Spicy Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

I made this recipe based on some other recipes I found from searching the web. If you are missing the fall (as we were) this is a great and tasty way to add a twist to an old standby.

Spicy Chicken and Pumpkin Enchiladas
ingredients:

• 1-2lbs chicken (we used roughly 6 tenderloins)
  
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
  
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
• 4 cloves garlic peeled
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• 5 drops cayenne pepper sauce
  
• 6 flour tortillas (8-inch)
• grated cheese

procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Season chicken with your favorite seasonings. I used salt, cracked black pepper, and green chili powder. Cook chicken thoroughly, dice and set aside.
   
2. While chicken is cooking, add pumpkin, garlic, chili powder, pepper sauce, 2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper to a blender. Puree until smooth.
3. After chicken is cooked, saute onions until translucent. Add diced chicken and heat through.
4. Cover the bottom of a casserole with the pumpkin mixture. Roll chicken and onion mixture in tortillas and place the tortillas seam side down.
   
5. Pour remaining pumpkin over the top and sprinkle with cheese.
6. Bake at 400 for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I would like to note, that we like SPICE! If you like your food mild, start with smaller amounts of chili powder and pepper sauce and then add more to suit your liking. Also, I tend to make my enchiladas differently compared standard/original style. For ours, I added a small dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of grated cheese with the chicken before rolling the enchilada and putting it in the dish. It makes the filling creamier and adds another layer of flavor.

Lastly, because of the high cooking temp, check to the sauce to make sure it is not drying out. If so either add a few tablespoons of water to the sides of the pan, or turn down your oven!