RoastedEggplant &Poblano DeconstructedEnchiladaCazuelawithCreamySalsaRoja

I think wecanall agreethat Southof theBorder inspireddiningisalwaysadelicioustreat,no matter theseason

I'malwaysbeingaskedtomakemy homemadeall plant based,all organicEggplant andPoblano EnchiladaswithCreamy SalsaRoja(akaPicante Hot RedEnchiladasauce)soI thought,if my family lovesit that much,it might beafunrecipefor you totry out withyour family Thegreat thingabout Enchiladasishow forgivingthey canbe.Youcan switchupthelayersandtheheat based onwho's comingfor dinner

Youcanmakemild sauceif that'swhat youfancy, there'smediumheat for theinbetweenersor if you havehot n' spicy dinerscomingover,you'd definitely enjoy thepicanteblazinghot Rojasauce Nomatter whichheat level youchoose,enchiladas arealwaysawelcomemaincourse.

Youcanuseblack beansor pintobeansor even cannellini beansor ablend likeI did inthisrecipe becausewelovefeastingonall thebeautiful food colorsof therainbow

HavinggrownupinCaliforniaalmost all my life, we'vebeen extraspoiledwiththevariety of cuisinesfromall over theworldwithout havingto evenleavetownandyet,wefindourselvesalways fallingback onour MexiCali favoritesliketacos, burritos,tostadasandyes,enchiladas Why? Becausethey treat youright whenmadewith organicingredientsandloveandbecausethey're just THATgood! Whodoesn't lovegood Mexican food?!

Thelayersof roastedeggplant andpoblano pepperslendthemost amazingandexcitingflavor bombsof savory goodnessinevery bite This deconstructedversiongenerouslyservesafamily

The best part of all, while the Cazuela is baking in the oven, you get to enjoy more family time together.Win! Win! WIN! Here'satakeaway from thisrecipe from a health perspective and from someone who has done extensive research about foods, herbsandspicesdothebody good. I've often been told, believe it or of itsownwhichI call falsetruth becauseit simply can't beback by evidence Thetruthis,peppersare actually very healthy for youand thosehealthbenefitsarefound in capsaicin Capwhat?! Capsaicin I talk about thisingreater detail in my soontobereleasedCookbook, "TheGraves' DiseaseChef - How toMaster SimpletoGourmet FlavorsfromAroundtheWorld" continuedloveandsupport. Signedcopieswill only beavailable at select book signingssoif you want tosnagyours,signuptoday beforethelaunchandassoonas theCookbook isreleased,your copy will beshippedout toyou immediately

And,if youhaven't checked out thefree'Sneak Peek Preview' of not, by well intentioned friends and family that I ought to stay away from eating too much spicy foods because according to them, they've "heard" from a friend of a friend of a friend... that eating hot n' spicy peppers are bad for your gut, that "they cause ulcers" and eating all those hot peppers are dangerous Trust me, I've heard themall

I begtodiffer That thought processhasbecomeapopular myththat somehow took onalife

Asamatter of fact,I amsuper excitedtosharethat youcan finally Pre-Order your copy now by goingtogravesdiseaseChef com andbeoneof thefirst tosignupto receivealimitededitionpersonally signedcopy whentheCookbook launchesandgetsreleasedinlate Spring.

Everyonewhosignsupwill also receivethefreebielink tothe"Top 12 EssentialsYouShouldAlways HaveinYour Pantry," asmy way of sayingthank youfor your theCookbook,cut andpastethe URLhereintoyour favorite browser: thegravesdiseasechef ck page/ thegravesdiseasechefcookbook andyou'll get toseeexcerptsof what'sinsideandbetreatedtoa recipestraight fromthe Cookbook

Swoon.

Mina

Enchilada Cazuela Ingredients

1 largeeggplant - 1 1/2 pounds

2 largePoblanopeppers- coredandseeded

3 TBSP- ExtraVirginOliveOil,divided

OliveOil or AvocadoOil CookingSpray

2 - largesweet onions,thinly sliced

6 - garliccloves,finely minced

2 TBSP- chili powder

3 tsp- driedoregano

1/2 cup- scallions(whiteand greenparts),thinly sliced

1/2 tsp- garlicsalt

1 tsp- onionpowder

1 TBSP- groundcumin

1 - 28 ouncecan- fireroasted dicedtomatoes

1 - 15 ouncecan- black beans, drainedandrinsed

1 - 15 ouncecan- pintobeans, drainedandrinsed

4 - freshserranopeppers, coarsely chopped(for lessheat, removewhitemembraneand seeds)

1/2 cupfreshcilantro,chopped, dividedfor garnish

1 - 2 ouncecan,slicedblack olives

10 corntortillas,cut intoquarters/triangles

1 1/2 cup- Plant-basedshreddedsharpcheddar cheese,morefor extracheesy layers

1 1/2 cup- Plant-basedMonterey Jack cheese,more for extracheesy layers

Directions

Preheat oven t o 375F degrees

Cover two9 x13 bakingtrays- alsocalledjelly roll bakingpans-withparchment paper andcoat with

EVOO or AvocadoOil

Cookingspray

Sliceunpeeledeggplant into1/4 inchthick rounds, thensliceagainintohalf moonsor quarters,if too large

SlicePoblanopeppers,usingthemembranelines,as your guideandslicingpoint They shouldresemble largetriangles.

Arrangeeggplant inasinglelayer ononetray and poblanopeppersinasinglelayer ontheother tray. Brusheggplant andpoblanosgenerouslyonbothsides with1 TBSPoliveoil

Roast poblanosfirst onthelower ovenrack for 35 to40 minutes

At the35 minutepoint,while poblanoscontinuetoroast,add bakingtrayof eggplant tothe upper rack Roast poblanosand eggplant until bothareslightly browningontheedgesand tender,anadditional 20 to25 minutes.

Removebothtraysfromthe ovenandallow tocool. Heat 2 TBSPoliveoil inalarge nonstick skillet over medium highheat

Addonions,stirringoccasionally until goldenandcaramelized, about 10 to12 minutes.

Addgarlicandscallions Stir to combine.Cook until aromatican additional 1 to2 minutesbeing careful not toburnthegarlic

Adddry spices- chili powder,oregano,onionpowder andcuminandallow totoast andbecomefragrant,2 to3 minutes.

Stir intomatoes,beans,serranopeppersand1/4 cup cilantro.

Let it cometoaquick bubbly boil andimmediately lower heat tosimmer

Allow toslow simmer for 20 minutes,slightly covered, until liquidhasreduced.

Whiletomatobeanmixturesimmers,makeCreamy EnchiladaRedSauce.

Creamy Salsa Roja

2 TBSP- Plant-basedbutter

2 TBSP- unbleachedflour,leveled not heaping

1 cup- Vegetablebroth

1 28 ouncecan- Organicred enchiladasauce(mild,mediumor hot - your choice)

1/2 cup- cashew milk

1 tsp- groundcumin

1/3 cup- sour cream

Directions

Start by makinga roux Melt Vegan butter inalarge saucepanover mediumheat Whisk inflour,1 TBSPat a time,until athick buttery pasteforms Allow tocook for several minutes, stirringfrequently,to cook off theraw flour taste Slowly add Vegetablebrothand continuewhisking until it'screamy and smooth Onceit's slightly thickened,addEnchilada Sauceof your choice,cuminand cashew milk Cook for an additional 5 to10 minutesto desiredthickness Stir insour creamandremovefromheat Set asideuntil ready touse.

The Main Event - Assembling the Cazuela

Spray thebottomof a9" x13" glassor ceramicbakingdish

Ladle1/2 cupof Creamy SalsaRoja tocoat thebottomof bakingdish

Layer 1/2 of thetortillatriangle cut piecesover thesaucewithout overlapping.

Spread1 cuptomatobeanmixture over thetortillasandspread evenly

Sprinkle1 cupVeganCheddar and Jack cheesesover tortillas

Layer 1/2 of theroastedeggplant and1/2 of roastedPoblano peppers

Addremainingtortillatriangles. Spread1 cuptomatobeanmixture again.

Sprinkleanother 1 cuplayer of pre-cut parchment paper toavoid cheesefromsticking,thensnugly wrapfoil over theparchment paper

Bakeinthepreheatedovenfor 30 to35 minutesuntil bubbling. Uncover slowly andallow tobake anadditional 10 to15 minutes morefor cheesestomelt and slightly brown Removefromthe ovenandallow torest at least 10 minutesbeforeserving

Eventhough you'll want todigin right away,allow theCazuelato rest Thisstepiskey tomaking suretheEnchiladadoesn't havea meltdownfrom thebakingdish toplatingand loseit'sbeautiful form Hahaha

LadleSalsaRoja onthebottomof your dinner plateandthen topwitha generoussliceof Enchilada

VeganCheddar andJack cheeses evenly.

Topwithremainingroasted eggplant,roasted Poblanopeppers and1/2 black olives

Spreadremainingtomatobeans mixtureover thetop

Slowly ladle1 cupof Creamy Salsa RojaTopwithremainingcheeses andremainingoliveslices Finish withfreshlycracked peppercorns, toyour desiredtaste

Cover topof bakingdishwith

Addextrasauce ontop,if you fancy thesaucy andthentop withyour favoritegarnishes(seesuggestions below)

Garnish

Cilantro

Sour Cream

Guacamole

Choppedpurpleonions

Digin! Buenprovecho!