Spinach Enchiladas

This recipe was brought to my attention by the Madre. It was featured on the Today Show by chef Christy Vega. Her specialty: Meatless Mexican.  I love Mexican, I love meatless food, and now I love spinach enchiladas.


Spinach is very nutritious, as are most leafy green veggies. Cilantro is very high in antioxidants. Many people don't like cilantro, the taste or smell. Fortunately for those, the cilantro is cooked in this recipe and then blended in with over flavors, so it isn't overpowering in taste or smell. If you really hate it, you can leave it out. This recipe makes it easy to remove or add any flavor you want. If I were making these for just me, I'd probably put some Sriracha into the tomatillo sauce. But the Padre and the Madre are not fans of spicy food. You could easily veganize it by substituting your veg cheese of choice and omitting the sour cream.

I served mine with Spanish Rice. I wasn't super hungry, so I didn't want too many sides. But a nice glass of iced tea was perfect on this 55°F January day in NE Illinois.

Ingredients
Spanish rice
1 package corn tortillas
12 oz fresh spinach
1/2 sliced onion
1 T chopped onion
8 large green tomatillos
2 cups water
1 bunch cilantro
1 T cilantro
1 t. granulated garlic
1 t. salt
1/2 avocado, plus more for serving
1 oz. sour cream
6 oz shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Then cook Spanish rice according to package directions.

2. In a deep pan, add water, tomatillos,  sliced onion, bunch cilantro, salt and garlic. Cook until it boils for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Pour everything from the pan into a blender and blend well.

3. Next, add the avocado, sour cream and T of cilantro. Blend until creamy.

4. IN a separate flat pan, add oil, T chopped onion, shredded cheese and 2 oz of tomatillo sauce from blender. Cook 2-3 minutes. Then add spinach, continuous stir until it's dark green. Set aside

5. Warm the tortillas how you prefer (With or without oil). Lay the tortilla flat and add 3 oz of spinach mixture down the middle. Roll the tortilla, place in a baking pan. Repeat until all tortillas are rolled and placed in the baking pan.

6.  Cover with the tomatillo sauce. Add a little cheese down the center on top of each tortilla. Bake in oven for several minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve with Spanish rice, slices of avocado and a touch of sour cream.


Katie's Notes: When boiling the tomatillos, they will start to lose their color. I recommend turning them once during the boiling, so they discolor evenly. I used minced garlic, since I don't know what granulated garlic is, and I think fresh is always better. Also, this recipe kept calling for ounces. I used 2 T for 1 oz. But, you can play it by ear. I think the filling needs a little bit more tomatillo sauce than I put in. Finally, the chef highly recommends using corn tortillas instead of flour. She says that flour ones get really soggy and fall apart more than corn tortillas.