What I LOVE about enchiladas, tacos, you know..all that gringo Mexican food is that you can throw whatever you have in the fridge and make something that tastes above decent and looks pretty damn impressive. I certainly did not throw in the contents of my fridge for this enchilada because I didn't want to mask flavors, but rather bring them front and center and make them feel cohesive. Some other great veggies that would bring this dish together include:
- mushrooms
- spinach (instead of chard)
- red onion (they get super sweet and yummy in the oven)
- yams or sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into small pieces
Notice how there are no beans? Between the sturdy and fibrous chard and heaviness of avocado, beans would have been overkill.
The flavors are just as bright as the colors, but nonetheless, this dinner is refreshing, light and easy to share. So don't be green with envy because of how delicious this looks, y'all can have the recipe and feel a little better about drinking that extra margarita on enchilada Tuesday! Go on girl (or boy!), you deserve it!
- 1 pack of corn tortillas
- 1 bunch of rainbow chard, rinsed well, leaves and stems chopped
- 1/2 white onion, sliced thinly
- 1/2 cup corn (fresh, canned or frozen are fine)
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 1/3 cup water or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced (roasted and then minced would be delish as well!)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1 1/2 cups of tomatillo salsa or your favorite salsa verde (I love the Trader Joe's salsa verde; use the whole bottle of that if you decide to use it for you sauce!)
- Olive oil
- Cooking spray
- Green onions, sliced (optional, as a garnish)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease casserole dish, I used a 9 X 9 inch dish; set aside.
2. Heat 2 Tbs. of olive oil on medium heat. Add you onions until they become soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Heat 2 Tbs. of olive oil on medium heat. Add you onions until they become soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Next, add your garlic and let it become fragrant, about 30 seconds, before adding your chopped chard.
4. Rainbow or swiss hard are pretty sturdy greens, so after cooking for about 3 minutes, add in a water or broth and cover. The chard will wilt and soften after another 4-5 minutes, covered.
5. Super simple, add in you salt, pepper and red chili flakes and corn, cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. My jalapeno was VERY spicy, so I only added 1/2 of it and I seeded it, but sometimes you get a pretty mild pepper and might want to add the whole thing, without seeds. I wanted to play it safe and not play Russian roulette with my pepper! Pop that pepper into a food processor and let it rip until it's finely minced. Add ricotta and blend again.
7. Rinse your food processor with warm water and soap before making your enchilada sauce.
8. In your cleaned food processors add salsa verde and 2 ripe, avocados. Blend well for about 30 seconds, it will be very creamy. Ripe avocados will make this creamy; 2 were plenty for my portion, but by all means use another avocado or one less if you want it less creamy. You won't miss the dairy, trust me!
9. To assemble enchiladas: wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and warm in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds; this will help prevent your tortillas from breaking when filling them. Take a tortilla, spread some ricotta cheese, add in about 2 tsp. of the vegetable filling and roll them on the counter top or plate. Place in your baking dish, seam side down.
10. Continue filling and rolling tortillas until your dish is filled or you run out of tortillas!
11. Slather the enchilada sauce with a spoon, making sure to coat all the edges of tortilla with sauce; would hate to have a dry enchilada!
12. Bake in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes, uncovered, and serve immediately! This recipe feeds about 6 people, two enchiladas each.
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