Avocado Enchiladas with Cilantro Lime Rice

The Avocado Enchiladas came from the September 2008 issue of Fitness Magazine (pg 132) and the Cilantro Lime Rice came from Everyday Food by Martha Stewart (2008)

Avocado Enchiladas

Enchilada Sauce

1tsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 TBS sugar
4 TBSP ground cumin
3 TBSP dried oregano
1-1 1/2 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup of vegetable broth
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

The original recipe called for beer. I tried to find a substitute but ended up adding the following ingredients to taste

Chilli seasoning packet
Onion powder
more balsamic vinegar

Avocado Filling

8 ripe avocados
1 cup cilantro leaves
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 red onion
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced
Juice of 1-2 limes
corn tortillas
cheese (Monterey or Pepper Jack)

Saute onions and add garlic, cumin, sugar and oregano. Add tomatoes and broth, simmer for 20 minutes. Add the vinegar.

Chop the avocados and toss with cilantro and the rest of the ingredients.

Spread1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom of the casserole pan. Dip the tortillas in the sauce, add the avocado filling, roll and place in the pan, seam side down. Pour sauce over and cover.

The original recipe added the cheese at the beginning of baking but I like to add it towards the end.

Ovens vary but bake for about 25 min at 400 F



Cilantro Lime Rice

This recipe is simple, easy and is so much more flavorful than what they have at Chipotle!!
What I do like about Chipotle's rice is that the grains don't stick together. To get that effect I used parboiled rice. No extra effort necessary. Boil according to directions and voila - perfectly separated grains of rice.

1 cup long grain white rice (parboiled)
coarse salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 TBSP olive oil
2TBSP fresh squeezed lime juice
1 garlic clove

Boil the rice according to package directions.

In a blender combine cilantro, lime juice, oil, garlic and 2 TBSP of water and blend until smooth. Stir into cooked rice and fluff with fork.

Enjoy!!