If you want something easy to do, how about Haystacks. The guest can then make their own. This is great if you are having a couple of guests or alot of them.
In separate bowls have tortilla chips, refried beans, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, olives, sour cream, cheese, salsa. The guest then builds their own haystack from the ingredients.
This also works if you have vegetarian and meat eating people at the same party. You could then have a bowl of meat for those who would want it.
Note; make sure the bean are vegetarian, since most refried beans on the market contain lard in them.
deb
Hmmm…I’ve faked enchilada sauce by simmering some tomato sauce with a bit of olive oil, garlic, some cumin, oragano, salt, a bit of coriander and some cayenne pepper with some dried chilis and half an onion thrown in (and taken out at the end). But I’ve never made a real enchilada sauce and I’ve never made a green sauce (mmmmm). From what I gather green sauce involves lots of tomatillos and green chili peppers together with some spices and broth and garlic.
If you can get a good enchilda sauce recipe, another thing I do is layer sauce dipped tortillas lasagne-style with beans, rice, veggies, cheese, and whatever likely looking leftovers I have hanging around. It’s a great way to use up one of the fifty packs of corn tortillas after you’ve made real enchiladas.
Amother good way (but greasy) to use up leftover toritillas is to make a taco with refried beans, cheese, and onions, then fry them in a lot of oil while pressing them flat like a grilled cheese sandwhich. Add lettuce and tomatoes and then coat the whole thing in parmasagne cheese.
And then there are blue nachos. Get blue corn chips, and top them with jack cheese (and maybe some goat cheese if it’s handy), black beans coated with mexican style seasonings, onions, some thin but chunky fresh salsa, roasted garlic (I just throw whole cloves in the toaster oven for a while and they turn out great to use in recipe) and slices of fresh jalapeno. Cook for a while and then top it with big slices of avacado…
If you want something simple, you can make grilled cheese sandwhiches with brie, thin slices of green apple and onions browed in olive oil with a bit of brown sugar and vinigar.
Here’s a recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant. If you like sweet potatoes, it’s wonderful! It also has no cheese in it.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito
Ingredients
5 cups peeled cubed sweet potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons canola or other vegetable oil
3-1/2 cups diced onions
4 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon minced fresh green chile
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons ground coriander
4-1/2 cups cooked black beans (three 15-ounce cans, drained)
2/3 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
8 eight-inch flour tortillas
Fresh Tomato Salsa or jarred
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with the salt and water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, warm the oil in a medium skillet or saucepan and add the onions, garlic, and chile. Cover and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 7 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the black beans, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and cooked sweet potatoes and puree until smooth. (You can also mash the ingredients in a large bowl by hand using a potato masher. The result will be a less smooth but nicely textured filling.) Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a large mixing bowl and mix in the cooked onions and spices.
Lightly oil a large baking dish. Spoon about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of the filling in the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until piping hot. Serve topped with salsa.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings