Cinco de Mayo- National Enchilada Day

I know Cinco de Mayo isn’t until tomorrow but I wanted to share this recipe in case you were in need of a last minute Enchilada recipe to celebrate National Enchilada Day and Cinco de Mayo.

I could eat Mexican food everyday if my husband let me but alas I am the cook and he only likes it once in awhile so when I do make it I like to go all out. Although not completely traditional this recipe is wildly delicious and a  little spicy so I recommend serving with non-dairy or dairy sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (if you do the whole dairy thing).

Serves 4-6
Red Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3oz chili pods
• 1-28oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 10 unsulfered Turkish apricots
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup vegetable broth or water

Ingredients for Enchiladas:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 8oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 8oz baby spinach
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Red sauce (recipe above)
• 12 corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded vegan pepper jack cheese

Directions:

For the sauce: Remove the stems and seeds from chili pods. Place in a bowl and cover with boiling water; let sit for 10 minutes. Place apricots in a bowl and cover with boiling water; let sit for 10 minutes. Heat the olive oil in the saute pan over medium heat and add the onions; cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Drain the chili pods and apricots and place in a blender. Add the tomato mixture, lemon juice and vegetable broth to the blender and puree. Use as is or strain through a mesh  sieve for a smoother sauce.

Preheat oven to 425F.

For the Filling: Heat the olive oil in the saute pan over medium heat and add the onions; cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add the mushrooms, cover, spin and reduce heat to low; cook for 3 minutes. Add the spinach, return the cover, spin and cook for 3 minutes.

Assemble:

Place a layer of sauce on the bottom of the roasting pan.
Dip both sides of the tortilla into the red sauce (you may want to wear gloves for this) and then fill with about 2 tablespoons of the mushroom and spinach mixture; roll and place in the roasting pan. Repeat until all of the tortillas are filled.
Top with the remaining sauce and then sprinkle with a layer of pepper jack cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.