Homemade Enchilada Sauce

This was one of those things I had no idea I could make at home. (Kind of like mayonnaise) and once I actually made it, my mind was blown. First it was super easy. And second it tastes so much better. So this enchilada sauce is getting added to the list of things I will never actually buy again.

Another reason making my own is totally worth it? I can also control things like the spicy level and the flavor (which when you live in a house divided over how spicy food should be....this is an awesome thing.) I can make it mild enough that my preschooler and I can eat it and my hubby can add his extra spicy to his hearts content.

When I decided to try this out, I was doing so because I was working with what was in my fridge. So I made a few tweaks and it all worked out really great.

This is what I did:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup brown rice flour *
16 oz fresh mild salsa **
1 cup water
1 tablespoon of chili powder (adjust to the level of spicy you like)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a saucepan until melted. Whisk in the flour until combined.

Stir in salsa (or tomatoes), water, spices and syrup (so all the remaining ingredients). Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened (about 10 minutes).


And that's it. Super easy.




* I used brown rice flour to make this gluten free (and because I had it on hand.) If you are not avoiding gluten feel free to use all-purpose flour

**This is a perfect example of using what I had in my fridge. I really want to try this again using roasted tomatoes and onions from my farm share this summer.