Enchilada Soup

I guess I'm on an enchilada kick. Driving to the store Monday evening I was trying to come up with something new for dinner and this soup popped into my head. It is basically the enchiladas I made in the last recipe post, converted into a soup!This is great by itself as a meal or maybe as a side with some yummy quesadillas.

Ingredients: 
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cans enchilada sauce
2 cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans or pinto beans, drained and rinsed 
1 cup frozen (or fresh) corn (roasted is good if you can find it) 
1 cup vegetable broth 
1/2 tbsp cumin
sauce from chipotle peppers (you could also add the pepper, chopped) 
salt to taste 

In a large pot, cook the onions and garlic for a few minutes until tender. Next, add all other ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes or so. I would add the chipotle in small amounts and keep tasting until you reach a flavor and heat level you're okay with. 

You could keep it vegan as is, or if you like, garnish with some sour cream and shredded cheese. Chopped fresh cilantro would be delightful as well. This is super satisfying and quick. Great for a weeknight dinner. 
 

Confessions

1. Sometimes I clean the house to 90's rap music. There's nothing like a little Gangsta's Paradise to get you in the mood to scrub the kitchen sink.

2. I love pickle and peanut butter sandwiches. Don't judge; they're awesome. However, not just any pickle will do. They absolutely must be dill and very crunchy. This is a great choice.

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3. During training for my first half marathon, one of my toenails fell off. I am not allowed to mention this around Brian. Ever.

4. I can never remember how to spell the word necessary. I got lucky this time.

5. When I was young, I thought it was such a waste of space to have a pool on a cruise ship. You know, with the ocean right there and all.

6. Ok, so this is not technically my confession, but you must know. My husband does a mean The Real Slim Shady on karaoke.

7. And for the grand finale, I have had a big crush on Tom Selleck since I was three. Yes, that's right, three. Bet you can't guess which Friends episodes were my favorite.

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(You can stop rolling your eyes now, Brian.) 

Chipotle Black Bean Enchiladas

A week or so ago I made these enchiladas. And if I do say so myself, they were the best I've ever made. But before going into that, let me give a little update on things around here. 

Last weekend, I ran my second half marathon! It was also a great excuse to take a long weekend trip back home to Little Rock. The race went quite well. The weather was great and, aside from two rather daunting hills, I reached my goal of running the whole thing. Mind you, I do not run fast. In fact, I think at one point a speed walking old woman past me...but that's not the point. I finished and it felt great. It was also so wonderful to see my family and dear friends. I miss them all so much. 

Now back to the enchiladas. These are not vegan, but I think you could easily make them vegan by using vegan sour cream and then omitting the cheese all together or using a cheese substitute that you like. One thing I did that might be a little unusual is use flour tortillas instead of corn. I know that may enchilada blasphemy, but they are so good, i just don't care. I strongly suggest using whole wheat tortillas though, as they stand up better to the sauce and won't be as soggy the second day. Or I suppose you could use corn if you're a purist.

Ingredients (this makes a 9x13 pan's worth):
10 whole wheat flour tortillas 
1 lg (19 oz) can enchilada sauce
1 can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted is good or Rotel style)
2 cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
a couple of spoonfuls sour cream
1/2 tbsp cumin
about 1/4 cup salsa
1/2 block of Monterrey jack cheese, shredded 
a few spoonfuls sauce that chipotle peppers come in


Heat the oven to 375. In a large bowl, mash the beans with a potato masher. You don't have to massacre it, but you want it to resemble re-fried beans. Mix in the salsa, sour cream, cumin and chipotle sauce. Add a couple large spoonfuls of the bean mixture down the center of the tortillas and roll. Line a 9x13 casserole pan with the enchiladas - 5 on each end. Next, pour the sauce and diced tomatoes evenly over the tortillas. I like my enchiladas really saucy. If you don't, use a smaller can of sauce. Cover the tops with the shredded cheese and bake in the oven until the sauce is good and bubbly and the cheese is nicely melted. 


Garnishing with some fresh chopped cilantro would also be nice. If you can't handle things too spicy, go easy on the chipotle. Don't leave it out though because it adds a wonderful smokey flavor.