The Kitchen Diva's Vegetarian Bean and Cheese Mole Enchiladas
Gina Harlow began working as our Marketing and PR Director during Season Two of THE KITCHEN DIVA! show. She loves to cook and eat, and jumped at the chance to create a mole recipe for one of our shows. Mole can be used generically to describe several types of sauces used in Mexican cuisine, as well as for dishes based on these sauces. It's the national dish of Mexico and is made from dried ancho, pasilla, chipotle and mulato chile peppers, almonds or indigenous peanuts, chili powder, cumin and other spices. Unsweetened Mexican chocolate made from cacao ground with sugar and cinnamon and occasionally nuts is a major part of the ingredients in mole and adds a unique depth of flavor. Mole can also be purchased ready made in a paste or powder form, or in jars or cans, but home-made is best.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
3 tomatillos, peeled, washed and diced
4 ounces canned green chilies, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup vegetable broth
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup queso fresco or ricotta cheese
12 large whole wheat tortillas
Heat oven to 350 degrees
To prepare the Cheese Enchiladas:
In a large pan, cook the green onions, the garlic and the tomatillos in the oil until tender. Add the green chilies, the cilantro and the oregano. Continue cooking until the sauce comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes. Pour the sauce into a blender container. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth. Return to saucepan and stir in chicken broth. Cook over medium heat about 15 minutes.
Dip each tortilla into sauce. Spoon about 1-1/2 tablespoons black beans and 2 tablespoons of queso fresco, or ricotta cheese on to each tortilla. Roll tortilla around filling. Place seam side down in 13 x 9 baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas: sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until cheese is melted and filling is hot.
Copyright (c) by Angela Shelf Medearis. This recipe may not be re-printed or published without express permission of Angela Shelf Medearis.
