This is the recipe I used when I had vegetarian guests at the cottage.....which is probably why cheese enchiladas came to mind! LOL I subbed veg broth for the chicken broth, frozen spinach instead of fresh and flour tortillas instead of corn so I just rolled them I didn't dip in oil. Enchiladas - Cheese And Spinach Servings 4 Poblano chile peppers, about 1 pound 4 Lb fresh spinach, stems removed and well rinsed 4 Tbl unsalted butter, plus 4 tablespoons 1 Cup chopped yellow onions 1 Tbl chopped garlic 2 Tsp chili powder 3/4 Tsp salt 1/4 Tsp ground black pepper Pinch cayenne 1/4 Cup all-purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup 2 Cup half-and-half 1 Cup cubed queso fresco or queso blanco 2Cups cubed Pepper Jack 1 Cup grated cotija or Parmesan 2 Tbl vegetable oil 12 corn tortillas 1 Cup chicken stock 1 Cup heavy cream Roast the peppers by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them frequently with tongs until all sides are charred black, about 7 to 10 minutes. (Alternately, the peppers can be roasted under a broiler, or on top of a gas or charcoal grill.) Place the blackened peppers in a plastic or paper bag, and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers, split in half lengthwise, and discard the seeds and the stems. Roughly chop and set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In 3 batches, add the spinach and blanch for 15 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and shock in an ice bath. Remove and squeeze out the excess. Chop and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until very soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 45 seconds. Add 1/4 cup of the flour and cook, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon, to make a light roux, 2 minutes. Gradually add the half-and-half, and cook, stirring, until thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and stir to incorporate. Remove from the heat and fold in half of the chopped chiles. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Fold in the cubed queso fresco and both Pepper Jacks, and set aside. In a bowl, combine the grated Pepper Jack and cotija. Set aside. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium temperature. One at a time, add the tortillas to the hot oil and cook, turning, until soft and pliable, 15 seconds per side, adding more oil as needed. Remove from the pan and place on a work surface. Place about 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture into the center of each tortilla and roll up into a cylinder. Place, seam side down, in a single layer across the bottom of a 9 by 13- inch casserole dish. In a saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and cook, stirring constantly with a heavy wooden spoon, to to make a light roux. Slowly add the chicken stock and cook, stirring, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream and cook, stirring, until thick, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining poblano peppers and cook for 1 minute. Pour over the filled enchiladas and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover evenly with the grated cheeses. Return to the oven and bake until the cheeses are melted and bubbly and the enchiladas are completely warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Quinoa Chowder with Spinach, Feta and Scallions from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking 1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed well in a fine sieve 2 T olive 1 garlic clove, finely copped 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely diced (watch your hands!!) or use the ones in a jar though I don't think taste is as good) 1 tsp ground cumin salt and fresh pepper 1/2 pound boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 cubes 1 bunch scallions, including an inch of the greens, thinly sliced into rounds 3 cups finely sliced spinach leaves 1/4 pound feta cheese, finely diced 1/3 cup chopped cilantro 1 hard-cooked egg, chopped Put quinoa and 2 quarts of water in pot, bring to boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. While it is cooking, dice the vegetables and cheese. Drain, saving the liquid. Measure the liquid and add water to make 6 cups if needed. Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile. Cook for about 30 seconds, giving it a quick stir. Add the cumin, salt and potatoes and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Don't let garlic brown. Add the quinoa water and half the scallions and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the quinoa, spinach and remaining scallions and simmer for 3 more minutes. turn off heat and stir in feta and cilantro. season soup with pepper and garnish with chopped egg. That isi it! As someone mentioned, the quinoa does fall apart and is not regular pasta in that way. I couldn't even tell you what quinoa tastes like! BUT this soup tastes so refreshingly good. And it tastes just as good, if not better, the next day.

Ginger, that sounds GREAT! Thanks. Linda, you remember right about gribnes (for some reason, my family pronounced it "GREE-vin" -- don't ask me why). It is such a delicious flavor, so maybe if I make mofongo without a sauce, it'd be great. I think that for a recipe like Ginger's, though, I might not want the rich schmaltz flavor. Here is what I had come up with before I read your posts. It worked really well -- tasted just like what we ate in PR, although my texture was a little too dry and didn't hold together well, but I think that may be because I sliced the plantains too thick, so the edges got too cooked before the insides did. Next time I will slice the plantains 1/4" as ginger's recipe says. By the way, peeling green plantains is TRICKY! I started to peel them like bananas -- NOPE. But before resorting to using a knife, I googled the problem and found out how: 1) cut off the ends 2) cut each plantain crosswise into 4 pieces 3) score the peel lengthwise in 3-4 places -- like along the ridges of the peel 4) peel off sections of the peel CROSSWISE (like peeling off the back of a sticker). What was impossible is now easy. No way would I ever have figured out to peel it crosswise. Okay, here's a basic recipe I found, plus my changes: 4 green plantains, peeled & sliced [1/4"] 1 garlic clove [I will use more next time, especially if I don't use adobo seasoning] 1 "tsb" adobo seasoning (below) [don't ask me whether that meant teaspoon or tablespoon -- it didn't matter, because I thought it needed all that I made -- the recipe below] 1 1/2 T butter [I used margarine] 2 T olive oil [I used more] Fry the plantains in a skillet turning once. Place in a mortar, then season to taste with remaining ingredients and mash well completely. [I don't have a mortar, so I used a bowl and an old wooden knife sharpener handle that I use to pound meat. You can use the bottom of a clean jar, too. I also added most of the oil from the pan, because mine seemed too dry.] Serve as is or line a serving container with mofongo, then fill with cooked whatever. Adobo seasoning 4 cloves garlic 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp peppercorns [I just ground in plenty of fresh pepper] 1/2 tsp paprika 1 tsp salt I am excited about this because Passover is coming, and this has the consistency of stuffing!

Here's one from Craig Claiborne that's good with seafood or chicken: CURRY SAUCE (about 1 1/2 cups) 4 1/2 TBL butter 1 garlic clove, minced 1/3 cup finely chopped onion 1/3 cup finely chopped celery 3 TBL chopped carrot 2 TBL flour 2 TBL curry powder 1/2 bay leaf 2 parsley sprigs 2 thyme sprigs or 1/2 tsp dried (I use more of the dried) 1 3/4 cup chicken stock Salt & pepper to taste Heat 3 TBL of the butter in a saucepan & add the garlic, onions, celery & carrot. Cook, stirring until the onions are wilted. Add the flour & cook, stirring about 3 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, bay leaf, parsley & thyme. Using a whisk, continue to stir briskly while adding the stock. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Put the mixture including the soft vegetables, through a fine sieve, using a wooden spoon. Swirl in the remaining butter by rotating the pan gently & add salt & pepper.~~ INDIAN CURRY SAUCE (about 2 cups & can be frozen) 1 small onion, minced 2 TBL vegetable oil 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 1 TBL) 1 TBL minced or grated fresh ginger 1 TBL curry powder 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 4 tsp cornstarch 1 tsp honey 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 TBL lemon juice Salt & pepper 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves (optional) Cook the onion, oil, garlic, ginger & curry powder in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the broth & simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 30 minutes. Whisk the cornstarch & honey into the cream until dissolved, then whisk the mixture into the simmering sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice & season with salt & pepper to taste. To Store: Let the sauce cool, uncovered at room temperature for 25 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container & refrigerate up to 4 days. To Serve: Warm the sauce in a small saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave on high power for 5-10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Season w/salt & pepper to taste & add the minced cilantro, if using.~~The Best Make-Ahead Recipe.