Let's eat!: November 2005

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

Butternut Squash Enchiladas
Originally uploaded by lesliegardner.

I have made this a lot in the past - it is so dang good. Now it's the main dish of my vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner.

Filling:
1 small butternut squash (1#)
1 med carrot, peeled, quartered & sliced
1/4# fresh mushrooms, diced (about 1-1/4C)
1/2C diced onion
2T vegetable oil
1/2C diced jicama
1 small granny smith apple
1/4C shelled sunflower seeds, chopped
1T white vinegar
1/2t salt
2T chopped fresh cilantro

Spicy Peanut Sauce:
2C water
1T vegetable bouillon
1/2t salt
1/2t ground cumin
1/2t minced garlic
2 canned chipotle chiles, chopped
3T New Mexican chile pwd
1T vegetable oil
1/2t dried oregano
1T minced onion
1T flour
3/4C creamy peanut butter

8-10 corn tortillas
1C grated cheddar cheese (4oz)
1C grated Monterey jack cheese (4oz)

Preheat oven to 400
To make filling:
cut squash in half & scoop out seeds. Place cut side down on a baking pan w/a little water; bake 1hr or until tender. (or microwave 6 min, turning once or until tender)
When cool enough to handle, scoop squash out of shell and set aside
in a large skillet, saute carrot, mushrooms and onion in the oil until the carrot is tender-crisp. Add the cooked squash, jicama, apple, sunflower seeds, vinegar, salt and cilantro; mix well and set aside while preparing sauce.

To make sauce:
In a med saucepan, combine water, veg. bouillon, salt, cumin, garlic, chiles and chili pwd. bring to a boil.
meanwhile, in a small saute pan, heat oil over low heat. Add oregano and onion; saute until onion is soft. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 min.
Stir the onion mixture into the chile mixture. Bring to a boil and cook about 2 min; remove from heat and strain. Add peanut butter and stir until well-combined; set aside.

To assemble:
Heat a small amount of oil in a shallow skillet. Dip each tortilla in the oil for a few seconds to soften. lay softened tortillas on paper towels to drain. If you prefer, tortillas may be softened in the microwave; place 4-5 between two damp paper towels. Heat 45 sec. Fill these and repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Place a spoonful of squash mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a lightly oiled 9x13" baking pan. pour sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle w/cheese.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 min, or until cheese is melted and enchiladas are hot in the center.

Now my list of "how I do it"s:
I add more squash
I double the sauce but reserve a small bowl for my saucier guests
I've used both New Mexican chile powder and the regular kind and I may be able to tell the difference side by side, but I think they both work fine.
Last time I tried microwaving the tortillas to soften and it's not only WAY easier and less messy, but of course adds fewer calories and fat to the recipe and I didn't notice a difference in taste or texture at all.
This year I had a request for sour cream, which had never occured to me, but everybody loved it.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Vegetarian Enchiladas

Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 cups tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch cayenne pepper
3 drops hot sauce
1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. honey
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp. gound cumin
1/4 lb. black, pitted olives, sliced (one of the little cans works)
1 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans, mashed
8 soft corn tortillas
1/4 lb. Monterery Jack or cheddar chesse, grated

Heat oil and saute 2/3 of onions until translucent. Add tomatoes, sauce, 1/2 each of garlic, cayenne, hot sauce, chili powder, honey, salt and cumin. Simmer all uncovered for 30 minutes. Heat olive oil and saute remaing onion, garlic and olives until onions are translucent. Add remaining salt and beans (add sauce if mix is too sticky); stir will. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill each tortilla with 2 to 3 tablespoons filling and 1 tablespoon grated cheese. Roll up and put in baking pan. (You can also make layers with the filling, cheese and tortillas since the corn tortillas are so hard to roll). Cover with sauce, sprinkle with remaining cheese and garnish with reserved olvies. bake until bubbling hot, about 30 minutes.

Friday, November 25, 2005

a small measure of organization

Hello lovely recipe people. I made a low-rent index for us so it will be easier to find a particular kind of recipe. For example, if one was having a cookie emergency (as one does), one could just look on the sidebar, click on desserts, and go to the list of all dessert recipes that have been uploaded. I apologize for the non-centeredness of the index on the sidebar, but I could not make it work. I'll keep trying, but I make no promises about my success.

edit:I forgot to say we'll keep updating the indexes as new recipes are added!

Cookies

In the spirit of the holiday baking (and to torture myself, since I'm on a diet), what are your favorite Christmas treats? Do you have recipes for them?

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER!

After a lifetime of searching for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, I finally found it a few years ago.

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 egg (or egg substitute)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
12 oz. chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar

Mix cream, brown sugar, egg and vanilla in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, salt and cinnamon. Gradually blend into the butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Chill until firm. (It works ok too, if you are impatient and choose not to do this. The dough is just a bit stickier. Alternately, you can also refrigerate the dough overnight, if you're a masochist who can live with the promise delicious cookies so close, but unfulfilled for 12 hours.)

Roll dough into 1" balls between your palms. Dredge in powdered sugar. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven & cool cookies on a rack.

Yield: 6 dozen