BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS
PG tested
The cold weather is back, which calls for comfort food. Enchiladas are always a crowd pleaser, plus they’re super-easy.
The original recipe calls for vegan cheese, but I substituted a mix of mozzarella and sharp cheddar. It might seem as if you won’t get enough sauce from the cooked beans, but don’t worry — you will. Maybe even more than enough.
Serve with a citrusy Mexican slaw for a complete meal.
1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup tomato puree 2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup water Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
12 corn tortillas
4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar
4 ounces shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat oil in saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and cumin and cook for another 2 minutes. Add jalapeno, tomato puree and paste, thyme, 1 cup water, salt and pepper and stir well. Add bay leaf and black beans and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, mash the beans and let simmer for 5 minutes before turning off heat.
Drain bean mixture over a bowl and save the liquid as the sauce.
Place 3 tablespoons of bean mixture in the middle of each tortilla, a generous pinch of cheddar and roll tightly. Spread half the sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and place tortillas seam side down. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Cover dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Top with chopped cilantro before serving.
Serves 4.