Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

I love enchiladas! This is maybe the second time in my life eating enchiladas and my first time making them. So easy and delicious! What is great, is that it is really easy to make these super healthy too! With a little extra effort in your ingredient shopping, you can find healthy versions of all the ingredients.  I don't cook with turkey very often so I thought this would be the appropriate time to give it a swing. I'm looking forward to making many more variations of these enchiladas with all sorts of different fillings. After assembling the enchiladas you bake them in a dish with the sauce and cheese, they become succulent and the tortillas absorb the flavors of the sauce, the melts and oozes deliciousness. I served these with fat free sour cream and some hot sauce. Last Thursday evening my good friend and his friends came for dinner. Any leftover filling you have, and I had a lot, can be used to make breakfast burritos, tacos, or mixed in with pasta to make a lovely spring time pasta salad.

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

(Serves 5 with more filling for leftovers)

Ingredients:

Tortillas (I use Tumaro's Multi Grain Tortillas)

1 1/2 lbs extra lean ground turkey

1 1/2 cans low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed (I use Eden's Garden)

5 small green chilies, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

2 1/2 cups diced Roma tomatoes

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

4 teaspoons cumin

1 1/2 Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (A soy substitute for cheese works perfectly)

Enchilada sauce:

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 small green chilies, chopped

3 tablespoons sofrito (Mexican tomato base)

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1 teaspoon cayenne powder

1 teaspoons cumin

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:

For the sauce:

1. In a medium sauce pan drizzle olive oil and saute the garlic until golden and fragrant. Add the chilies, sofrito, tomato sauce, cayenne powder, cumin and chicken broth. Pinch in the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer for 7 minutes. Set the sauce aside until you are ready to use it.

For the filling:

2. In a skillet over medium high heat, drizzle some olive oil and cook the turkey until it is evenly browned. Use a spatula to break up the turkey as it is cooking. When turkey is browned add in the garlic, onions, black beans, cilantro, chilies, diced tomatoes, cumin and cayenne. Mix well, cover with some tin foil and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

3. meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle a little olive oil over a 13x9 dish. Plop a generous amount of the turkey filling on the tortillas and wrap them up and place them in the dish, seam side down. When dish is full, pour the enchilada sauce over the wraps, sprinkle on the grated cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted. Top with a little low fat sour cream and cilantro for garnish. Enjoy!