Vegetarian Enchiladas

Yes, vegetarian enchiladas.  Don't roll your eyes at me!  I made these last week and my family and a friend loved them.  They are not the typical all bean or all cheese variety.  They do have some beans, but I used butternut squash in them and - oh my - they were good.  I suppose they could even be vegan, I'm not sure they even needed the cheese and you could always use vegan cheese.
I used Trader Joe's half corn-half wheat tortillas.  You can use any kind you want, but, please, don't use those extra soft white things that are in the grocery store now.  What are they thinking?  They are nasty.  If you bake them, they will make your tortillas a gelatinous mess.

Trust me.

I don't know how they do it.

Use corn or half and half (corn/wheat).

But you don't want GMO corn.

You really don't.

Whole Foods or Trader Joe's is your best bet.

I'll get off my soap box now.

By the way, we got 4 new chicks.  I am weak.  They were at our local Agway just waiting for me to take them home.  They are 3 weeks old now.  They grow up so fast.  They are almost at the stage where they will be rolling their eyes and asking for the car keys.

They will have to wait in line.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon olive oil (again, not a typo)
1 4.5 ounce can of chopped chilies, don't drain
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoons cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric (I used fresh, it's lovely if you can find it)
2 cups rice, cooked
1 cup salsa
4 ounces (about 1 cup) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 cups enchilada sauce (I just used a large can)
16-24 small tortillas, corn or corn/wheat
More shredded cheese, if you want
sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the squash with the olive oil and seasoned salt.
Spread the squash mixture in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Roast 25 minutes, flipping the squash once, until it is firm/tender.  Set the squash aside and turn oven down to 350 degrees.

 Meanwhile, add the 1 teaspoon olive oil to a large frying pan or a large sauce pan.  Heat the oil and add the bell pepper, and garlic.  Sauté for a few minutes then add the beans, chili powder, cumin, turmeric and salsa.  Sauté for a few minutes, until the spices "bloom" and make your kitchen smell like all that is good in the world.

Add the rice, salsa, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce and the squash.
Remove from heat.

Okay, I didn't have any black beans, so I used kidney.  It still worked.

In a large glass baking dish (I used a 9x13 and a 9x9), spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce.

Lay out tortillas, add 2 large spoonfuls of the squash mixture to the center of each tortilla.  Sprinkle with a layer of cheese, then roll up.  Place seam side down in the baking dish, lining them up like very tasty little soldiers.  

I made 16 because I ran out of tortillas.  However, I had a bunch of filling left.  It was lovely later in taco salad and nachos.

Spread the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake these tasty tubes of happiness for 25-35 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 3-5 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, if you want.