Vegetarian Enchiladas, Muffins

DEAR SOS: Would you print a recipe for El Cholo’s Vegetarian Enchiladas? They are unlike any enchiladas I’ve tried.

--N.P.

DEAR N.P.: Executive chef Felix Salcedo of El Cholo and the Sonora Cafe in Los Angeles provided this recipe. It’s a wonderful vegetarian twist on plain cheese enchiladas. Any of the versatile sauces within the recipe can be served with other dishes, such as pasta, grilled fish, shellfish, chicken or steak.

EL CHOLO’S VEGETARIAN ENCHILADAS 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup unsalted butter 2 large carrots, peeled and diced 1 zucchini, diced Kernels from 2 ears corn 2 cups sliced mushrooms 1/2 cup diced yellow peppers 1/2 cup diced green peppers 2 bunches spinach, cleaned and chopped 1 dozen corn or flour tortillas Jalapeno-Pesto Sauce 1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans Corn Sauce Tomato Sauce

Mix Jack and mozzarella cheeses. Set aside.

Melt butter in medium skillet over medium heat and add carrots, zucchini, corn, mushrooms, peppers and spinach. Stir-fry 2 minutes. Set aside.

Warm tortillas, then dip into Jalapeno-Pesto Sauce, 1 at time. Remove from sauce, sprinkle each tortilla with cheese mixture, then top each with 1/12th vegetable mixture. Sprinkle each with pecans. Fold tortillas into enchilada packets.

Place enchiladas in baking dish large enough to hold in single layer and bake at 350 degrees 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Cover with Corn Sauce and top each enchilada with 2 tablespoons Tomato Sauce. Serve at once. Pass any remaining sauce. Makes 12 enchiladas.

Each enchilada contains about: 739 calories; 454 mg sodium; 84 mg cholesterol; 64 grams fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 1.48 grams fiber.

Jalapeno-Pesto Sauce

2 jalapeno chiles, roasted, seeded and skinned 1 bunch basil, leaves only 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup olive oil Juice 1/2 lime 1 clove garlic, roasted 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Combine jalapeno, basil, vegetable oil, olive oil, lime juice, garlic, Parmesan cheese and pumpkin seeds in blender container. Blend to smooth sauce. Makes about 2 cups.

Corn Sauce

1/2 cup butter 2 large cloves garlic, minced 1 small onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice Kernels of 4 ears corn 4 cups half and half Salt Freshly ground white pepper 2 tablespoons cornstarch, optional 1/4 cup water (or as much as is needed), optional

Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion. Cook until onion is tender. Add corn and cook 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add half and half and bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Whip mixture to blend. If thickened sauce is desired, mix cornstarch with water and gradually add to sauce, stirring until sauce is smooth. Makes 6 cups sauce.

Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 small onion, diced 1 Anaheim chile, roasted, seeded, skinned and diced 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro Dash black pepper Dash ground cumin Dash Mexican ground oregano Dash ground thyme 5 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced 1 cup tomato juice Salt

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until browned. Add onion and saute until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chile, cilantro, pepper, cumin, oregano and thyme. Saute 8 to 10 minutes. Add diced tomatoes. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add tomato juice. Bring to simmer. Season to taste with salt. Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce.

DEAR SOS: I can’t find my recipe for muffins that use orange marmalade in the batter. But I’ll bet you can help!

--CARRIE

DEAR CARRIE: Here’s one of many such recipes to the rescue.

ORANGE MARMALADE MUFFINS 4 eggs 2 cups sour cream 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup orange marmalade 2 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 tablespoon vanilla 2 cups flour

Combine eggs, sour cream, sugar, orange marmalade, butter, baking powder and vanilla in large bowl. Slowly stir in flour. Mix until smooth. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Makes about 24 muffins.

Each serving contains about: 158 calories; 58 mg sodium; 46 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.04 gram fiber.