Do you love Mexican food as much as I do? Since you are reading the Long Beach Post, chances are you are a Southern Californian (or at least were at some point) so you probably do. And we are all in luck beacuse this Saturday is Cinco De Mayo!

A few years back I convinced my family that the days of stuffing and cranberries for Thanksgiving were a thing of the past and we could make what ever we wanted- as long as we were thankful! Genius, I know. Cue, Mexican Thanksgiving- hooray! From this idea a lot of great dishes were born, but none as good as Savory Sweet Potato Enchiladas.

I knew they would be good, but I had no idea I would want to make them year round. Now that Cinco de Mayo is upon us, I thought what better way to celebrate – and since no Mexican meal is complete without beans, I’ll give you my secret to making canned pintos taste like a slice of heaven! Lets get cooking!

 To get the party started you will need: 

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 medium brown onion, diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. cooked/mashed sweet potatoes (about 3 sweet potatoes) 
• 1 tsp. cumin (more to taste)
• 1 tsp. oregano (more to taste)
• 1 tsp. ground coriander (more to taste)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt (more to taste)
• couple dashes of chili powder
• 2/3 cup drained/rinsed black beans
• 5 oz. of diced green chilies (most of a 7 oz. can) 
• 10-12 corn tortillas, lightly fried in vegetable oil 
• 2 cups grated jack cheese
• 1 large can (28 oz.) Las Palmas green enchilada sauce (comes in mild and medium!)
• 1 9×13 or 2 8×8 pans
• BEER! 

Lightly fry tortillas in the vegetable oil (about 10 seconds on each side) and set aside- it won’t matter if they cool. Poke the heck out of sweet potatoes with a fork and throw them in microwave for 8 minutes, then while they cook; dice the onion and mince the garlic. Multi-tasking is fun for everyone! 

Check the potatoes, and depending how soft they are put them back in the microwave for 8-10 more minutes. They need to be soft enough to scoop out easily. Melt butter in large sauté pan, add diced onion and cook till translucent (5-7 minutes). Add the minced garlic and cook another minute or so. It is not important to be precise with timing- as long as it doesn’t burn it will taste delicious! 

Add spices and stir in with onions, cook 2 more minutes. Remove sweet potatoes from microwave and scoop into pan, incorporate in to the onion and cook 2 more minutes. The sweet potatoes should be very soft and should “mash” with little effort. 

Gently fold in black beans and green chilies and turn off heat- at this point taste the filling and added spices to your taste! I like a strong flavor, so I usually add more, but know your audience- especially when it comes to the chili powder! 

Position yourself to scoop filling into tortillas and place in pan of choice… you can set it up any way you want, but it can get messy fast. Consider yourself warned. Fill each tortilla with a healthy scoop of filling and a little cheese, roll and place in pan until pan(s) is full.  Don’t pack them too tight – you want room for the sauce to get in between each one. 

  

When pan is full, top with 3/4 of enchilada sauce (split if using 2 pans), reserve extra sauce for topping before serving. Top with the rest of the cheese and pop it in the oven at 375 for 25 minutes – or until the cheese is nice and melty.  While its cooking, take a minute to get your toppings ready – I love sour cream and fresh avocado! 

  

Top with remaining sauce and, this part is important so pay attention: Enjoy!  Of course no Cinco De Mayo is complete without a delicious Mexican beer! You might have extra filling, save it and make tasty leftover burritos the next day- or if you have extra of eveything, make another pan and take it to a neighbor!

  

For the beans, it only takes a minute and makes a world of difference! Fun Fact: You can use these same ingredients with fresh beans in a crock pot if you have the time. Just keep the beans covered in water to keep them from drying out. 

For the beans all you need is:

• Can (or 2!) of whole pinto beans
• 1 yellow chili, you can get this at any grocery store
• 1/2 tsp. of cumin
• 1/2 tsp. of ground coriander
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt to taste (more the better if you ask me!)
• Your favorite salsa to top it off 

Roast the chili on your stove top till blackened, and place in the pot with the beans, garlic and spices. Simmer about 20 minutes, until the chili is completely cooked and falling apart a little. You can have them cooking while your enchiladas are in the oven. See, I told you multi tasking was fun.  Serve with a dollop of your favorite salsa and enjoy as a side dish to your amazing enchiladas! 

  

Thanks for cooking along with me today. Please let me know if you enjoy these as much as I do and in the meantime, have a fun (and safe) Cinco De Mayo! Eat up!!