Enchilada Sauce

(This picture is actually courtesy of Drew. He made these with some sauce I had in the freezer while I was visiting home. Didn't he make a great little meal for himself?)

Alright, I'm ready to share recipes. I have so many good ones that need to be shared. I can't take credit for any of the recipes I will probably share. I am a food blog stalker to the core. I will, of course, be giving credit to the bloggers of whom I got the recipes from. And tell you over and over to go visit their blog because their recipes are a family favorite no matter which one we try. I apologize for the pictures I include. They will not be at all impressive because we lack a descent camera to take awesome pictures with. I probably lack some skill as well. ;)

The first recipe I have is a Red Enchilada sauce from the blog Savory Seasonings. I love this blog because she makes a lot from scratch. She uses very pure ingredients and is against anything with flavor enhancers, preservatives, or chemicals added to it. Actually, her body rejects such additives. I'm glad my body puts up with me enough to consume what I do, but ideally I would like the food my family eats to be free from all those harmful chemicals, etc. I'm taking baby steps to get there. I think the hardest part is actually how expensive healthy food can be. But thats a story for another post.

I adore this enchilada sauce compared to the canned, store bought version. The flavor is awesome, especially with the fresh cilantro. And its consistency is perfect (in my opinion), not so runny like the store bought sauce. And there is, of course, room to season to your liking. Here it is.

Red Enchilada Sauce

from blog: Savory Seasonings

1 (28oz.) can diced tomatoes

3 Tb. flour

1 c. water

1-2 Tb. chili powder

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. cocoa powder (yes, cocoa powder!)

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

In a blender, blend tomatoes and flour until smooth. Pour into a medium saucepan. Add water and spices. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until desired consistency. Now its ready to use in whatever way you like to make enchiladas.

(*Personal note: usually you dip the tortilla in the sauce to coat it. But I've found with this sauce, I like to just spoon it over the enchiladas once they are all in the dish. They don't get as soggy and its less mess.)

(*Personal note #2: For me, this recipe usually makes enough sauce for 3-4 meals of enchiladas. I usually split it up in quart size freezer zip-locs and freeze them for later. LOVE that! Makes for some easy meals in the future.)