Sweet Potato Enchiladas

I consider myself a concoctionist. When I'm hungry, I open the fridge, pull out whatever looks appetizing, and concoct something to eat out of it. At one point I was working at a company in Bellevue, and every day one of the girls in my group would ask me what strange-looking thing was in my Tupperware for lunch that day. My answer was usually something like, "Morgan's Concoction #473...mashed squash with golden raisins, spinach, red peppers and cheese."
The problem with being a concoctionist is that you can rarely reproduce your concoctions, because you're just throwing stuff in a pot, stirring it up, and adjusting spices and seasonings to make it edible. Even if I usually manage to make something delicious, it doesn't mean I could make it again.
My first repeated concoction was for Sweet Potato Enchiladas. I got the idea after my friend Tara made acorn squash burritos for a road trip we were going on, and it got me thinking about what else you could use for filling in a tortilla. I love sweet potatoes, so I started playing around with the idea, and eventually figured out something I liked and made so much I actually remembered it and wrote it down.
Now I bring it to most potlucks I'm invited to, and it's usually a huge success.
Like any great concoction, this recipe is not set in stone: add more of your favorite vegetables, or chicken, or use fruit juice and leave out the cheese to make it vegan. It's also really good if slather sour cream on the tortillas before you fill them. However, if you make it as-is, it's pretty healthy, low calorie, high in vitamins, and vegetarian. Enjoy!

Morgan's Sweet Potato Enchiladas

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 red peppers, diced
1 white onion, diced
5-7 pickled jalapeño wheels, diced (optional)
1/4 cup golden raisins
4-6 large sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and diced
1-2 cups fruit juice or chicken broth

10-20 tortillas, depending on their size

2 12 oz. jar of salsa, fruit salsa recommended (mango or peach)

2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded

Cilantro

Pour olive oil into a large pot, crock pot or rice cooker and turn on medium/high heat. Add garlic, salt, pepper and red chili flakes. Let cook until the garlic starts to brown and add cinnamon.

Add the peppers, onion, jalapeño and raisins and stir until coated with the oil and spices. Let the mixture cook with the lid off until the onions have begun to turn clear and the red peppers are softened. It’s ok if some of them start to brown. Slowly add in the diced sweet potatoes, mixing them into the peppers and onion mixture until they’re lightly coated.

Once the sweet potatoes have started to brown, add 1-1/2 cups fruit juice (peach, orange, pineapple, apple, etc.), water or chicken broth (depending on how sweet you want it), cover and cook on medium heat until the sweet potatoes are softened enough to mash, about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the mix from burning on the bottom. If it starts to burn, add more fruit juice or water.

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9”x13” baking dish. Heat a griddle or large fry pan over medium heat (no oil needed) and use it to heat the tortillas for about 30 seconds a side, turning once. After each tortilla is lightly browned or starts to puff up (or, if using corn tortillas, if the edges start to curl) fill it with the sweet potato mixture, fold it into a roll and place it in the baking dish, fold side down.

Once you have filled the pan, cover the enchiladas with salsa. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese and salsa start to bubble. Broil for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble and brown. (Watch it so it doesn’t burn!)

This recipe makes two full pans of enchiladas. If you don’t anticipate eating all of them at once, place the enchiladas in the pan, top them with salsa and cheese and freeze for later use. You will need to bake them for at least 45 minutes if they’re frozen.