Red Tex-Mex Enchiladas

Enchiladas are a staple of Tex-Mex cuisine. In fact, Texas is famous for its Mexican food (as well as its barbecue). You can find enchiladas in just about any Mexican restaurant you visit, whether it's in Texas or Virginia. Although they differ from region to region and state to state, red enchiladas are among the most popular. Texas has some of the best enchiladas and Mexican food that you will ever eat.

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

5-6 dried New Mexico red chili pods
4-5 cups water
1/4 -1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp. flour
Cumin to taste I use only a pinch
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. oil

For the Enchiladas:

1 lb. ground beef alternative plus garlic powder cumin, salt, and pepper (to taste)
10-12 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded plant-based cheese
Oil for frying tortillas

Instructions

Remove the seeds from the chili pods and rinse the pods; removing the seeds will ensure that you get a smooth sauce. After removing the seeds, put the water and chili pods in a small pot or saucepan and bring to a boil, add the garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Boil for about 10-15 minutes, the pods will become wilted and soft. Remove the sauce from the heat and allow it to cool.
Once the water and chili pods have cooled, pour them into a blender and blend for at least 5-10 minutes until you have a smooth sauce (you may see very small bits of the chili pods, which is completely fine). Add the tbsp of flour to the sauce and blend for another 2 minutes. Heat the 2 tbsp. oil in a saucepan or iron skillet; pour in the blended chili pods and simmer on medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened a bit, place stove on the lowest possible heat setting until you are ready to assemble. If you have a warm setting or "warm zone" on your stovetop, that is even better!
In a small pan, heat oil and fry the tortillas for about 10 seconds each; place them on paper towels to drain. (I prefer to do this while the chili pods are boiling to cut down the cooking time, but you can do this step before or after you have made the sauce if you prefer.)
Take 1 lb. of ground "meat" and cook thoroughly, add the garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper to taste; drain the beef and set aside.
Once you have finished cooking the "meat" and frying the corn tortillas, it is time to assemble the enchiladas!
Take a tortilla and dip it in the enchilada sauce to coat it; make sure that you coat both sides of the tortilla with the sauce. Place the tortilla on a plate and top it with ground beef and cheese, then coat another tortilla and layer it on top of the assembled tortilla, top with ground beef, cheese, and more sauce. This will make 2 enchiladas.
You can stack them like this or roll them up.
Serve immediately and enjoy with a side of rice, beans, or a salad.

Notes

I prefer to place the assembled enchiladas in the oven for 10 minutes to make sure that the cheese melts properly, don't worry, this will NOT affect the taste of the enchiladas.