Healthy Enchiladas? Well, vegetarian anyway.

[madbaker]

This week's Resolution Recipe: Chard Enchiladas.

2 Tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
2 (hah!) garlic cloves, chopped (I used half a head)
1 bunch chard, chopped - about 4 cups
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp flour
6 corn tortillas (I used 11)
1/2 cup cheese, grated
1/2 cup salsa (I used about 2 cups total)

Heat oven to 375. Heat oil, saute garlic and onion until golden. Add chard in small amounts and cook down, stirring to prevent scorching. Separately, bring the milk to a low boil in a small saucepan and simultaneously melt the butter in a skillet; whisk the flour into the butter and cook for a minute or two, then whisk the mixture into the milk to make a bechamel. Mix the bechamel into the cooked greens. Fill tortillas along with a pinch of cheese, roll up, and place in a lightly oiled baking dish. Pour salsa over along with any remaining cheese and bake for 25 minutes.

What worked: It was surprisingly tasty. I used tomatillo salsa (and covered the bottom of the baking dish with a thin layer of it first) which I think combined better due to its higher acidity. The tortillas were a mixture of green/yellow (corn and cactus) and blue corn, so visually it was quite striking.

What didn't: They fell apart when removing from the baking dish, although that's pretty standard. Flour tortillas would have rolled better, but I prefer corn.

Will I make it again? Probably, yes.

Comments

[zoccolaro.livejournal.com]

I am making these this week =)

[lyahdan.livejournal.com]

Adding this to my list of ways to use up chard since the garden is about to bury me in it. :)

[albionwood.livejournal.com]

Thanks, always looking for new ways to use chard - same problem as lyahdan but it's year-round for me...

About the garlic...

[albionwood.livejournal.com]

Do you actually "saute' till golden" like all the recipes say, as the first step? I find that always results in overcooked garlic with less flavour, so I now tend to either (a) add garlic to the hot oil/fat and cook briefly, just enough to infuse the flavor into the oil but not long enough to actually cook the garlic; or (b) add the garlic near the end of cooking.

I've never understood the instructions to cook garlic until golden, and then cook everything else - as if the garlic will stop cooking while everything else cooks - even Chinese stir-fry recipes contain this instruction. (But then, they also tell you to add ginger way too early, too. And the advice to rub a hot wok with freshly-cut ginger before cooking fish, to prevent sticking? That was put in by sociopaths having a joke at our expense.)