Week 42: Vegetarian Enchiladas

Let me start off by saying that it would be difficult to find any Mexican-inspired food that was NOT delicious in my eyes. As long as it has at least three of the following ingredients, I'm a happy girl: cheese, tortillas, sour cream, salsa, black beans...

Something I really liked about this vegetarian dish is that it wasn't too vegetable-y. Because vegetarian really means that it doesn't have meat, not that it's overloaded with healthy veggies. Sometimes I just don't feel like eating something that TASTES healthy, and tonight was one of those times.

I only added ONE healthy thing. I had some fresh baby spinach in the fridge. I gave it a chiffonade (I'm fancy...I know...), and intended to mix it in with the filling, but forgot, and ended up mixing it in with the sauce that went on top of the enchiladas. It actually worked great, and made me feel like I was being good, without really being able to taste it.

Year of Yum Rating: 3 1/2 STARS
(It would have been higher if it hadn't been so runny.)

INGREDIENTS
•2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (just eyeball it)
•4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
•3 tablespoons flour
•2 cups stock (we used chicken)
•15 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes, drained
•1 tablespoon tomato paste
•1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
•1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
•8 ounce container of lowfat cottage cheese (1%)
•15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
•Handful of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (about 3-4 tablespoons)
•8 whole wheat tortillas
•4 ounces colby jack cheese
•Kosher salt
•Freshly ground black pepper
•Sour cream, optional




DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil and garlic in a small sauce pan over medium heat, until the garlic is fragrant and golden. Whisk the flour into the oil, and cook for a few minutes until the mixture turns golden. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the sauce can simmer. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Season to taste with salt. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the filling, combine the cottage cheese, black beans, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the enchiladas, spread about one cup of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Then, for each enchilada, spread 1/8 of the filling in the center of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the filling, and place in the baking dish. Top the 8 rolled enchiladas with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the dish is bubbly and the cheese is golden. Let rest for 15 – 20 minutes prior to serving. Serve with sour cream and additional cilantro, if desired.