Black Bean & Cheese Enchiladas

Ray and I made these enchiladas tonight and thought they were yummy!

Makes 6 servings
2 enchiladas per serving
300 calories per serving







Ingredients
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 cups water
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion, white or yellow
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups reduced fat shredded Mexican blend cheese
3 sliced green onions
12 corn tortillas
6 tablespoons light sour cream
Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine chiles and 2 cups water in a saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Drain chiles in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add onion; saute 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic and salt. Cook 5 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Add broth oregano, tomato paste and cumin; cook 8 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.

4. Pour onion mixture into a blender; add chiles and cooking liquid from chiles. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); put lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in lid to keep sauce from splattering. Blend until smooth; stir in lime juice and red pepper.

5. Combine the beans, 1 cup cheese, and half the green onions in a bowl. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 3 tablespoons bean mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in dish. Pour remaining sauce over filled tortillas. Top with the remaining cheese. 

6. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining green onions; serve with sour cream.

Bits & Pieces

UH football has really rocked it out this season. Keenum, the QB, has been terrific against the opponents faced. It has been fun to read, listen and watch them march through their schedule this season. It is an up and coming program that someday, if managed correctly, will be a contender against the big boys, or maybe just the medium ones, of the college football world.

So with the great play of the Coogs thus far this season, College Game Day was at Robertson Stadium for the first time. By the looks of it there was a great crowd present. Each week Lee Corso does something crazy when he makes his pick for the team he believes is going to win. This week, he did something the FCC isn't going to like. The clip is below so you can see it yourself. Once you realize what Corso says, make sure you pay attention to the reaction of his fellow reporters. I love Herbstreit's reaction! But then again, I just really like Herbstreit in general!

My Astros have a new owner. I'm excited about this change. I'm looking forward to the team becoming competitive again. Their fan base is loyal, but we do require a carrot every once in a while. Now, while I'm excited about the new ownership, I am saddened about the move to the American League. The Astros have always been my team, but I've always rooted for the Rangers as my "AL team". This move is going to make this difficult. I won't be able to root for the Rangers anymore. Then there's the rule differences between the NL and AL. In the NL all players are baseball players. In the AL, most players are baseball players and some are pitchers and some are just hitters. I don't like that at all. If you're going to play baseball, then play baseball. 

Peter King Challenge Update: Ray's middle brother is leading the pack with a 94. I have a 93. Ray and his cousin's wife have 92. Then there's indyjeepgurl that's not doing so well, but is really giving us a run for our figurative money in the college football picks. Really? How'd that happen?!? After this week, there's only 6 weeks of regular season NFL football left.

Meal planning has never been my strong point. Usually I make a list of some basic stuff for the store, buy it and throw it together in different ways each week depending on how I feel and what sounds good. Last week I actually sat down and choose meals for the week. I made a list, bought the groceries, then came home and cooked 5 of the 6 meals I had chosen, leaving one for Ray to make during the week when he was off. It turned out well. The grocery bill was actually lower than normal. The meals were 350 calories or less per serving. We didn't eat out during the week for lunch/dinner. We saved almost $100 last week just spending the time and effort to cook at home. Oh, and our grocery bill this week, even less. I think this just might work. One last thing, this should definitely lead to a lighter, more healthier me.

The past few months Ray has spent his Thursday nights off at a place here in town playing poker (Thanks Yi-Vet!). He has found another place that plays on Monday nights. He's talked me into going with him. I'm a bit nervous. It's been a long time since I've sat down with folks and played.  I think it'll be fun, but I guess we'll see how it turns out. 

On My Mind

I went to the doctor last week for my quarterly check-up. Besides gaining 4lbs since my last visit, all was well. She did notice that I had a cold. I hadn’t noticed yet. Just so you know, I notice now. The sneezing and runny nose is really starting to bother me. Ugh! 

Mike Matheny for the St. Louis Cardinals Manager position…Really?!? I’m not a Cards fan by any means, but I am huge fan of baseball. I don’t understand this decision. What does he have in his pocket that qualifies him to be the manager of the World Champs? I mean, he was a minor league instructor. He wasn’t even part of the coaching staff. The Cards have been managed by some of baseball greats: Whitey Herzog, Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa. And now Mike Matheny! Ray has a saying for occasions like this…He must have pictures of someone.

Speaking of pictures, I enjoy photography, but the latest “World’s Most Expensive Photograph” just isn’t mind blowing in my opinion. I appreciate it and what it’s trying to do, but it isn’t WONDERFUL.  You decide.

I had been a T-Mobile customer since a friends dad gave me a cell phone in 1999. When I finished college I stayed with T-Mobile and switched the number over to my own account. A couple of months ago Ray and I switched to Verizon. It was actually emotional. I know that sounds weird, but I knew I could count on T-Mobile’s customer service. I had never had an issue that they weren’t able to help and did it with the best attitude. But, here in Indy, there is a large span of highway between home and work that I don’t get signal. This part of the highway runs through corn fields. If something were ever to happen I’d be stuck. So we switched…and it’s been great. Not only do I get phone signal but 3g data as well. It does help to ease my mind now that the first flurries have fallen.

For the last few years Ray and I have participated in The Peter King Challenge where you choose the winners of each weeks NFL match-ups. It’s a fun way to compete against each other. This year we have some friends and family that have joined a group and we’re competing against each other. The group name is Salem’s Lot. Yup, that’s how we roll. All of that to say, man this week has been horrid. So far I’ve only won 5 games with 2 games left to go.

The Walking Dead is a great comic. It tells a story in a way that should have been made into a TV series. That’s the conversation Ray and I had a couple of years ago. Last year the TV series premiered and was well done. This season it has returned with a vengeance and has been great. I both look forward to watching it each week and want to run away from it each week. Why run away you ask? Because more weeks than not my gag reflex is tested and that’s not something I enjoy. But I return to watch anyway because it’s just a good show. Check it out if you’re not squeamish.