Black Bean {Yam} Enchiladas

And here we have another successful addition of healthy yum into just plain yum. We all loved this recipe!! 

I did make some significant changes to the recipe however, so watch out.

I omitted the cayenne pepper, and the jalapeno and fresno peppers -- figuring the chili, MEDIUM green sauce, cumin and diced green chilis would leave us gasping for air already. Has to be kid friendly, ya know?

I upped the ratios a bit -- less lime {one had one}, more everything else. I added corn, diced tomatoes, and cheddar for some extra kick and flavor.



     Enchilada Filling:
        two 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed
        cubed, baked yams {I used three small and baked them at 425 degrees for about an hour}
        4 tsp garlic, minced
        1 tsp chili powder
        1 tsp cumin
        1 lime, juiced
        1/2 can corn
        1/2 can tex mex {almost typed text mess...aargh} diced tomatoes {got these at Walmart}
        1/2 cup grated Tillamook medium cheddar
        7 oz can diced green chilis
        salt to taste

     Everything Else:
        1 can green enchilada sauce
        quite a few corn tortillas {didn't count ;p}
        plenty of monterey jack cheese, grated
        chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
        sour cream {you know what this is for...}

So first, I threw the yams in the oven, then got started on the filling ingredients -- mincing the garlic, squeezing the lime, rinsing the beans, etc.

I started at 3 o'clock -- plenty of time, right?? Well, do you remember me talking about chunking? Ya, this was a great example of it. We took breaks for story telling with Little People, breaks for cereal and raisins, breaks to hug little brother, breaks for a little music and dancing, of course a couple breaks to check my email for love...and in between all these things I was cooking enchiladas. This was a flexible recipe that allowed for our chunky schedule.

I like that -- we're not crunchy, we're chunky. Hah.



So -- really I don't know what I did next {too busy juggling}, but at some point the yams were baked nice and soft, the oven was preheated [down] to 350 degrees, the filling all prepped and ready to go and it was time to assemble.



Tortillas warming in the pan, a layer of green sauce at the bottom, she grabs a warm HOT tortilla and holds it in her calloused tender hand, attempting to fill it with bean stuff before yelping in pain!



New plan -- lazy style enchiladas. You know, a layer of tortillas, then a smashed down layer of filling, more tortillas, more green sauce, more filling, continue...kinda like lasagna. Still tastes the same, I think...



The part I didn't photograph {cause I was too busy getting the boys shoed and ready to go outside} was the last layer of tortillas, covered with green sauce, sprinkled with cheese, ready to go in the oven. I didn't cover -- and baked for 25-30 minutes.

And then we ate it. Well, not all -- it made two pans full {8x8 and 11x13}. So there are leftovers. But some were eaten for breakfast. By silly people.

Things I would do differently next time:
        More Sauce. Things were a bit dry. 
        Bake a tad longer. The garlic was still fairly raw. 
        Possibly experiment with a bit more spice. I was conservative here. 
        And add another lime's worth of juice. Couldn't tell there was any lime in this one.

Community Question: Do you think enchiladas taste the same whether they are individually rolled or layered like this?