Description
Red or green? Choose your color for this creamy enchilada sauce by choosing the color of your ingredients. Use sweet and spicy red peppers and ripe, red tomatoes … or use green peppers, jalapenos and green tomatoes or tomatillos for a vibrant green enchilada sauce.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup roasted salted cashews (soaked in water)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled & chopped
- 2 – 4 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 1 cup mini sweet or bell peppers, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (red or green) or tomatillos
- 2 large salsa peppers or red/green chiles, chopped roughly
- Optional: 1 jalapeno, carrot pepper or other hot pepper of choice (or to taste)
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves and stems
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- For red sauce: 1 – 2 teaspoons (or more, to taste) of EACH: smoked paprika & chile powder
Instructions
- Put the cashews in a bowl and soak them for at least 15 minutes to soften them. These softened cashews are the magic that will make your sauce taste nice and creamy.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is tender and translucent. Stir in the sweet peppers and cook for another couple minutes, until tender. (If using unripe tomatoes, add the green tomatoes to the sauteed onion mixture, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. )
- Put the sauteed mixture into a blender along with the tomatoes (if not already added), hot peppers, cashews, cilantro, cumin, oregano, and salt (plus smoked paprika and chile powder if making a red sauce) and blend until completely smooth.
- Taste and add more hot peppers if desired. If needed, thin the sauce with tomato juice or broth. Use this enticing sauce for enchiladas, casseroles, eggs, soup, Mexican lasagna, etc. … or freeze/pressure can for future meals.
Notes
To make a red sauce: use red (or orange or yellow) peppers and red tomatoes, add the smoked paprika and chile powder.
To make a green sauce: use green peppers and tomatillos or sweet ripe green heirloom tomatoes. You can also use unripe green tomatoes, but you will need to cook them for a while to tenderize them and release their juices.
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Keywords: Mexican, Enchiladas, Enchilada sauce, Sauce, Peppers, Onions, Gluten free, Heart healthy, Diabetic, Spicy