Black Bean, Rice, and Cheese Enchiladas...

These were super yummy, bursting with flavor and a really filling meatless option for your menu! There are lots of ways to tweak the recipe, so add or take away depending on your taste buds!

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP Grape Seed Oil

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 16 oz. jar of chunky salsa (I used Trader Joe's Chunky Salsa with the black label)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup water

1 cup cheese

2 cups brown rice, precooked

3 TBSP cilantro

8 flour tortillas

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350. Get your brown rice cooking. Saute your onion, garlic, and green pepper in your Grape Seed Oil for a few minutes. Next add your black beans, cumin, chili powder, water and 1 cup of salsa to the pan and let that heat until it simmers, stirring it occasionally (depending on the salsa that you choose, you may need to add more or less water to get the consistency right, just eyeball it) . Next add your cooked rice and let that cook for another minute or two to blend the flavors (I also added a sprinkle of grated cheese to the mix so that the inside of the enchiladas would be cheesy too!). Spray your 9 x 13 pyrex dish. Scoop your rice and bean mixture into your tortillas, roll them up, and place them in your baking dish. Spoon another cup of salsa on the top of the enchiladas, then cover the top with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover them, add your cheese and cilantro and bake for 2 -3 more minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve as is or with sour cream and guacamole! Enjoy!!!

TIPS: Depending on the salsa that you use, judge how many onions you want to saute. My salsa had chunks of onions in it, so I went with less chopped onions. Also, I used green onions to top the dish because I didn't have cilantro, and next time I will skip the green onions and hold out for the cilantro because I think it would add a better flavor.... but fix it to your families likings! Oh and one more thing, rice freezes really well, so next time your making a serving of it, make an extra cup or two and stick it in the freezer for recipes like this one to cut down on the prep time!