Recipe of the Week: Butternut Squash Enchiladas for Your Tummy

Whoa. This week has flown...So the wine drinking will commence at my house on Friday night.

Cause the week ain't over yet.

This is the original gangsta/favorite recipe of mine for lots of friends to come over, drink, and pound the table with their politically fueled fists. I first whipped this up with my room mates my sophomore year of college. I bartered enchiladas for a pan of the most divine cinnamon rolls ever to sprinkle cinnamon-sugar on the planet. It was a GOOD trade.

SO be sure to invite some friends over when you make these, because not only will they be friends for life, they'll help you with the leftovers!

Butternut Squash Enchiladas
Serves 4-8 depending on the hibernation status of your peeps
Ingredients:
3 lb. butternut squash, cut in half and cleaned out
Extra virgin olive oil
2 bricks neufatchel (sp?) cream cheese, softened (I like this over cream cheese)
1/2 t cinnamon
1 T cumin
1-2 t chili powder, more if you like it hot
1-2 t cayenne pepper, same as above
BIG pinch of crushed red pepper
1 small can of diced and roasted green chiles, heat level to your liking
1 T Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 t crushed black pepper
2 cups frozen sweet corn
Big stack of corn tortilla, white or yellow
Big can of green enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese
Crema Mexicana
Crumbled cotija cheese
Cilantro sprigs for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350. Oil a cookie sheet with the olive oil and place the butternut squash face side down. Bake for 45-60 or until a knife can easily pierce the skin.

While this is baking place the neufatchel cheese, cinnamon, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, can of green chiles, Bragg's, and freshly ground black pepper in a big bowl. Stir until well combined and creamy. Add the frozen corn and mix until incorporated. Set aside.

Once the squash are baked through, remove from oven and let cool face down for a little bit. (You can even bake the squash a day in advance to speed up prep!) Once the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh with a big spoon into the bowl of the cheese and spice mixture. Stir until well mixed and creamy.

If you turned your oven off, turn it back on to 350. In a large casserole pan pour a little of the enchilada sauce on the bottom so the enchiladas won't stick. Take a big stack of the corn tortillas, wrap in a paper towel, and zap in the microwave until warmed trough (they'll be way easier to handle this way)! Now place a big blob of butternut squash mixture on a tortilla, roll, and place face side down in the prepped dish. Repeat until your dish is crammed with little enchilada rolls.

Pour the rest of your enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas, making sure everything is covered. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes, removing the foil for the last 15. The cheese should get all melty and slightly toasted.

Remove from oven and either garnish in the pan or after serving. Use the crema Mexicana, cotija, and cilantro sprigs with another grinding of black pepper. Be prepared for silence while your friends enjoy!