Oven-Baked Chimichangas with Queso

You can download a printable version of this recipe (and many other delicious recipes) at www.susanmallery.com/recipes.php!

Ever since I started this cooking blog, I have begun to analyze flavors in restaurants. I haven’t decided yet whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Does it make me enjoy my meal more, or does it distract me from pure pleasure? In any case, when I eat something delicious, I now try to figure out whether I can recreate it at home.

(The answer to that question is often “no.” I’m not what you would call a natural cook.)

Recently, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant we hadn’t tried before, and we both ordered the Chimichanga with Chili con Queso. I thought the Chili con Queso was going to be a red, beefy sauce with some cheese mixed in. Instead, it tasted like queso dip, really delicious.

Chimichangas are fried, but I wanted my home version to be a little bit lighter. (By no means can I call this a “light recipe.” But at least it’s lighter than it would’ve been if I had fried the chimichanga.)

I came close to the deliciousness of the restaurant’s version. This was really tasty, and very easy, too!

Recipe: Oven-Baked Chimichangas with Queso

1 5-oz box of Spanish rice
1 lb ground beef
1 packet of burrito seasoning
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can green chilis, drained
½ C water
Flour tortillas

Queso:
16 oz Velveeta
1 can green chilis
1 t cumin powder


Cook the rice according to the package directions and set aside.

Brown the meat, drain and rinse. Put the meat back into a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the burrito seasoning, beans, 1 can of chilis, and half a cup of water. Simmer until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice.

Preheat the oven to 425. Put a generous amount of beef mixture on each flour tortilla. Roll up the tortillas and tuck the ends under. Spray with cooking spray or brush with a small amount of olive or vegetable oil. Place seam-side down on a pan lined with aluminum foil. Leave plenty of space between each chimichanga so they’ll crisp up. Bake until they’re golden brown and hard to the touch.

While they’re baking, cut the Velveeta into ½-inch chunks and put in a microwave-safe bowl with other queso ingredients. Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time, stirring each time, until melted. Spoon the queso sauce generously over each chimichanga.

Honey Orange Pork Chops

Print this recipe for free from www.susanmallery.com/recipes.php!

I’m drawn to shiny things – sparkly jewelry, glistening frosting on a chocolate éclair, and the latest, greatest gadgets. That’s why I created the free Susan Mallery app for the iPhone and Android, and that’s why I bought this doohickey when I saw it at Tuesday Morning. A turkey baster with a silicone brush… who could resist such a thing?

Then I faced a dilemma – I had a pretty new basting brush but nothing to baste. That would never do. We were planning on having pork chops on the grill at a friend’s house that evening. (My condo’s HOA frowns on open fire on our balcony.)

I whipped out my phone, did a search for “pork baste,” and used the recipes I found to come up with a recipe all my own. I have to tell you, in all modesty, that this tastes amazing!

If you like to create recipes, too, don’t forget that I’m holding an original recipe contest! Some lucky home cook is going to win $300 to Williams-Sonoma, one of the most fabulous cooking stores on the planet! You can find details about the contest at www.susanmallery.com/ah_main.html.

Recipe: Honey-Orange Pork Chops

Basting sauce:
1 C water
¼ C honey
¼ C mild vinegar – I used rice vinegar
1 T salt
1T Worcestershire sauce
1 t black pepper
1 t orange zest
½ t red pepper flakes

4 thick pork chops
1 whole orange, cut into 4 thick slices

Preheat the grill on high. Put the pork chops on the grill and baste the exposed side every couple of minutes for 8-10 minutes.

Flip the chops over, baste, then put one thick orange slice on each chop. Continue basting frequently while the chops cook.

When the chops reach 150 degrees internal temperature, remove them from the grill and allow them to sit for 5 minutes before serving. Seriously fabulous.

Curry Chicken Enchiladas

ALREADY HOME was released last week, and I’m thrilled to finally get the book into readers’ hands. Jenna, the heroine of ALREADY HOME is a chef who has lost her confidence in the kitchen. Her ex-husband, also a chef, made fun of her every time she tried something innovative, and she began to believe him when he said she had no talent. So she gives up her lifelong dream of being a chef and opens a retail kitchen store in her Texas hometown.


Through the course of the book, she’s challenged in more ways than she can count by the unexpected and unwelcome arrival of her birth mother. Through the turmoil, she rediscovers her love of adventurous cooking. I won’t go into details about how this happens because I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Let me just say there’s a first date involved, with a fabulous, handsome man.

One of Jenna’s innovations is Mexican/Indian fusion cuisine. In the book, she came up with a recipe for Curry Chicken Enchiladas. When I wrote that scene, these enchiladas didn’t exist, but I knew readers would ask me for them. So I came up with this recipe, and I have to say, it turned out even more delicious than I’d hoped! Enjoy!


Click here to read Chapter 1 and 2 of ALREADY HOME for free: www.alreadyhomenovel.com

Recipe: Curry Chicken Enchiladas

3 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (no seeds for mild, all seeds for hot)
½ t sugar
1 t cumin seed
2 T curry powder
1 bay leaf
½ t grated fresh ginger root
6 oz can of tomato paste
8 oz plain, unsweetened yogurt
½ C canned coconut milk
1 lb cooked chicken, cut into ¼-inch chunks
1 C cooked rice
¼ C cilantro
4 oz can of diced green chilies
4 oz shredded Monterrey jack cheese, divided
8 corn tortillas

Heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic, and jalapeño until onion is translucent. Add sugar through coconut milk and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside ½ C of the yogurt sauce. To the remaining sauce, add the chicken, rice, cilantro, chilies, and half the cheese.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the tortillas with a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds. Divide the chicken mixture evenly into the corn tortillas and place them seam-side down in a lightly greased 8-inch square pan. Pour the reserved yogurt sauce over the enchiladas. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and cook until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.

Serve with naan chips, peach salsa, and spiced chickpeas and tomatoes. More free recipes can be found at www.susanmallery.com/recipes.php.

(Confession: I forgot to take a picture, but the enchiladas looked like this stock photo I bought online. Next time I make them, I’ll get a picture. In the meantime, if you make them, I’d love for you to send a photo to my assistant at jenel@susanmallery.com.)