Cha cha cha, Chilequiles!

Ever since I posted the recipe for Tricky Black Beans, I've been craving this dish. So I finally pulled out the ol' crockpot and made a batch of beans on Friday (I put them in Thursday night and let them cook on low until Friday afternoon). I'm pretty sure that chilequiles are the "everything but the kitchen sink" casserole with a Mexican flair - I've put all kinds of things in there and it tastes yummy. I noticed at Red Iguana that the chilequiles on their menu are made with scrambled eggs, which makes me think of some new directions to take the dish. (Some items I have used in the past that don't show up in this standard recipe include cheese, mushrooms, green peppers, and seitan.)

Liz' Chilequiles

3 cups crushed tortilla chips
3 cups black beans
4 potatoes, boiled and cooled, then sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium zucchini, sliced thinly into rounds
1/2 lb. spinach leaves
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 batch red chili sauce (see below, you can eat the other half like salsa)

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread tortilla chips on bottom of 9 x 13 casserole dish. Arrange potatoes, spinach, black beans, corn, and zucchini in layers atop the tortilla layer. Once you've used up everything, pour red chili sauce on top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Top with thin slices of avocado, sour cream or cheese.

Red Chili Sauce

3 dried ancho chilies
1 dried chipotle chili
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups cilantro leaves (you used the stems in Tricky Black Beans, right?)
2 tsp. salt
3 tblspn. red wine vinegar
3 15-oz. cans of diced tomatoes

Soak chilies in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain. Using food processor or blender, puree all ingredients to a smooth sauce. (Remove as many seeds as possible before you use the chilies if you don't want it to be spicy.)

This is the final product, vegan-style with faux sour cream. I am liking vegan sour cream much more than faux cheese - it really adds the right mouth-feel, unlike the faux cheeses I've tried. The moisture from the veggies helps to bind the tortilla crumbs into a nice crust!