A saucy little number to start off your week

People tend to think of Mexican food as heavy on the meat. Meat is an option, Mexican dishes are as often filled with beans, veggies and/or cheese as they are with beef, pork or seafood.
Enchiladas are no exception. In Tex Mex restaurants you often have to ask for a meatless option as an alternative rather than getting it as a menu item. In a Mexican home, the meat is an optional add in. I have even been given a corn tortilla simply dipped in sauce with no filling inside. Go bold with the fillings and do what you want.
The spicy sauce that is slathered over the top is the key to a good enchilada. Go fresh, go bold and you can't go wrong. Don't use canned tomatoes - especially in the sauce - they're too mushy.
If you want, sprinkle some cheese on top, but this recipe doesn't need that added taste. It's great just the way it is. 

Sauce:
  • 1 green pepper (go with a pablano pepper for more fire)
  • 2 teaspoons of olive oil
  • 1 cup of chopped yellow onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon of paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon of ground chipotle pepper (optional)
  • 8 ounces tomatoes, roughly chopped, plus diced tomato for garnish
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped, plus more leaves for garnish

Filling:
  • 3 bell peppers, diced
  • 8 ounces of mushrooms, diced
  • 3/4 cup of red onion, diced
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 can of pinto beans, rinsed
  • 12 6-inch tortillas


Preheat oven to 425°.

Sauce: 
  • Roast the pepper under the broiler, turning once or twice, for 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a deep bowl, cover, and set aside to steam for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the yellow onion, the garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, the cumin, the chili powder, the paprika and the ground chipotle and cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened. Remove from the heat.
  • Peel the roasted pepper and discard the stem and the seeds. Chop them up. Add them to the saucepan along with the chopped tomatoes, the broth and the chopped cilantro. Return the heat to medium heat and cook, uncovered, at a steady simmer, until the liquid has reduced slightly and the tomatoes have broken down, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the whole bit to a blender and puree.


Filling:
  • While the sauce simmers, place bell peppers, mushrooms and red onion in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle them with 4 1/2 teaspoons of oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper.
  • Roast, stirring halfway through, until the vegetables are tender and browned in spots. Transfer them to a large bowl and stir in the beans. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°.
Enchiladas:
  • Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
  • Place a skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of a tortilla with cooking spray. Heat in skillet for 5 to 10 seconds per side, adjusting the heat if the pan gets too hot.
  • Spread 1/3 cup of the filling and 1 tablespoon of the sauce down the middle of the tortilla and roll it up to enclose the filling. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, filling and sauce. Spread the remaining sauce and filling over the enchiladas.
  • Bake, uncovered, until hot, about 15 minutes.
Vegan

Popular Posts