For most of my life, I've been convinced that I just don't like Mexican food. I was always perplexed by why I didn't like it, considering 98.2% of Americans love it, even picky eaters! I knew that I hated cilantro. If there's a speck of it in anything it's all I can taste. But cilantro isn't in taco meat or most burritos. But you know what is? Cumin! Mike has a number of dishes he rotates through for his weekly meals, and I knew I wasn't going to like many of his bean dishes. So I started sniffing around and we put our heads together. "Maybe it's the cumin," he said. So I pulled out the tin of cumin, took a whiff, and yelled, "That's it!" I was relieved! It's not that I don't like Mexican food -- I just don't like cumin. And a few great experiences with Mexican food in social settings here and there made me realize there a quite a few dishes that don't have cumin. But I always make sure to ask first. You know the Sex & the City episode where Carrie's out to dinner with the girls and Berger, and she tells the waiter, politely, but very clearly, that she can't have any parsley on the dish because she's allergic? And Berger gives her grief because he knows she doesn't have an allergy, she just doesn't like it (he was a bad guy, that Berger)? I say I'm allergic to cumin... I do. Anyway, you can imagine how delighted I was when I realized that there are lots of great options on the menu at Mexican restaurants! Mike and I had a romantic dinner at El Serrano when we were apartment hunting in Lancaster, and we liked it so much that I declared we had to go back when I visited. Cool architecture? Check. Skylights? Check. Fountain? Check. Delicious sangria? Check, check! The first time we went I ordered a flour tortilla wrap (oh, I also hate corn tortillas) stuffed with blackened chicken and topped with queso blanco. The second time I ordered something that was more similar to an enchilada. I do believe there was a bit of cumin in the chicken seasoning, but it was pretty light, and topped with pico de gallo and guacamole, it was absolutely delectable! So, inspired by our Mexican date-night dinners, I've declared this week Mexican week! What's on the menu? Chicken and black bean enchiladas and dinner nachos. Up first, chicken and black bean enchiladas!
I narrowed down all of my pinned recipes to two: these cream cheese chicken enchiladas and these skinny sour cream enchiladas. I had planned to sort of combine to the two and did so accordingly based on what I could find at the store. What I made is very close to the first recipe for the cream cheese chicken enchiladas (except I added chiles and didn't add rice). I actually thought the sauce for the second recipe sounded delicious, but the filling for that one called for Ro-Tel, and having heard a very passionate speech this past week from a friend who insists that Ro-Tel is a superior product in a league of its own, and apparently unobtainable in Bloomington, I didn't want to use just any picante sauce. I opted for the cream cheese filling instead, and while it is certainly delicious, it seemed a very bad idea to pile more cream and diary on top. So, I went with the suggested simple enchilada sauce. But given my love for tomatoes and a bit of acidity in a dish, I think that I'd rather have a lighter filling and a heavier sauce. For now, I'll just use some salsa for dipping.
Creamy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
(makes 5 enchiladas)
2 chicken breasts
1 small can of green chiles
1 8 oz can of green enchilada sauce
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 8 oz can of black beans
1 package of tortillas
1 package of shredded Mexican cheese
Start by cooking cooking your chicken breasts. I like to make blackened chicken, which can be done by seasoning both sides generously (I use Emeril's Essence) and blackening the chicken in a cast-iron skillet with a bit of olive oil to create a crust. When both sides are sufficiently blackened, transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until chicken breasts are cooked through (you can tell they're done when they're firm to the touch). Let the chicken cool a bit before shredding it.
Add the cream cheese, chiles, and chicken to a bowl and mix together. Spoon down the center of your tortilla, top with a few spoons of blackbeans, and fold so both sides overlap in the middle. Layer a bit of enchilada sauce on bottom of your baking dish and then add your filled tortillas seam-side down. Layer the top of your enchiladas with the rest of the enchilada sauce and then sprinkle with cheese (approximately 2 cups). Cover with foil and bake in a 350 oven for about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and broil for a minute or two until cheese is bubbly.
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