* Update: I’m happy to hear your comments, but the contest deadline is over and the winners will be announced soon! Thanks everyone. I appreciate the massive turnout!

I’m unfurling my Home For The Holidays banner and joining the wild party over at Gluten Free Easily. Shirley (founder of GFE) has organized this amazing holiday blogging event which started November 28th and will run through December 23rd. Close to 90 prizes will be given away during the celebration—at least 3 each day. The grand prize at the end will be a VitaMix professional blender 5200 lifestyle package! Yes, you read that right. A high end VitaMix professional blender. Included with that is a 32 ounce dry grains container so you can grind your own gluten-free flours. Wouldn’t you love to win that?!

I thought so.

Please join me, Shirley, and 23 other gluten-free bloggers as we share recipes that mean both home and holidays to us. You know the kind. One whiff as you open the front door, one bite, one sip, one hug, and you know you’re home. Food is such an important part of the holiday spirit and switching to gluten-free can throw a wrench in your holiday plans. It doesn’t have to be that way. We want to share our traditions with you and how we’ve adapted them to be gluten-free. We also want to hear what your favorites are.

Here’s the deal. Each day, with each new blogger, you will have an opportunity to win a prize, so follow along closely. There’s a short window of time (only 48 hours) to win the prize, so act fast and comment often. Check out Shirley’s post here for all the details you need to stay on track. Each time you comment, you are entered to win the daily prize at that blog and you’re also entered to win the grand prize. If you don’t win the VitaMix, you might win the 2nd grand prize, which is a $150 spending spree from Free From Gluten, your one-stop online shopping center for all things gluten-free, or the 3rd prize, a Caveman Cookies giveaway package worth $89.

Today’s prizes are one copy of Artisanal Gluten Free Cooking by Kelli and Peter Bronski, founders of the blog No Gluten No Problem and 2 copies of Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis. Although Pete is a friend and colleague, Artisanal GF is hands-down one of my favorite cookbooks (GF or not). It’s filled with delicious recipes made from scratch. It’s also sprinkled with entertaining tidbits about living gluten-free. You’ll love it. Wheat Belly is a GF book of a different kind. Dr. Davis is a cardiologist who believes wheat is one of the main factors in the dramatic rise in obesity and disease. For details, check out this interview I did with Dr. Davis and my review of Wheat Belly. The book is definitely worth reading.

To be entered to win, leave a comment on this blog post. If you’d like to be entered more than once, “Like” Gluten-Free For Good on Facebook and comment separately HERE letting me know you did that. You can also Follow Me on Twitter and comment separately HERE letting me know you did that. Don’t leave one comment summarizing everything, comment each time. That way you have more chances to win one of today’s prizes and also more chances to win the grand prize. And remember, make it fast as you only have 48 hours to win. The contest on this blog will close at midnight on Wednesday, December 7th.

Sound good?

Okay, back to the food.

Red chile enchiladas are a holiday tradition at our house. Stacked, rolled, or made into a casserole, these enchiladas are an all-time favorite. During the holidays our house is brimming with family, friends, laughter, warmth, great smells, and lots of love. Back when I lived in Taos Ski Valley, NM and my days were filled with work at the Hotel St. Bernard and skiing every day, I made my red chile from local dried chile pods. Now, 4 kids and various additions to the family later, I use frozen Bueno Red Chile puree. It’s still from New Mexico, still pure and simple (no additives, preservatives, etc.), still packed with vitamin A, but WAY easier than starting from scratch. See photo above, that’s starting from scratch. This is more of a “launching pad” recipe. Adjust it to your liking by topping the final meal with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, scallions, black olives or sour cream. We like the individual stacked enchiladas topped with a poached egg. When I make it as a casserole, I skip the eggs.

Festive Red Chile Enchiladas (Casserole Style)
2 tablespoons olive oil, extra for frying the corn tortillas
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons brown rice flour or another mild GF flour
2 14-ounce containers of Bueno Red Chile Puree or Bueno Special Reserve Puree, thawed *
2 14-ounce containers of water, added slowly to make sure you have the consistency you like *
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon salt
12 corn tortillas, make sure they are gluten-free
1 to 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken or turkey
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat oil in medium-sized stock pot over medium heat.
2. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, for about 6 to 8 minutes or until onions are soft.
3. Add flour and whisk well, making a roux. Whisk for about 2 minutes until well blended.
4. Add red chile and water, whisking to eliminate lumps.
5. Add Mexican oregano and salt, bring mixture to a low simmer and cook uncovered for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
6. Heat extra oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Quickly fry one tortilla at a time in hot oil. Drain on paper towels.
7. Put a small amount of red chile in a large shallow casserole dish to lightly coat the bottom. Alternately layer fried tortillas dipped in heated red chile sauce, shredded cooked chicken or turkey, and cheese until all ingredients are used. Drizzle with more red chile and top with cheese.
8. Bake uncovered in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes until cheese is melted and lightly browned on top.

* I like using 1 hot and 1 mild container of Bueno red chile. That makes for a spicy blend, but not overwhelmingly hot.
* Mixture should have a gravy-like consistency. Adjust so it’s not too watery or too thick. If it’s too watery, let it cook longer; too thick, slowly add more water.

Check here for yesterday’s Home For The Holiday’s post by one of my favorite bloggers, Maggie at She Let Them Eat Cake. No cake this time, but she came up with some amazing candy cane ice cream, dairy-free no less! And don’t forget to check out Kim’s addition tomorrow over at Cook It Allergy Free. She’s another one of my favorite allergy friendly bloggers.

Remember, share the love and leave your comments HERE. You might win one of these books, or you might win the grand prize. Oh, I’m so envious.

Peace, love, and happy holidays!
Melissa

Tags: gluten-free, gluten-free enchiladas, Home For The Holidays, red chile

This entry was posted on Monday, December 5th, 2011 at 5:38 am and is filed under Celiac & Gluten Intolerance, Gluten-Free Recipes, Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.