FLOUR TORTILLAS

Mix dry ingredients
4 C. Flour (I usually do 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour)
1 tsp. Salt

Combine wet ingredients
1 1/2 C. Water
6 T. Olive Oil

Stir the fluid into the dry ingredients.  Kneed it together just enough to make the dough uniform and elastic.  Not more than 5 minutes.  Set aside and let the dough hydrate for at least 1 hour (not more than 24 hours in refrigerator). This step makes the dough easier to work with and makes a more pliable end product.

Divide the dough into about 1/4 c. sized dough balls.  Roll them out with a rolling pin with enough extra flour to prevent from them sticking.  You want to make them quite thin, about 2-3 mm thickness depending on your dough texture. One of my Mexican friends watched me struggle and he told me, “Don’t stretch the dough especially as you start rolling it out. Just press/roll it out”. That seems to help me not get so many “hearts”—otherwise know as weird shaped tortillas:) That said, until you get the hang of rolling them round, remember that funny shaped tortilla’s are very forgiving in enchiladas:)

Place the rolled dough on a hot non-oiled pan, griddle or preferably a hot wood stove top! I heat my griddle to 400 F. which is its maximum.  When you put the flattened dough on the pan it should begin making big bubbles fairly soon and the translucent color should be mostly gone when you flip it to brown the other side too. If you have it right, the translucent/wet look of the dough should be just gone as you reach the perfect brown on the bubbles on the second side. You just have to learn this by trial and error. Put the finished tortilla’s on a plate and keep a slightly damp towel over them at all times to keep them moist. You don’t want them to dry and and become hard.

ENCHILADA SAUCE

1/4 C. Olive Oil
6 T. Flour (Optional 1/4 C. Corn Starch)
1 T. Ground Chili Powder (Mild California Chile)
1 T. Cumin
1 t. Garlic Powder (can increase to 3/4 t.)
1 t. Onion Powder
1/2 t. Oregano
1/2 t. Basil (optional)
1/2 t. Salt
1/4 C. Tomato Paste (I usually just use the whole small can)
3 C. Vegetable Broth (Pacific)
1 C. Olive Juice if you have it, if not, use water or more vege broth.
2-4 t. Lemon Juice (depending on how tart your tomato paste is)

Combine all ingredients and boil until starch/flour thickens.
This makes one quart. I like to double the recipe. We like left overs:)

VEGGIE ENCHILADAS

I went a long before attempting enchiladas because I could not find Flour Tortillas or Enchilada Sauce without objectionable food additives. So when I make them, it is very time consuming. To help out with this, I make the following meal plan to spread out the work:

Day 1, Beans and Rice and Enchilada Sauce (lots of left overs)

Day 2,  Make Tortilla’s have vege burritos,

Day 3, Something easy like a baked potato and make some white sauce for it and maybe some cheesy sauce so there are left overs to make the Enchiladas.

Day 4 Assemble and bake the Enchiladas from all the leftovers.

Here is the recipe:

1 Quart of Enchilada Sauce (See Above Recipe)
8-10 Tortilla Shells (See Recipe Above)
1-2 Cans Refried Beans or smash several cups of well cooked Beans with some onion powder and salt
2 C. Kale or 4 C. Spinach- Lightly Steam for a minute or two
1 Raw Zucchini (6-8 inch long) Leave the skin on and cube
1 Can (4 oz) of mushroom of choice (optional)
1 Can mild green chili’s or Herdez Mild Green Salsa (optional)
White creamy dressing (Almondaise or Simple Mayonnaise)
Cheezy Sauce (optional)
Olives for garnish
Cilantro or Flat Parsley for garnish
Micro greens or shredded lettuce on top for garnish and health:)

Pour a layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of an 11.5 X 7 inch casserole dish. Lay out your tortilla shells on a table and layer lines of refried beans (about 1/3 c. per shell, more or less based on your preference) a bit of greens, 5-8 zucchini cubes per shell, and other veges of choice.

Pour a thin line of enchilada sauce and green chili salsa (optional) over the veggies, if you have the cheezy sauce put about a tablespoon in each tortilla and then roll up the tortilla, placing it in the casserole dish. After you tuck 8-10 tortilla’s (depending on how generous you are with your filling) along side each other in the pan, pour more enchilada sauce over the top. I like to pretty much “drown” the enchiladas to where it will run into the ends of the enchilada and prevent the edges from drying and burning when it bakes.

Loosely cover the pan with foil being careful not to touch the foil to the sauce during baking. If you have a glass covered baking pan all the better. Bake at 350 for about one hour. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to try and get some spots of browning- just for aesthetics:)

Garnish with Creamy White Sauce, olives, cilantro, micro-greens or whatever you have or like:)  Enjoy!

VEGGIE CUTLETS

Blend:

2 cups soaked beans (soy, navy, garbanzos etc.)

Note:  It is handy to soak 3-4 cups beans in a double the water for 12-24 hours, then drain and freeze for use whenever needed.

1-1/2 cups water (If you use canned garbanzos, use the liquid and add water to equal 1-1/2 cups total.)

1/4 cup juice from olives

4 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon onion powder

2 teaspoons sage

2 teaspoons ground celery seed

1 large clove garlic OR 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

Pour blended mixture into a bowl and add:

2 to 2-1/2 cups vital wheat gluten flour

Stir to mix.  Then knead for 2 minutes.  If it does not hold together in an elastic ball, knead in 1/4 to 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten flour.  Longer kneading makes a loaf that is more chewy and elastic, while less kneading is more spongy and bread-like.

Form two long oval-shaped loaves and prlace on a lightly oiled cookie sheet or use parchment paper. 

Bake 50 minutes at 350 degrees farenheit.  Cool on a rack. Slice into 1/4 inch slices.

Simmer the sliced cutlets in the following broth for 5 minutes.

4 cups water

1/2 cup juice from olives

2 tablespoons dark sesame seeds, groud

Remove from broth and tuck into the Bread Dressing and bake according to instructions.

Note: This is a versatile substitute for chicken or turkey.  It can be sliced, diced or shredded (to use as burger) in a food processor.  It keeps beautifully in the freezer, so making a double recipe saves time allowing for extra to be on hand for another time.

BREAD DRESSING

Simmer the following for 5 minutes:

2 cups water

1/4 cup juice from olives

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons ground sesame seed

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sage

2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning

1 teaspoon onion powder

Add and simmer until tender:

2 cups chopped celery

Toss in:

9 cups chopped bread cubes about the size of croutons

Add water if necessary until slightly moistened.

Spoon into a large flat baking dish with slices of veggie cutlets between the dressing.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 45 minutes.

Dressing Options:  You can add any of the following for variety, personal preference or depending on the rest of your menu:

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

1 cup mushroom slices

1 cup coarsley chopped pecans, cashews or your favorite nut

2-4 apples, chopped

1 cup raisins