cheese, twine, & wine: Holy Moly Enchiladas!

By Anita

One of my favorite items to make and share with everyone are ENCHILADAS! I mean, seriously, you could roll anything in a tortilla and it will most likely taste amazing. Add cheese to that and you are in a little rolled up piece of heaven. Enchiladas are one of the recipes that I no longer look at a cook book for since the first time I read the recipe off of the 'enchilada sauce can'. It can be created into a super meaty & cheesy dish or a completely vegan and fulfilling meal. You could add ground meat (turkey is my favorite) or all chopped veggies such as bell peppers, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, beans... OH the possibilities inside a rolled tortilla!

The typical enchilada recipe I use consists of a few basic items for Latin inspired meals: tortillas, cheese, enchilada sauce. It becomes my go-to when I want to use up some of my pantry items or veggies all while creating awesome leftovers that taste better the next day! So keep in mind that a lot of these items are optional depending on your dietary likes, wants, and needs.

For listening pleasure while cooking, check the Brazilian Radio on Pandora and shake those hips even if this is more of a Mexican-style recipe.

Enchiladas: Veggies & Chorizo

INGREDIENTS:

4 -8 Whole wheat tortillas
2- 14 oz Enchilada sauce cans
1- 14 oz Black or Pinto bean can, rinsed
1- 14 oz Vegetarian Refried bean can
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon oregano
Salt (to taste)
Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes OR one 1/2 chopped onion
1 to 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Bell peppers - sliced or chopped
1 Zucchini - cut in half & chopped
1 Chorizo sausage - chopped; more sausage could be added, I wanted more veggies
1 cup Shredded Cheese (Mexican style, Colby Jack, etc.)
OPTIONAL:1/2 Jalapeno pepper - finely minced/chopped, chopped scallions or fresh cilantro, sour cream, Greek yogurt, guacamole, salsa

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
In a large (deep) skillet on medium or medium-high heat, get the olive oil heated up and add the chopped peppers and zucchini.
Add the spices and add salt to taste (not too much!) and black pepper to the veggies. Saute seasoned veggies for about 4-5 minutes.
Add the chopped chorizo and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring to mix everything together.
Add about half of the black or pinto beans (or all if you are not using any meat) and about half of the refried beans to the veggies/chorizo mix to heat through.
Add half of one of the Enchilada sauce cans into the skillet and turn the heat down to low/simmer.
Create an assembly line to prepare your enchilada mixture on your tortillas. Get a plate for the tortillas, the cans of Enchilada sauce w/ a spoon, the sauteed veggies/chorizo mixture and a glass baking dish (i.e. Pyrex).
Add 1-2 Tablespoons of Enchilada sauce on the tortilla, spread around the tortilla, add a hefty spoonful of the veggie/chorizo mixture down the middle of the tortilla, roll the tortilla, and set into the baking dish. REPEAT until all of the tortillas are filled.
Pour remaining Enchilada sauce onto the rolled tortillas and spread around to cover them.
Add the shredded cheese on top of the rolled tortillas (as much or as little as you would like).
Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is all gooey and melty.
Add chopped cilantro or cilantro on top and let the baked enchiladas sit for a few minutes...if you can resist.

Even though this seems like a lot of steps, once you get the hang of the sauteing/grilling and what type of assembly station works for you, this recipe will be a quick 30-minute meal that can get pretty creative.

I make a quick salad and guacamole for the side of this meal and a tasty Sol or Corona to pour down the gullet. :) You can also add a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt on top of the Enchiladas.