Enchilada Lovah

Last night I made perhaps the most delicious enchiladas of my life. I was cooking at 8pm just so we would have something to take to work today so, of course, I didn't snap any pics. But that doesn't mean I can't tell you all about it so you can pick up groceries on the way home and make these tonight!

Veggie Enchiladas with Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients

• 6 whole wheat tortillas
• Cilantro pesto (recipe below)
• 1/2 carton of sliced mushrooms
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup red salsa of your choice
• salt and pepper, to taste 
• salsa verde of your choice
• shredded cheese (I used the 4-cheese Mexican blend)

Method

1. Heat your oven to 350.
2. Pour a small amount of salsa verde into a 9x13" baking dish, just enough to thinly coat the bottom of the dish.
3. Mix mushrooms, kidney beans, corn and red salsa in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread about 1T cilantro pesto down the center of a tortilla. Top with a spoonful of the mushroom mixture.
5. Roll tortilla and place seam-side down in the baking dish.
6. Repeat with 5 more tortillas.
7. Pour salsa verde over the top, enough to coat all of the exposed tortillas (this is so you don't get any dried out tortilla corners - I hate that!). Top with cheese and bake for about 25 minutes, until the cheese begins to bubble and brown.

I've made these before, based loosely off Caitlin's recipe, but the addition of the cilantro pesto really put these over the top. I made it last week when I had a surplus of cilantro from our CSA box and didn't want it to go to waste. It couldn't be easier.

Cilantro Pesto
from AllRecipes

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch cilantro
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1T white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2t cayenne pepper (I forgot this!)
• 1/2 cup walnuts or almonds
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Method:

1. Blend cilantro, garlic, vinegar, Parmesan, cayenne, nuts, and salt in a food processor or blender. Stream in 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add more until the pesto reaches your desired consistency (I used about 1/3 cup).

Even without the cayenne, this stuff is super-tasty. I'm glad I thought to use it in the enchiladas - it gives them a nice fresh burst of flavor with all the beans and veggies. It would also be delicious mixed with rice or on top of pasta instead of a traditional pesto. Oooh, or in a quesadilla! I have a feeling this stuff won't last long...