Vegetable Enchiladas

2 T. olive oil, plus more for baking dishes
2 t. ground cumin
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can vegetable broth
salt and pepper

3 cups grated pepper jack cheese
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 box (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 box (10 oz.) frozen corn kernals, thawed
6 scallions, thinly sliced
corn or flour tortillas

1. Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add 1 t. cumin, flour and tomato paste; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Make filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, beans, spinach, corn, scallion whites and remaining 1 t. cumin. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat oven to 400. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish. Set aside. Stack tortillas and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute. Or stack and wrap in aluminum foil and heat in oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Top each tortillas with a heaping 1/3 cups of filling, roll up tightly and arrange, seam side down in prepared baking dish.

4. Dividing evenly, sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 1 cup cheese, and top with sauce. Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, serve garnished with scallion greens.

To Freeze: Prepare enchiladas through step 3; top with cheese, and cover baking dishes with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place sauce in anairtight container. Freeze enchiladas and sauce for up to 2 months.

To Bake from Frozen: Thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight (or microwave on high 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through.) Preheat oven to 400. Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dish, and pour sauce over enchiladas; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes, remove foil and bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Kalua Pork Tacos with Mango Salsa and Lime Sour Cream

Kalua Pork

3-4 pounds pork roast
1-2 tablespoons Hawaiian salt or Kosher salt
1/4 c. liquid smoke
1 c. cup water (you can also use beef or chicken broth)
4 washed ti leaves (if ti leaves aren't available or you don't know what they are, no worries-- it is still great without them. They just add a cool local Hawaiian element to the dish. You can also subsitute a banana peel, and I promise it won’t taste like bananas!)

Line bottom of crock pot with 2 ti leaves (if you have them). Rub pork generously with salt, pour on liquid smoke then place on ti leaves (or in the crock pot). Add water. Fit remaining ti leaves (again, if you have them) around outer edge of crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Garnish with chopped green onion or cilantro.

Serve with warm corn tortillas, cheddar cheese, mango salsa (from costco) and lime sour cream (add juice and zest of one lime to a container of sour cream). You can add lettuce too if you prefer.

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

 1/3 cup honey 

 ½ to 1 tablespoon chili powder 

 1/4 cup lime juice 

 ½ teaspoon garlic powder 

 1 pound shredded, cooked chicken 

 1 ½ cans (about 15 oz) cups green enchilada sauce, divided 

 2 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided 

 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas 

 3/4 cup fat free half-and-half 

DIRECTIONS

1. 1. Whisk together the honey, chili powder, lime juice, and garlic powder in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add the shredded cooked chicken and toss to evenly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least a half hour. Remove the shredded chicken from the marinade, and shake off excess. 
2. 2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish, and spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce over the bottom. 
3. 3. Combine marinated shredded chicken with 1 1/2 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese in a bowl. Mix lightly. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken-cheese mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll tortillas and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. 
4. 4. In a bowl, whisk together remaining enchilada sauce and fat-free half-and-half. Pour sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle top with 1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese. 
5. 5. Bake in preheated oven (350) until the cheese has melted and the top is brown, about 30 minutes

cup of shredded Cheddar cheese. 

Bake in preheated oven (350) until the cheese has melted and the top is brown, about 30 minutes