Okay, I admit it. Anything with cheese, salsa and the word Enchilada in it is Pavlovian to me...bring me the bib, I'm drooling. Then Michelle adds all these pictures...sigh.
Recipe of the Month by Michelle Boule
Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
The recipe and why you love making it:
I am a native Texan and, like any true Texan, I am very serious about TexMex food. TexMex is similar to Mexican food, but with a lot more cheese. Everything is better with more cheese.
My family will eat anything rolled into a tortilla. Throw cheese and salsa in there and you have a perfect meal. I wanted to share a staple at our house that is easy and highly adaptable to your own likes. These have beans and cheese as a filling, but you can fill them with just about anything. I suggest eating these with a side of guacamole and Spanish or Mexican rice. Top everything with a dollop of sour cream and salsa and you will think you’ve gone to heaven. Wash it down with a margarita and you will have the perfect end to any day.
Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
Ingredients
2 cans whole black beans
1 can mild red enchilada sauce
1 small can diced green chilis
12 oz. queso quesadilla (or cheese of your choice)
2 c. shredded manchego (or cheese or your choice)
2 Tbl. sour cream
Depending on where you live, you may not be able to find black beans or the specific cheeses. No worries. Enchiladas are hard to mess up. You can put almost anything in them. Pinto or refried beans will work fine. If you have a lonely bell pepper or onion in the fridge, dice that up and toss it in with the beans. Hate beans? Use roasted vegetables instead. Squash, peppers, onions, and eggplant are all fabulous in enchiladas and tacos. Other cheeses that would work well are monterey jack or colby. I like Manchego in the recipe because it has a strong distinctive taste and you already know I have an unhealthy love of cheese.
Preheat oven to 350.
Drain the beans and dump them into a medium bowl. Partially mash them with a fork. (This is optional, I just like the texture.) Mix in 2 tablespoons of sour cream.
Slice the cheese into thin slices. Spray a 9x11 glass pan with cooking spray.
Shake the enchilada sauce before opening it. Open it and spread 4 spoonfuls of the sauce on the bottom of the pan. This will keep the tortillas from sticking and becoming dry.
Place a slice of cheese in the middle of a tortilla. If you need more than one piece of cheese, just rip off a bit of another. The more cheese the merrier. Put two spoonfuls of beans over the cheese. Spread it out evenly, take one side of the tortilla, and fold it over the middle. Fold the other side over the folded side and place the enchilada, seam side down, in the pan.
Continue filling tortillas. Squash them in there. They like to be cozy. You should be able to fit 12-13 in a 9x11 pan. If you run out of room, make an overflow pan and share them with a friend. Nothing says, I want us to be friends forever, like melted cheese in tortillas.
Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Use the back of a spoon to spread it over the tortillas and make sure all the tops have some sauce on them. They will not be covered, you just want them to not be white. Then...more cheese! Spread 1-2 cups of manchego cheese evenly over the top of the enchiladas.
Spread the diced green chilis over the top of everything. It’s messy, but easier just to use your fingers to spread the chilis. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly as green chilis do have some heat and it does not feel great in your eye.
Bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, check to make sure the edges of the enchiladas are not getting too crispy. I like my enchiladas a little crusty around the edges. If they are getting too hard around the edges for your taste, put some foil over the top of the enchiladas and cook another 5-10 minutes.
Blurb: Letters in the Snow
Iris is a simple postmistress in the small town of Turning Creek, Colorado. Simple, except for being a descendant of a Greek myth, having a pair of golden wings, and possessing the ability to speak prophecy. She has had her hands so full guiding the harpies towards their destinies that she has forgotten to seek out her own.
A mysterious letter from an anonymous admirer begins a correspondence that weaves itself into Iris’s heart and awakens a longing for a love of her own. The letters keep arriving, and Iris is increasingly more aware of the charms of Jacob Wells, a newcomer to Turning Creek. She wonders if the letters are from him. But even with Jacob’s charisma and the lure of a new relationship, Iris discovers the heart can't be contained, and that her heart’s desire might be for someone who was there all along.
Unfortunately for Iris, the letters and the resulting affairs of the heart are not the only perplexing things happening in Turning Creek. Something more than nature is burying the town in a deadly winter blanket, and a closely guarded secret that will change Turning Creek forever is revealed.
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Bio:
Michelle Boule has been, at various times, a librarian, a bookstore clerk, an administrative assistant, a wife, a mother, a writer, and a dreamer trying to change the world. Michelle writes the historical fantasy romance series, Turning Creek. She is married to a rocket scientist and has two small boys. She brews her own beer, will read almost anything in book form, loves to cook, bake, go camping, and believes Joss Whedon is a genius. She dislikes steamed zucchini, snow skiing, and running. Unless there are zombies. She would run if there were zombies.
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Hey Michelle,
ReplyDeleteIt's great to have you on the blog. What an awesome recipe!! Have you ever made it corn tortillas? And I love that you set your books in Colorado.
Hugs
LA