Awhile back while shopping at one of my numerous natural foods stores, I picked up a package of Rick Bayless’ Frontera brand Red Chile Enchilada Sauce. Why? I was wooed by the wonder and splendor of Rick Bayless, of course. That…and it was on sale, gluten-free, and I figured I could use it at some point.
The problem was…I had never made enchiladas before. For being such a big fan of enchiladas, and Mexican food in general, the fact that this sort of thing was not something I had ever attempted before made the task a little daunting. And for weeks, the Frontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce sat on the shelf…untouched…and mocking me every time I went to the pantry for something.
But that changed last week when I finally said I was going to suck it up…and make enchiladas. I had a crazy amount of produce thanks to the arrival of my CSA bin so I just sort of made up a filling from things I had in my refrigerator and my freezer. The results? A creamy, delicious vegetarian enchilada that my roommate, to this day, hopes I recreate again soon.
Until then…here is my recipe for these Mexican morsels of cheesy wonder.
Recipe: Cheese and Fresh Corn Enchiladas
Servings: 5
Time: Prep 20 minutes; Cook 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 10 corn tortillas
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- dash of garlic salt
- dash of red pepper flakes
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 can Rotel tomatoes with chiles
- 1 cup sour cream (I used Tofutti vegan sour cream)
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used Cabot sharp white cheddar and NY sharp cheddar cheeses)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8-10 ounces of enchilada sauce (I used Frontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Make the filling: In a wide frying pan, melt the butter and add the onions. Add the garlic salt and red pepper flakes. Sauté the onion until tender. Add the corn and cumin and 1/4 cup of water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and cook, stirring over high heat to boil away any remaining liquid. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, half of the cheese, and the chiles. Add the chili powder and salt to taste.
Wrap the corn tortillas in a paper towel and microwave for 40 seconds, flipping them halfway through.
In a 9×13 baking dish, poor a scant amount of enchilada sauce in the bottom and spread it across the bottom of the pan.
Spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling into the middle of each tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the filling and place, seam side down, in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Cover the enchiladas evenly with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top of the enchiladas.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy.
~*~*~
I was actually quite happy with the way my enchiladas turned out. The corn added a nice hint of sweetness to the filling and I loved how the sour cream added this bit of rich creaminess to it. This also made me fall in love with the Frontera brand of enchilada sauce as well. It was really delicious and the perfect amount for this meal. My roommate and I devoured these over the course of three days and already she is asking me to make it again. Now that I have created my own enchiladas and successfully executed them…I think that’s doable.
Looking for a creamy, sweet, and a little spicy meal for dinner…give these a try. And enjoy!
The Celiathlete 