Wheat Berry Enchiladas

For months I've been staring at the bag full of cooked wheat berries in my freezer. I keep moving them around watching the freezer burn slowly take over, but I had no idea what to do with them. I'm not even sure why I had them in the first place.

Then, I saw a wheat berry enchilada recipe in a cookbook. Brilliant.

I didn't follow the recipe, though. Instead, I took the lazy way out. I used random veggies from the produce drawer that I needed to use up and canned enchilada sauce. Sometimes winging it just works. Feel free to try any veggies you like or swap brown rice for wheat berries.

I was pooped anyway. My parents were out of town for the day and asked me to stop by to check on their dog, Hannah. She's had terrible allergies and has been on meds so they are nervous leaving her in her crate for too long.



How can you say no to a face like that? So, I took for a long walk around the block. My high school friend's dad even gave her a treat when we stopped to say hi.

That still didn't stop her from politely begging for a Pup-Peroni.



She didn't get one. I love Hannah. I didn't like her much as a puppy because I still missed my childhood dog, but she's grown on me. Now she's probably the most spoiled dog I've ever met. I can't wait to get a dog of my own.

Wheat Berry Enchiladas
Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
3 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 small zucchini, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 small jalapeno, seeds removed, minced
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup salsa
3/4 cup or so cooked wheat berries
salt and pepper to taste
8 small corn tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce
1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar
cilantro for garnish

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat a large skillet with oil over medium high heat. Add the vegetables and cook a couple of minutes until beginning to soften. Add the oregano, chili powder, cumin and garlic and cook until the vegetables completely soften — about 5 minutes. Stir in the wheat berries and salsa. Season if necessary.

Warm the tortillas according to package directions. Spread a little of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with 1/4 cup of the vegetable/wheatberry mixture and roll up. Place seam side down in the dish and repeat until all tortillas are filled. Top with the rest of the enchilada sauce and the cheese.

Bake 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas are crispy. Garnish with chopped cilantro.