perfect cover in every Barnes and Nobles window.
  3. Become an overused meme.
  4. Have a verified twitter account with ever-ending notifications and crazy people in my mentions!
  5. Share my vision with the world
  6. Flex on everybody who slept on me; make them deeply regret overlooking me!
  7. Quit pharmacy school, move out, and never look back.

 

Fatima’s Realistic New Year’s Resolutions:

  1. Maintain my weight while still being a food-blogger
  2. Read lots of books
  3. Go back to writing stories
  4. Avoid academic probation
  5. Be content with living a quiet and mundane life

 

Anyways, part of what helps me fulfill that last one is cooking comfort dishes like these enchiladas. I made them quite a few times in college for different parties and gatherings, and boy were they a hit!

For the spicy red sauce – I cook some tomato paste in butter and added in a bunch of traditional Tex-Mex seasonings: onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and oregano. I add some water and simmer until it’s slightly thick.

For the filling I use onions, jalapenos, bell pepper, garlic, Yukon gold potatoes, and soudjouk sausage ( a spicy Turkish-style beef sausage). The potatoes make these extra hearty and the soudjouk adds a bit of spicy smokiness that adds a little extra meatiness. (If you’re vegetarian or don’t like sausage, feel free to leave it out and just add more potato!)

I then coat the flour tortillas in the red sauce and roll them up with the filling, add another layer of sauce and top the whole thing with an exorbitant amount of shredded cheddar cheese. I then pop them into the oven until that cheese is nice and bubbly.

And there you have it! Lovely, hearty, comforting, breakfast sausage and potato enchiladas!

Go ahead and make this for a fabulous brunch or a potluck and you will leave with an empty dish!

 

 

 

 

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Sausage and Potato Enchiladas

Servings 5 people

Ingredients

Red Sauce

  • 2.5 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1.5 tsp oregano
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 cups water
  • salt (to taste)

Filling

  • 4-5 small Yukon Gold potatoes (or 2 large ones)
  • 2 small onions
  • 1 jalapeno (de-seeded)
  • 1 bell pepper (not green, they are bland)
  • 5 oz soudjouk turkish sausage (may subsitute with extra potato)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 cup corn
  • salt (to taste)
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

For Rolling

  • 6-8 medium flour tortillas
  • 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. In a small pot, boil your (peeled and washed) potatoes in salted water until fork-tender. Cut into smaller pieces or mash with a fork or potato masher.


  2. In the meantime, start making your enchilada sauce. Melt your butter in a small saucepan. Add in your tomato paste and fry for a few minutes. Then add in your seasonings. Fry for a few more minutes.

  3. Add in your water and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce to a simmer and loosely cover with a lid. Allow to cook until it becomes a a slightly thick consistency.

  4. Chop up your onions and peppers. Finely mince your garlic. Cut your sausage in rounds and then quarters.

  5. Now cook your filling. In a wide pan, add in your oil and then your onion and peppers. Lightly sautee. Then add in your sausage. As the sausage cooks it will release oil.


  6. Once the sausage has developed a bit of color, add in your potatoes and spices. Combine. Feel free to add in a tablespoon or two of water to bring everything together.

  7. Add in your corn and cilantro.

  8. Time to roll-up and bake. Turn your broiler on to 450 F.

  9. In a standard 9X13'' baking dish, add in a layer of red sauce (make sure bottom of dish is fully coated).

  10. Now take a cutting board or plate and drop a spoonful of sauce on it. Take a flour tortilla and coat both sides with sauce. Then fill it evenly with the sausage and potato filling and roll from one side to the next.

  11. Make sure the folded end faces the bottom dish. Repeat previous step until your entire dish is filled. Pour over the remaining sauce and then top with shredded cheese.

  12. Place dish in oven and bake until cheese is fully melted.

Green Chili and Rice Soup

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I admit that I have quite a few indulgent recipes on my blog. But I’m really not eating pakora and chocolate cake all the time! Usually I reserve these for special occasions or when I have company. In reality, this stuff right here is more along the lines of what I’m consuming on an average weekday.

It’s simple, healthy, and incredibly satisfying.

Now this chili isn’t a traditional red chili made with tomatoes, nor is it exactly a white chili with chicken. If anything, I’d like to call this a green chili because I use a simple salsa verde as the base for the soup. To make the salsa, I throw a few tomatillos, onions, and jalapenos with a little bit of salt and oil onto a baking sheet and roast them for about a half-hour at 400 F in the oven. This is what gives the chili an extra depth of sweetness and flavor that you certainly wouldn’t attain using canned chilies.

To give the soup some extra bulk, I add in some potato seasoned with cumin. For beans, I used white cannellini; they’re incredibly robust and flavorful, but feel free to try black or kidney beans as well! For even more heartiness, I added in some rice and finished with some lovely corn, cilantro, and a generous sprinkling of oregano.

Add in some shredded chicken or keep it vegetarian – either way it’s going to be freaking delicious. Serve with a generous helping of cheese and sour cream and there you have it! An easy weeknight Green Chili and Rice Soup! Perfect for your next Netflix and chill session, office potluck, or New Year’s diet plan!

 

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Green Chili and Rice Soup

Servings 5

Ingredients

  • 2 tomatilloes (or 4 small ones)
  • 2 small onions
  • 3 jalapenos (de-seeded!)
  • 1/4 tsp salt (for salsa)
  • 2 tbsp oil (for roasting)
  • 2 tbsp oil (for soup)
  • 1 medium-sized potato
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp concentrated vegetable broth base (or substitute 1-1.5 quart of low-sodium veggie broth)
  • 3/4-11/2 quart water
  • 1 15 oz can cannellini beans
  • 1/4 cup white rice
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3/4 cup corn
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • salt (to taste)
  • sour cream (optional garnish)
  • shredded cheese (optional garnish)
  • cilantro (optional garnish)

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

  2. Peel the skin off your tomatillos and onions. Cut the tips off the jalapenos. Cut the jalapenos in half and de-seed. (Leave seeds in if you want chili to be extra spicy.) Put them on the baking sheet and toss them in the oil and salt. Put in oven.

  3. Let the salsa ingredients roast. This should take about a half-hour or so, or until they are lightly charred.


  4. Once salsa vegetables are roasted, take out of oven and let them cool down a bit. Then add them to your food processor and blitz until you get a salsa-like consistency.

  5.  Add your 2 tbsp of oil to a pot with high sides on medium heat.

  6. Dice up your potato into small pieces. Sautee in the oil along with the cumin and turmeric for a few minutes. Then add in your garlic (minced). Sautee for a few more minutes.

  7. Add in your salsa. Then add in your vegetable broth. (I like to use the concentrated vegetable base and then add in water, but feel free to use whatever you have - bullion cube,  quarts of veggie stock, chicken stock...etc. I'm using 1-2 quart as a general guideline, but add more or less depending on how thick you want your soup to be.)

  8. Turn the temperature to high and cover the pot. Let the potatoes cook about half-way through and then add in your rice. (At this step the potatoes shouldn't be hard but they shouldn't be completely tender either.)

  9. Let the rice cook. As it cooks, it will begin to thicken up.


  10. Now add in your beans (rinse and drained) and your corn. Stir and simmer for a few minutes.

  11. Once the rice is fully cooked, your soup is done! Serve with cilantro, sour cream, and cheese.

Holiday Biscotti

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Everybody complains about the short days and long nights of winter. But I absolutely love it! (Of course, minus the part where I have limited time to take blog pictures that require natural lighting.) In fact, I hate summer. Prolonged sunlight makes me feel as though time is moving at an excruciatingly dull rate and that life is sad and mundane. Winter evenings, on the other hand, are cozy and if you have the right people around you, can be indeed lively and fun.

Around this time of year I always make a few batches of biscotti. Some to give to friends as edible gifts, some for the family to snack on throughout the day, some for myself to have with a hot cup of chai.

For this recipe, I use dried cherries, coconut flakes, orange zest and almonds. The bright red dried cherries give the cookie a beautiful festive look, and the coconut gives a wonderful yet subtle flavor. Of course, it isn’t quality biscotti if you don’t add in a heaping serving of nuts. I kept it classic with some slivered almonds.

What makes this extra flavorful and not a sad, dry, and bland cookie is the orange juice and zest as well as the addition of almond and coconut extracts. The orange gives such a wonderful aroma and the extracts deepen the flavors, making this holiday biscotti absolutely divine!

So go ahead and buy a few  Christmas tins, and give these away generously. Your friends will be delighted!

Print

Holiday Biscotti - with cherries, almonds, and coconut

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c coconut oil
  • 2 c flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 c slivered almonds
  • 1 c shredded coconut (unsweetened!)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1/2 tsp coconut extract (you can leave it out if you don't have it)
  • 2/3 c dried cherries or cranberries
  • 2/3 c sugar
  • zest of one orange
  • juice of 1/2 of the orange

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 300 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

  2. Pop your coconut oil into the microwave for about 30 seconds to melt it. Allow it to cool.

  3. In your electric standing mixer with your paddle attachment (or with a simple mixing bowl and spatula), combine eggs, sugar, coconut oil.

  4. Add in your extracts and orange zest. Make sure to measure out the almond and coconut extract before adding because they are quite strong!

  5. Now add in your dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, and salt in slow increments. Make sure everything is well combined.

  6. Once a dough is formed add in your nuts, dried coconut, and cherries. Combine until everything is evenly incorporated. Note - If you only have sweetened coconut on hand, then make sure to decrease the amount of sugar you use in the recipe by a tablespoon or two.

  7. Now you will form a log with the dough. It will be loose and sticky but that's okay! Just work slowly and add the dough to the middle of the parchment paper. Using a spatula try to get the log as even as possible into an oval shape. It doesn't have to be perfect.

  8. Once your logs are formed, put your baking sheet into the oven and remove when the edges start turning brown. This can take about 35-40 minutes.

  9. Remove from oven and let the logs cool. Do not touch or cut right away!

  10. After the logs have cooled to room temperature, you will cut them into pieces. Use a serrated knife and cut at a sharp angle for long pieces.

  11. Now take your biscotti pieces and put them back on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Increase the temperature of your oven to 350 and bake for about 6-8 minutes.

  12. Take the baking tray out of the oven, turn the cookies over and bake for anoter 6-8 minutes.

  13. Remove the biscotti. Once cooled, it is ready to be devoured!