How have I not published this??? I'm freaking out right now!!

I legitimately thought that I had posted this recipe a LONG time ago, but without as many awesome pictures...only to realize that I have not! This is a food emergency right now, because you all need to try this recipe!!

Okay, hold on...let me compose myself...

So, I pretty much gave you the run down of my vacation home in my last post, Home for the Holidays, where I emphasized the things that I did while I was home to ensure that I was at least maintaining my healthy habits! At the end of that post, I started talking about the fact that something you can do for your family while your home to help yourself stay healthy, help your family get introduced to your lifestyle, and also to take some of the workload off of your family in terms of making dinner! I kind of teased you about a recipe that I made for them...and now I'm going to lay it all out for you...

Introducing...one of my absolute favorite recipes that I've ever made...

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, chopped, seeds and ribs removed
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 small butternut squash, cubed
• ½ teaspoon chili powder, or more if you prefer spicier
• ½ teaspoon cumin, or more if you prefer spicier
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 chicken breasts, cubed
• 16 ounces of fresh mushrooms, chopped
• Corn tortillas, I used 2 10 tortilla packages of the small corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Mexican mix cheese
• Cilantro
• 16 ounces Tomatillo sauce (The original recipe called for homemade tomatillo sauce, but I'm all about simplifying so I bought it at the store)

Directions...

Squash Filling

The squash and pepper part of the filling is so beautiful! And - your house will probably smell good by this point! AT this time, aunts and uncle arrived and my Aunt Lesa was gushing about how good this all smelled

• Over high heat, roast the peppers and jalapeño until just brown
• Add the onions and saute until translucent
• Add the squash, 1 T of butter, cumin, chili powder, and salt...and saute until the squash is tender by pricking with a knife. This may take a bit of time depending on the size of cubes you cut your squash into so plan accordingly with time.
• Once the squash is cooked set this mixture aside

At this time you may want to start pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees.

Mushroom Filling

Chicken and Mushroom part of the filling

• Add a tablespoon of butter to the plan.
• At this time, add the cubed chicken breast and cook chicken through until almost fully cooked.
• Add the mushrooms and saute until softened and slightly brown
• Season with salt and additional chili powder if desired

Assembly and Cooking

The prep takes longer than all the actual cooking - only approximately 15 minutes until DELICIOUSNESS!

• Wrap the tortillas (about 5 or 6 at a time) in moist paper towels and zap in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. This is to make the tortillas soft and pliable so that they don't break during the assembly process. Seriously don't skip this step! Also be careful with the tortillas because they'll likely be hot when you handle them!
• Combine the squash, mushroom & chicken mixes.
• Fill the tortillas with the mixture and close, placing them seam side down in the pan.
• Repeat until you've used all the tortillas. You may have some filling leftover. If you do, just sprinkle it over the top of the tortillas. For me, I was able to make two 9x13 dishes full of tortillas and I split the leftover filling between the two platters.
• Top the dishes with tomatillo sauce and cheese, spreading evenly between the two dishes!
• Bake for 15-18 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly!
• Top with cilantro and serve!

I had planned on making this recipe my very last night home for my holiday vacation. It was supposed to just be myself and my parents, but I knew it would be a LOT of food, so I invited my aunts and uncle, and my grandparents over! We even had a surprise visit from my family friend!  So, altogether, I was able to serve 9 people with very hearty appetites with this and had a little bit leftover! And let me tell you, it was a HIT! Can't you tell?

They busted into the first pan before I could even take a picture, and before I knew it BOTH pans were gone!

My grandma brought over a Chinese cabbage salad, which went surprisingly well with the enchiladas! Let me know if you want that recipe too! It's a family favorite!

Anyways, my family really really really enjoyed this recipe and I hope yours does too! :-)