Friday, August 3, 2012

Chicken, Asparagus, and Black Bean Enchiladas


Many years ago, when I first got married, someone gave me a cookbook called Intercourses, which supposedly contains recipes full of aphrodisiacs.  It has lots of fun recipes in it, but the one that I have gone back to multiple times is the one for Chicken, Asparagus, and Black Bean Enchiladas.  I can't say that it makes me feel anything other than happy that I'm eating something delicious, but since that's my main requirement for food, I'd say it passes the test!  This is how I make it.

Chicken, Asparagus, and Black Bean Enchiladas
Recipe adapted from Intercourses by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
1/2 - 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups salsa, divided
1 (15-oz) can black beans, undrained
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground chile powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup sliced green onions
6 flour tortillas
3/4 pound blanched asparagus (about 18 stalks)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan.
In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and garlic and stir fry until tender and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.  Stir in 1/4 cup salsa, beans, bell pepper, cumin, and chile powder.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for 7-8 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.  Sir in the green onions.
Spoon the filling down the center of each tortilla.  Add 3 asparagus stalks and top with cheese, reserving 1/4 cup for garnish.  Roll up and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Enchiladas can be prepared up to this point and then refrigerated up to 8 hours, or can be baked immediately.
Combine remaining salsa with sour cream and pour over the top of the enchiladas.  Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.  Top with remaining cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts.  Can serve with chopped tomatoes, guacamole, and/or additional salsa.
Makes 6 enchiladas.

2 comments:

M said...

This sounds heavenly!!

jman1783 said...

Your blog looks about like mine - active for a while, then we got distracted and wandered off :)

Anyway, I had this book years ago, and made this recipe a lot. It was great. I found it here and tried to make it last night, but realized that it could be tinkered with a bit. Instead of blanching, I roasted the asparagus for 20 minutes at 350 convection. And while I tossed the chicken with the garlic, I didn't put the garlic into the hot pan right away - I sauteed the chicken, removed it, put in the bell pepper, and right before the peppers were done I put in the garlic and green onion white parts, just before throwing in the black beans and salsa. And then when that was done, I quickly tossed the chicken back in, to avoid overcooking it. No extra ingredients, but it came out better. It's a great dish either way, you should make it again!