Mexican food // Spicy Black Bean & Cheese Enchiladas

I'm not going to lie, Mexican is one of my favorite cuisines. I don't know all the ins and outs of authentic Mexican (I rely on Mónica for that), but if someone shouts, "Let's go to Chipotle" or Moe's or Tijuana Flats, I'm game. I love queso, salsa, nachos, guacamole, tacos, burritos, and enchiladas.  Yum, yum, yum.

However, going out to eat at one of these establishments isn't always feasible, easy on your pocketbook, or necessarily good for your health. While certain eateries like Moe's & Chipotle are doing much to provide quality sources for their foods (no GMOs; MSG; or antibiotics in the meat; grass-fed steak, etc.), you can make optimal versions of these dishes at home as well.

One of my favorites is enchiladas. I have two excellent recipes for enchiladas that I've recently real-foodified.  Here's my mom's version of Spicy Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas:

Spicy Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

2/3 C. water
1 pkg. dry enchilada mix (or, preferably, make your own!)*
2 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained & rinsed (preferably cooked, soaked beans)**
1 C. sour cream, divided
8 (8-oz.) tortillas (I used Ezekiel Food for Life Sprouted Tortillas-pkg of 6)
1 (10-oz.) can enchilada sauce (make your own following Martha Stewart's recipe & divide the sauce in half, freeze the rest for another recipe)***
1 C (4-oz.) finely shredded Cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. sliced green onion

Preheat oven to 375°.  Stir water and dry enchilada mix together in a 10-inch skillet. Add the beans. Cook over medium to high heat until the mixture boils, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to low and stir 3-4 minutes until the mixture thickens.
Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the sour cream. Place approximately 1/2 cup of the bean mixture on the center of each tortilla.  Add a bit of the enchilada sauce on top of the beans, top with a tablespoon of cheese and roll up.
Place the rolled tortillas, seam sides down, in a 9x13-inch baking dish.  Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the enchiladas.  Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 3 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of green onions.  


You can make this recipe easier on yourself by:
*Making the dry enchilada mix ahead of time.  You could even make several batches and package them up separately for future meals.
**Having cooked soaked beans already prepared. If they're frozen, you can thaw them for a bit in the fridge, although they do warm up pretty easily in the skillet.
***Making the enchilada sauce ahead of time.  Martha's recipe makes two servings, so save the remaining 10-11oz and freeze.

If you are gluten-free or avoiding flour, then substitute cornstarch (or possibly arrowroot powder, although I've not done that before) for the flour in the recipes.

If you try to make everything from scratch as you are making this recipe, expect to be in the kitchen at least an hour. ;)  However, the outcome might be well worth it.

Enjoy!