Spinach Burritos, Yum!, Day 40, 7/7/11

I haven't posted anything lately because I was in Wichita visiting my BFF, Jamie and her husband, Doug.  But I made it home now.  And after unpacking and visiting the grocery store, I'm ready to get back at this!

The evening that I arrived in Wichita, Jamie and I went to a Mexican restaurant called Las Palmas.  I couldn't decide between 3 items on the menu and asked the advice of our often-absent waiter.  Although I was leaning toward the Chili Relleños, previous experiences have taught me that Chili Relleños seem to be hit or miss at different places and our waiter's recommendation was their Spinach Burritos.  So I went for the burritos.  Now, had he told me that they were going to be packed with deliciously flavorful mushrooms, it would've been a much easier decision.  But when I asked him what was in the burritos besides spinach, he didn't even mention mushrooms.  Anyway, I was very pleased with my decision.  I probably told Jamie 6 times during the meal how good they were.  She decided to take my word for it; she does not enjoy mushrooms and elected not to try my Spinach Burritos.

So the minute we got back to Jamie's house I jotted down the things that were in my burrito with the plan of trying to replicate it at home.  And here is the rather successful result.

I started by sauteing one 8 oz carton of sliced Cremini (also sold as "Baby Bella") mushrooms in a butter and olive oil mixture.  Now upon reflection of the finished dish, if you're like me, and you really like mushrooms, I'd suggest using 2 cartons.

When the mushrooms just starting to get a nice brown on them, add 1/2 of a medium Vidalia onion, 1/2 of a green pepper and 1/2 of a red pepper- all chopped into strips. 

Let that cook for a few minutes so that things can soften a bit and then add some salt and pepper to the mixture.  Rachael Ray always says not to salt your mushrooms until they've browned or the moisture that is pulled out by the salt will keep them from browning.  So, just in case that claim holds water, I always wait.  At this point, you can also add some garlic powder, cumin and cayenne powder. 

Now add a can of drained Original Rotel and two packages of frozen spinach that you have allowed to thaw and then rung the moisture out of.  Let this cook until the onion and peppers are done to the texture that you prefer.  I like for things to have a bit of a bite to them still, but it's up to you.

At Las Palmas, my burritos were served with a simple white cheese sauce on them.  Not the white cheese espinaca dip that we all enjoy so much with tortilla chips, because there weren't any veggies in it.  But it wasn't just melted cheese either- it didn't harden back up.  I was going to have to think about this one for a little while...

While I was waiting on Jamie to get her nails done one day, I was looking through one of my cookbooks and I ran across an interesting cheese sauce that was made with an envelope of Hollandaise sauce mix as the base.  I decided to adapt this and give it a try.  Although it definitely wasn't the cheese sauce I received at the restaurant, it was good.  My brother, who didn't have a preconceived idea of what it should taste like, gave it a thumbs up also.

Add 2 Tablespoons of butter to a small sauce pan and when it's melted, add the sauce mix and 1 cup of milk or water (whatever the package says) and whisk everything together.  Bring it to a boil and then turn the heat down and stir 2 cups of shredded pepper jack cheese into the mixture a little bit at a time.  The package will tell you to use more butter, but with the addition of the cheese, you don't need it.  I also stirred in about a teaspoon of finely diced serrano pepper because the cheese I bought didn't appear to have too much pepper added to the jack cheese, and I like spicy.  Make sure you are stirring/whisking this mixture frequently.

Just warm your tortillas in the microwave for 15 or 20 seconds between some wet paper towels and you're ready to assemble.  Spoon the mixture into the middle of your tortilla, give both sides a little fold and top it with the cheese sauce.  I garnished with a little bit of Greek yogurt, of course you can use sour cream if you prefer, and some green onions.

At some point during the day, I remembered this wonderfully refreshing beer punch mixture that I had enjoyed at Aly's a few weeks earlier, at their annual yard Olympics and decided it would be an exciting accompaniment to the Spinach Burritos. 

Aly's sister calls the concoction Beer-ade, but Sandra Lee actually featured this recipe on an episode of Semi-Homemade under the name Lime Beer Cocktail.  And, I choose the name, Aly's Summer Brew, for this delicious beverage.  But you can call it whatever you want to. 

And it's SO easy to make.  It's just 6 beers and 1 can of frozen limeade concentrate.  Stir together and be amazed at the deliciousness before you!

Oh, yes, it's officially my beverage of choice for Spinach Burritos!

I thought the burritos were really good and Aly's Summer Brew was delightful.  Because there wasn't any bacon or pudding involved, it wasn't Nathan's favorite meal ever, but he definitely enjoyed it.  (Please disregard the fact that he's wearing a K-State shirt.  In most other areas, he has good taste.)  :-)