I love Mexican food. Always have, and likely always will. I’m not much for seriously spicy Mexican, but anything with a little kick or a little bite is tops in my book. Plus, for vegetarians, Mexican cuisine offers a wide variety of choices, and with the substitution of vegetables for meat and cheese, even some options for vegans (seeing as how I lovelovelove cheese, however, that’s not an acceptable option in my kitchen!).
For as much as I love Mexican, though, I had never made enchiladas before tonight. Tacos, burritos, all manner of homemade salsas, even chile relleno (one unbelievably bad decision a few years ago, let me assure you, as it turned out to be quite nasty), but never enchiladas.
But as I discovered tonight, enchiladas are so easy to make that I’m somewhat embarrassed to never have given it a shot before. My version of enchiladas leaves out the meat (natch) but amps up the flavor with (vegetarian) refried beans and some nice spicy accents (side note: I would caution vegetarians to make sure that the beans they purchase are actually labeled as vegetarian; if you check the label, other types/brands use meat as “flavor enhancement”). I also decided not to use the traditional enchilada sauce, as I’ve never been a fan; instead, I used a good, chunky garden salsa, which really added a tasty touch.
This recipe makes enough to serve six. Well, four in my case … the roommate and I polished off three each (and actually, now that I go back and count, though I planned for 12, I only had room for 11 tortillas in my pan …).
Ingredients:
12 corn tortillas
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 can vegetarian refried beans (I used Rosarita Vegetarian Refried Beans … quite tasty)
2 cups mild prepared salsa (I used Green Mountain Gringo Mild, which can be found in the organic section of your local supermarket)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small skillet, toast tortillas until warm and the edges begin to get crispy. Set aside.
Mix refried beans, cumin, garlic, and chili powder in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and heat on high 3 minutes.
Line a baking dish with aluminum foil (trust me, you do not want to have to scrub this pan after baking) and cover the bottom of the pan with the salsa.
On one side of each tortilla, spread the bean mixture down the length of the tortilla. Top with shredded cheese (to taste … I free-measured a pinch on each). Roll tortillas and place, seam side down, side by side in the baking dish.
Cover the tortillas with the remaining cheese. Place on lowest rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let cool for five minutes before serving.

Don’t those look scrumptious???
While the roommate covered her enchiladas with more salsa …

… I, flouting calories, chose to cover mine with a Mexican blend queso dip:

Even though the dip was quite good, next time, I definitely won’t use as much cheese as I did here. Despite that overdose of cheesy goodness on my part, the enchiladas came out very tasty, with just enough kick to really wake you up. I will also use fresh, sauteed garlic, and perhaps some fresh onion, next time I make this.
Overall, a real winner, and one I will return to again and again!