Cinco de Mayo: veggie enchiladas and tres leches cake

Trent is in the final stretch of getting his MFA. He’ll be finished mid June and I can’t believe how quickly it is approaching. In many ways these two years have gone by so quickly, but at the same time have dragged slowly on. He just had a month break for Easter and is now back in the thick of it. I know there will be many late nights ahead of us in this sprint to the finish.

Little G turns two next week! My mind is completely blown. Right now he’s supposed to be asleep. We didn’t make it outside today, as we usually do. It was crazy windy and I had no desire to go out. Because of this, I don’t think he got worn out enough. So he’s standing in his crib saying “Mommy, Daddy.” It’s almost 9:00 pm. It’s late. It’s been a long day. We need out outside time. Yes, we do.

I wish I could say this was a complete recipe. The truth is, it is something I’ve made multiple times and every time, it’s a little different. I just throw together what I have on hand. So take the recipe for the enchiladas as a guide.

The sauce for the enchiladas is from Gimme Some Oven. I’ve made it several times now and it’s a fantastic homemade red enchilada sauce recipe. It’s super easy to make, tastes amazing and has got to be a thousand times cheaper than buying some. I’ve even made some and frozen it and it freezes just fine. I have found it’s a little too spicy for our family, so I’ve toned it down. Start with the amount of chilli powder I have and add more to taste.

The enchiladas have a evolved from several recipes. And the tres leches cake I keep mostly the same. I found it over at the food network. It’s this recipe.

For the sauce:

2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil 

2 Tbsp. all-purpose or gluten-free flour 

2 Tbsp. chili powder (*not cayenne!) 

1/2 tsp. garlic powder 

1/2 tsp. salt 

1/4 tsp. cumin 

1/4 tsp. oregano 

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Process:

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and stir together over the heat for one minute. Stir in the remaining seasonings (chili powder through oregano). Then gradually add in the stock, whisking constantly to remove lumps. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until thick. 

 Use immediately or refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.

Enchiladas: Use this more as a guide. Adjust ingredients and amounts to your liking.

4 Tbs vegetable oil, divided

about 3 cups cooked black beans, divided

about 1 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

about 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 red onion, diced

3 cups shredded cheese, divided

about 10 small tortillas

Process:

Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease a 9x13 oven dish.

Heat 2 Tbs of oil in a pan over medium high head. Add the sweet potato. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the onion. Cook until soft.

In a blender combine 1 cup of black beans, the red enchilada sauce and the sour cream. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine remaining black beans, corn, the cooked sweet potato and red onion, 2 cups of cheese and about half of the sauce. 

Heat the remaining 2 Tbs of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook the tortillas, flipping half way. Fill with about 1/4 cup of the filling. Roll up and place end side down in the greased pan. Top with the remaining sauce and cheese. Cover with foil and place in oven for 20 minutes, uncover and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Enjoy!

Tres Leches Cake:

Nonstick cooking spray, for the cake pan 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the cake pan 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

4 large eggs, separated 

1 1/2 cups sugar 

1/2 cup whole milk 

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk 

2 cups heavy cream, divided 

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon powdered sugar 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

Process:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray and flour a 10-inch cake pan with 2-inch high sides and then line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper. 

 Mix the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside. 

 In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until frothy. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Beat in the yolks, 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the whole milk in 2 additions.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes (every time I’ve made this it has needed about 50 minutes, but check at 30). 

Cool the cake slightly, about 10 minutes, then invert onto a platter with 1-inch high sides.  Pierce the top of the cake all over with a thick skewer. Mix the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, 1 cup heavy cream and vanilla in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture over the cake while warm. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours or overnight. 

Combine the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream onto top of the cake and sprinkle with the ground cinnamon.