Enchiladas have endless possibilities

An enchilada is a rolled corn tortilla filled with meat, covered with a chili sauce of some sort and then baked. With all sorts of variations available, what do you want to fill it with?

EASY ENCHILADA SAUCE

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Salt to taste

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and heat until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic, and onion into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Adjust seasonings.

ENCHILADAS

• 6 dried chile de arbol peppers
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
• 18 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 3 cups crumbled queso fresco
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

Snap the tops off of the dried chilies, and place in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the water then brown on a grill or frying pan until lightly browned on both sides. Place them into a food processor with the garlic and salt. Puree until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Soak each tortilla in the sauce, then place in the hot oil. Turn over almost immediately, and fry for about 5 seconds on the other side. Place on a paper towel and repeat with remaining tortillas Take one tortilla and fill with about 2 tablespoons of the queso fresco. Roll up, and place seam side down on a plate. Place three of these on each plate. Top with sour cream, then a bit of lettuce, some tomato slices, more queso fresco, and then a bit of green onion. Serve.

GROUND BEEF ENCHILADAS

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
• 1 diced fresh jalapeño pepper
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 package taco seasoning mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 6 (6 inch) corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook the ground beef, green onion, and jalapeño pepper until the beef is well browned and crispy. Stir in water and taco seasoning. Simmer until water has evaporated. In a bowl, mix together sour cream, soup, and cheese.

Divide the meat mixture evenly between tortillas. Place a couple of tablespoons of cheese mixture over meat, and roll up. Place in a 7x11 inch baking dish. Repeat for each tortilla. Spoon remaining cheese mixture over the top of the tortillas. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
• 1 1/4 cups canned stewed tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon flour
• 8 corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar and jack cheeses
• Sour cream, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat large frying pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, until cooked through. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a plate. Add onion and garlic to pan and sauté until tender. Add chilies. Stir well to combine. Add tomatoes, saute 1 minute. Shred chicken by hand and add back to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set. Heat tortillas in a hot frying pan until pliable, about 15 seconds per side. Place enchilada sauce in a large bowl. Coat the bottom of a 9x13 inch pans with a ladle of sauce. Dip each tortilla in sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes until cheese melts.