Christmas Chilaquiles

My adventures in New Mexican cuisine are over for now - it's been a fun week with different scents and preparations in my kitchen from the usual.  The end, of course, means that it's leftovers night, and that's precisely what chilaquiles ("greens in chile broth") is meant for - with this dish, you can use up the last of your New Mexican Red Chile Sauce, Green Chile Sauce, Roasted Anaheim Chiles and more.

The term "Christmas" here might seem confusing in the middle of summer.  It refers to the color combination of the red and green sauces, however, not the holiday, so feel free to make this dish all year long. In fact, I recommend making it now, while corn is at its freshest, rather than in the winter months.

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels
• 2 cups (1/4-inch) diced zucchini
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup Roasted Anaheim Chiles
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 2 ounces baked tortilla chips
• 1 cup shredded vegan Monterey Jack (such as Vegan Gourmet)
• 2 cups Green Chile Sauce
• 2 cups New Mexican Red Chile Sauce

1. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.  Add the corn, zucchini, red bell pepper, and onion; saute for 6 minutes.  Add the Anaheim chiles, oregano, and garlic; saute for 2 minutes

2. Arrange half of the tortilla chips (about 1 cup), in the bottom of an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Spread half of the corn mixture (about 2 and 1/4 cups) evenly over the chips, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack.  Repeat the layers with the remaining tortilla chips, remaining corn mixture, and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Divide into 8 portions, and top each serving with 1/4 cup red sauce and 1/4 cup green sauce - Christmas style!

Nutrition Info:
8 servings (1 portion), Calories 195

Tasting Notes:
Certainly a useful way to use up leftovers, but there were a couple things I would change about this dish.  It felt like too much like a mish-mash, and I would definitely use whole corn tortillas next time, instead of a few baked tortilla chips.  I also wanted more tortilla (whether chips or whole ones), alongside all the vegetables.  The contrast between the light green sauce and earthy red sauce was really nice on top though, and the fresh corn was fabulous.

Rating:
3