Jalapenos' Spinach Enchiladas

One night I was feeling ambitious and decided to make Spinach Enchiladas from a recipe I found on Pinterest... but a mistake I often make is to not read the entire recipe... and my evening turned into a hot mess.

Here is the dreaded recipe for Jalapenos Spinach Enchiladas...

Jalapenos is a popular Mexican restaurant here in Houston, Texas. Their spinach enchiladas is one of the most popular entrees on their menu. This recipe was posted in the Houston Chronicle.

And here is what they're supposed to look like...

I looked up Jalapenos Restaurant online and found this:

A great entrée never dies. It just moves to another table.

Jalapenos Restaurant is now closed, after 18 years of creating some of Houston’s - for that matter, Texas’- most requested Mexican and Central American dishes.

While the restaurant has closed its doors, rest assured we will keep many of these unique tastes alive, right here at The Courtyard on St. James Place, open for lunch, banquets and catering.

So if you’re looking for an excuse for great food and great atmosphere, we’ll be here.Thanks, Houston. 

Hmm....

Well here we go!

Ingredients:

Enchiladas

• 4 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach or 4 bunches fresh spinach, cooked
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 lb fresh mushrooms, halved
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 slices white bread, crusts removed
• salt
• 2 teaspoons white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups grated monterey jack and cheddar cheese blend, divided
• 10 -12 flour tortillas

Cilantro Cream Sauce

• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, plus
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in a small amount of cold water
• 3 cups chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. For enchiladas, cook the spinach according to the package directions, if using frozen.
2. While spinach is cooking, combine garlic, onion and mushrooms in food processor, and process until coarsely chopped.
3. Melt butter in sauté pan, and sauté onion mixture until onion is translucent.
4. Remove pan from heat, and set aside.
5. Drain spinach, squeezing out excess water.
6. Make bread crumbs in food processor from sliced bread.
7. Add spinach, salt, pepper, nutmeg, chili powder and eggs.
8. Process until blended thoroughly.
9. Transfer to mixing bowl, and stir in onion mixture and 6 tablespoons cheese.
10. Preheat broiler.
11. Spoon a portion of filling onto each tortilla and roll it up.
12. Place each enchilada in casserole dish, seam side down.
13. Repeat until you've used up filling.
14. For cream sauce, mix half-and-half, cayenne, salt and a little of the dissolved corn starch in medium saucepan, and heat until thickened.
15. The sauce should be creamy, not runny; add more cornstarch mixture as necessary.
16. Off the heat, stir in cilantro.
17. Pour Cilantro Cream Sauce over tortillas, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
18. Broil until cheese melts and turns a nice golden color.

I do not have an actual food processor, so I used the attachment that came with my blender for the oinions.  It was a little.... processed.

The "onion mixture" in saute mode.  Yes, it's gross looking.
If I would make this again, I would just chop the mushrooms & onions.  

The "spinach mixture."

Making the Cilantro Cream Sauce...

Shelby watching me wondering why I've been in the kitchen for 8 hours.

Poured the Cilantro Cream Sauce over the rolled enchiladas.

Cheese on top & ready to bake!  Phew!!!

Then I turn around to this... OMG.

Cheese is melted & bubbly!

Looks good, right??

Well it wasn't!  Actually it wasn't bad, but it wasn't tasty.  I would not make it again... took me all night and the results were not worth it!  In fact it has taken me a month just to blog about this and I haven't made anything since...