Working Woman

I started my new career as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner this week, and man does it feel good to be back at work and earning a paycheck after focusing on grad school for the past 3 years. Now it's going to be a challenge to stay committed to this little blog project I started, but I already knew that was coming. It was a great first 3-day week and my energy right now is focused on getting comfortable in my new role, so no big projects this week.

We did however make a great new enchilada recipe I'll share. I don't tend to be exact with my measurements when it comes to recipes like this, so go ahead and experiment too.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

Makes 4 enchiladas (4 servings)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2-3 cloves minced garlic

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch(ish) cubes

15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained

4 ounce can of diced green chilies

1/3 cup salsa (choose your spice level, we chose habenero hot and loved it)

2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro (I probably used more, just grabbed a big handful)

4 flour tortillas (8 inch works best)

1 can enchilada sauce

1 & 1/3 cups shredded cheese (we combined cheddar and pepper jack)

Large dollop of sour cream

Sides (think spanish rice, guacamole, etc.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 2 minutes.

Add chicken and saute 5-8 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Stir in the black beans, green chilies, and salsa. Simmer about 5 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro and a large dollop of sour cream.

Arrange the tortillas on a flat surface, topping each with 1/4 of the filling.

Roll into enchiladas and place in a non-stick (or sprayed) baking dish, seam side down.

Top with enchilada sauce (enough to cover the enchiladas lightly), and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Serve with whatever sides you choose.

Ok, I forgot to take pictures of this one (again). They were really good and we ate them two days in a row, although leftovers looked a bit messy. This was a very easy weeknight meal and we've tried multiple enchilada recipes before, but this is the first one we've thought worth saving. Totally hit the spot for that Mexican food I'm always craving but can never find so far from Southern California.