Turkey And Black Bean Enchiladas

There are a few foods that John really dislikes. Beans and mushrooms being the two major ones. Sadly, though, I love both of these foods. So, we have come to a sort of compromise; at any rate we’ve managed to bridge the impasse, if not completely compromise. If I can sufficiently hide the offending item in a dish, John will eat it without complaint. If I leave them as a side dish or where he can easily pick them out, he won’t eat them.The last weekend we were in the old apartment I was trying to get rid of as much perishable food as possible because we had to be out of our old apartment but couldn’t get into the new one until hours later (8.30 p.m.)! We had about a half-pound of ground turkey in the freezer and I figured if I combined it with a can of beans, it would make enough for dinner. But just one half-pound of turkey wouldn’t have cut it for both of us with any leftovers for the week.

John fussed in the beginning, but after it was over said despite the fact that he could “taste” the beans it was a really good dinner and he would eat it again. Another success for me! The secret here, I think, was seasoning both the meat and the beans with the taco seasoning. John is a sucker for taco seasoning, and I think well seasoning the mix was the way to go!

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas
Serves: 6 (6 enchiladas)
1-14 ounce can black beans
1/2 pound ground turkey
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1-6 ounce can ranchero sauce
1-4 ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons water
6 tortillas
2 cups mexican blend shredded cheese

Drain the black beans in a colander and rinse lightly. Then in a greased skillet over medium-high heat, cook the turkey until it is no longer pink. Add the beans and mix in well. Then, add the taco seasoning and mix well to combine. Once the mixture is warmed, turn the heat to low and cover until ready to use. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine ranchero sauce, tomato, paste, and water, until fully mixed. Spread one tablespoon on each tortilla. Top the tortillas with even amounts of the turkey/bean mixture. Roll the tortillas and place into a greased ceramic or glass baking dish. Top with the remaining ranchero sauce and then with cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and the enchiladas are heated through. Serve immediately.

If you have leftovers of the turkey and black bean mixture, make theawesome dip I previewed for football a few weeks ago! Leftovers can sometimes lead to great inventions (sometimes, they just lead to leftovers…).

As some of you may know, this weekend, John and I are in Kansas City because I am competing in the Gnarly Head Rippin’ Ribs FINALS with mybeloved rib recipe. Next Friday I’ll post an awesome recap of the BBQ we ate. Maybe we will eat something else besides barbeque, but since it’s our first time in Kansas City, I doubt it!

Until the next time my oven is on…