Dinner tonight: Enchilada feast

One thing I very strongly believe is that in order to be healthy, you need to eliminate All processed food out of your diet. By the term" processed food" I mean anything that is pre-made, whether it is canned or frozen. The chemicals that are added to these convenience foods are in fact very harmful to your body and need to be avoided at all costs.  Very early on in my journey to better health I began to realize that chemicals in my food were causing migraines and IBS flareups. Not a fun way to live. The neat thing about eating the way I recommend is that you can still eat what you love, you've just gotta find a way to make it from scratch--chemical free. One of my family favorites is enchiladas. Everything from the sauce to the beans are made from chemical free foods. I even save myself time and cook my beans overnight in the crock pot. This meal is delicious and sure to become one of your family favorites.

Karen’s Enchilada Feast

(Chemical Free)

Refried Beans 4 cups of cooked pinto beans ¼ cup finely chopped onion 1 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp cumin salt to taste Add all to blender and puree till smooth. Add water as needed. Heat on stove for 5 min to heat through.

Enchilada Sauce 1 cup finely chopped onion 2 garlic cloves chopped 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 cups crushed tomato ½ cup water 1 Tbsp chili powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp oregano ⅛ tsp pepper Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer uncovered 15 min.

Fiesta Brown Rice 1 tsp olive oil ½  cup diced onion ½ cup diced pepper 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper 2 garlic cloves minced ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp chili powder ¼ tsp red pepper flakes 2 cups tomato sauce 1 can diced chilies 2 cups cooked brown rice Saute onion and pepper in oil till softened. Add garlic, salt, red pepper, chili powder, cumin. Cook for 1 minute to release flavors. Add diced chilies. Cook 1 minute. Add sauce and simmer 5 min. Adjust seasoning as needed. Add rice and heat through.

General Assembly

To assemble enchiladas put tortillas in a hot dry pan and brown on both sides.
Add a layer of rice to the tortilla.
Add a layer of beans.
Place a small amount of sauce on bottom of pan.
Roll tortilla and place in pan.
Cover tops with remaining sauce.
Add a small amount of parmesan cheese to tops.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min till heated through.