Tropical Black Bean Cazuela...Yum!

This is not a secret to the frequent readers of my blog - but I can eat the bright flavors of Mexico for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not the goooopy-cheesy-fried-full-of-fatty-meat-cream-fare that leaves you in a food coma. Oh no...I'm talking about the yummy tropical fruit, creamy beans and fresh-fresh seafood thats real Mexican food.

We had a wonderful opportunity to spend the day with Rock Star Mexican Chef Rick Bayless  in March. What fun to explore a tortilla factory, a carnitas butcher and eat in the Test Kitchen with Chef Rick and his staff. (OH! the yummy margarita:) Not only did we spend the day learning about true Mexican food, we also spend the evening at Topolobampo, his Mexican fine dining restaurant that he owns with wife Deann. 

My take away from the fantastic dinner? I already knew that Mexican food is nothing like our Tex Mex or California Mex, but a fantastic explosion of sweet, tangy and piquant flavors. The incredible menu from Topolobampo is a super example of how food from South of Border can be Sweet and Savory, spicy and healthy, too.

I hope you enjoy this "take" on black bean enchiladas - our classes this week loved it!

Black Bean and Pineapple Cazeula*

2 Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Cup Chopped Red Onion

1 Cup Chopped Red Pepper

1 Cup Chopped Fresh Pineapple

1 (15 OZ) Can Black Beans

1 Small Can Chopped Green Chilies

1 Tsp Sea Salt

4 Cups Shredded Low Fat Cheddar, divided

1 Recipe Enchilada Sauce, (recipe below), reserving 1 Cup of Sauce

¼ Cup Pineapple Juice

12 Whole Wheat Tortillas

1 Cup Non Fat Greek Yogurt

1 TB Lime Juice

Chopped Fresh Cilantro for Garnish

Step One To make the filling, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onion and red pepper until soft. Stir in the pineapple, beans, chilies and salt. Cook and stir until warm.

Step Two  Spray a 9 x12 ceramic baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread 1/3 of the filling over the bottom. Top with 3 tortillas that you have dipped in the Enchilada Sauce. Top with cheese. Continue layering until you have used all the ingredients. (You will be using 3 cups of the cheese in the enchiladas and 1 cup to top the dish.)

Step Three  Stir the reserved 1 Cup of enchilada sauce and the pineapple juice together and pour it over the prepared enchiladas. Sprinkle the dish with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes at 350F or until golden and bubbling – removing the foil for the last 10 minutes.

Step Four  Whisk the lime juice into the yogurt. Serve the enchiladas with a dollop of the yogurt mixture and garnish with cilantro.

Cazeula* means casserole in Spanish.

Easy Enchilada Sauce

¼ Cup EVOO

¼ Cup Whole Wheat Flour

½ Minced Red Onion

3 Cloves Garlic, Grated

1 (28 OZ) Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes

3 TB Chili Powder

1 TB Dried Oregano

1 Tsp Cumin

1 TB Dark Brown Sugar, Packed

1 Cup Veggie Stock

1 Tsp Sea Salt

½ Tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Step One Heat oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, chili powder, oregano and cumin until well combined. Add the onion and cook and stir until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook and stir until fragrant.

Step Two Stir in tomatoes, brown sugar, veggie stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.