Monday night Mexican

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas (made by Julia)

I bookmarked this recipe on allrecipes.com a few weeks ago and this made a quick and easy (not to mention really tasty) Monday night dinner. We love Mexican food and I'm trying to make one vegetarian meal a week to cut down on how much we spend on pricey meat at the grocery store and to cut fat in general.

I made a couple of modifications based on what we had in our pantry. Instead of topping the enchiladas with salsa I used a can of mild enchilada sauce. I also omitted the cilantro since neither of us is a fan.

This picture is not so great, I was in a hurry to eat and didn't have much patience to get a beautiful shot. Plus I think it's kind of challenging to make enchiladas smothered in sauce and cheese look pretty. ;) Despite how they look they tasted great and we will definitely make them again, maybe with some green onion on top and some black olives inside.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
• 1/4 cup picante sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 8 (6 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup reduced fat shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large nonstick skillet, saute the green pepper, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the beans, tomatoes, picante sauce, chili powder, cumin and red pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until heated through and mixture thickens. Add rice; cook 5 minutes longer or until heated through.
2. Spoon a rounded 1/2 cup down the center of each tortilla. Fold sides over filling and roll up. Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon salsa over each tortilla. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Bake 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.