Vegetable enchilada pies made a terrific dinner on a special occasion

Talk about a great meal! I’ve already mentioned how Hubby and I dined in for Valentine’s night and avoided the packed restaurants (and ideally, the flu bug). We decided to partner to prepare our own meal. This was the delightful main course.

We really enjoyed these pies with the accompanying homemade enchilada sauce (sauce made twice as much as we needed, so we froze the remainder for another use).

I’ll be quick to state that we did eliminate the dried hibiscus flowers, which the recipe listed as optional. Didn’t have them on hand, although the recipe says they can be quickly obtained at Hispanic markets. The black beans plus the chopped vegetables made the enchilada pies very substantial; the beans gave the enchiladas a meaty texture.

This was a terrific entrée that actually assembled into more than the four pies projected. We had leftovers for several days; the food item only got better as the time went by.

Vegetarian Enchilada Pies

1 (2-ounce) package dried hibiscus flowers, picked through (this ingredient is optional)

1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion

1 1/2 cups chopped bell pepper

1 1/2 cups chopped zucchini

1/4 cup olive oil

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained, rinsed, and mashed

1 tablespoon sugar (or sugar substitute)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup vegetable broth

12 (6-inch) fajita-size corn tortillas

1 1/4 cups (5-ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Enchilada Sauce (recipe below)

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco

toppings: sour cream, chopped red onion, fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring flowers and 2 cups water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove pan from heat; cover and let stand 5 to 8 minutes or until flowers are plump. Drain flowers and coarsely chop. Sauté flowers, onion, and next 2 ingredients in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in beans and next 4 ingredients; cook, stirring often, 2 minutes. Pour broth into a shallow dish. Dip 4 tortillas, 1 at a time, in broth. Place tortillas 1-inch apart on a foil-lined 15-inch-by-10-inch jelly-roll pan. Divide half of hibiscus mixture among tortillas; top each with about 2 tablespoons Monterey Jack cheese and 1/4 cup warm Enchilada Sauce. Repeat  layers once. Top each stack with a tortilla. Spoon 1/4 cup Enchilada Sauce over each stack. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with queso fresco and remaining Monterey Jack cheese. Serve with Enchilada Sauce and toppings. 

Enchilada Sauce

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup chili powder (yes, this is correct—1/4 cup)

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup minced onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce (I used salt-free)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/4 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Cook first 2 ingredients in hot oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir often, 2 minutes. Stir in onion; cook, stirring often, 3 minutes, or until tender. Add garlic; cook, stirring often, 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients and 3 cups water. Cook, stirring often, 15 minutes or until thickened.

Recipe makes 4 servings. (Source: Southern Living, January 2013)