Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

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.

1 comment:

Martina said...

I love me some butternut squash, and these look SO good!