a mexican feast: enchiladas + mesa red sauce + green rice + vegetable slaw


One of my all time favorite cookbooks is the Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook. All the recipes are interesting and so full of flavour. Out of all the recipes I’ve tried, there hasn’t been a dud in the bunch which makes cooking from it relatively foolproof. This weekend, I decided to host a dinner for Cornelius’ parents in our new home. I had no idea what to make, so out came the Rebar cookbook and inspiration struck! The weather was warm and I decided that a Mexican feast would be totally suitable. I made a pretty elaborate meal with lots of different textures and colours but all the effort was worth it. So delicious! And while I love hosting a small dinner party, I also love eating the leftovers the next day. The above photo was leftovers eaten the next day outside on the balcony. And in our short-sleeved tee-shirts and bright sunshine we could close our eyes and think of the tropics.

13 comments to “a mexican feast: enchiladas + mesa red sauce + green rice + vegetable slaw”

  1. 1
    Joanne   April 23, 2007 at 6:25 pm

    Lucky in-laws 🙂 for having such a fabulous meal – I hope they enjoyed it.

    I have never had green rice nor enchiladas before. Mexican food is not popular here in T.O. There aren’t many Mexican restaurants to explore. So this is all new to me. Except for the slaw.

    I will definitely try out the enchiladas one day but not when my in-laws are coming over, as they aren’t too adventurous with trying unfamiliar foods. Bah!

  2. 2
    -   April 24, 2007 at 8:53 am

    oh my this looks really tasty, a bit too many ingrediants for me though… i’ll just have to admire from here!

    looks and sounds really really good though!

  3. 3
    Sara   April 24, 2007 at 10:00 am

    Oh how I love the Rebar cookbook. However, the last thing I made from it, a vegetable risotto, was not good at all. I was so disappointed! Haven’t made the enchiladas yet, but I’ll move them up my list seeing how delicious yours look.

  4. 4
    Max   April 24, 2007 at 11:16 am

    Sounds fantastic! I don’t eat red meat or sausage, but I know there are some chicken chorizos now that I might have to try. It all sounds so delicious!

  5. 5
    Terry B   April 24, 2007 at 1:54 pm

    Wow, a plethora of delicious sounding recipes! And something to do with Mexican chorizo. We just moved into a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Chicago. I recently went to a grocery store looking for Spanish chorizo or something like it–dried, cured, dense little links. Instead, I found the Mexican kind you used here. They were intriguing, but I didn’t know what to do with them. Now I do. Thanks!

  6. 6
    Antara Mukherji   April 25, 2007 at 8:43 am

    Love your blog! the colour and content..ummm can almost smell some dishes. 🙂

  7. 7
    William Conway   April 26, 2007 at 5:04 am

    I love making this type of Mexican food, almost as much as I love eating it!

    Your enchiladas look magnificent, especially considering they’re leftovers. Man, now I’m hungry!

  8. 8
    kickpleat   April 26, 2007 at 12:37 pm

    joanne, i can’t believe mexican food isn’t popular! aren’t there small salvadorean or other latin american restaurants in the tdot? i’m lucky with adventurous in-laws!

    cara, it’s definitely a labour of love this meal, but worth it. if you want to start small, definitely try the salad! you can leave out the jicama if you don’t have it.

    sara, it really is one of my favorites that cookbook!

    max, you can totally make them vegetarian. the rebar cookbook is vegetarian and i added in the chorizo of my own choosing! but even chicken would be great in this!

    terry b, yeah, i’m more familiar with the dried chorizo but was pretty excited when i found the fresh kind! so spicy and delicious!!

    why thank you, antara!!

    thanks william! i’ve never made enchiladas before and i was so impressed. the mesa sauce especially made the meal! yum!

    onababy, yes the ingredient lists for rebar recipes are long but they are definitely worth it!

  9. 9
    oanababy   April 26, 2007 at 12:27 pm

    I love that cookbook! It came with me to Scotland! It’s introduced me to lots of new ingredients I had never tried before, like chipotle peppers, and the recipes are almost all very yummy and full of healthy stuff.

  10. 10
    Joanne   April 26, 2007 at 10:17 pm

    J,
    Mexican food hasn’t caught on as much as say, Japanese, Chinese (& Dim Sum), Korean bbq, Indian, Italian, Greek, Vegan and Raw food and various fusion restaurants in T.O.
    Yes, of course, there are a few ‘mom and pop’ hole-in-the-wall dive-y type places scattered throughout the city. There is “[The] Burrito Boys” canteena style eatery and “El Sol” which is a restaurant quite a distance from the downtown core. I’ve eaten at the latter a few years ago but can’t say that I enjoyed it. I left feeling hungry and unimpressed with the experience. And of course there’s a scattering of (dare i say it) Taco Bell franchises. Oh yeah, and there is Tacos El Sador which is in my neighbourhood and serves the local crowd, but there is limited seating. I’ve also eaten there twice before but haven’t been there in maybe 7 years(!)
    Lately, I have been craving Mexican food so I’ll try to pop into the neighbourhood one soon – w/ hubbie in tow (who is always hankering for high protein meals).

  11. 11
    kickpleat   April 27, 2007 at 8:07 am

    joanne, it’s true here too…but i always seek it out! i love all the tiny little restaurants that i’ve found. they’re cheap and authentic and delicious! lucky (or not!) there aren’t any taco bells in vancouver.

  12. 12
    Dawna   April 28, 2007 at 12:06 pm

    That’s a mighty good-looking dinner you’ve got there! I love green rice, but you don’t see it around, much. I haven’t been to Rebar in years, but I fondly remember their blue corn quesadilla from “back in the day.”

    The mesa sauce looks terrific – I’m always on the lookout for good Mexican sauces, ones that don’t start with a can of tomato sauce.

  13. 13
    Molly   January 22, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    What a hit. I decided to go rogue this Christmas and have a Mexican feast. And this entire meal was aces. The slaw and enchiladas play off eachother so harmoniously. My friends were talking about this meal for weeks… Thank you Jeannette!

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