food = love

A dear friend and neighbor has gone through an especially tough time. I offered to bring dinner over for her family. She tried to say no, but I wouldn’t have it, so we decided that Sunday would be a good day. I brought over an Italian pasta dish and this Mexican dish.

I made another pan of the Mexican dish for our family’s Sunday meal. I hadn’t planned on putting up a post of it, but after Connor asked for the recipe and another neighbor asked for it too, I decided I’d better get it up here.

I hadn’t taken any photos, meaning I had to remake them. One problem though – I was out of black beans so I used kidney beans in their place. It’s far better with black beans! I also forgot to add a dollop of sour cream for the photo… it’s tastier with the sour cream too. In other words, don’t rely on the photos, just follow the recipe and you’ll be all good.

Chicken – Tortilla Enchilada Bake

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 10-ounce can Ro*Tel diced tomatoes & green chilies
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ancho or chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 10-ounce can green enchilada sauce
• 6 whole wheat or wheat & corn blend tortillas, cut in half
• 1 1/3 cups sharp white cheddar cheese

Fresh & Crunchy Topping

• 1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
• 1 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
• 1 bunch green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup minced cilantro plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
• 1 cup chopped plum or cherry tomatoes plus a few more for garnish

• Sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large saucepan bring three cups of water to a simmer. Add the chicken breast halves and bay leaves and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside until cool enough to handle, then shred or roughly chop.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 4 minutes. Stir in the corn, black beans, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.

Add the Ro*Tel and the shredded chicken. Remove from heat.

Spread 1/3 cup green enchilada sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay 4 tortilla halves on top of the sauce, overlapping slightly if needed.

Top with half of the chicken mixture, then 1/3 cup of the cheese, 4 more tortilla halves, and half of the remaining enchilada sauce.

Finish layering with the rest of the chicken mixture, 2/3 cup cheddar cheese, 4 more tortilla halves, the remaining enchilada sauce, and lastly the remaining cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. While the dish bakes, make the topping by tossing the cabbage, lettuce, green onion, cilantro, and tomatoes in a large bowl.

Remove from oven and garnish with tomatoes and cilantro. To serve, cut into squares and serve with the crunchy topping and a dollop of sour cream.

Serves 6