Leftovers

The other day we did some heavier shopping than normal at the cheap (and far away) grocery store. Normally my shopping is just what I feel up to carrying down the block, but we came home with several bags of fresh vegetables only find we had no room in the fridge.

I spent an hour going through moldy tupperwares and forgotten ends of cheese and came to the conclusion that I have to get better at using up my leftovers.

So the next day I took the few things that passed the no-fuzz test. Some enchilada sauce, the last of my pile of tortillas, some black beans I'd cooked with a little onion and some of my chipotle in adobo, the other half of my acorn squash and some steamed kale (though the chard filling from last post would have been delicious here, the few leftovers were devoured as lunch the following day). I added cheese (so I use it up before I forget it) and ended up with a very satisfying, easy enchilada casserole.

Enchilada Casserole (Made Entirely Out of Non-Fuzzy Leftovers)

Spread about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce* over the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Break two tortillas and cover as much of the bottom as you can. Sprinkle with half the beans, half the kale (I added a bit of garlic and chili powder to mine), half the squash (sliced and peeled) and a handful of grated monterey jack cheese. Break another two tortillas and follow with the other half of the beans, kale and squash, along with another handful of cheese. Break another two tortillas on top of that and pour on the rest of your sauce. Then sprinkle with a little more cheese and put it in a 350 degree oven until its hot, bubbly and the tortillas are a bit squishy (that's how I like them at least). It should be about 15 minutes.

You can freshen everything up by adding some lime juice and/or fresh cilantro after it comes out of the oven. Sour cream is always nice as well.


*My enchilada sauce is just a 1/4 of an onion (diced fine) sauteed in a little oil. To that you add 3-4 crushed garlic cloves and 1/2 a seeded chipotle from a can of chipotles in adobo** and cook just until you can smell everything. Add a 15 oz can of tomato sauce, 1 cup water and a tablespoon of cocoa powder along with a teaspoon of the adobo sauce. Sometimes I add a little pinch of sugar and I'm sure I'd add cumin if I had any, but that should give you a nice jumping off point. You can add more heat from there, but it'll sneak up on you, so start slow.

** A note on the chipotles: Just because they are packed in sauce it does not mean you don't need to be careful while handling them. Wash your hands thoroughly after dealing with them and avoid touching your face until you're sure you are clean and pepper free.

I mention this because I made the mistake of scratching my ear after only rinsing off my hands. It'll start out as a gentle warming and get more and more intense until you just can't stand it.

Luckily (or unfortunately) I've done this on another occasion so I know that a cotton swab dipped in a little milk will kill the flame, but its seriously embarrassing to have to explain why you're making dinner with a q-tip in your ear...for a second time...so I suggest just being careful.