the easiest enchiladas

I have a confession: My name is Vicky, I’m 21, I love to cook, and I meal plan like C R A Z Y. I have a spreadsheet with my veggies, meats, cheeses, groceries, and random stuff separated out - a total nerd, right? I’m sure I will elaborate on that more later. There is one thing that I am more confident in than almost anything I cook - I make THE best enchiladas. I certainly wouldn't dare say that mine are authentic, Mexican enchiladas but for what I'm working with, I'm told I do a pretty good job. 

My very favorite enchilada's that I've ever made/fed to anyone in my life have been topped with Rick Bayless' Green Chile Enchilada Sauce. It's literally one of my favorite things I've ever tasted. Guess why I bought it? Tomatillo's. And that is why this sauce is perfection. The saddest news, though - I can't find it anywhere anymore! You can buy it online, which I might do, in bulk. I improvised for this recipe and used a jar of his tomatillo salsa which is still amazingly delicious. I would love to try my hand at homemade enchilada sauce - when I do, I'll be sure to share all of that tomatillo goodness with you!

NEEDED:

5-6 taco size flour tortillas

1 can ro-tel (mild, medium, chunky - however you like it)

1 can black beans

1/2 cup of corn (fresh or frozen)

1 cup cooked rice (I admit, I use 5 minute rice. Don't judge.)

1/2 - 1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder (depending on how spicy you like things!)

1 tablespoon cumin

1 cup tomatillo salsa

shredded cheese

HOW TO MAKE:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, mix ro-tel, black beans, corn, rice, seasonings, a little bit of shredded cheese, and a little bit of the salsa.

Place in center of tortilla, roll, and place in baking dish.

Repeat until you run out of room/filling.

Top with as much or as little salsa as you like.

Add cheese to your heart's desire.

Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is melted and the edges are browned.

DONE.

The easiest, quickest recipe. I love to leave mine in a little longer because I love the taste of crunchy tortilla's around the edge. Totally up to you, though!

a tomatillo soup

we have this friend, Jared, who is a phenomenal cook. One time, Jared + Ciara (Jared's gorgeous wife) invited E + I over for National Margarita Day and, despite Ciara and I having to squeeze 3,000 limes for the margaritas, it was a meal that is completely unforgettable. Jared and I are kindred spirits in that we LOVE spicy food - like, so SO spicy.

Jared grows some of his own peppers so I always loved going over to their house because I knew it would be tasty and spicy and perfect. Jared made a roasted tomatillo-pepper salsa that night. oh. my. gosh. I had never even heard of tomatillo’s before and after the first bite, my whole life was changed. Now, whenever I see tomatillo’s in the store, I buy them. When I see them used in a recipe, I make it. When I see them on a menu somewhere, that’s what I get. I’m obsessed. When I saw this recipe on acouplecooks.com, my heart jumped for joy and I am so excited to share it with you! This one is for you, Jared and Ciara.

If you’ve never worked with tomatillo’s before, look for ones that are small, still have the husks completely attached, slightly brown, and are firm when you grasp them. When you peel them, they’ll be a little sticky but you can just rinse that off super easy!

Needed:

12 tomatillos

1 red onion

2 jalapenos

3 cloves of garlic

Olive Oil

Salt

4 cups Vegetable Broth

1 can black beans

1 can hominy

Cilantro

Black Pepper
Feta Cheese

How to Make:

Preheat your oven to 450.

Chop the tomatillos, red onions, jalapenos, and garlic.

On a baking sheet, place the chopped veggies and drizzle with olive oil to coat and sprinkle a little salt.

Roast in the oven until they are soft and noticeably brown, about 20 minutes.

While the veggies are roasting, rinse the hominy and black beans.

After the veggies are roasted, pour them into a pot with the vegetable broth.

Use a hand blender to puree the mixture (or put it in a blender.) I like to leave mine a little chunky because, well, I love tomatillo’s.

Add the rinsed black beans and hominy.

Add a few sprigs of cilantro and bring the soup to a boil.

Lower heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes and season with salt.

Pour into bowls and sprinkle with black pepper.
If you're a fan of Feta, I added some to mine and it was delicious!

adapted from A Couple Cooks

V