Sweet Potato Enchiladas with Homemade Salsa Enlightened by TV Buddhas

George Washington Carver is well known for his work with peanuts. But the botanist/inventor also did a large amount of work with sweet potatoes. During a 1921 presentation on peanuts, Carver told the Ways and Means Committee that there were over 107 different sweet potato products including vinegar, molasses, postage stamp glue and ink. In 1936, he released a bulletin offering recipes and instructions for creating foods and household products from the sweet potato. Carver even convinced the Department of Agriculture, during the wheat shortage of 1918, to begin making flour from dried sweet potatoes. The government and Carver went so far as to draft plans for some large-scale experiments. Unfortunately the end of World War I also marked the end of the wheat shortage and the sweet potato as flour plans never materialized.

For Halloween this year, I’m dressing as George Washington Carver. I mean it is only natural considering all the sweet potato experiments I’ve been working on recently (like this and this and this). Last week, moments after I created a new pair of running shoes from the plant, I put together some sweet potato enchiladas. Check it:

Sweet Potato Enchiladas With Homemade Salsa
(printable version)

-2 sweet potatoes
-1 cup of black beans
-1 onion
-1 inch square of seaweed, ripped into small pieces
-2 cans diced green peppers
-1 Tbs. chili powder
-1 cup frozen corn (or fresh, if available)
-avocado
-tortillas

for the salsa:
-2 cups tomatoes
-1 onion
-cilantro
-juice of 1 lime
-salt
-pinch of sugar

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Boil the sweet potatoes in a big pot of water until their skin can easily be pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes and mash with a potato masher or fork (adding water or soymilk as necessary to moisten the potatoes).

3. In a large pan add a bit of oil and saute the onion until it is translucent. Drop in the black beans  and seaweed. Allow to simmer for a few minutes.

4. Combine the black bean mixture with the diced peppers, chili powder, and corn. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and stir until everything is well mixed.

5. Layer the sweet potato mixture on a tortilla. Fold the tortilla over and place it in a glass baking dish with the folded side down. Bake for 20 minutes.

6. Combine the ingredients for the salsa in a food processor. Pulse until the tomatoes and onions have been reduced to a slightly chunky salsa. Set aside.

7. Remove the enchiladas from the oven. Top with salsa and sliced avocado. Move on to your next sweet potato invention.

If George Washington Carver had had the technology, their is no doubt in my mind that he would’ve thrown together enough sweet potatoes to invent a band like the TV Buddhas. Their music is brazen, bold and raw (just like the sweet potato). Based in Germany, but originally from Tel Aviv, the TV Buddhas have been playing their brand of alienation drenched garage-punk for six years (first as a husband and wife duo, most recently as a trio {husband, wife, brother}). The band self produces all their work, they rely on only a close circle of friends and sustain themselves almost solely by the band. That includes 200 plus shows a year. Here are three tracks from their EP: