Black Bean, Corn and Spinach Enchiladas

This is one of those recipes, that now having made it for the first time, I can't believe that I've never done is before. Enchiladas were always something for the local Mexican restaurant to handle and it never really occurred to me that it would be such a simple thing to make them as home. Of course, any recipe can be made complicated, and I've sure there are ways of making enchiladas that would require a dozen more ingredients and half a day of work, but having tasted these I see no reason to do much more than what I've got here. 

The only thing I will probably try net time is to add some shredded chicken or beef to see what these are like as a non-vegetarian version. I suppose the one thing I did do here to make things a bit more complex was making the sauce from scratch (could have just bought a can of it at the store) but in truth it was not that much more work and I always prefer to serve a homemade sauce over store bought.

As for the filling, I had spinach to use so I googled "spinach enchiladas" and ended up on the recipe linked below. The beans give a nice meatiness to the dish and combine very well with the spinach. The addition of corn (I used some of the kernels I had frozen from fresh ears several weeks back) adds a bit of sweetness and crunch. 

I do think the ingredient that really brought it all together was the cheese. Choose that well and you will be well rewarded. I went for a blend of cheddar, pepper jack and mozzarella. Top these off with a spoonful of salsa, or better yet do what we did and use the salsa verde I made a few days ago. Cook a big batch, these make great leftovers!

The recipe below is adapted from this enchilada recipe I found online.

Ingredients (sauce)
3 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup flour
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat then add the tomato paste, flour, and all the spiced. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly to keep it from burning. Add the vegetable broth and whisk to combine then bring to a boil. Reduce the sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Ingredients (enchiladas)
1, 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
6 oz. fresh spinach, washed and coarsley chopped
6 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1 tsp cumin
3 cups mixed shredded cheese (I used cheddar, mozzarella and pepper jack)
8 whole wheat tortillas

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Heat a little olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and saute for 1-2 minutes until slightly wilted. Removed from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Place the cooled spinach in a large bowl along with the beans, 2 cups of the mixed cheese, corn, scallions, cumin, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and then mix well to combine. In a 9x13 baking dish, pour a small amount of the sauce to coat the bottom, then set aside while you roll the enchiladas. Place a tortilla on a flat surface and spoon some of the filling in the middle, roll up tightly with the ends tucked in and then place seam side down in dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Spoon the remaining sauce over the enchiladas until they are completely covered with a thin layer. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top then bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbling.