Enchiladas

 I love making enchiladas, because it is so easy! I can use a variation of what is in the cupboard; the ingredients are cheap; and I get to use the oven (a bonus in the winter).

Since the last time I made enchiladas and blogged about it, my friend OPP recommended making my own enchiladas sauce.  This time I did! I had all the ingredients, and it was super fast!  The directions said to simmer for 40 minutes, but I never listen.

So I made the enchiladas sauce and allowed it to cook as long as it took me to assemble the enchiladas themselves:

Enchiladas Sauce (from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons and 1-1/2 teaspoons hot chili powder
2-1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 ounce semisweet chocolate

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high high heat. Saute onion until tender. Stir in garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon; saute for a few minutes.

2.Stir in flour and chili powder, stirring until sauce thickens. Slowly whisk in chicken broth; reduce until sauce reaches desired consistency. Stir in chocolate until melted and well blended.

In a saute pan, I began to saute onions and bell peppers. I pushed them off to a side, and then warmed refried beans and pinto beans (I prefer black beans, but this is what I had).  I mixed in the typical spices (see previous post), and then mixed in half the veggies, 1/2 c of cheese, 1/2 c of enchiladas sauce and scooped onto tortillas, added to a pan, topped with sauce and more cheese.  Baked for 25 minutes at 350.

I'm actually making up the time. They are still in the oven.

On the side, I'm serving red beans and rice. Or some variation of this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Authentic-Louisiana-Red-Beans-and-Rice/Detail.aspx

I left the remaining veggies in the pan, added a can of red kidney beans, and the following:
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper


1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried sage

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (i just added the same spices I used for the enchiladas)
4 cups water

2 cups long grain white rice

I decided to add a can of tomato paste. Not sure why, just felt like it.  We will see how it all turns out...