Low-Sodium Square One

I received a couple emails this week from readers who had been newly diagnosed with some life-altering situation and, as you can probably guess, had been told to start a low-sodium diet.

Some of them were friends. Some of them were strangers. Some were nearing their sixties. Some had barely left the nest at twenty.

All of them were stunned.

So while I had a lovely seven layer low-sodium salad ready for you today

I thought it might be better to pause from the cooking and talk about taking on this low-sodium diet, starting at square one.

First, it is important that you focus on the positives and find that silver lining…

…wait, wait, wait. That’s not right. I’m getting ahead of myself.

Because before you can really, guininely believe in any of that Pollyanna stuff, you need to do something else. You need to swear. Loudly. And I’m not talking about “shoot” or “goshdarnnit” or something really creative like “fothermucker.”

I’m talking about shit.

SHIT!

Yes, I just wrote that. And I’m going to write it again – shit. Because that is exactly what this sudden, unexpected crack in your life feels like. And when your life has changed, start picking up the pieces by swearing. I know you thought I would say something else inspiring. But this is just the truth, people.

And don’t just sit there. Scream it with me. I’m running through the halls yelling at the top of my lungs and you should be too. Or if you need some more support, phone a friend and scream it with them (although, please do let them know why you are doing this so as not to scare them off). You don’t have to be on a low-sodium diet to swear. And I’m sure your friend will find it equally therapeutic.

Now, doesn’t that feel better?

I know. It really does. It feels like pirate yoga. And it is an extremely important exercise to practice, because you have to own all the anger and the fears and the anxieties that come with a life changing moment.

Then you have to release it. And while it is ok to be scared and sad and swear-crazy, it is equally important to not let those emotions paralyze you.

With that out of the way, now you can really, truly start seeing the positives.

Like the fact that you may be able to be healthier just by changing your diet. And that this diet – the one you thought was going to be boring and difficult – can actually be very tasty and a lot of fun. Did you see that seven layer salad?

And that you are not alone and there are many wonderful, creative, and caring people out there who will rally around you. If you let them. And you don’t always swear when they answer the phone.

So it is up to you to own your feelings, let them go, and then latch onto those silver linings. And to change your perspective from feeling limited to limitless.

Because this is not the end to an exciting life. It is just the beginning of one.

Pinkie swear.

For more thoughts on taking on a low-sodium diet, check out some recent articles on Stanford’s Scope Blog and Lifescript.com. Oh, and have a good weekend too.

College, Kidneys, and Viral Videos

Perhaps you’ve heard of someone named Justin Bieber. He is a teen dream and he is said to be responsible for an international outbreak of Bieber Fever.

Not gonna lie. I caught it.

You may have also heard of Rebecca Black. Although slightly less well known and with no “fever” to her name, she too recently swept the nation with her song “Friday,” in which she “drives” around with her friends and sings (auto-tuned) about how excited she is that it is Friday. I’m already sorry for linking to this video.

But Bieber and Black, watch yourself.

You may both be huge hits on the YouTube, you may have the charming good looks of someone who has not yet gone through puberty, and you may have huge crews that back you up in choreographed dance routines.

But guess what? I’ve got a crew too and a video on YouTube to prove it. And while I don’t even attempt to do the running man, I do talk about Lupus, kidney disease, and living a limitless low sodium life with a lot of energy, hot pictures, and a horrible hair cut.

Kidding aside, it was such an honor to be back at my alma mater, sharing my stories, advice, tips, and even food (that’s right – I made salt-free sushi!) with a group of low sodium warriors.

And if you missed the talk, not only can you watch it here anytime you want (see: video above), but I’ll be speaking as a part of Stanford Hospital’s Health Library lectures again on Wednesday June 22 at 7pm at the Redwood City Public LIbrary. Call (650) 498-7826 to register. It’s free. And I’ll bring more sushi.

As an extra bonus, I’m also very excited to announce that I’ll be speaking at the Bay Area Association of Kidney Patients on May 22nd. Check out their website for more information! And I’ll try to come up with a good dance routine for that appearance as well. Requests welcome.

And finally, I also had the recent honor of guest blogging for one of my favorite websites – Big Girls Small Kitchen – and their sister site – Small Kitchen College. As someone who lived through undergraduate with a host of dietary concerns, I wanted to give current collegiate cuties some helpful tips on how to eat at the cafeteria, snack during finals, and of course, go out on dates without worrying about their dietary needs. Who can bother with food when you’re already stressing over which jeans to wear?

So if you know someone lucky enough to still be in high school or college, and who must keep to a strict meal plan, then please forward these tips along. Click here for the Top Five College Dietary Challenges (and Their Awesome Solutions).

With that, I’m off to enjoy my Friday (slash, work furiously on finishing my book). And I promise, next week will be full of lots and lots of yummy recipes.

We we we so excited.

Chow on.

Product Alert

Here are things I love: fried chicken, french fries, tempura, onion rings, and when it comes to low sodium living, being wrong. Which has nothing to do with being dipped in hot oil…thank goodness.

My great mistake begins with yogurt. For years, I have avoided it since many dairy products are high in sodium. But with my recent travels, I started contemplating the yogurt compromise.

At airports and on-the-road, low sodium food is scarce. I tend to look for things like steamed white rice, fresh fruit, and hard boiled eggs to keep me fueled and my stomach quiet. But often, even these items can be difficult to find and are generally not very satisfying.

Yogurt, however, is pretty much everywhere. Plentiful, if you will. From Walgreens to Whole Foods and all the corner stores in between, you are almost guaranteed to find a carton of the stuff. And after years of giving it the cold shoulder, I decided to take a second look.

Most yogurts (excluding the soy or coconut based products) fall in the 80 to 100mg of sodium per container range, which is why I always left them on the refrigerated shelf. But if you consider that an egg has 70mg of sodium, then suddenly, substituting yogurt for a three-egg omelette (especially when you are in a food pinch) is perfectly acceptable.

Here’s the best part, upon further inspection, there are even some Greek yogurts that fall in the 30 to 40mg of sodium per container range. Less than a third of a can of Coca Cola. And the FAGE brand – shown above – comes in some super exciting flavors, like honey and cherry pomegranate. Low in sodium, not in taste.

So on this Hump Day, as you race around town and realize that you haven’t had anything to eat, do me a favor and skip the banana/coffee “in-a-crunch” lunch – which is what I am eating as I write this and trust me, it is not that exciting. Treat yourself to spoonfuls of yogurt and sugar instead, because, as it turns out, you can.

Chow on.

Homework & Kimchi Pancakes

What you see before you is a bonito flaked Kimchi Pancake made by Namu at the SF Ferry Building Thursday street cart Farmers Market.

And this, my salt-free friends, is a foursome of salty but succulent duck sliders from Tilth restaurant in Seattle.

And if turf is not your thing, then behold! A crisp skate wing with frothy chorizo/clam broth from Redd in Napa will do the trick.

Or maybe your taste buds want to travel and they’re ready to hop on a plane and try some real pad thai from a market in Thailand.

Before you commit me to the low sodium looney bin, or worse yet, you decide to UNsubscribe from this blog, let me explain the tortuous food porn photo essay above. As a low sodium eater, I rarely feel limited. I’ve been able to substitute savy salt-free ingredients for typically salty ones. I eat out often and I eat well. And I was even treated to some real Thai cuisine while in Thailand, without having to compromise my diet or my health.

Food boundaries? Not for this ever-hungry bunny.

But, the truth is that there are many dishes, whether from my childhood memories or my neighborhood pizza place, that I cannot currently eat. That I crave. That I dream about. That I want to makeover, without the salt. And with time, I will.

I do not see these dishes (featured in the pictures above) as examples of my limitations. I see them as inspiration. Muses for salt-free masterpieces. And I want you to do the same.

For this upcoming weekend, I’m assigning you some homework. I want you to think about food. Salty food.

Start (re)collecting the meals, the menu items, and the culinary memories that you wish you could enjoy on your low sodium diet. Then, send them my way. Post them on the

• SODIUM GIRL FACEBOOK PAGE
• TWEET ME @sodiumgirl
• or simply POST A COMMENT BELOW

Yeah, that’s right, you have three options. Three! So I expect to see these sites blowing up with sodium free activity!

And with the upcoming, national sport holiday – the Super Bowl – I’m sure there is a dip, a wing, or a 27-layer dip that you are dying to eat. So let’s get the Salt-Free My Recipe requests going. You never know, it may end up in the book!

Happy Friday to you all. May there be many happy hours, happy meals, and happy bellies. See you on Monday.

Chow on.

Staying Alive – Herbs

Earlier this week, I tweeted about herbs (see above) and the arsenal of low sodium flavor one can uncover when cooking with them.

As a quick aside … just in case some of you do not know what “tweeting” is – and yes, I realize that is probably .2% of the population – let me explain. I’m not talking about tooting in public or partaking in illegal substances. I’m talking about dispensing advice (or for some, a poetic recounting of the frozen yogurt they just ate) on the site Twitter, using 140 characters or less. It’s like the radio of the future, where anyone can broadcast.

But enough about social networks, servers, and handles (this is computer talk, not a to-do list for your next dinner party). Let’s get back to the basics. Let’s get to the herbs.

Perhaps you actually followed my 140 characters of advice and you picked up a few bunches of aromatic greenery this week. Maybe you snapped up some parsley for a pasta dish or cilantro for taco night. Mmm, taco night. Or maybe, just maybe, you went for broke and you grabbed a bushel of marjoram without even knowing what it tastes like or what it is. I applaud you.

Being the smart cook that you are, you also probably leafed through your pile cookbooks and favorite food sites to find a recipe that really honored your special ingredient. Mint, dill, chive, or tarragon – whatever the herb was, you made it the star.

But a few days later, those bright colors and tastes, that successfully perked up your low sodium foods, started to wilt away in the fridge. Nothing is more depressing than seeing a whole bunch of herbs go to waste. Well, dropping your perfectly cooked Thanksgiving turkey on a dirty floor is a close second, but if no one is looking, you can easily remedy that situation.

So the question then becomes, what do you do with your leftover herbs? How do you keep all that flavor alive? How do you stretch your dollar and your creative mind?

And without you having to ask, here are my answers:

1) Learn how to properly store your herbs. Just throwing them in the crisper is not going to keep them crisp. So unless you like limp basil, check out this breakdown by Real Simple magazine. I think it is great advice, especially the part on drying your leftovers. And this explanation, from Simply Recipes, is also very helpful. Not only will it keep your herbs from the compost bin, it will keep your used Ziploc bags from the trashcan. A win-win for you and the environment.

2) If you know you are going to buy fresh herbs, don’t just look for one recipe; flag two or three for the week. In these tight-wallet times, we have become accustomed to reuse our grains or proteins as leftovers – chicken cacciatore one day, tortilla soup the next. Using herbs shouldn’t be any different, and if you actively plan to use your fresh herbs in as many meals as possible, you might discover new combinations. Mint doesn’t just work well with fruit, it also pairs successfully with peas.

3) Infuse, infuse, infuse! Instead of letting those herbs die, let them live in perpetuity by mixing them with oils or butter. Give your EVOO the star treatment with Alton Brown’s recipe for herb oil, and gussy up unsalted butter with this simple recipe from CHOW (just leave out the kosher salt). The next time you’re making sauteed vegetables, a simple pasta, grilled steak, or pork tenderloin, add herbaceous notes with some of your special, homemade oils and butter.

4) Your turn. I may have the blog, but I know I don’t have all the answers. So it’s your time to shine. Tell us how you turn twigs of unused rosemary into your next masterpiece. What do you do with your leftover fresh herbs?

 

Do You Fuyu?

While it may not feel exactly like fall (oh hey, 70 degrees and sunny in November), the market sure looks like fall. Oranges, reds, and tans line the produce aisle and all the fun, cool-weather fruit and veggies are just begging to be eaten.

That’s how we find ourselves with the beautiful fuyu. Persimmon, that is.

There are two types of these golden fruits that you will typically find in the grocery stores and markets: fuyu and hachiya. The fuyu is stumpier and looks more like a mini pumpkin. It can be eaten raw, like an apple, although most people will advise you to peel the skin first. If you have the time. The hachiya, on the other hand, is more oblong in shape and is best when cooked, like in a pie or in a compote that tops some juicy pork chops.

This Thanksgiving, welcome persimmons to the family table and add their bright color and mildly sweet flavor to your cornicopia of treats. The culinary options with these fleshy fruits are endless. Simply cut a few fuyus and serve them plain as an appetizer. Or mix with arugula, apple, and a little balsamic vinegar for a simple, crisp salad to kick off the holiday carb fest. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds on top and you’ll really have something special.

Or, if you want to get wild, add chopped fuyu to your stuffing (yeah, I said stuffing) for a surprising bite that will have your guests asking, what makes this stuffing so darn good? To which you’ll simply answer, Fu Yu, promptly followed by high fives for everyone at the table.

Persimmons are just another simple way to dress up your low sodium dishes, offering taste buds something different and delicious to munch upon. So if you have yet to fuyu, definitely pick one up the next time you see its orange skin shinning.

Chow on.

Jess She Did

I was going to write about the virtues of cooking with beer. But that post will just have to wait. Because yesterday, my super friend Natalie ran her first marathon, raising an outstanding $10,000 for Lupus research. So yes, we can talk about hops another time.

While this post doesn’t have much to do with low sodium food (other than perhaps the fact that Natalie had quite a large, cheesy pasta dinner the night before the race), it does have a lot to do with me (hello!) and the disease that led me to writing this blog (thank you very much).

I think it is safe to say that I approach my low sodium needs without apologies, without fear, and without limits. But I have realized that, at least lately, when it comes to my disease, I have not been as daring.

Seven years ago, my life not only changed, it was almost lost. And the fact that unexpected lightening struck me once didn’t leave me feeling safer, but more scared that it could strike again. At any time.

Obviously, this fear doesn’t keep me from doing much. I work. I travel. I play. But lately, I do it with trepidation and sometimes insecurity, unsure if my health will hold up or if my relationships will stay strong. Which frankly, is not much way to live life at all. Especially a life that you were given a second chance at.

So that leads me to New York and Natalie and her 26 miles. As she raced for a cure this weekend, I finally slowed down with my disease. With wonderful people like Natalie – and the many researchers, doctors, and organizations searching for answers – I’m sure there will be a miracle on the market in the near future. But in the meantime, I have Lupus and all of its fun mysteries, aches, and pains, and Natalie reminded me that I also have wonderful people around me who aren’t going to let that get in my way.

Together, we will continue to do whatever we can to keep me (and each other) safe and healthy. And beyond that, we will continue to do crazy things, like take a month off of work to travel, stay out all night dancing, eat ice cream before our low sodium veggies, and of course, run for four hours straight.

So thank you, Natalie, for legitimizing this silly thing I live with everyday and for reminding me that if I can keep my low sodium belly feeling its fullest, I can live my life to the fullest as well.

And for those of you who still want some brew-haha, know that she refreshed herself with a cool drink as soon as she was done. Oh, and she’s in the NYTimes today too. What a rockstar.

Live on.

Running, Runny, Run

This was supposed to be a picture of a box overflowing with golden, low sodium, maple granola brittle. This was supposed to be the little treat I made to keep my friends full and fueled throughout the day on Sunday. This was supposed to be the way I thanked my superhero, Natalie Schwartz, for running her first NYC Marathon this weekend in my honor and in support of Lupus research.

This turned out to be a sticky, runny mess.

I guess I can now add candy making to my list of culinary talents that have yet to fully “mature.”  True confession – I’ve never made confections before. But I felt quite confident that I had this one in the bag. Unlike my previously recorded baking mishaps, I had all the right equipment – silpat, candy thermometer, maple syrup – and the recipe from Epicurious looked pretty straightforward:

Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds (2 oz)
• tablespoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (2 1/2 oz)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, softened

Directions

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Spread oats, sunflower seeds, and cinnamon in an even layer in a large shallow baking pan and bake, stirring occasionally, until oats are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with pumpkin seeds and zest.

Line a baking sheet with nonstick liner. Cook brown sugar, syrup, and juice in a 4- to 6-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon (be careful not to splash or splatter while stirring; mixture will become extremely hot), until it registers 290°F on thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in butter until melted (mixture will thicken and become opaque), then quickly add nut mixture and stir until coated well. Immediately pour onto liner, then cover mixture with a sheet of parchment paper.

Roll out brittle as thin as possible with a rolling pin. Carefully peel off parchment paper and discard (don’t worry if some caramel sticks to parchment). Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Break brittle into large pieces.

Other than a few low sodium adjustments, I followed the directions step by step.

Until it came to the temperature. I waited and waited, but the numbers never rose above 220 degrees on my candy thermometer. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. The syrup was frothy and very hot, almost volcanic, but never 290.

Was my thermometer broken? Did the temperature really matter?  Either way, I wasn’t patient enough to find out and I moved along with the recipe, dumping the seeds and granola into the pot, fingers crossed that it would all magically work out in some sort of candy land-like miracle.

But alas, the chunky river of syrup. No goody goody gumdrops here.

I had a moment of cursing the culinary confectioner gods, but in thinking about my Natalie – the inspiration for the recipe – I quickly regained composure. This experiment was a complete failure. But that was ok. It was a reminder that perfection is not a measure of ultimate success – especially when you are trying something for the first time and taking on a challenge. Perseverance is.

While I will not be able to bring Natty maple brittle this weekend, I will definitely keep trying until I can send her a holiday box full of the sweet stuff. And that tenacity is what counts most. Plus, advice from candy experts (that’s you, Joann) and online resources like food52.com’s Foodpickle will help too – apparently using a heavy, cladded pan helps the syrup maintain its temperature. Noted.

Whether that uphill battle is a dietary restriction, a failed recipe, or, you know, a 26 mile run through the streets of New York, just remember that every hurdle is one leap closer to the finish line.

Chow and cheer on.

Let’s Discuss

Rabbit rabbit and happy November!

Now that ghouls and goblins have been laid to rest for another year, it is time to focus on the more culinary-minded holidays ahead. November and December are by far my favorite months (besides the other ten) and I always look forward to the cookie fests and savory feasts that fill up my calendar. Baited breath, drooling mouth.

In preparation for all the good food to come, I thought it prudent to discuss the traditional dishes that define holiday meals. Whether it is a brined turkey, parmesan potatoes, or a glistening pecan pie – I am certain that everyone has a (salty) recipe or two that reminds them of crackling fires and family gatherings. And in order to avoid passing them up, or worse yet, eating them and paying the price, it’s time we roll up our sleeves and Salt-Free Holiday Fare.

So I turn to you for questions and queries. What foods define the holidays for you and which ones are you afraid that you have to give up? In the coming weeks, I’ll cover everything from pumpkins, to pies, and to jingle bells and together, we’ll figure out how you can have all your holiday favorites, without the salt.

Let the posts and emails begin!

Chow on.

Salt-Free My Recipe: Mama’s Enchiladas

A few weeks ago, I received the following, lovely letter from Sodium Girl reader Cindra Fox:

Dear Sodium Girl,

I’m on a low-sodium diet to prevent complications from migraines. I’ve been on it for over a year now and have found a whole new world of food and flavor that I ignored back when I could just grab a burger at the closest drive-through.

What I miss the most, though, is Mom’s famous enchiladas. I’m half-Mexican and we would make these at least once a week. Now it’s been over a year since I’ve had them.

But here’s the catch: not only can’t I have high salt, I can’t eat dairy or onions. I’ve found a great cheese substitute (Linsanatti’s soy cheese) and I can have scallions and green onions.

I’ve seen your skill with recipes. Can you help me out? Or am I stuck never eating Mom’s delicious enchiladas again?

Cindra.

Well, Cindra, my answer to your question is loud and clear: you can make your Mama’s Enchiladas and eat them too! Of course, you’ll have to make some nifty low sodium substitutions, and make a lot of things from scratch, but it is entirely possible to make the dish with all the familiar flavors and without the salt.

This Monday, armed with a few spare hours and a hankering for Mexican food, I took to the enchilada challenge.

I started by examining the ingredient list in Cindra’s original recipe:

• 1 large can of red Las Palmas Enchilada Sauce
• 2 small cans Chicken or Turkey Gravy
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 large onion, white or yellow (chopped)
• 1 large block of cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 2 pkgs of small corn tortillas, 12 per pack

Other than the onion and red pepper flakes, everything else contained a high amount of sodium and needed to be replaced. To make-over this recipe, it was clear we needed to stay away from canned products and make similar ones from whole foods.

Now, I must confess, I took creative liberties with this Salt-Free recipe. I didn’t use cheese, I didn’t make gravy, and I didn’t use the red sauce. But I I stuck to traditional flavors and textures, and I aimed to achieve them with as little effort and clean up as possible. Food can be homemade without being a hassle.

So with fingers crossed and an apron tied on, I began to craft a crispy dish that blended creaminess, crunch, and spice in perfect harmony.

Normally, I would have reached for crème fraiche or ricotta to a mimic the cheese. But because of Cindra’s dairy sensitivity, I needed to think of another way to introduce a milky texture to the dish. The answer was corn. I puréed two cups of kernals with a medium sized avocado. This thick, but silky spread acted as a “melted cheese” substitute while also providing a scrumptious, unexpected flavor.

For the sauce, I made a salsa verde from tomatillos, a poblano pepper, a serrano pepper, and some cilantro.

 

With an immersion blender in my hand, it took only minutes to whip this up.

As for the meat filling, I wanted to make sure my chicken was infused with deep flavors. But I also wanted to be able to cook it quickly. So I poached the thighs in a pot full of Tecate (no joke) and the juice of one lime. In thirty minutes, my chicken was drunk and tender enough to be shredded.

Finally, because corn tortillas (without salt) are not as pliable and tend to fall apart easily, I chose to layer the ingredients like a Mexican lasagna rather then roll. Again, I was clearly taking liberties with the classic preparation, but I think the alteration works well and you still achieve the hug of crispy tortillas wrapped around the ingredients.

 

Fifteen minutes in the oven and Mama’s Enchiladas were done. Crunchy, creamy, and spicy – the meal was familiar and filling. And I hope you, Cindra, find it to be as delicious as your Mama’s version.

 

Truly, you can recreate any dish without the salt and most of the time, the restriction will lead you to more adventurous, tasty discoveries that will not only satisfy your craving but will also impress everyone else.

Chow and enchilada on.

Ingredients:

• 4 – 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 can of beer (like Tecate or Blue Moon)
• 1 lime
• 4 cups of water
• Corn tortillas (no sodium)
• 1 avocado
• Kernels from 2 ears of corn or 2 cups of frozen corn (no sodium)
• 1 cup of roughly chopped cilantro
• 6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 4 tomatillos, with husks removed and washed
• 1 poblano pepper, with seeds but with stem removed
• 1 serrano pepper, with seeds but with stem removed

Directions:

1. Turn oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a medium sized pot, bring beer, juice from one lime, and two cups of water to a boil. Add the chicken thighs and cook for 5 minutes with strong bubbles.

3. Reduce heat to medium and allow the chicken to simmer for another 20 minutes.

4. In a separate pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic for 5 minutes. Add the tomatillos and 1 and 1/2 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Cook until the tomatillos have softened, about ten minutes.

5. Add both peppers and cilantro, and cook on low heat for another 5 minutes.

6. Take the pot off the flame and use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients. You can also transfer the tomatillos, pepper, and water mixture to a standing blender. Purée until the combo is liquidy, but still chunky. If the sauce seems to thin, put it back on the stove and simmer on medium high for 10 minutes to reduce it.

7. In a pot or a tall cylinder, combine corn, avocado, and 1/2 a cup of water. With the immersion blender (or a standing one), mix ingredients until you have created a thick spread.

8. Take the poached chicken off the stove and out of the pot. With two forks, pull the chicken apart until it is shredded.

9. Now for the fun: in an oven safe dish or a cast iron skillet, begin to layer the ingredients. Start with tortillas (tear in half to fit your cooking vessel). Then cover them with half of your chicken, half of the avocado/corn cream, and a generous drizzle of the salsa verde. Repeat with a second layer – tortilla, avocado/corn cream, and generous drizzle of salsa verde – and throw into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

10. When the enchiladas are hot and crispy, remove from oven and scoop big portions onto plates. Enjoy.