Sweet Potato Salsa

SWEET POTATO ENCHILADA SAUCE

Bored of the typical, red or green salsa choices? Looking for something a little more orange, perhaps? Look no further, my sweet potato salsa recipe is excellent topped on tacos, baked in enchiladas, or gulped by the spoonful!

SWEET POTATO SALSA RECIPE

1 medium sweet potato

2 poblano chiles

2 tomatillos

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/2 onion - diced

2 cloves of garlic - minced

2 cups vegetable broth

¼ cup fresh, chopped cilantro or oregano

1 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of lime juice

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Special Equipment: Emersion blender/ regular blender

METHOD

Set your oven to broil and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Peel the sweet potato and slice it into long strips.

Place the sweet potato strips on a drying rack on the lined cookie sheet. Add the poblanos and tomatillos to the cookie sheet as well, and place in the oven.

Broil for five minutes, until the skins on the chiles begins to blacken, and then flip the chiles, tomatillos and sweet potato slices. Broil for another five minutes, remove from the oven, and allow to cool.

Add the olive oil, diced onion, and garlic to a large stock pot and sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent.

Remove the skins from the chiles and the husks from the tomatillos. Roughly chop the roasted chiles, tomatillos, and sweet potatoes. Add them to pot with the onions and garlic.

Add the broth, fresh herbs, salt, vinegar, and lime juice to the pot, and bring the mixture to a boil. When it begins to boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for five minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and using an emersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth.

At this point, you actually have a pretty nice, spicy sweet potato soup!

Allow the sauce to cool and strain through a fine-mesh sieve.

Eat with a chip, or save for Wednesday’s enchiladas recipe!

Enchiladas Rojas

Red Cheese Enchiladas Recipe

Continuing with my enchiladas theme this month, I am now presenting my recipe for enchiladas rojas. This is a classic baked cheese enchilada recipe with a rich and delicious red chile sauce.

ENCHILADAS ROJAS RECIPE

2 cups of chile roja sauce (recipe available by clicking here)

18 corn tortillas

½ large sweet onion - diced

½ pound of blended Colby jack/ aged cheddar cheeses

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Pour ¼ cup of the chile sauce into a 9.5”X13.5”X3.5” (3 quart) casserole dish to coat the bottom.

Heat tortillas, four at a time, in the microwave for 14 seconds or until soft and pliable.

Not surprisingly, the enchilada assembly is identical to that of my green enchiladas recipe. Place a tortilla on a cutting board; add a tablespoon of onion, a tablespoon of cheese and roll the tortilla with filling into a tube.

This picture also features a roasted red bell pepper as filling; feel free to mix it up!

Place the rolled enchilada in the pan, repeat until the pan is full.

Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the cheese has melted and started to caramelize. If you think that your cheese is melting too soon, you can tent the casserole with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning.

Eat with rice and beans and guacamole!

Enchilada Sauce

Chile Roja Sauce Recipe

Red chile sauce is delicious for dipping chips, smothering burritos, or cooked in cheese enchiladas. Although, to me, it is not as day-to-day tasty as salsa verde, homemade red chile sauce is still an excellent condiment to add rich depth of flavor to your Mexican and Tex-mex dishes.

ENCHILADA SAUCE RECIPE

10 dried red chile pods

¼ cup fresh cilantro, oregano, or basil

2 large cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of lime juice

2 tablespoons of orange juice

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of black pepper

Special Equipment: Food processor or blender

METHOD

Remove the stems and seeds from the chile pods and toast them in a large sauté pan over medium heat until fragrant.

While the chiles are toasting, bring three cups of water to a boil.

When the chiles have toasted, transfer them to a bowl, pour the boiling water over them and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the chiles to steep for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the fresh herbs, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor.

When the chiles have steeped for 30 minutes, place them in the food processor and reserve two cups of the steeping liquid.

Process the ingredients until smooth, slowly adding the reserved chile liquid a little at a time.

Strain the mixture into another container through a fine-mesh sieve.

Eat with a chip!

Come back Wednesday for my enchiladas rojas recipe!

Enchiladas Verdes

Green Enchiladas with Sweet Potatoes Recipe

I have a bit of an addiction to enchiladas! There is something about the combination of a savory salsa, melty cheese, and chewy tortilla that I find irresistible. I typically make a casserole, or baked, style of enchilada because they can be prepared ahead and they are just so delicious. Like a Mexican lasagna!

I began making them fairly regularly after moving to Texas, where I’ve found that while tasty, there are few vegetarian enchilada options at the restaurants (even the cheese enchiladas are covered in a meat gravy). Now, I’m not opposed to meaty enchiladas, but I don’t want to eat them all the time. Luckily, I’ve developed some really outstanding enchilada recipes that will appeal to both vegetarian and omnivore alike! Let’s start with my green enchilada with sweet potato recipe.

Enchiladas Verdes Recipe

2 cups of Salsa Verde (recipe available HERE)

½ sweet onion – diced

1 large sweet potato

½ lb sharp, aged cheddar cheese (like English coastal)

½ lb Colby jack cheese

18 corn tortillas

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Method

Dice the sweet potato into ¼ inch cubes and blanch in boiling water for 4 minutes. Strain and allow to dry.

When the sweet potatoes have dried, preheat a large sauté pan on your stovetop on high. Add the olive oil to the pan, toss the sweet potato cubes in the pan and sauté until evenly caramelized on the edges.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Shred the cheddar and jack cheeses.

Pour ¼ cup of the salsa verde into a 9.5”X13.5”X3.5” (3 quart) casserole dish to coat the bottom.

Heat tortillas, 4 at a time, in the microwave for 14 seconds or until soft and pliable.

Place a tortilla on a cutting board; add a tablespoon of onion, a tablespoon of sweet potato, and a tablespoon of cheese.

Roll the tortilla with filling into a tube.

Place the rolled enchilada in the pan, repeat until the pan is full. Pour the remaining filling over the enchiladas, and top with leftover cheese and any remaining filling.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the cheese has melted and started to caramelize. If you think that your cheese is melting too soon, you can tent the casserole with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning.

Enjoy!

Leftover enchiladas make for a great egg-on breakfast!