Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

These vegetable enchiladas were THE BEST! And they're so healthy, too... even the enchilada sauce is homemade! It's super easy, but does require a little bit of time and chopping :) Also, I've pretty much decided that whatever amount of cumin a recipe calls for, I decrease it by more than half. Cumin is good, but the flavor and aroma is so overpowering to me that it's all I can taste, even if there's just a tiny bit in the recipe. So I've listed exactly what the recipe calls for, but then I put in parentheses how much I actually used (and they came out delicious with the reduced cumin). This recipe's from the blog, The Garden Grazer.

Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

Makes about 8

Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 C tomato paste

1/4 C all purpose flour

2 tsp cumin (I used about 1/2 tsp)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

3 C vegetable broth

salt and pepper to taste

1. In saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste, flour, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute, whisking.

2. Whisk in broth and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes (I simmered it a few minutes longer).

4. Salt and pepper to taste. set aside.

Enchiladas

olive oil

6 oz fresh spinach

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed.

3 C shredded cheese (a blend is nice, but any favorite will do)

1 1/2 C corn

6 green onions, thinly sliced

2 tsp cumin (again, I used about 1/2 tsp and it was PLENTY)

1/3 C fresh cilantro, chopped

8 whole wheat or flour tortillas (even corn would probably be good; I used flour)

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. In skillet, quick sauté the spinach in olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, just until slightly wilted.

3. In large bowl, combine beans, 2 C cheese, spinach, corn (I totally forgot to add this), green onions, cumin, and cilantro.

4. Lightly spray a 9x13" baking dish and pour a small amount of sauce in to coat the bottom.

5. Generously fill tortillas with mixture, roll them tightly with ends tucked in, and place them seam-side down in dish.

6. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas, coating evenly. Sprinkle remaining 1 C cheese on top.

7. Bake about 20 minutes (I did a little longer to brown the cheese a bit) and garnish with cilantro and/or green onions.

I was also thinking black olives may be a nice addition, inside the enchiladas and/or as a garnish! We had some of these left over as well, and I just heated them in the oven the next day and added more green onions and cilantro to the tops and they were superb :) Enjoy!!!

Black Bean Enchiladas

I just made these tonight and they turned out fantastic! VERY flavorful and tons of room for creativity too.  They can be made in the crock-pot or in the oven*.  I used the crock-pot and they were a little bit soggy, but still delicious.  I was thinking maybe next time I could do them in the crock-pot, so they can have all the flavor-mingling that makes them so tasty, then transfer them to a casserole dish and put them in the oven for a few minutes just to crisp them up. I got this recipe from pinterest, originally from theKitchn.

Black Bean Enchiladas

Serves 4-6

1/2 yellow onion, diced small

1/2 bell pepper, diced small

1 16-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 C frozen corn (I used fresh corn on the cob from the local farmer's market and stripped off the kernels :))

2 tsp chili powder (more if you want it hotter!)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt (I'd add a little more next time; I had to add some salt once it was on my plate)

1 C leftover meat of any kind (optional) (shrimp may be delicious too!)

1 1/2 C cheese, shredded (I used cheddar, Monterey Jack would be delicious; I used about 2-2 1/2 C)

2 16-oz jars salsa

12 6"-8" tortillas (I used some of each because that's what I had)

1. In medium bowl, mix together onion, pepper, beans, corn, spices, meat, and 1/2 C cheese.

2. Pour about a cup of salsa (half a jar) into bottom of slow cooker and spread around evenly.

3. Scoop about 1/2 C of bean mixture into a tortilla, roll it up, and nestle it in bottom of crock-pot. Repeat, rolling and nestling tortillas until bottom of crock-pot is covered.

4. Spread another cup of salsa over this layer and sprinkle with another 1/2 C of cheese.

5. Create a second layer of filled and rolled tortillas (I did a couple more layers). Top with another layer of salsa, but reserve cheese for final, top layer until towards the end of cooking time.

6. Place lid on crock-pot and cook on HIGH for 2-4 hours.

7. In last 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle reserved cheese over top and let it melt.

8. Serve enchiladas with salsa and limes!

*To cook in oven, layer rolled tortillas in 9x13 baking pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese, and bake uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes.

We had these with a salad... there's lots leftover, so we'll enjoy them again tomorrow... actually my husband just informed me that he'll be having them for a late-night snack since South Park starts again tonight :)

Enjoy!!!