Chili-Cheese Black Bean Enchiladas

As a mom of two small boys, I know how hard it can be to 1) find the time to make dinner, 2)make a healthy meal 3) find a recipe that is easy, doesn’t' take too much time to make, and is easy to clean up.

I have set out to find healthier recipes and sometimes not so healthy and share them in hopes to make your daily struggles of getting dinner ready easier for you and your family.

Here is recipe #1- Chili-Cheese Black Bean Enchiladas from Cooking Light 2003. I have made some modifications/variations to the recipe.

I found this to be delicious and Clay LOVED it! Getting my husband to love a dish that doesn't involve meat is a very big deal. His motto is, "If it doesn't have meat- it isn't a meal." On nights that I fix something at meat I always call him at work and warn him that our dinner isn't going to contain meat! So, I was very happy that he liked this dish.

Of course, I didn't use the reduced-fat cheese or fat-free cream cheese that the recipe calls for since they don't I can't get these items in bulk at Costco or Sam's! I also always use more cheese than the recipe calls for. The first time I made this I didn't use the soy crumbles. The second time I was making this for a friend that just had a baby and happens to be a vegetarian so I tried using the soy. I couldn't find any frozen soy crumbles. I found some soy in the refrigerated section and chopped it up into small pieces and used it. I couldn't tell it was there but Clay said he could and didn't like it once I told him that I added soy the second time around. I also added 1/2 can of corn to the recipe which I think was a nice addition!

This was very easy to make and easy to clean up! I also liked that this is a recipe that you pretty much can have all the ingredients in your pantry and refrigerator making easy to make on one of those nights when you are scratching your head trying to figure out what to make. The only issues I had with this recipe was that I found it hard to roll the corn tortillas. They kept cracking and didn't want to stay rolled up. A minor thing for a delicious meal.

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (12- ounce) bag of frozen soy crumbles, thawed (such as Morningstar Farms)
3/4 cup bottled salsa
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.
Add onion, and sauté 4 minutes or until tender.
Stir in cumin, oregano, chili powder, (I put these 3 ingredients in a small bowl first to mix together) garlic, beans, and soy crumbles, and cook 2 minutes, stirring mixture frequently.

Stir in salsa, cook 1 minute.
Remove from heat, and add cream cheese and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese melts.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spread 1/3 cup enchilada sauce in bottom of a 13x9 - inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/3 cup black bean mixture down center of each tortilla, and roll up. Arrange enchiladas, seam sides down, crosswise in dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheddar. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

2 enchiladas = 1 serving.
Calories 386
Fat 12.9 g
Protein 26.8 g

Jack's Birthday

Today we went to Jack's 5th birthday party (birthday boy below in my favorite picture). They had a reptile man come and share several different kids of reptiles. It was a great party and the kids had a blast so I wanted to share some pictures from the party.

Where did my baby go?

We finally did it- we cut Andrew's hair. He went from looking like a baby to a little boy. I am going to miss those curls!

Think they're brothers? (Haircut day - Andrew's first)

Andrew's Ice Cream Dance

NKOTB

This past Thursday I went to The New Kids on the Block concert here in Baltimore. Stop laughing- my husband and brother have already made fun of me enough. Unless you were a fan back in the day you just wouldn't udnerstand. It was a great concert- I had a great time and if they come back to DC this summer I am so there. You got to give up to these guys that they came out a great ablum and are still kicking it after all these years (at least 20 years later).

Here are some pictures:

2 in the Morning

Step by Step

Please Don't Go Girl

Example 434 of why I can't Get Ahead on House Work.

I have been sick for over a week so I was on the phone with the doctor's office trying to make an appointment. I could see Andrew in the kitchen. I could see the top of his head over the counter so I knew he was standing on one of his little chairs. He does this all the time trying to get something out of the drawer. While holding, I yelled for him to get down but he never did. Once I got off the phone I went to get him and found this (see video below) so I had to grab my camera. This is just another example of why it is so hard for me to get ahead on my house work.