dan's favorite enchiladas

I love hearing about what other families eat for dinner whether it is a special meal for special occasions or something they make all the time. This meal is my husband's favorite. He loves Mexican food. And I'm not an amazing cook so I don't make many things that he loves. It's okay, I still have time =) He's picky!

Before the girls started eating with us, I used to make the enchiladas on the spicier side but I've changed a few things to make them milder for the girls. I will provide both versions below. Dan loves the spicy version of course. I would say it is medium spicy. I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to spicy food so it's pretty much just as spicy as I can stand.

Chicken & black bean enchiladas (30 mins prep and assemble, 30 minutes to cook)

-You'll need:
-10-12 tortillas (I like Guillero's)
-1/2 can of refried black beans (Trader Joe's sells them with Jalapeños for spicier flavor)
-1/2 can of corn or 1 cup frozen corn (I prefer frozen)
-8 oz pepper jack cheese shredded (or regular Monterey jack for milder taste)
-1 chicken breast cooked and shredded. (I just cook mine in a frying pan with olive oil over med high. 5 minutes on each side should do the trick. cut it open to make sure the inside is no longer pink)
-I large jar of Herdez salsa verde (or mild green enchilada sauce for milder taste)
-small can of sliced olives

You want to have everything laid out in front of you so you can easily assemble your enchiladas. I use a bunch of cereal bowls to put my cheese, beans, corn, chicken and olives in. This is pretty messy to make FYI. You can't make good enchiladas without getting it all over your fingers. So wash up and get started!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the tortillas so they are nice and pliable. I put them in a damp thin dish towel and throw them in the microwave for 90 seconds. Then coat the bottom of a rectangular casserole dish with half of your sauce. Dip the tortillas in the dish so they are coated on both sides. Then put about a teaspoon of black beans, cheese, shredded chicken and corn in the tortilla and roll it up. Repeat until you've used up your tortillas. Any left over chicken and corn can be sprinkled on top of your rolled up tortillas. Poor the rest of your sauce on top. Then sprinkle cheese and olives and cover with foil.

 

 

Cook covered for 15 mins. Remove foil then cook another 15 mins.
That's it!

 

(I ran out of olives for this batch but I usually sprinkle them on top)

We add rice and beans and make our own tortilla chips with the remaining tortillas. I get the beans and rice started first, then start making the enchiladas.

For the rice, I make it in the rice cooker. My husband does it on the stove top if he's available to help. I don't have time for that. We use one cup chicken broth, one cup Rotel's canned tomatoes (regular diced tomatoes or tomato sauce for a milder flavor) and one cup uncooked rice. Add a TBSP or so of tomato paste for more tomato flavor if you have it on hand.

I cook the pinto beans on the stove while I'm making everything else so they are nice and soft when everything is ready. Bring them to a boil then turn them to low. Sometimes we sauté onions first in the pan then add the beans. Sometimes I add extra cheese to the beans to give them extra flavor too.

To make the chips, cut the tortillas into 8ths, coat or spray with olive oil and lay them flat on a cookie sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes. You'll have to watch them so they don't burn. Every oven is different. I make the chips while the enchiladas are cooking so I can put them in the oven when the enchiladas are done.

I realize this is a lot of work. Maybe start with the enchiladas and beans then next time add the rice and chips.