Enchilada Sauce by Ginger

Try buying enchilada sauce in a can or jar and you’ll be hard-pressed to find one without sugar somewhere on the ingredient label.  Good news!  It takes about 5 minutes to make your own and it's better than the prepared kind anyhow.  The reason sugar is almost always added is because tomato-based sauces can be acidic and sugar adjusts this flavor well.  Try the recipe without any sweetener, but if you find it a tad acidic, you can try a small amount of neutral sweetener such as agave syrup if needed.  See the recipe I adapted below for Cinco de Mayo - it turned out great.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup canola or grapeseed oil

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1  28-ounce can crushed tomatoes or pure tomato sauce

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon agave syrup (if needed for high acidity)

1 cup water (additional water as needed for consistency )

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Heat oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in flour until well combined, about 1 minute.

2.  Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.  The consistency of my sauce was perfect, but feel free to add in water if needed as you prepare your own recipe.  Enjoy!!  

*Recipe adapted by Ginger Hultin MS RD LDN 5/16/14