Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

The last enchiladas I had were from Prado Restaurant on Larchmont back in LA and I've kind of been on a high since then. They were shrimp and goat cheese with a red sauce which I don't typically like but these were delicious and served with tostones which was pretty much amazing. Our waiter even brought us more tostones when we ran out! Love that place. Anyway I wanted to make dinner for my housemates and some friends and I figured enchiladas would be great since they're made in big portions. While I was in high school my dad would buy an entire chicken at the Hollywood farmer's market on Ivar (by far the best one in LA, even if I am a little biased) and do it beer can style on the grill. Only having three mouths to feed we always had left overs and a lot of times he and my step mom would make enchiladas with the remaining chicken the next day. They always put spinach in there to add a little green which is never a bad idea. Spinach is essentially flavorless so you can't go wrong. Seeing as I stopped eating chicken last March I decided on swapping out black beans for the chicken, and what a lovely meal it turned out to be.

There were nine of us total. I made two pans of enchiladas, my roommate Jenny used her family's recipe to make perfectly flavored Spanish rice, and some of our friends that came over made a huge bowl of tasty guacamole. They also made margaritas...it was a Saturday night fiesta! To top off the night we had Black Bottom Cupcakes with Raspberry Jam which I will post the recipe for in a day or two. The recipe for the enchiladas is as follows. Super easy, relatively healthy, and you'll have leftovers for lunch the next day!

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

(Makes 1 -13x9 casserole pan)

Ingredients

1 cup chopped yellow onion

2 cloves garlic minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 bag fresh baby spinach

3 cups black beans drained and rinsed

1 tsp

10 oz Monterey Jack Cheese- grated (or a mixture of Jack and Cheddar)

10-15 corn tortillas

1 can green enchilada sauce

2 green onions sliced (optional)

Garlic salt and pepper to taste.

Steps

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1.       1. Place chopped onion, minced garlic, and olive oil in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes until onions are transparent and fragrant.

2.       2. Add entire bag of spinach and place top on pot to trap heat. Let the spinach wilt for about 3 minutes, and stir occasionally so that all leaves are moistened.  Add black beans to spinach mixture and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper to taste.

3.       3. Spread a little bit of enchilada sauce (about ¼ cup) in bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish.

4.       4. In a dry sauté pan, heat up 4-5 stacked tortillas at a time over a medium heat. When bottom tortilla is warm and flexible, fill with 2-3 tablespoons of spinach mixture and a sprinkling of cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in casserole dish. Repeat and continue until pan is full.

5.       5. Spread rolled up tortillas with an even covering of enchilada sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese (or more if you like a really cheesy crust) over sauce. Then sprinkle sliced green onions over cheese.

6.       6. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown. Feel free to broil for a crunchy top. Allow to cool in pan for about 5 minutes. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and/or salsa.

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