Spinach and mushroom enchiladas with tomatillo sauce recipe

It's about time that I introduce you to December's cookbook of the month, Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday.  It wasn't a hard decision this month, and I instantly knew that this book would quickly be making its appearance when I unwrapped it on my birthday.  As I've said before, I love Rick Bayless's Frontera Grill (and can't wait to try Topolobampo and Xoco), and this book will hopefully satisfy me between trips to Chicago.  When I was first flipping through the book, I was pleasantly surprised by the numerous variations on each recipe.  At a busy time of the year (when I may not want to deal with snow to get to the store), it's nice to have some ideas for ways to use what I have on hand.

I started with this spinach and mushroom enchilada recipe, and I wasn't disappointed.  This isn't your typical Tex-mex enchilada that's been slathered in cheese and baked to death (it is supposed to have cheese crumbled on top, but in the chaos of life, I totally forgot).  It has excellent flavor, particularly the sauce, and isn't heavy at all.  The sauce was so good that I found myself eating spoonfuls of it.  Next time I'll add cooked, shredded chicken to the spinach and mushroom filling (per Rick's suggestion) for a more filling meal, but I enjoyed it as is.  They're no substitute for Frontera, but they're better than any other Mexican food that I've had in a long time.

Spinach and mushroom enchiladas with tomatillo sauce (adapted from Mexican Everyday)
(Printable version)

2 garlic cloves
1/2 jalapeno (remove seeds if you don't like spicy food)
5 medium tomatillos
1/2 cup cilantro
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 cup veggie broth
1 1/2 Tbsp plain yogurt
salt to taste
6 oz button mushrooms, sliced thinly
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
6 oz fresh spinach
6 corn tortillas
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco (optional)

Combine garlic, jalapeno, tomatillos, and cilantro in a blender, and blend until smooth.  Heat half of the oil over medium-high in a small saucepan.  Add tomatillo sauce, and cook about 10 min, stirring frequently.  Add the broth, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook another 10 min (this is a good time to prepare the filling and tortillas).  Add a spoonful of the sauce to the yogurt, and then stir this mixture back into the sauce.  Season with salt.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium high.  Add the mushrooms, and cook until they start to turn brown (a few minutes), stirring frequently.  Add the onion (reserving a few slices for garnish, if you want), and continue to cook for another few minutes.  Stir in spinach, and cook until the spinach wilts.

While everything else is cooking, lightly oil the tortillas, lay them out on a baking sheet (it's ok to double them up), and bake at 350 for about 3 min.  Dip each tortilla into sauce, and add about 1/4 cup spinach and mushroom mixture in the middle.  Roll them up and top with sauce.  Sprinkle with cheese, if you remember, and garnish with onion slices.  Serves 2-3.