The whole enchilada

Are we tired of my ceaseless punny post titles? I can't seem to get enough of 'em.

Tonight I was busy in the kitchen. I can never do one thing at a time, in the kitchen. I'm always making dinner and. Dinner and muffins. Dinner and homemade bread. Dinner and the main course of our Thanksgiving meal, which will keep in the freezer until next week. Suffice to day, it ain't turkey.

This evening, I made enchiladas. We have lots of tomatoes in the basement, and lots of peppers in the freezer, and lately sour cream and pepper jack have been household staples, so this wasn't hard to pull together. And about the slaw: Patrick and I have been eating more coleslaw than is healthy these last few weeks. In truth, I've been planning our weekly menus around coleslaw, around the need to eat the pile of cabbages that are really not keeping as well as I'd hoped they would keep in our basement. Every week I unearth a ghoulish, grayish orb, hack off the bad parts with a chef knife, and turn the remainder into an enormous bowl of cole slaw. Romantic, yes? Ok, well, home food storage does have its grim underbelly. But it's kind of fun, and definitely convenient, to rummage around in the basement for our daily dinner fixins. Nothing like a root cellar to make you feel like a true independent thinker, no sir.

Enchiladas

Sauce:
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 15-oz can stewed tomatoes (or one pint jar crushed canned tomatoes, from my basement!)
2 chipotles in adobo sauce

Filling:
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped poblano, banana, or red bell peppers
4 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

12 6-inch round corn tortillas
1/2 cup pepper jack, grated

First, make the sauce: saute the onion and garlic in the oil until soft, add remaining ingredients and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup water, and puree in a blender or food processor. Set aside. Make the filling: saute the onion, garlic, and peppers until translucent, add the beans, cilantro, and cream cheese, and heat through. Remove the tortillas from their plastic bag, and wrap in a damp paper towel. Microwave for one minute. (This will make them pliable.)

Preheat oven to 375. Pour one cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Stuff each tortilla with about 1/4 cup of the filling, and roll loosely. Lay the finished enchiladas in the bottom of the dish, and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted.

Mexican Cumin-Lime Coleslaw

4 cups cabbage, shredded
1 1/2 cups carrot, shredded
1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced

Dressing:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp grated lime zest
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin

Toss all the veggies together in a bowl. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small jar, shake until mixed, and pour over the veggies. This makes a tasty sweet-tangy slaw with just a hint of spice.