Meatless Meal: Spicy Bean Enchiladas

It's been a while since there's been a food-related post on this blog, so I figured it was time to remedy that! Here's a great recipe that's healthy, cheap, and meatless!

With just under a month until we move out, Operation Pantry Clean Out is in full effect. Somehow, even in just 7 months of living here, we have accumulated a pretty full pantry and fridge/freezer. Typical! We have no desire to move a ton of food with us across the country, so we are seriously trying to use up what we have.

When I spotted this recipe for Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas, I immediately knew I wanted to make it. Not only did it look delicious, but it would also be a good use for a couple of the cans of beans and green chiles that were hanging out in our pantry. Perfect!


I made a few adjustments to the recipe, which I noted below, but mostly kept it the same. And oh man were these tasty!! They were super filling, even despite being meatless, and I loved the creaminess that the sour cream added to the filling.

They were super easy to make too, especially with a little help from the husband. We tag teamed the filling and rolling of the tortillas, which made it go a lot faster. I love working together in the kitchen! Great husband-wife bonding time. :)
Spicy Bean Enchiladas

Source: Adapted from Keep it Simple Foods

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 package small corn tortillas (with 10-12 in a package)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (I used 1 can of black beans and 1 can of red kidney beans since that's what I had on hand)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 handful cilantro, chopped (plus some for garnish if desired)

1/2 cup onion, chopped (divided)

1 small can green chilis or a spoonful of jarred/fresh sliced jalapenos

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (The Husband said he would omit the cinnamon next time, as he doesn't like cinnamon in savory foods. I couldn't even taste it though, so it didn't bother me!)

1/2 cup (light) sour cream (You could also sub plain greek yogurt for this but I didn't have any...gasp!)

1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese (or whatever kind you like) (divided)

1/2 lime (juice and zest)

1 can green enchilada sauce (I used a jar of tomatillo green salsa that I had on hand instead of enchilada sauce....but I also think these would be yummy with RED enchilada sauce. Just use whatever you have!)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine beans, garlic, about a third of the chopped onions, cilantro, green chiles, all the spices, sour cream, lime juice & zest and about 1/3 cup of cheese. Combine well.

Spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling into each of the corn tortillas and roll them by hand. Try to get them as tight as you can and then place them in a baking dish seam side down.

Pour the green sauce on top so that it coats each tortilla.

Top with the remaining cheese, onions, and chopped pickled jalapenos (if desired).

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until cheese is melted and tortilla edges look crispy and brown. Let sit for about 2 minutes before serving. Top with more sour cream, cilantro, jalepenos, or whatever you like!

NOTE: You could easily add some chopped, cooked chicken to the enchiladas if you need more substance. I'm sure it would be tasty, but they don't need it! They are very flavorful and yummy as written!

Leggo my Egg Skillet

What's for Dinner? 5/11/2010

-Southwestern Egg & Black Bean Skillet

Cara's Cravings is an amazing blog that features all kinds of innovative and healthy recipes that she creates all on her own. She is such an inspiration for food bloggers everywhere! Visit her blog like right this minute and prepare to be inspired!

When she recently posted about this Southwestern Egg & Black Bean Skillet I knew I was going to make it. Black beans, mexican flavors, eggs, avocado, cheese....uhhhh YES PLEASE!


It completely met and exceeded my expectations! Hubs loved it too. His exact comment was "Wow you're on a roll this week but this might be my favorite dinner so far!" That's saying A LOT from a man who normally turns his nose up at any dinner that doesn't include meat.

I did end up adding 2 extra eggs (Cara's recipe only calls for 2 eggs) because I knew 1 wouldn't be enough for the hubs. Together we polished off the ENTIRE SKILLET. That's how good it was!

Southwestern Egg & Black Bean Skillet
Source: Cara's Cravings

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced {I used 2 cloves}
1/3 cup frozen corn {I used 1/2 cup}
1 cup drained, rinsed black beans {I used 3/4 of a can...think it was a bit more than 1 cup}
salt & pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
pinch of coriander
10oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 large eggs {I used 4 eggs}
2oz queso fresco, crumbled
chopped cilantro and sliced avocado, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400F.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, corn, and beans and cook for about 2 more minutes, until garlic is fragrant. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and coriander.

Add the diced tomatoes with green chilies and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors.

Carefully break the eggs over the black bean mixture. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until eggs are soft-set. Sprinkle with queso fresco and garnish with cilantro and diced avocado. Serve hot.

Nutritional Info (not including avocado)
Servings Per Recipe: 2
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 338.3
Total Fat: 14.0 g
Cholesterol: 227.5 mg
Sodium: 1,525.8 mg
Total Carbs: 35.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 9.0 g
Protein: 20.7 g

What's for Dinner? 1/10/2010

Korean Roast Chicken Thighs
These were SO good! Moist, flavorful and falling off the bone. Definitely highly recommend this recipe!

Fried Rice
Made this just like you see it in hibachi restaurants. I'll try to do a quick explanation:

Heat 2 Tbsp oil on medium-high in a wok, add chopped onions and garlic. Cook about 1-2 minutes until soft. Then add 2-3 beaten eggs and cook like you would scrambled eggs. Remove eggs and onion mixture from pan completely and set aside. Heat more oil in wok (about 1 Tbsp) and then add cooked rice (I used about 3-4 cups of leftover cooked rice) and peas (about 1/2 cup). Let rice and peas cook for about 5 minutes until some of the rice starts to get crispy, stirring occasionally. Then add enough soy sauce to coat the rice lightly, along with the egg & onion mixture. Stir fry for another couple of minutes and then serve.

Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy
The only thing I added to this recipe was to add a splash of soy sauce at the end. Really yummy!



This whole meal was a huge success, although definitely more of a Sunday night meal for us because of the time involved to cook the chicken. Plus, chicken thighs are super cheap so this is a really budget friendly meal!