I’m working on a slow cooker enchilada recipe for you and it is both awesome and awful. Awesome because the flavors I have are REALLY good and the enchiladas turn out delicious.  Awful because it looks like vomit when it’s done cooking. 

Sadly, that’s how a lot of slow cooker recipes go.  The food can taste really good but it looks less than appetizing when you pull it out.  In fact, that’s how a lot of recipes go.  You never realize how ugly some dishes are until you try to take pictures of them.  Which probably the majority of you haven’t done.  That’s ok.  I will bear this burden for you.

But think about it for a minute.  How do you make caramelized onions NOT look like worms?  Or gravy not look like diarrhea?  And try as I might, my smoothie bowls look like I murdered some cartoon animal.  I have no idea how those professional Instagrammers get their smoothie bowls to look like literal works of art.  It has to be fake food, right?  Like these can’t possibly be real? 

Anyway, while I sit here and mourn my lack of talent to turn vomit/diarrhea food into works of art, I thought I would share a part of the enchilada recipe with you.  Instead of a typical tomato-based sauce, I decided to turn it into a green sauce with poblanos and tomatillos.  It’s a nice change AND adds a new twist to making slow cooker enchiladas look less like what you would find in a diaper and more like something you want to put in your mouth.

Apparently, I like a challenge and I bet you’re super hungry now, aren’t you?

Well, if you haven’t run away nauseated by this point, make this sauce and get ready for some delicious enchiladas.  Because I WILL get those pictures.  You can keep this sauce in your fridge for up to a week and in your freezer for even longer.

Green Enchilada Sauce 

• 3 poblano peppers
• 4 medium tomatillos
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup toasted pistachios
• 1 onion, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke OR smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Set your oven to broil.  Remove the stems and seeds from the poblano peppers. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes and then turn them over and broil for another 5 minutes.  You want the skin to get black and charred.
2. Take the peppers out and place them under a large glass bowl and let them steam for about 10 minutes.  This makes it easier to remove the skin.  While the peppers are steaming, remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse them off.  Place in a large bowl with the onion chunks, and toss lightly with a little olive oil and salt.  Place on the same sheet you used for the peppers and broil for 5 to 7 minutes until the tomatillos start to deflate and the onions start to brown.
3. Peel the skin off the peppers and add into a blender or food processor along with the tomatillos and onions.  Pulse a few times and then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
4. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week or the freezer for a few months.