These enchiladas are oh so good. There is nothing I enjoy more than being in New Mexico in early fall. The vendors are roasting chilies everywhere. The smell is of culture, the hint of fall, crisp fresh air and comfort food. Living in the southwest I have been able to enjoy the best of the best Mexican food. My friend Chef J.R. and an old New Mexican friend taught me how to make Red Chili Sauce from scratch.
Today I share with you a recipe I developed based on my love of New Mexico and the food. This recipe makes a 9 X 13 casserole dish. You can also roll these enchiladas but layering is quick and easy.
**At the end of this recipe I will show you how to substitute ingredients and give you helpful hints and information!
Ingredients:
1 cup dried red chili powder (made from Red Chilies)
1 lb ground beef
1 1/2-2 cups vegetable stock
1 medium purple onion finely chopped
1 pack mushrooms of your choice finely chopped
1 16 oz can Butternut squash puree
2 Tbls minced garlic
2 Tbls Cumin
1 Tbls Mexican Oregano
Pink Himalayan Pink salt or Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbls butter
2 Tbls avocado oil
1 Tbls Agave nectar
3 cups grated cheese of your choice (I use Jack and cheddar)
1 1/2 packages Cassava flour tortillas
Green onions and fresh cilantro finely chopped for garnish
Directions:
Brown hamburger meat until the color is between brown and black. season with S&P.
Remove the meat and add the butter and avocado oil. Scraping the bottom of the pan, saute the onions and mushrooms, when almost done add the garlic, cook for 2 minutes or so and add the Cumin and Oregano. Then add the chili powder (ground red chilies) add 1 1/2 cup vegetable stock, Agave nectar and the can of squash puree. Add back in the meat and slow cook for about 30 minutes or until the sauce turns a deep color-almost brown. Taste test the sauce for as you might prefer more salt.
While the sauce in cooking heat to high temperature a large cast iron skillet. Take the cassava tortillas and cook on each side- about 20-30 seconds per side until slightly toasted. (These tortillas are gluten free and raw)
Once you have all the tortillas cooked heat the oven to 375*. Layer the dish. Cover the bottom of the dish with a little sauce so the casserole won't burn or stick. Then layer tortillas, sauce and cheese 3 times.
Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and add some more cheese and bake uncovered for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped green onions and cilantro.
Serve with Cilantro lime rice and a side salad.
Substitutes:
Red Chili powder can be substituted with a frozen red chili sauce. You can find it at most grocery stores as seen in the picture of some of the ingredients. Bueno brand is really good.
Cassava tortillas are made from Cassava flour. It is higher in carbs than some of the other tortillas but gluten free. Spelt flour tortillas are not gluten free but are very low in gluten. Both hold up well in the casserole. Corn tortillas are lower in carbs than wheat flour tortillas but if corn or wheat gluten bother your allergies or gut then Spelt or cassava is the way to go!
Beef hamburger meat can be substituted with a ground meatless product made from something like a mushroom. It comes in a ground meat option. The brand I use is Quorn. It IS NOT a "Beyond Meat" product. Of course you could use ground bison, chicken or turkey.
Fun Facts:
I add the squash puree to increase the nutritional value and it thickens the sauce with no squash taste. Butternut squash is full of all kinds of vitamins and minerals.
The mushrooms also increase nutrition. They are a good source of Selenium (great for brain fog and fighting viruses. They are also a good source of Vit C and high in fiber.
Purple onion is the better choice because it fights bacteria, viruses and fungus.
Enjoy!!
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