It is fair to say that my whole life, I have adored Mexican food. First of all, what’s not to love about beans? And secondly, I think foods rolled up in tortillas have a fun factor that make them enjoyable for everyone, young and old. (I found out a couple months back that I am allergic to corn, and I was already wheat/gluten-free, so I no longer eat tortillas, but there’s nothing wrong with a whole-grain tortilla now and then if you’re not sensitive to as many grains as I am.)

This is one of my all-time favorite combinations, and each of the components can be mixed and matched with other Mexican dishes to make up many different delicious healthy meals!

Enchilada Sauce:

- 4 tbsp. chili powder (no salt added) [if you're not used to spicy foods, use half this amount and taste before adding in second half]
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce (no salt added)
- 2 cans of water (add 1 additional can of water if you have time to let this simmer for 45 minutes or more)

Put all spices into a small saucepan. Heat on low flame for 1 minute to release flavors in spices. (I occasionally add 1 tsp. of vegetable oil to this mixture and stir all the spices around in it, which adds plenty of flavor.) Add tomato sauce and 2 cans of water (or 3 if time permits). Whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes or up to 1.5 hours. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes.

Refried Beans:

- 1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped finely
- 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and minced
- 4 cans no-salt-added pinto beans (or 1 lb. of dried pinto beans that have been cooked)
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin

In large soup pot, saute onions in water or 1 tsp. olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and cumin; saute for 1 minute. Add in 2 cans of beans (or half of cooked beans) that have been drained and rinsed. Blend 2 cans of beans including juice (second half of beans, including 1/2 cup of cooking liquid) until smooth in blender. Add blended beans to pot and stir well to combine. Simmer for 10 minutes (or until excess liquid is cooked down to make thick, creamy beans). The longer they cook, the better and they are even better leftover.

To assemble the enchiladas, you will need:

- corn tortillas
- chopped lettuce of your choice (romaine is my favorite for this recipe)
- chopped tomatoes
- brown rice, cooked and ready to eat (optional)
- steamed or sauteed veggies, such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, bell pepper and onions (optional)

Heat corn tortillas on a griddle pan or other flat pan for 1 minute per side, or steam until warm. Put large spoonful of refried beans in soft corn tortillas, add sauteed veggies and/or if you wish, roll up and pour sauce on top. Lettuce and tomato can be used as a garnish or also get rolled up in the enchiladas, but typically once you get the beans in alone, there’s not a lot more room.

Serves 4-6

Healthy eating notes:

Tomato sauce generally has citric acid, which often comes from corn, so I recently stopped using tomato sauce for this and all recipes originally calling for tomato sauce. You can also use an equal amount of Pomi strained tomatoes (or blend no-salt-added stewed tomatoes and juice till thick and smooth).

Chili powder varies in how spicy it is. I like a mild or medium, but very flavorful chili powder for this so that there’s not too much heat, but plenty of chili flavor in the enchilada sauce.

Conventional chili powder typically has salt added — and enough to be a problem if you’re watching your salt intake. Penzey’s sells a no-salt-added chili powder that is delicious, and you can check your local health food store for other no-salt-added options.

Notice that I do not add any salt to this (or any other) recipe; we get plenty of sodium from the whole foods we eat, though you can salt to taste if you wish.

Copyright 2009 Jennifer McCay

www.LeanGreenMama.com