I’ve been cooking with fresh watercress for quite some time now and I feel I know its flavor profile very well. For this next recipe, I decided to challenge myself and make a dish that almost everyone enjoys with meat and convert it to a vegetable dish with watercress as its main star. A dish one would never associate this fresh, healthy green with.
Enchiladas came to mind because it’s a familiar, comfort dish. It is popular and served and or consumed various times in a month. At least in my household it is. Watercress has a peppery flavor and is a great addition to a pesto or creamy sauce. Why not drench corn tortillas in a beautiful green watercress sauce? And because an enchilada is not an enchilada without the added heat, I decided to spice things up with roasted poblanos in the mix.
Mushrooms make great meat substitutes because they are tender and chewy. Plus, their earthy flavor is amazing when cooked with onions. This would be my filling.
When I traveled to New York City a couple of months ago to meet the B&W Quality Growers folks I absorbed everything I could about the world of watercress. I learned that watercress is one of the most beneficial greens one could ever consume. Ranked in the same category as kale, broccoli and sprouts, this leafy green deserves more attention. As a cruciferous vegetable, watercress benefits in the prevention of cancer, and aids in eye health with large amounts of vitamin A and beta-carotene. Amazing right? Watercress also aids in cardiovascular health and bone health as well. With all of this beneficial information, I am ready to continue my watercress advocacy. I picture myself walking around the streets in a sandwich board shouting out in a megaphone. “Eat More Watercress!”
For now, I will transform one of my favorite Mexican dishes into a watercress power dish. Add this to your dinner rotation because it’s an easy, inexpensive meal that your entire family will enjoy time and time again.
Ingredients
- 2 poblano chiles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup sliced onion, divided
- 3 cups fresh watercress plus a few sprigs for garnish
- 1/2 cup Mexican cream (or crème fraiche)
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 corn tortillas
- 2 cups Oaxaca cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons Cotija cheese, crumbled
- 1 jalapeño, sliced
Instructions
- Roast Poblano peppers over an open flame. Carefully turning with tongs to char all sides. Remove from heat and steam in a plastic bag for 10 minutes. Rub peppers with paper towel to remove most of the skin. Remove stem, slice open and remove seeds and veins.
- Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup onion and cook for 1 minute. Add water cress and cook for 5 minutes or until watercress is completely wilted and onion is tender.
- Transfer watercress/onion mixture to a blender container. Add Poblano peppers, cream, water and ½ teaspoon garlic salt. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat butter over medium heat in the same saute pan used for onion/watercress mixture. Add remaining onion and sautee for 2 minutes, add mushrooms, season with remaining ½ teaspoon garlic salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until onions and mushrooms are tender.
- Heat skillet over medium heat. Warm tortillas one by one, filling them with 2 tablespoons each of mushroom/onion mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll and arrange in an ovenproof dish.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Evenly pour creamy watercress sauce evenly over stuffed tortillas and top with cotija cheese, remaining Oaxaca cheese, jalapeño slices and a few watercress sprigs. Bake for 12 minutes or until cheese melts.
This is a sponsored post by B&W Quality Growers. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands I love that make this website possible.
