This week’s post is on the lighter side. I want to share with you a new recipe I discovered. It came about by accident.

Because I don’t live in a larger town, I am not connected to the gas main. I buy my gas from an older gentleman who very kindly delivers a bottle when I need one. This is usually every two months or so. A few weeks ago, I ran out of cooking gas in the house. I ran out on Saturday night too late to call. It happened after I finished cooking dinner thankfully. I did not want to make the gas man come out to my house on Sunday so I had decided to wait until Monday to call. That left me with a bit of a problem, Sunday dinner. I had planned to make enchiladas for dinner but they need to be baked and I had no gas for the oven. What to do? I decided to use the Slow Cooker.

If you as a single person do not own a Slow Cooker or small Crock Pot, go buy one! It has been a great investment since the moment I bought it. This appliance allows you to cook a delicious meal without having to stand over a stove or even be in the house. It is especially useful if you work all day and then have to fix dinner when you come home. It also comes in handy when you have no gas for cooking.

Photo Credit: I Believe I Can Fry via Compfight cc

Here is my simple recipe for stacked enchiladas in the Slow Cooker. (Side note: I had already boiled the chicken to use in the enchiladas. So if you find yourself with no gas, you may want to go with other fillings besides chicken.)

Slow Cooker Enchiladas – 2l size

One package of 10 flour tortillas – 6” rounds or size to fit in crock of Slow Cooker

One 200g/8 oz package of cheese – cheddar is best but if you live in a country that does not sell cheddar, experiment a little. I used a three cheese mix that included cheddar.

One chicken breast cooked and shredded

400 ml/2 c of tomato paste

½ t cumin

2 t Chile Powder

2 t Garlic Powder

(I also added a bit of a Mexican spice blend that I can only find here, but the other spices will make a delicious sauce as well)

First take the tomato paste and add the spices to it with ¼ c of water. If your tomato paste is very thin then only add a little of the water. If it is thicker add more water. You want to end up with a paste that is the consistency of tomato soup.

In the Slow Cooker place a small amount of enchilada sauce. Just enough to coat the bottom of the Slow Cooker crock. Then place one flour tortilla, some cheese and chicken (or other fillings) layer one more flour tortilla, more cheese and chicken, and finally one more tortilla. It is like layering lasagna. Pour some enchilada sauce onto the stack and repeat the layering process. Continue in this fashion until you have run out of tortillas or have no more room in the crock. On top of your stack pour the rest of your enchilada sauce and top with a handful of cheese. Put the lid on top and cook on high for about 3-4 hours. What comes out are delicious layered enchiladas.

I put these on Sunday morning before I went to church and when I came back they were ready to eat. I made these enchiladas with chicken and cheese but you can use whatever fillings you can imagine. If you come up with something you like, let me know. I am always looking for variations on my favorite recipes.