by Dorie Howell
Let me say that I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest.  It is a great place to find some wonderful things but it is also a HUGE time suck and it has a tendency to make some of us (ok, me) feel a bit inadequate.   Spend a little time looking at all these great, beautiful posts and one can start to feel a bit overwhelmed at all the beautiful things others are making, sewing, developing or creating.  For that reason I don't spend too much time there except for one thing . . . recipes. 

My favorite pinterest trick is to actually log out and look at the home page.  That way I don't see only things my friends have pinned, I see things that have been pinned by people I don't know.  That   gives me a much broader idea of what is popular and what people are trying.

I decided to try Enchiladas this week.  If there is a picture of something cheesy, creamy and baked in a casserole dish - I am so going to want to try it.  These were very easy.  It did take me about an hour to make them but that includes the time for cooking the chicken breasts.  If you use canned chicken or have chicken already cooked, these will come together in about 15 minutes.

I made the following changes:
I did not use green onions
I only had pinto beans instead of black beans
I did not heat the tortillas in the microwave before filling them.  I had them out at room temperature and they were fine.
I cooked them a little while longer than indicated and broiled them at the end to make sure the top was extra melty. yes, that is a word. :-)

For the enchilada sauce:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
3 tbsp. chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. sugar
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the onion and salt, cook until softened, 5 minutes.  Stir in the chili powder, garlic, cumin, and sugar.  Cook until fragrant.  Add in the tomato sauce and water and bring to a simmer.  Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Season to taste.

For the enchiladas:
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, more to garnish
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (4.25 oz) can green chiles
1 (2.25 oz.) can sliced black olives, drained
1 batch enchilada sauce, divided
4 cups shredded cheese (cheddar and Monterrey Jack work well), divided
flour tortillas

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat a medium saucepan over medium low heat.  Add in cream cheese and stir to melt.  Stir in green onions, 2 cups shredded cheese, drained black beans, and green chilis.  Stir to combine and heat through, about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken and black olives and remove from heat.  Add in 1 cup of enchilada sauce, stir to combine.
2.  Heat tortillas in microwave, a few seconds at a time, so that they are soft and pliable.  Spray a 9x13-inch baking side with cooking spray.  Spread 1/4 of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan.  Spoon 1/4-1/3 cup chicken mixture into the center of a warm tortilla and roll tightly.  Place in pan seam side down.  Continue with remaining tortillas until pan is full.  Pour 1 cup enchilada sauce over the prepared tortillas.  Top with remaining 2 cups shredded cheese.
3.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and continue to bake until bubbly and cheese begins to brown, 5-10 minutes more.  Cool slightly before serving.

The result?  These were so good.  When I was making them I thought the chili powder would be overpowering but it isn't.  I made them one afternoon on a whim and we have been enjoying them all week for lunch.  They reheat beautifully and I am sure they would freeze just fine.  They aren't authentic Mexican enchiladas but no one here seems to mind.  If you like this type of casserole dish, I would definitely recommend you try it!