I'm not sure how this is possible, but the Sunday following Thanksgiving I
found myself desperately wanting to eat more turkey. Too much of a good thing
perhaps? Could turkey be addictive, was I jonesin'? Personally, I think this is
the most likely answer.
At any rate, I had a pound of ground turkey in the freezer just begging
(gobbling?) to be cooked up. Since I'm not eating red meat anymore, I use
ground turkey as a substitute for most "ground beef" recipes: meatballs,
meatloaf, meat sauce, burgers, most Mexican dishes, etc.
Growing up, my mom made these all the time, and they have come to be one of
my favorite comfort meals. We called them "enchiladas", which is just
totally culinarily and culturally incorrect, but that's what we called them
sogetoverit. It's essentially an inside out burrito: meat and cheese wrapped up
inside and all the rest of the guts on the top. Eaten with a fork & knife
(I'm sure I'm committing some kind of burrito sacrilege with that, but whatev).
They are damn tasty. You should make them. IMMEDIATELY.
In digging through one of my mom's cookbooks recently, I came across a
recipe for Easy Refritos (refried beans). I love refried beans but the canned
versions at the store are often incredibly fatty and salty, and have little to
no taste or texture aside from that of almost-dried-out-craft-glue. We never
used to add beans to our enchiladas, but I knew immediately that it really
would add another dimension to the dish, so I figured I'd try the recipe. Had
to be better than canned, right??
Easy Refritos (modified from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home Cookbook)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 1/2 TBL olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
1/4-1/2 cup veggie stock
2 cans black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed, liquid reserved
Salt & ground black pepper to taste
In a heavy skillet, saute the onions and garlic in the oil on medium heat
for 3-4 minutes or until the onions begin to soften. Add the cumin and the
jalapeno, and continue to saute until the onions begin to brown. Add the veggie
stock, scraping up and brown bits, and simmer until all the veggies are tender.
Add the beans to the skillet and cook for a few more minutes, stirring until
the beans are hot. Remove the skillet from the heat. Using a potato masher,
thoroughly mash the beans while adding as much of the reserved bean liquid as
necessary to reach a soft, spreadable consistency. Add black pepper to taste,
serve hot.
Momma's Enchilada's
1 pack whole-wheat flour tortillas
FILLING:
1lb lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, grated
2 TBL canola oil
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup salsa
Salt & black pepper to taste
6 oz. shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
TOPPINGS:
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Sliced black olives
Salsa
Reduced-fat sour cream
Optional: jalapenos, minced onion, guacamole, cilantro
In a skillet over medium-high heat, saute the onions and garlic in the
canola oil until softened. Add the ground turkey to the pan, breaking it up as
it cooks. Cook for about 5 minutes until turkey is no longer pink. Add cumin,
chili powder (you could use more, but I'm not a huge fan, so...) salsa and
black pepper. Stir to combine and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until turkey
is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated. Meanwhile, prepare your
toppings.
To prepare an enchilada: spread refried beans down the center of a tortilla
(as much as you like), top with turkey mixture, top with shredded cheese, and
roll, turning seam side down. (You can throw them in the microwave at this
point for about 30 seconds if you like to make sure the cheese is totally
melted) Top with salsa, lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes and sliced olives (and
any other toppings your little heart desires). DIG THE HECK IN, ALREADY!
I swear the next day all I could think about at work was the leftovers. The
beans were delightful--really great depth of flavor despite how quick and easy
they were (my apartment still smells slightly of cumin!) and really gave some
UMPH! to the heartiness-factor of this otherwise fairly healthy "enchilada."
The best part about these is, that they really are fairly healthy (well, MINE
isn't, I put half a tub of sour cream on top), so you can eat voraciously with
little to no guilt!
Buon appetito!
