Sweet Red Onion & Black Bean Enchiladas

Finished Enchiladas

Naked enchiladas

I'm a little behind on the posting - I haven't wanted to spend much time in the kitchen this week. Thursday was absolutely freezing cold outside, so instead of going to the gym after work and having to make the longer walk home, I headed straight home to cook something hot. I had to make a fruit salad for our work potluck on Friday, so I figured I may as well do that while enchiladas baked in the oven. The salad of fresh pineapple, kiwi, red grapes and starkrimson pears came out awesome and was a huge hit with my fruit-loving coworkers. I hardly put any effort into the enchiladas (and just threw a sauce together with half the ingredients I usually do), and those came out awesome too. Quantities don't really matter, but a can of black beans will give you about 3-8" tortillas full of enchilada filling.

Sweet Red Onion & Black Bean Enchiladas
Vegetable or Canola oil
1 Can Goya Black Beans, rinsed and drained
2 small cloves Garlic
1/2C Red Onion, diced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
Adobe seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, dried oregano to taste
Shredded Sharp Cheddar
8" Flour Tortillas
Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Fat Free Sour Cream (for serving)

Simplified Enchilada Sauce
3T Vegetable Oil
1/2 tsp Arrowroot powder
1 Large Tbsp Chili powder (or more to taste)
1 small can of (no salt added) Tomato Sauce
Cayenne pepper (pinch)
Salt, black pepper (pinch)
Hot Sauce (Frank's Redhot) to taste

Saute onions in oil about 3 minutes. Add garlic, saute 2 more minutes. Add black beans and tomatoes and cook until tomato breaks down. Season to taste. Remove from heat and mix in a couple tablespoons of cilantro.

Meanwhile prepare the sauce in a small saucepan. Heat oil over low-med heat and add arrowroot, chili powder and cayenne and stir to dissolve. Add tomato sauce and season to taste.

Lay tortillas on a plate and heat slightly in the microwave to soften them (about 10 seconds). Covering with a damp paper towel helps them not to dry out. Divide bean mixture onto center line of each tortilla and top with some cheese. Fold 2 sides in and secure with a toothpick. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Top all the naked enchiladas with sauce and cheese. Less sauce will give a crispier tortilla, less cheese will give a more crunchy cheese topping. More sauce or cheese can be used to taste, depending on if you like your enchiladas saucy or dry. I'm leaning toward drier and crispier these days - you can always add more sauce while serving.

Bake at 400 degrees about 30 minutes until cheese is browned. Serve topped with more sauce if desired, hot sauce, a dollop of fat-free sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Thursday morning view - even looks cold outside, all the smokestacks going full-force