problems with gourmet (enchiladas)

[UltrasonicRaw]

just wondered if anyone else has had problems with a few gourmet dishes. i was so excited to make the enchiladas finally (from alissas book) i had already tried to make the tortillas, they were too sweet because i used sweet corn! ick! so this time i had a whole day set aside to make enchiladas, some "bacon" type thing out of eggplant plus several different cookies and the meatloaf (into burgers). bottom line: the enchiladas never came out right, they were too crispy on the edges, too wet in the middle, the taste with the fillig was just gastly! i made two separate batches with fresh corn and then a batch with frozen corn. nothing came out right. i even went back and watched alissas dvd!!! it still was yucky!

the eggplant bacon stuff was pretty horrid too, although i am going to try to still eat it with lots of avocado on a cracker instead of alone. i think the flavor is just too strong by itself.

so far the cookies have come out good, the burgers/meatloaf still arent done.

i think the enchiladas were such a disappointment and i literally slaved all day and into the night on them. i have been about 75 percent raw, some days 100 percent, and i fundamentally know it is about fresh food, not about gourmet stuff, but i have had sooooo many flops!

i know its all trial and error, i guess i had a bad day!! :)

i have a feeing i will be eating bananas and cookies for awhile, ha ha.

[Revvell]

First of all, the burgers/meatloaf are "done" depending on what you mean. For me, they are "done" as soon as they are blended. One GREAT thing about raw is, most everything one makes that is "supposed" to be dehydrated doesn' have to be. I've been ready to dehydrate something, tasted it and ~ that's all she wrote. For burgers/meatloaf, I've just added some veggies and rolled them up in a large green leaf ~ or, made a sauce and chowed down.

As for the rest, I certainly can feel what you mean. I've spent some funds on gourmet recipes and not had them come out. I've not made the enchiladas though. What I HAVE made which has come out really great are: strawberry crepes and lasagne both of which are very easy and tasty.

Personally, there are days when I have no business making anything at all. Seems as though this might be one of those days for you ~ although, sounds as though you've got a .50 average here?



Revvell

[veg-one]

I make these enchiladas at least once a week. hmm, it sounds like maybe you made them too thick and then the edges got crisp but that’s why the middle was soggy? I seem to have really good luck with these and they are one of my favorite raw meals to make. the filling is just vegetable cut up with salt and oil so im not sure what could have gone wrong. These really taste authentic to me!

Ive make everything else you listed except for the bacon and it was all excellent! Her meatloaf is incredible but RP had the suggestion of rolling it into meatballs which i like so i can put them with my 'pasta'.

I think sometimes when we are not used to making raw foods it can be a little different then we are used to- not the same as cooked.
Sorry you didn’t have good success but these are some of my favorites!

Veg-one

[UltrasonicRaw]

i think i may have made the tortillas too thick, the timing may have been off too, like too much time before i added the insides to it. i think i was just sooooo frustrated because i set aside a whole day to do them, was so excited (mexican food is my absolute biggest craving, addiction, favorite etc.) and then was just not liking the end result. one thing i know, if there is mushrooms in a recipe, sometimes they taste so strong and funky that they overpower it. the inside veggies tasted almost like dirt (yes i do make sure my mushrooms are clean). maybe they didnt marinate in the sauce enough??.....anyways. i will keep trying, just had to vent a little. i am glad others are having success with this recipe, i really want to master it. i think i will watch the dvd again, it seems so dang easy on the dvd!! ha ha.

revvel, almost evey type of burger thing i make (with the exception of my first round of pecan burgers) have come out fine. this is my first time making the meatloaf and so far it smellllllls wonderful. i hope this will become a staple for me. i am hoping to prepare a weeks worth of stuff on the weekends, enough to keep me through my busy week.

desserts have been super ez for me, but i dont have a sweet tooth unfortunately, its my mexican food cravings i give in to when i eat cooked. thats why i have focused on all the mexi recipes.

thanks again guys!

leslie

[Revvell]

I have to agree about mushrooms. Something extra special has to be done for me to like them.

Remember when dehydrating ~ The edges get done first ~especially of they are thinner than the center. One thing I do is make sure the middle is at least as thin as the edges ~ even slightly thinner.

Best to you on the next go-round. :)

Revvell

[UltrasonicRaw]

i will try some more simple recipes for awhile, stay away from the mushroom ones and since i just bought a dozen avocados, i will be eating well this week regardless of my enchilada fiasco.

i will also try to spread my crackers, bread, tortilla etc. more evenly, i think that you are right about that too.

thanks!

[SedonaSun]

Hey Leslie,

I haven't tried the enchiladas yet, so no help there, but one of the "gourmet" recipes that seems to turn out well for those who have tried it is the rawvioli. I've made this and it's great! I didn't even have a spiral slicer, just did the turnips thin by hand. I'd never had turnips, so didn't know if I'd like them or not.

We couldn't get them all to fold in half well (sliced by hand, remember), so many were just 2 full turnip slices, like round ravioli, but still yummy! We left some in the fridge overnight and they turnips softened up that way. They were a little questionable after 2 days, but I ate them anyway. Still tasted good, but quite soft and soggy, not something you'd present to sad-fooders to impress them (at the 2-day stage, that is!)

They are a little time intensive, but something to consider the next time you set aside a few hours for raw un-cooking :)

[rawpriestess]

I make a slightly different version of the enchiladas, I use a bunch of mexican spices, cumin, chili, cilantro, onion in the actual enchilada shell, I make it very thin, I use one recipe to make 1 1/2 teflex sheets worth. I also make sure the edges are the same thickness as the center, this can take some practice to get it right.

the innards I use 1/2 cup mushrooms, 1/2 cup spinach 1/2 cup red pepper, 1/2 cup cabbage, and I add spices to this mixture, then I make a cashew sour cream mixture and a super pico de gallo sauce to top it all off.

I also use Alissa's pizza wraps as tortilla shells (soft), and as taco shells (cripsy)

Then flat small ones crispy as tostada shells, then I use some of her meatloaf recipe as the meat on the tostada, add some pico de gallo sauce some cashew sour cream and some nacho cheese sauce, mmmmmmmm.

Don't toss those enchiladas out, just pop them back in the food processor with some more liquid and add some spices and reprocess, then re-dehydrate, I've done this several times.

To cut down on the sweetness of the corn, do NOT add orange juice, use lemon juice, and do NOT add salt, (this brings out the sweetness in recipes) use chili powder, and cumin, also a bit of onion, and cilantro some corriander, and maybe some sun dried tomatoes if you like, or even fresh.

[UltrasonicRaw]

thanks for the help. i will print this thread out for all that advice rp!
i will try the rawviolis and then make another attempt at the enchiladas, i have to get a mexican raw staple asap since this is my biggest weakness. i wont give up!

rp, i have your mexican recipe book so i will start cranking some of those recipes out. thanks again everyone!

leslie

[tvillemom]

UR...come back and let this Newbie hear how your next batch of enchiladas go! I don't have a dehydrator YET...but Hopefully my next trip to Walmart will produce a cheaper brand....waiting to hear :)

[UltrasonicRaw]

i am so happy today because i actually liked the marinara and pasta....which when i originally made, didnt really enjoy much. today it was just so much better. i put more sundried tomatoes and i added a bit of onion and some basil. it was like italian salsa (which i am a great salsa maker!). this was my first really big success, i know it is soooo easy! but although the fetuccini alfredo tastes sooooo awesome, after just a little it makes my stomach hurt for some reason. i just make very small batches of that and only once in awhile. i am just so proud of myself for trying the marinara sauce again since it is an important part of other recipes. now i will try some others like the rawvioli and lasagna.

i will try the enchiladas later, i have a new focus, haha! i will let you guys know how it goes!

leslie