Spinach and Potato Fritatta

Since January I have been in a produce co-op which I have enjoyed. It has been fun to try some new vegetables and fruits and some that I have tasted before, but don't normally buy. The good deals from buying in bulk even brought us several avocados one week which I was ecstatic about!

However, some of the items have come in quantities I would not normally buy. Such was the case with LOTS of spinach over a few week period of time. During our recent snow storm, while holed up at home, I had an opportunity to cook, and cook, and well, cook some more enjoying the relaxation and kitchen therapy. I even found a new recipe that can use lots of that spinach I was talking about. I tested it out on my son who isn't crazy about cooked spinach, potatoes in eggs, or numerous other recipes and he even liked it!

I don't actually know the history of fritattas, but my father who is Italian apparently grew up eating them. I have had some variations over the years, but was surprised at how quick and easy this was to make.

Spinach and Potato Fritatta

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 small red potatoes, sliced
1 cup torn fresh spinach
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste
6 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese


Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place potatoes in the skillet, cover, and cook about 10 minutes, until tender but firm. Mix in spinach, green onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted.

In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Pour into the skillet over the vegetables. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until eggs are firm.

What I Do: I have made this several times now and found that you can use significantly more spinach than the recipe calls for without the flavor of the spinach taking over. As I said, even my son liked it! I didn't have any green onions on hand, so I chopped a couple of tablespoons of a yellow onion finely.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

I have been so busy that dinner time has been rather sparse this week, so last night I decided that I really needed to make something nourishing that my family likes; but since I was so tired, I needed something quick and easy. The kids who are currently residing in my home happen to really like sour cream enchiladas.

I serve these with rice, string beans, and a salad. If I have cooked black beans or pinto beans on hand, I serve either black beans or refried beans instead of the string beans.

Sour cream, cream of chicken soup, tortillas, cheese and salsa are staples at my house because I use them in so many other recipes, so I can always whip up these enchiladas for a quick meal that everyone likes. I adapted this recipe years ago, when I had a lot of little kids at home, to be more consistent and less spicy by using salsa instead of the green chiles, although the the chiles are tasty. If I only have cream of mushroom soup, I use that instead of the cream of chicken soup and the taste is a little different, but still good.

I had a friend who used to put some cooked chicken in each enchilada before rolling it. They were good and added a little more body to the enchiladas, although my family likes them without the chicken just fine.


Budget Tip: Buy the sour cream in larger containers at a club store. If you use it within a couple of weeks, it keeps fine and is much less expensive. Cheese is also less expensive at the club stores. Buy the cream soups on sale NOT at the club store to make the meal less expensive.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Linda

1 pint sour cream

4 ounce can green chilies (diced)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 lb. Longhorn cheese (grated)

1 dozen flour or corn tortillas

Combine sour cream, green chilies, soup, and 2/3 of cheese. Warm tortillas in a skillet just to soften. Put 1 tablespoon of mixture in tortilla and roll up. Place in pan. Put remaining mixture on top. Then sprinkle the remainder of cheese. Bake 350º F. for 20 minutes or until cheese melts and filling is heated through.

What I Do: I found the chilies too unpredictable when cooking for small kids so I began using ½ cup salsa instead, I use whatever cheese I have on hand which is usually mild cheddar, and I always use flour tortillas. I don’t normally warm the tortillas first, however, if you do they are more pliable and less likely to crack. I add the salsa to the soups and sour cream, but I leave the cheese separate. I put a heaping soup spoon of mixture and about a tablespoon of grated cheese inside of each tortilla before rolling it. If the mixture doesn’t look like it will lightly cover the top of the rolled tortillas, then I add another can of cream of chicken soup. I don’t think I can do a dozen tortillas without adding the extra can of soup so you will have to experiment and see what works for you.

Note: The first time you make these, they take a little time to put together; however, I can make a restaurant size pan up in about 10 minutes because I have made them so often..