Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Paola's Famous Enchiladas


Hello, it's been a while. Did we think we'd forgotten about you?

Because we did. Our apologies. We've been busy.

Paola was accepted into Portland State's graduate program for urban planning, while Kelly has been working as an intern for a San Francisco supervisor. Between working 2+ jobs and/or planning for a new life in a different state, it's been hectic.

Don't worry! We're still cooking.

Recently we took a breather in the beautiful town of Santa Cruz. A day away from the city, basking in the sun (no fog?) on a riverbank. Loafing around town, drinking fresh kombucha and being hauled around by a large dog. This is the life.


We demanded Paola's delicious enchiladas for supper. Earlier in the month she had served us enchiladas stuffed with onion, mushrooms, carrots, and poblano pepper, topped with salsa verde and cilantro. They disappeared quickly.

Unfortunately, poblano peppers are hard to find while on "vacation".  We had to improvise.

After much debate, Paola decided on using kidney beans. And no one questioned it.

We stuffed ourselves with homemade guacamole while Paola prepared the enchiladas. We were so hungry, no one cared to take photographic evidence of the goodness we were consuming.

But Kelly decided to share the recipe to those who were not fortunate enough to witness the construction of these delicious enchiladas. Feel free to riff on ingredients, it's all about the quality of ingredients and preparation.

Paola's Famous Enchiladas

9x13 glass baking dish

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
10 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper, to taste

2 jars salsa verde (we used Trader Joe's variety)
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
handful of cilantro, chopped

2 packs good quality tortillas


Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sauteé onion and garlic in olive oil in a pan over medium heat, 5 min. Add mushrooms, sauteé another 10 minutes, until mushrooms have released their juices. Add jalapeños, stirring occasionally.
Add in kidney beans, stir to combine and let heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste, lower heat.

Combine salsa verde, jalapeño, and garlic in small pot over medium low heat. Stir occasionally, add cilantro when warmed through.

Microwave tortillas for a few seconds (or warm over gas stove). Scoop portion of bean mix into tortilla, wrap and place in baking dish. Repeat until bean mix/tortillas are gone. Top with salsa verde sauce.

Garnish with sliced onion and jalapeño, if desired.

Bake for 5-10 min, until enchiladas are warmed through.