Clean Tomato Enchilada Sauce and Quinoa Enchilada Bake

I am a huge fan of Mexican food.  Nothing too spicy, but maybe with a little bit of a kick.  In the past, I always just bought enchilada sauce.  Not a bad idea if, like with everything, you're label conscious.  However, in my effort to become a little more clean, I decided to attempt to make my own enchilada sauce.  This way, I could make a huge batch and freeze it!  Always up for anything, my partner in crime, fitness, and food, Rachel, suggested we make not only enchilada sauce, but Quinoa Enchilada Bake as well!  Two-Recipe Tasty Tuesday!

Clean Tomato Enchilada Sauce

Prep time:  5 min
Cook time:  15 min
Total time:  20 min
Yield:  4 cups

Ingredients:
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 (28 oz can) organic crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
1 cup water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


Instructions:
Heat coconut oil in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk in flour until well combined, about one minute.  Stir in remaining ingredients, including the salt and pepper to taste.  Bring mixture to a boil and then lower to a simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and using some kind of blending device (we used an immersion blender), blend mixture until smooth.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to six months.










Quinoa Enchilada Bake

While we were making the enchilada sauce, we were also prepping the quinoa for our casserole!  If you've never made quinoa before, it's a lot like rice.  I usually just follow the instructions on the package (Rachel, however, prefers a 1:1 ratio.  More on that in another post!).  The only difference is that we toasted ours before we added the water to cook it.  Once the quinoa and enchilada sauce were cooked, we followed the following recipe:

Prep time:  10 min
Cook time:  15 min
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa (that's 1 cup dry quinoa... after it's cooked it becomes 2 cups!)
10 oz clean tomato enchilada sauce
3 chopped green chiles
1 jalapano, diced (seeds included or removed based on how spicy you want it)
1/2 cup of organic frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup organic canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (OPTIONAL)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 avocado, seeded, peeled, and diced
1 tomato, diced

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly oil an 8x8 baking dish.  We like olive or coconut oil.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, enchilada sauce, chiles, corn, beans, and spices.  Stir in 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and a 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese.

Once well combined, spread the mixture evenly into the baking dish.  Top with the remaining cheeses.  Bake until cheese has melted and bubbled a bit, about 15 minutes.

Top with avocado and tomato.  Serve immediately.


**We did not try this, but this recipe would be delicious if we had added a cup of Mexican shredded chicken!  If you do that, increase the amount of enchilada sauce to 16 oz (2 cups).**