Working Eater Series: 8 O'Clock Enchiladas

Today, I am going to revive a long ignored series, my old "working eater series" (which features recipes for quick dinners geared towards working people).

I absolutely adore enchiladas, and would love to share with you a bastardized version that I often make at home. These enchiladas make a very easy and relatively quick dinner, perfect for a working person. You can make them as late as 8 o'clock at night, they can be ready for dinner in less an hour, and they can be packed for lunch the next day. In fact, they taste even better the next day. (Oh, and as for the murky shadows on many of the pictures, "Darn you dark kitchen, darn you!"  Just ignore those.  Thanks.)

8 O'Clock Enchiladas

1 chicken thigh, cooked and shredded (can use leftover chicken or boil a fresh chicken thigh on high heat until cooked through--this won't take long)

1 tomato, diced

1 tsp of cumin

1 can (15 oz) of whole black beans, drained

1 can (15 oz) of whole kernel corn, drained

1 can (29 oz) of enchilada sauce

2 cups of monterey jack cheese, shredded

20 corn tortillas

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, diced tomato, cumin powder, black beans, and corn kernels. Combine the mixture thoroughly. Then add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, and enough enchilada sauce to moisten the mixture (~1/2 cup), but do not add all of the sauce in the can. With 1 tbsp of the sauce, coat the bottom of a large baking dish (13' X 9'). Reserve the remainder of the sauce for later.

Corn tortillas break easily, so you can coat them in warm oil (the traditional way to make enchiladas) or spray them with cooking spray and stick them in the oven for 5 minutes to get them pliable and soft. Or, you can do as I do, and just stick them in the microwave for 1 minute with a small dish of water or covered with a damp paper towel. If you use the microwave method, the tortillas may break after you have already rolled them, but it is a tad healthier. Albeit an infinitesimal "tad."


Next, put about 2 tbsp of filling into the warm and pliable tortilla, and roll it up. Place the seam side of the rolled tortilla down on the baking dish, and continue to fill and roll the tortillas, until finished. Then, cover all of the rolled tortillas with remaining sauce, and sprinkle the remaining cheese down the middle region of the tortillas. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake the enchiladas for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Serve, and enjoy!