Sometimes I plan ahead, and shop for a specific meal, and sometimes I just look in the fridge and make use of what I already have. That's my favorite way to cook. It's so... Tasajara...
We go through quite a bit of nut milk, which means we also make a lot of nut cheese. I'm working on other ways to use the nut pulp, but last night I had an excess of cheese to use up, so I made a batch of red chile, pulled out tortillas, black beans, and veggies, and started layering.
This is one of those sort of un-recipes, where I leave you on your own to a certain extent. It's easy. If you think you need exact amounts to make a dish, this is good practice in loosening up and playing with your food. If you want to use canned enchilada sauce, that's OK. If you want to make your own red chile, even better.
First a note about chile. The Official State Question of New Mexico is, "Red or Green?", meaning red or green chile on your food. Chile with an "e" is not the same thing as chili with an "i" at the end. Chile is a sauce, and chili is the chili-beans we all probably grew up with, often from a can. We make two different kinds of chile here, out of either red chile powder, or fresh green chiles. And then there's green chile stew, but that's for another day.
Red Chile
Saute 1/2 an onion in a little olive oil until soft.
Sprinkle in 3-4 heaping T chili powder and a dash or two of cinnamon, and stir to "roast" the chili powder for 1-2 minutes. This is the most important step in making a good red chile. You'll smell the chile change and sweeten, which makes the finished sauce taste rich and lovely, rather than harsh and powdery.
Sprinkle in 1-2 T flour and stir in quickly to make a roux.
Gradually pour in one 32 oz. box of vegetable broth. (I've also used beer, water, or mushroom broth.) Season to taste with garlic powder, salt, tamari, and maple syrup. A little bit of sweet makes a big difference. Let the sauce slowly heat and thicken, and then set it aside while you prep the enchiladas.
Kitchen Sink Enchiladas
12-24 corn tortillas, depending on the size of your baking pan - I love Food For Life's organic sprouted corn tortillas
nut cheese
black beans
sliced mushrooms
chopped kale
corn
sweet-hot jalapeno slices
Red Chile sauce - above
Daiya cheese - optional
If you have other veggies to use up, this is a good way to do it. Chop everything up, and cut the tortillas in half so they'll fit against the edges of the baking pan. Lightly oil the pan, and place a little sauce in the bottom to cover. Then layer tortillas, nut cheese "blobs," beans, veggies, and sauce, with a sprinkle of Daiya if you're using it. We decided it didn't really need it, but then we're used to less of a "cheese bomb" than we used to eat. After 2 layers of everything, place a final layer of tortillas on top, and spread with sauce. Bake at 350ยบ for about an hour. If using Daiya, sprinkle a little more on top about 10 minutes before it's done. Let the dish sit for 5 minutes before cutting.
This is great with a simple green salad. Rick declared this the best meal I've made in weeks. I'm not so sure, but I think he was just missy some ooey-gooey cheesy comfort food. This did the trick.
