Veggie Enchiladas

Today I found myself home at 6pm hungry tired and nothing to eat but cold spaghetti that my dad had made and a pan full of jarred tomato sauce with sliced pepperoni... not exactly what i consider good eats. So, i was searching my cabinets and thinking about what i could blog about. This came popping in my head so i decided to give it a go- well my own version. I was just making it for me, so i ended up to really following the recipe but i did manage to get a few pics. I have been craving these recently so i should be making them pretty soon and will update the pics to the full thing. I hope you all enjoy these as much as i do! 

NOTE: 

-For all you carnivores in the world, you can saute some pieces of chicken (or used some left over chicken) chop it up and add it to the filling. 

-Also, the full original recipe for the sauce make ALOT of sauce. I have cut the amount down a bit but if you like your enchiladas very saucy at all you may want to double this recipe

So, how are we going to make this?

Veggie Enchiladas
adapted from alton browns enchilada lasagna (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/enchilada-lasagna-recipe/index.html)

Ingredients

For sauce:

2 dried chipotle chiles, stems and seeds removed, diced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons toasted cumin seeds, freshly ground

2 cups of chicken broth

2 cups tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

pinch ground black pepper

For Veggie filling:

4 teaspoons grape seed oil or vegetable oil

1 14 can of black beans (or in a pinch you could use pinto beans too)

1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 cup of an assortment of sautéed vegetables (peppers, zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, corn, etc.) 

Pinch kosher salt

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

12 (6-inch tortillas) (or you could use some crepes if you were out of tortillas) 

3 cups shredded queso fresco or Monterey Jack

Butter

Directions

-Combine the chiles, garlic, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chiles are soft. Set aside until ready to use.

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

-Chop your assortment of veggies. Sauté in a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 teaspoons of the oil, for 4-5 mins (depending on what veggies you use). Once tender, set aside in separate bowl.
-Heat the other 2 teaspoons of oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onions to the pan along with a generous pinch of salt, decrease the heat to medium-low and sweat for 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and cook until the onions are tender, 2 to 3 minutes more. Rinse the beans and add to the onions. Add the vegetables and 3/4 cup of the sauce to the bean & onion filling and mix. 

-Rub a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish down with butter. Place 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the dish. Fill each of the tortillas with around 1/3 cup of the filling, and 2-3 TBS of cheese. Place in the baking dish seam side down. (If any filling remains you may place it on top of the enchiladas. Once as all shells have been filled and placed in the dish, pour the rest of the enchilada sauce and top with the remaining cheese.

 -Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese on top is bubbly.

For Meat Filled Enchiladas

1 lb of chicken breast, diced into bite size pieces

2-3 TBS of Oil (vegetable, grapeseed, olive oil)

3/4 cup of sauteed diced onion

1/2 of sauteed peppers

Pinch of salt

Pinch of freshly ground Black Pepper

Prepare the enchilada sauce just as mentioned aboveChop the chicken breast into bite size pieces. Heat a pan over medium heat with 1-2 TBS of oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken and sauté until juices run clear, and completely cooked through. In a separate pan saute onions and peppers with the remaining 1 TBS of oil. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until tender. Add the veggie to the chicken and also add 1 cup of the enchilada sauce Rub a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish down with butter. Place 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the dish. Fill each of the tortillas with around 1/3 cup of the filling, and 2-3 TBS of cheese. Place in the baking dish seam side down. (If any filling remains you may place it on top of the enchiladas. Once as all shells have been filled and placed in the dish, pour the rest of the enchilada sauce and top with the remaining cheese.Cover lightly with aluminum foil and bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes at 350. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese on top is bubbly.