Enchiladas: easier than you think

I?m ending Tomato Week II: Tomatwo with another super easy recipe that you can customize to suit your needs and tastes. The enchilada. The lasagna of Tex Mex cuisine. Which reminds me, I?ve gone around the world this week. Truly, tomatoes are beloved and�featured in cuisines all over the world (as well they should be). Or, at least, in the areas where tomatoes can be grown easily (includes most places that are not my yard). Not sure that tomatoes figure heavily in Scandanavian cuisine (if you can call it that).

Anyway.

I don?t know why I don?t make enchiladas more often.� Probably the hardest/most time-consuming part is re-fatting the tortillas (which should be corn tortillas, in case you don?t know like that one contestant on Top Chef). And that?s not difficult at all. Here?s a recipe and instructions for re-fatting the tortillas.

Much like with lasagna, you can stuff just about anything into an enchilada. My favorite combination is black bean and sweet potato. But you can use any kind of bean you like (within reason) and a number of other vegetables. And cheese. Don?t forget the cheese.

Let?s brainstorm, shall we?

Beans/legumes: black beans, kidney beans, pintos, navy, white, pigeon peas, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans

Vegetables: sweet potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, yellow squash, zucchini, cabbage, shredded carrots, kernel corn, baby corn (why not?),�broccoli,�roasted peppers (yellow, red, green, chipotle, whatever), cauliflower, kale, chard, spinach, beets, parsnips, rutabagas (okay, I don?t know this for sure; I?ve never had a rutabaga. Or rhubarb, for that matter. But I like to say rutabaga. I?m saying it in my head right now.)

Other: mushrooms, fake meats, tofu, crumbled tempeh, seitan, quinoa, Israeli couscous, barley,�cheddar cheese, queso blanco, goat cheese

Compulsory: diced tomatoes or salsa.

If I had any idea how to do such a thing, I would make an ?enchilada generator? and use the above ingredients to populate a database�to come up with unique enchilada fillings. Though you need a sauce, too for the top. I won?t advocate for a tomato-less enchilada (they need to be somewhere?inside or out), but I am not opposed to the topping of a creamy sauce. This avocado lime cream is uh-mazing on top of an enchilada. Salsa verde makes a good topping, too. But�I usually just use plain tomato sauce and with cheese.

So, you?ve chosen your fillings, right? Mix them up in a bowl, spread them in the tortillas, roll them up and bake them until all the cheese is melted. Here?s a visual for you:

Fill. Roll. Bake.

So easy! Sit back and enjoy knowing you?d easily spend $5-8 on this if you got it in a restaurant?
***
And now that this season?s Tomato Week is over, what did I miss? What are your favorite recipes with preserved tomatoes that gets you through the winter and spring?

Source: http://lesleyeats.com/2011/12/16/enchiladas-easier-than-you-think/

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