Something Different for Shavuos

Enchiladas Verdes for Shavuos!

Mmm, mmm! Where I come from in South Texas, Enchiladas Verdes are a Sunday brunch staple. Since we usually talk milchigs for Shavuos, how fun to include this in your holiday plans!  And a little something different from the usual lasagna and cheesecake, too!  We are including 3 variations: classic Enchiladas Verdes, Enchiladas Verdes with Spinach and just plain Spinach enchiladas with Salsa Verde but no cheese inside. All delicious--take your pick!  

It all starts with these cute, hard, sour little green tomates in shucks. Called tomatillos (pron. to-ma-tee-yos) in Spanish, this is where the infamous "salsa verde"  ("green sauce" in Spanish) comes from. It is quite easy to make your own Salsa Verde/Tomatillo Sauce. I believe homemade salsa is superior to storebought, so below is the link to our recipe. However, if you want to skip a step, you can easily purchase Salsa Verde or Tomatillo sauce (they are essentially the same salsa but with different names) in your local grocery store. Here's the link:  http://www.healthybitezkosher.com/tomatillo-sauce.html  

Classic Enchiladas Verdes
Ingredients: 
Makes 6 enchiladas

6 corn tortillas
1 8-oz. block of Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa Verde
Plain, non-Fat Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Briefly wet corn tortillas under running water to soften, about 10 seconds. 

Cut Monterey Jack cheese in slices about 1/4" thick and 1 1/2 or 2" long (it's easiest to do this if you just slice the block along its width). Place 3 slices of the cheese in the tortilla like so: 

Roll the tortilla, keeping ends open.  Place in a casserole dish. Repeat these steps with the rest of the tortillas and cheese. Spread tomatillo sauce over the tortillas. Sprinkle a generous amount of cheddar cheese over the sauce. 

Here's what mine looked like before I put it in the oven:

Bake 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted. Serve hot with a spoonful of Greek yogurt on top (in place of the usual sour cream). 

Enchiladas Verdes with Spinach
Extra Ingredient: 
1 small pack frozen spinach

Boil the frozen spinach for about 10 minutes until soft. Drain most of the water out, but retain about 1/4 of it. Put spinach and water in blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. When you put in the slices of Monterey Jack cheese, add 1 Tbsp. of the spinach puree. 
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Then just proceed with recipe as previously explained.

Spinach Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
If you want to cut down on the fat, you can make these delicious enchiladas without all the cheese. Simply spread the spinach in the tortilla and eliminate the Monterey Jack. Spread the tomatillo sauce on top. If you wish, you can sprinkle some of the cheddar on top of the sauce. I actually suggest using a little cheese, as the tomatillo sauce is a bit naturally sour.  


So there you have it, folks! Hope you enjoy these different Shavuos dishes!  More Shavuos recipes to come.......