Mixed Vegetable Enchilada with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Mixed Veg. Enchilada - I had never made enchiladas at home before but I liked the concept. However, all the restaurants I tried it at would serve the only cheese or beans & cheese or if we requested vegetables be added, there would be very few… that's when I started my search of understanding the concept of the dish so I could twist it to my taste... I always thought it was very difficult to prepare, until I tried my hands on it! You'll not believe how quick and simple it is to make. My family and I loved the outcome… 

I hope you give this recipe a try.. Do let me know your feedback in the comments section below! Happy Cooking!!

Suggested accompaniments - Pico de Gallo, Spicy Black Beans, Guacamole and Spanish Rice

Enchilada - Close-up

Sautéd Mixed Vegetables - Used in the filling

Spicy Black Beans - Used in the filling

Ingredients:

• For the "Mixed Vegetable Filling":
• 3 cups Assorted Veggies - Diced small (I used onions, mushrooms, green bell pepper, zucchini, sweet corn, carrots and green peas)
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 1 tsp Garlic - Minced
• 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 2 tsp Ground Cumin/Jeera
• Salt - to taste
• For the Spicy Black Beans - Refer to the recipe here
• For "Enchilada Sauce":
• 3 tbsp Oil
• 2 tbsp All Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Garlic - Minced
• 2 1/2 cup Tomato Puree
• 2 1/2 cup Water (use vegetable stock for better flavoring)
• 2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• Salt - to taste
• For assembling the enchiladas:
• 10 Small Tortillas (I used Flour ones)
• 2 cups Taco Blend Cheese (It is a combination of cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese and taco seasoning)
• Few Pickled Jalapeños
• Few Black Olive Slices (I used from the can)
• Finely Sliced Green Onion Greens

Method:

• For the "Mixed Vegetable Filling":
• In a skillet, heat the oil on medium heat; add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
• Add all the veggies and season with salt. Cook covered until they are tender while stirring occasionally.
• Add the remaining seasoning - viz. red chilli powder and ground cumin.
• Cook for another minute or until all the water (separated due to salt seasoning) has evaporated.
• Set it aside; we will use this in our final assembly step.
• For the Spicy Black Beans - Refer to the recipe here
• For "Enchilada Sauce":
• In a big saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
• Add all purpose flour and keep stirring it for 2-3 minutes or until the rawness of the flour goes away.
• Add tomato puree, water (or stock if thats what you are using) and the seasonings, viz. salt, red chilli powder and ground cinnamon; stir well.
• Cook covered on medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by 1/3rd.
• Set it aside; we will use this in our final assembly step.
• For assembly:
• Pre-heat the oven to 375 F.
• On a non-stick skillet over medium heat, heat each of the tortillas for roughly 10 seconds on each side and stack them one on top of other once done.
• In a casserole, generously ladle the enchilada sauce and set it aside.
• Add about 1 tbsp of spicy black beans and 2-3 tbsp of the mixed vegetable filling on the tortilla and form a wrap; place it in the casserole with seam side down. Repeat this process for all the tortillas.
• Now, ladle the enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas in the casserole so as to cover each one of those with the sauce.
• Now arrange 3-4 jalapeños slices 3-4 olive slices on each of the tortillas.
• Generously sprinkle the green onion greens.
• Now cover all the tortillas with the cheese.
• Bake these for about 20-25 minutes uncovered or until the cheese melts.
• Enjoy!!

Serving Suggestions:

These enchiladas are indulgent on their own but it adds an extra oomph when served with other traditional Mexican side dishes like Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Spanish Rice, Spicy Black Beans!

Pico De Gallo

"Pico de Gallo" - a salsa/salad that shouts freshness in itself. It has a slurp tangy flavor to it which makes it irresistible and leaves me wanting it more and more! It needs just a handful of ingredients and is very easy to put it together.

Ingredients:

• 2 Medium Red Onions - Diced small
• 4 Medium Tomatoes (try to use the ones that are ripe red in color - they are juicier and makes the salsa look vibrant!) - Diced small
• 1 ¹/₂ tbsp Jalapeño - Finely chopped (if you don't have jalapeño, any other green chillies would do - wouldn't be as authentic but it is an ok substitution and there isn't a noticeable taste difference in-my-opinion i.e.)
• 3 tbsp Cilantro/Coriander/Dhaniya - Finely Chopped
• 3 tbsp Lime Juice
• Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method:

• Mix together onions, tomatoes, jalapeño; season with salt and pepper.
• Add lime juice and mix well.
• Finally, add cilantro and mix well.
• Enjoy!!

Serving Suggestions:

Pice de Gallo can be served as a side dish to any Mexican preparation e.g. burrito/enchilada/taco etc. 

It can also be served with traditional chips or the baked version.

Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice - a quick and healthy recipe amalgamating the tanginess of tomato with a hint of garlic and onion. So simple and easy to put together with a handful of ingredients which you may already have on hand. I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know your feedback in the comments below!

Happy Cooking!!

Ingredients:

• 1 ¹/₂ cup Long-Grained Rice 
• ¹/₂ cup Red Onion - Diced small
• ¹/₂ tsp Garlic - Minced
• ¹/₂ cup Tomato Puree
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 1 ¹/₂ tsp Ground Cumin/Jeera
• 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 3 cups Water
• 2 tbsp Cilantro/Coriander/Dhaniya - Finely chopped
• Salt - to taste

Method:

• Wash the rice until the water runs clean. Drain off excess water and set it aside.
• In a broad saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat; add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Reduce the flame to medium.
• Add onions and sauté until translucent; keep stirring continuously to avoid burning them.
• Add the rice and cook for 3-4 minutes; keep stirring occasionally.
• Add the tomato puree and cook covered for 2 minutes. Stir 2-3 times in between to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the saucepan. 
• Add all the seasoning, viz. ground cumin, red chilli powder, salt; stir to combine. 
• Add the water and cook covered on medium low for 12-15 minutes or until the rice is cooked thru and all the water has evaporated. Make sure your lid has a hole to let the steam escape; if not, partially close the lid, leaving some room to escape.
• Add cilantro and stir to combine.
• Enjoy!!

Serving Suggestions:

This rice can be served as a side dish to any main Mexican meal or be incorporated into burrito/taco/enchilada etc.
It can also be served with spicy black beans and a dollop of sour cream!

Spicy Black Beans

Presenting "Spicy Black Beans" - a can of black beans cooked to perfection with just a handful of ingredients and easy to follow steps… Seasoned with just a few herbs and spices makes it a very versatile dish that can go well as a side dish or as a key ingredient in Mexican dishes such as enchiladas, burritos, tacos, etc… The possibilities are endless! I hope you give this a try and let me know your feedback in the comments section below!

Happy cooking!!

Ingredients:

• 1 can Black Beans - Rinsed
• ¹/₃ cup Onions Finely Chopped 
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 tsp Garlic Minced
• 2 cups Water
• 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• ¹/₄ tsp Cinnamon Powder
• Salt - to taste

Method:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the garlic for about 30 seconds. 
• Add onions and cook until translucent.
• Mix in the rinsed black beans and stir well. 
• Season with salt, red chili powder and cinnamon powder.
• Add the water and cook covered (my saucepan has on medium low, stirring occasionally, until the water evaporates.
• Finally - using a spatula or the back of a spoon, mash a few (almost half of the quantity) beans - I like them partially mashed; if you prefer whole, simply skip this step!
• Give it a final taste test and adjust the seasoning (if necessary).
• Enjoy!!

Serving Suggestions:

These beans can be served as a side dish to any main Mexican meal or be incorporated into burrito/taco/enchilada etc.
These can also be served with Spanish Rice and a dollop of sour cream!

Guacamole

Guacamole - I remember the first time I heard the name (honestly - sounded weird and difficult to pronounce... Oh well at the time at-least) I was curious what it is made up of.. We were going to chipotle for the first time and I did my research on what I can and cannot eat (being a vegetarian). This seemed to be the most intriguing side dish that I just had-to-try... And ever since the first time I tasted guacamole - I've been in love with it! The kind of love that doesn't fade away ;-)

So without much delay, let me take you over the ingredients and the step by step detailed method that will make you wonder - is it really so simple? And yes my friend, it really is THAT simple :-)

Ingredients:

• 3 Hass Avocados - Ripe
• 1 small Red Onion - Diced small
• 1 Tomato - Deseeded and diced small
• 1 tbsp Jalapeño - Finely chopped (if you don't have jalapeño, any other green chillies would do - wouldn't be as authentic but it is an ok substitution and there isn't a noticeable taste difference in-my-opinion i.e.) 
• 2 tbsp Lime Juice
• 2 tbsp Cilantro/Coriander/Dhaniya - Finely chopped
• Salt & pepper - to taste

Method:

• Cut and mash the avocado pulp (if you are new to avocados - the process of removing the pulp is fairly easy. First make one slit on the avocado length wise covering its circumference. Make sure you go deep enough until your knife feels the seed. Now, hold the avocado in both your hands in such a way that each hand has one half of it. Now twist your hands in opposite direction. You'll see that the two halves have separated. Now using a spoon, scoop out the pulp - this pulp is what we will be using for our recipe.)
• Stir together avocados, onions, tomatoes and jalapeño. 
• Add lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper and stir well. 
• Enjoy!!

Serving Suggestions:

Guacamole can be served as a side dish to any Mexican preparation e.g. burrito/enchilada/taco etc. 

It can also be served with traditional chips or the baked version.

Crispy Baked Tortilla Chips

Ingredients

• Pack of tortilla (I used medium sized, 10 pcs. flour tortillas - you may use corn tortillas)
• Oil (any; I used extra virgin olive oil) - to coat the tortilla
• 1½ tsp Ground cumin powder
• 1½ tsp Black salt
• 1½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
• Salt to taste

Method

• Preheat the oven to 375F
• Lightly oil the tortillas (on both the sides) using a pastry brush (you may also use any cooking spray)
• Cut the tortillas into wedges (8-10 from each tortilla)
• Mix all the spices together 
• Arrange the wedges onto baking sheets (yes you are gonna need more than one!) on a single layer... This is very important, to get the crispy texture.
• Sprinkle the spice-mix on the lined wedges so that they cover all of them individually.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes (my tortillas were thick so they needed about 20 minutes of baking time, if yours are thinner, you can check at 8-10 minutes to see if they are done). The sign that signifies that they are done would be to feel the crispiness when you are taking the baking tray out of the oven. However, they will turn completely crispy only after they cool down completely (approx. 10 minutes). 

Serving Suggestion

Can be served with any salsa or dip; e.g. guacamole,  black bean & corn salsa, spinach-artichoke dip etc.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

This is my go-to salsa/salad for get-togethers and is equally popular amongst young & adults. It pairs very well with chips, specially the baked version - you can get the recipe here. Although it is named "black bean and corn salsa", it is loaded with other veggies too. Kids like to munch on this even when they are not a fan of vegetables. 

Do give this a try and let me know your feedback in the comments section below! Happy cooking!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cup Diced Bell-Peppers (I used equal amounts of red & green peppers - you can use any you like)
• 1 cup Diced Red Onion
• 1 cup Diced Tomatoes
• 1 can Black Beans
• 1 can Whole Kernel Corn
• 1 whole Serrano Pepper Minced
• ¼ cup Chopped Cilantro
• ½ tsp Garlic Salt
• 2 tsp Ground Cumin
• ½ tsp Black Salt
• 1½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1 large Lime's Juice (~ 2 tbsp)
• 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt to taste
• Ground Black Pepper to taste

Method:

• Mix all the listed ingredients.

Serving suggestion:
Best served with tortilla chips. Click here for the recipe for crispy baked tortilla chips, choose the healthier way!