Friends and relations who are in the know about such things, point out that the following recipe has no ground beef, and no cream of mushroom soup, so it cannot possibly represent a true Lutheran Hot Dish Experience. And they are right, although now I am thinking of trying to invent enchiladas that use cream of mushroom soup in a way that isn't horrifying, but I can't really call the following Tex-mex, and it sure as heck isn't Mexican. It is derived distantly from a cheese enchilada recipe Mom picked up in Sitka. It's a pretty distant derivation.
Black Bean, Spinach, and Cheese Enchiladas
2 cups or so cooked brown rice (or 3/4s cup brown rice and 2 cups boiling water combined on a medium heat burner for half an hour...no, silly, use a sauce pan, don't just pour the water and the rice on the heating element)
1 can black beans
1 packet onion soup mix
1 cup sour cream
1 can diced green chiles
2/3s of a 7 oz brick of frozen chopped spinach
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese (low fat if you want)
1 cup or so shredded cheese, mexican blend or cheddar or whatever you like
1 package of whole wheat tortillas
1 of the larger cans of enchilada sauce
Additional cheese for the top
NOTE: If one wants to substitute say roasted zucchini, more chopped onions, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, or bell peppers for some of the rice, I think that's just dandy. Or some chicken. Or all of the above. I just didn't happen to have any of those things on hand that I wanted to use for this purpose.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Combine everything but the tortillas, the enchilada sauce, and the cheese that you'll be sprinkling on top of the enchiladas in a large bowl. This shall hereafter be referred to as the filling.
Spoon a couple or three tablespoons of filling into each tortilla, roll it and stick it in a large baking dish. I use my 9X13 pyrex dish and that seems just right.
When you've used all the tortillas that will fit, spread any remaining filling over the top, before pouring the enchilada sauce over the whole mess. Top with cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes, increasing the heat to 400 around the 20 minute mark.
You could increase the Lutheranocity of this dish with some black olives without resorting to the gelatinous horror that defines midwest Lutheran cooking. Just serve it with Jell-o. Lutherans are getting more flexible these days. Some of our hymns are even in Spanish now!
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