Back with a vengeance

Where have you been? I hear you cry. In case you've been wondering if I've eaten myself into a four month stupor, or just haven't cooked anything blog-worthy since April and am tending to a disappointed and starving family, no. I simply spent the last four months making far too many cupcakes through my business (www.bitesizebaking.com) to try many new recipes. Phew! So neither the spouse nor the progeny have starved, fear not.

With a commitment to not letting the cupcake extravaganza get out of hand, I am also committed to getting back to experimenting more often with dinner, hence the return to this blog.

Last night was a good example - I started with a recipe from the Skinnytaste Cookbook, and tweaked and twisted it to fit my family. We are not trying to lose weight, and all have...well...kinda large appetites, so I aimed to make it a tad more satisfying, lest the lack of satiation increase the whinging volume in the house to unbearable levels (and given that we are embroiled in the back-to-school-mourn-the-end-of-summer whinging already, that is a priority!). This fit the bill, served with a lovely lemon-vinaigrette-dressed green salad on the side for good measure.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
Serves 5 (just...)

2 large chicken breasts
1 red onion, quartered
chicken stock
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
7-8 wholewheat tortillas
2 cups enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1. Poach the chicken breasts - you can do this in a slow cooker (on HIGH for 4 hours) or in a large saucepan (cook 20 minutes after coming to boil). Whichever you choose, just put the chicken breasts and red onion quarters in enough stock to just cover them (you'll probably need 2-3 cups for this).
2. Once the chicken is cooked, discard the stock and onion, and shred chicken using two forks.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (190 C)
4. In a large saute pan, heat some canola/vegetable oil, and sauté the onion and garlic until softened.
5. Add tomato sauce, the shredded chicken, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and black beans. Stir and bring to simmering point. Cook for a few minutes until most of the liquid is evaporated.
6. Spray a large baking dish (about 9" x 13") with oil spray. Fill each tortilla with some of the chicken mixture and roll up, placing them in a row, seam-side down, in the baking dish.
7. Pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and then sprinkle with cheese.
8. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro to serve.