Homemade Gluten-Free Enchiladas

I like just about every style of cooking and every ethnic cuisine there is, but Mexican is my favorite.  I love it because it’s so easy to prepare, and because it is very easy to adjust the recipes to be gluten free.

As a matter of fact, most things Mexican are naturally gluten free, if they start with corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.

I learned to prepare lots of  Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes when I was living in south Texas. I also learned to love the chipotle flavor there. Chipotle is a fully ripened and smoked jalapeno pepper, so adding it to your food gives it a warm, smokey flavor.

I was surprised the other day when I found Knorr Chipotle Mini Cube Seasoning when I was in a Mexican grocery store in Gainesville, Georgia. I had never seen it before, so I bought a package to try.

The little cubes in the Knorr Mini Cube Seasoning look like the ones for chicken bouillon, but they are only about half the size.  Trust me, one of these little cubes goes a long way. I thought they would be perfect for making enchilada sauce, and I was right.

Here’s my gluten-free recipe for Enchiladas using the Knorr Chipotle Mini Cube seasoning.

Home Made Gluten Free Enchiladas

Sauce:
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 16 oz can chicken broth
1 pkg Nueva Cocina Taco Fresco Ground Beef Seasoning
1 Knorr Chipotle Mini Cube

Add all ingredients in a small saucepan, stirring well to mix tomato paste and the mini chipotle cube into the liquid.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes until thickened a bit. Remove from heat.

Filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ lb ground meat (I use 1/3 turkey, 1/3 pork, and 1/3 beef)
1 small onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp basil
1 tsp ground red pepper

Add olive oil to a skillet. When heated through, add onion, garlic and pepper, saute until onion is clear. Add ground meat, crumbling and stirring,  cook until meat is browned. Add cumin, basil, and red pepper, stir to mix well.
 

To assemble:
Pour about 1/3 cup of sauce in casserole dish, spread around to cover the bottom of the dish.  For each enchilada, put a couple tablespoons of meat in the center of a corn tortilla. Roll the tortilla, and place seam side down in the casserole dish. Repeat until the filling is used up. Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas. Bake in 400 degree oven 25 minutes.  Take the casserole dish out of the oven, cover with 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese. Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve with sliced avacadoes and black olives.