So I mentioned we had margaritas for Christmas Eve, right? Well, like any good Italian/Irish/German/Swedish/Etc. family, we couldn’t just let those margaritas stand alone. I mean, who needs ham and potatoes when you could have enchiladas? No one, I tell you. NO ONE. And I know this is hard to believe, but this wasn’t all my idea. I know I say how I could easily live out the rest of my life existing only on Mexican food, margaritas and cold cereal, but turns out that hey, it’s not just me. Just as I always suspected, melted cheese loves company. And Uncle Joe loves making margaritas.
My contributions to the evening were Black Bean Salad and Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
To summarize: They were both so good I wanted to cry.
*****
The long story goes more like this:
Black Bean Salad
I wrote down this recipe at a friend’s house on an old envelope last summer. I then stuck that old envelope in my recipe box (Land of Forgotten Treasures) and never thought of it again. But it was something about the holidays and wanting to feel like I had something of a cooking arsenal that a woman my age ought to have (ha!) that made me open that recipe box and search for my requisite Dinner Must Have At Least One Healthy Dish plan, with the added disclaimer, of course, that This Healthy Crap Must Also Be Good.
Praise all that is good and pure in the world of food, this is both of those things many times over. And, lest we forget my other personality I like to call Miss Lazy, it is so easy.
Ingredients-
- 2- 15 oz. cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 4 Bell peppers (multiple colors)
- 1 medium white onion
- 1 lime
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (or a little more… maybe)
You just chop the peppers and onion and then add everything else and stir. Seriously, that’s it. Chop. Add. Stir. It makes a lot of salad and people will not stop telling you how wonderful you are. Promise.
People will not stop telling you how wonderful you are, that is, until you serve them The Easiest-to-Make Enchiladas Ever.
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
The recipe, unlike that of some hidden treasure salad, was on the back of a cheese bag. And oh, holy crap and no way do I always grate my own cheese. Just… no. I know it’s hard for some to comprehend, but my gosh just put an enchilada in your mouth and get over it. (Now if I could just remember the brand of cheese… Oh! I know! Fifty points to the person that knows, okay? There, that’s settled too.)
What I loved about this recipe is that it contains artichoke hearts. Now I don’t know if you like artichoke hearts but dude, there is cheese and artichoke hearts to-ge-ther. Um, hello?
Ingredients-
- 2 cups shredded cheese, divided
- 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
- 1/2 cup artichoke hearts
- 1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
- 2 green onions
- 10 oz. green enchilada sauce*
- 8 (6 in.) flour tortillas
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- sour cream
*I really think the important part of this recipe, for me, was making my own enchilada sauce. Which, of course, entailed googling and clicking on the first recipe I saw and using that. It’s all in the details, you know. I’m sure canned sauce is also good, but come on, it was Christmas. And since I wasn’t grating my own cheese and so am not ready to take on the task of Homemade Tortilla, I needed to make the sauce.
So here’s where the easy comes in, yet again.
Mix together 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, artichokes, chiles, onions and two(ish) tablespoons of your enchilada sauce of choice. Also, because you’re bad at following directions, add the tomato too. This gives it that healthy touch we talked about earlier.
Then, wait until the very last moment because you love eating it but hate taking the pictures of it, add the shredded chicken. (Which, of course, you’ve already marinated and cooked. You may remember how I feel about the importance of well-marinated meat. If not, trust me, it is important.)
Then hurry up and take the pictures because, wow. So not a steady hand with the meat photography. Seriously, I think I’m going to need counseling for this.
Anyway, add the chicken, mix it all together, and fill the softened tortillas with the mixture. I tore my tortillas in half because a) I am too lazy to cut them and b) this was to be one of many dishes of the night. No need to fill up on one whole enchilada. Okay, that’s a lie. Fill up on them. You will be a better person for it.
Place seam-side down in a baking dish coated with non-stick spray. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas, sprinkle the remaining cheese (and more!) on top and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot. (Filling is hot? How one knows this, I’m not sure. So just watch the cheese. Or, if necessary, eat the whole pan and then make more because then you’ll know for sure.) Sprinkle the tomato on top (heh) and serve with sour cream. And several strong margaritas.
And then eat them. With the Black Bean Salad. And queso. And tacos. And salsa. And guacamole. And bean dip. And tortilla chips. And empanadas. And margaritas. Have I mentioned the margaritas?
This, in spite of it’s non-traditional (in our family) nature, was the Christmas Eve Dinner I’ve been waiting twenty-eight years to have. And the best part is, it is easy enough to not have to wait until Chirstmas to have it again. So who’s coming over tomorrow?
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