Shelly's Recipe

CHIPOTLE AND TOMATILLO-SAUCED BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS

Category: Sides

2 tsp. canola oil
1 small onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 bay leaf
3 oz. baby spinach
2 oz. cream cheese, softened (lowfat is fine)
10-11 corn tortillas
2 batches* Chipotle salsa with pan-roasted tomatillos or enchilada sauce of your choice
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack, Mexican blend, or any other cheese of your preference

Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté until tender. Add the beans, broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste. bring to a boil and then reduce to low heat, simmering for about 10 minutes and stirring occasionally.

Stir in the spinach and let it wilt. With the back of a wooden spoon, mash some of the black beans to thicken the mixture. Off the heat, stir in the cream cheese. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Meanwhile, spray/brush the tortillas with oil, stack in twos, and place in the oven until soft and pliable, about 3-4 minutes.

Spoon a little bit of the salsa over the bottom of a baking dish.

Make the enchiladas by spooning some of the bean mixture into each warmed tortilla, rolling them up, and placing them seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Top the enchiladas with the salsa, and then with the Monterey Jack cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serves 4

I made a double batch of sauce because I did not think that one batch was not quite saucy enough and used about 1 1/2 of the sauce from the batch and used the rest with chips!.

Chipotle - Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
1 pound (6 to 8 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1/3 to 1/2 ounce (3 to 5) dried red chipotle chiles (aka moritas), stemmed
1 small white onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 garlic cloves, peeled
Salt
About 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Toast and roast. Roast the tomatillos on a rimmed baking sheet about 4 inches below a very hot broiler until soft and blackened in spots, about 5 minutes per side. Cool, then scrape into a blender jar.

Meanwhile, heat a small (6-inch) ungreased skillet over medium, toast the chipotle, stirring until very aromatic, about a minute. Scoop into a small bowl, cover with hot tap water and soak for about 30 minutes, stirring from time to time to ensure even rehydration.

Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Spread the onion and garlic on another baking sheet, slide into the oven and roast for about 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes until the onions are golden—they’ll look a little wilted with a touch of char on some of the edges. The garlic should feel soft and be browned in spots. Cool.

Finish the salsa. Drain the chiles and scrape them into the blender jar along with the tomatillos and 3/4 cup water. Pick out the garlic from the onions and add it to the blender. (If all this is too much for your blender, blend in 2 batches.) Blend until nearly smooth. Roughly chop the onion, add it to the blender and pulse a few times until you’ve got as chunky (or smooth) a salsa as you like. Stir in enough additional water to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1 teaspoon, and the optional sugar. Makes about 2 cups