Happy Meatless Monday, a day in advance! You will surely be happy eating these hearty enchiladas. We were almost done with dinner before my chief tester noticed there was no meat. They’re that good. They go great with Sweet & Spicy Pickled Peppers if you actually have any left. 

So many meatless recipes end up not being healthy. Either they rely too heavily on cheese, or overload on the salt. I’ve played with this recipe a lot, trying to find the best balance of yummy & healthy. I think this hits the wicket! If you’re on a low-sodium diet, though, you might not want to get ¾ of your day’s sodium in one meal. You could further reduce the sodium by cooking your own beans rather than using canned, making your own tortillas, or cutting back on the cheese. You’ll find a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of this page.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp Aleppo or Ancho powder (optional)

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp Mexican oregano 

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp garlic powder

3½ tsp ground cumin, divided

2 Tbsp flour

4 tsp olive oil, divided

1½ cups water 

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 small onion

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1 (15 oz) can reduced-sodium black beans, rinsed & drained (or 1½ cups cooked dried black beans)

2 Tbsp La Victoria Salsa Jalapeña (or 1 fresh jalapeño pepper, minced)

3 medium flour tortillas

4 oz shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese

Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

1.) Combine 1st 6 ingredients (chili through garlic powder), plus 2½ tsp of the cumin in a small prep bowl; set aside. Whisk flour and 2 tsp oil together over low heat. Cook until it begins to gently bubble, stirring frequently. Add the combined seasonings; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

2.) Whisk water and tomato paste into seasoning mix. Cook at a slow simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until desired consistency. Remove from heat. Divide the sauce in half. You’ll use half for the enchiladas today, & can refrigerate or freeze the other half for another use. 

3.) Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Sauté the onion until just beginning to soften. Add the remaining 1 tsp olive oil and the garlic; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add remaining 1 tsp cumin, beans, & Salsa Jalapeña; stir well. Cook until the beans are just heated through.

4.) Assembly: Lay the 3 tortillas in a row. Spoon ⅓ of the bean mixture down the center of each tortilla, and  1 to 2 Tbsp sauce over that.

5.) Roll tortillas & place side-by-side in a small rectangular cooking dish. 

6.) Spoon the remaining sauce over all, and sprinkle with cheese.

7.) Bake at 350 for about 15 – 20 minutes, or until cheese is nicely melted. Let stand 5 minutes, sprinkle cilantro over all, and serve.