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.