Black Bean & Spinach Enchiladas

So, when I sat down just now, I WAS going to write my "Top 5 Dinners I Make" post. But it occurred to me that such a post should really have pictures, and I have none. Technically, this post should have pictures, too, but I really feel like writing about food right now. So. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to tell you how to make my black bean and spinach enchiladas and NOT post any pictures. But next week, I'm going to make every single dish in my top 5 in addition to these enchiladas just so I can take pictures (and eat some REALLY yummy food). And next week, when I post about my top 5, I'll tack on some pics of these babies, too. Ok? Ok.

I feel like the most important thing I should tell you about these enchiladas is that I did not think them up out of my own head. My friend Claire brought me a platter after I gave birth to W. She said she does something different to them every time. She's right. This recipe is very versatile. Eating them in their barest, stripped down form is very tasty--adding extra goodies just makes them even better. I'm giving you my ultimate, preferred, didn't-forget-anything-on-my-shopping-list, version.

Black Bean Enchiladas

6 servings

Basic Ingredients:

6 whole wheat tortillas

2 15-oz. cans black beans, partially drained

cumin

cayenne

chili powder

garlic or garlic powder

2 T dried, minced onion

Monterey jack cheese, shredded

1 bag pre-washed mixed spring greens

Toppings/Extras:

1 can enchilada sauce

sour cream

green onions

fresh cilantro

avocado

Instructions:

Place black beans in a saucepan over medium heat. Add spices and onions. I don't give you amounts, because I feel like seasoning is a very personal matter; it's just a matter of figuring out what tastes "right" to you. For me, the correct ratio is about 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 TB chili powder, two dashes of cayenne. If using pre-minced garlic, I add about 1 1/2 tsp. If using a powder, all I can say is just to go easy; it'll quickly overpower the other spices. Lightly mash with a potato masher; the key is to split some of the beans so that the fiber helps bulk up the sauce, but we want most of the beans still intact. Allow mixture to come to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Lightly spray the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place 6 whole wheat tortillas side by side inside, so that the sides help support each other, leaving the bottoms open and ready to be filled (like a taco standing upright).

Fill each tortilla with some cheese (again, I leave this to your discretion; I love cheese, so I put in as much as I can without feeling guilty...). If you are having additional toppings, now is a good time to prepare them, while the beans are still cooking. Place them in dishes and set aside. Top cheese with the black beans (about a 1/3 C per tortilla; you will have some beans left over) and the spring greens. Sometimes I like to run a knife through the greens beforehand to break them up into more bite-size bites; depends on my mood/energy level. If you choose to use just spinach in these, I highly recommend chopping first. The baking makes the spinach fibrous and there's just nothing worse (t0 me) than taking a bite of something really yummy and getting a long, stringy piece of cooked spinach... ew, I can't even think about it.

Next, one by one, fold tortillas and flip upside down so they stay closed. If using enchilada sauce, pour just enough to cover the tops of each tortilla (about 1/2-3/4 of the can; I don't recommend using the whole can--too much sauce can make the tortillas soggy). Top with cheese, and if desired, a few more black beans for presentation. Bake in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes. You want the tortillas cooked, but you don't want your cheese overly baked. Top with toppings and enjoy!

*Note: Normally, I'm a flour tortilla girl all the way, but the whole wheat tortillas adds an earthiness to the flavor balance that I just wouldn't mess with. The great thing about this recipe is that is super healthy, and it tastes super healthy in a really invigorating way. The whole wheat flavor adds to that healthy-taste vibe. Subbing flour tortillas is going to taste just fine, but it's not going to make you feel like you just ate something your body is loving. In addition, I like using the dried minced onions rather than fresh onion in the black beans, because I think they enhance the smokey flavors in the chili powder and cumin.

Heaps

Being a mom has been super challenging and super rewarding lately. On the one hand, the tantrums require thicker skin than I ever anticipated needing. On the other, this kid is so interesting right now. His vocabulary is positively exploding; he mimics everything he hears (you should have heard him say "Tonyburger" on the way to dinner tonight; he was channeling some serious Steve Martin a la Pink Panther).

I'm having so much fun planning for his 2nd birthday. It's not that I'm going over the top about things; I'm just inspired, nesting, and being creative. So excited to have family in town for the event, so excited to celebrate one of my favorite people on the planet.

A lot of moms get nostalgic and wistful at each passing stage; I am beginning to understand this sentiment. Up until now, every change has been so exciting, there was no space in my heart for sadness at the passage of time; it's been so fascinating to watch a human being develop right before my eyes. And I wouldn't say I'm getting weepy at what appears to be the end of another stage, but it's the closest I've come so far. This kid is downright infectious in his excitement and exuberance for life. I hope that's a quality that sticks with him for, well, forever.

However. It is suddenly becoming more real to me that he won't always want to climb up into my lap for a snuggle or to read a book; he'll understand at some point that he's too big to fit there comfortably. He won't always say "SORRY!" with such optimistic carelessness; he'll understand someday what it really means to hurt someone. He won't always want to give me kisses in public; he'll understand his friends are watching.

But now I really am waxing nostalgic, and I'd better stop. Onward and upward, I say! I prefer keeping the attitude that each new stage, each tiny progression is wondrous and exciting--and I need to let myself be caught up in the moment with him as often as I can manage it, or I can waste the present by living in the past. And I gotta tell ya, folks: the present is where it's at. Preserving the past and planning for the future are noble things, to be sure. But like a friend of mine posted a week or so ago, "life is for the living." We're here, right now, and I don't even want to blink sometimes.

The latest installment of exciting new adventures? W's big boy bed. This kid was running around IKEA like a mad man, crawling onto all the demo beds; good thing his favorite was ours, too. So far, I'd say he's taking to it like a champ. He talks about his big boy bed all day, sometimes announcing hours early that he's going to go take a nap in his big boy bed. Too cute. So fun to see him grow. Love this kid. Heaps and heaps.

Name #5

This week: Samantha

NN: Sam

Meaning: Hebrew, "Told by God"

So, I'm not really sure this name has any one real inspiration for us that we can point to. I had a friend named Samantha when I lived in NY as a kid, and Samantha was one of my favorites from the American Girls book series. But then, so was Felicity, and that is definitely NOT on the list. I'm guessing these favorable associations give me a positive feeling from the name. Really, it's just a name that we like. I think it's elegant and slightly tomboyish at the same time. Before I got pregnant, this was a name that I LOVED. Now, faced with the possibility of actually attaching it to a human being, I don't know... It's not that I have any objections to this name, but like the rest of them, I'm just not in love with it. The fact that nameberry.com has labeled it "overused" and on the decline deters me some. Apparently, it's just fallen out of the top 10 after being there for quite a while. Who knew? I don't know of any little girls named Samantha. And yes, to all Tingey relatives, we have cleared this name with Sam & Laura. :)

I'm starting to go into a name slump, people. A couple names so far have stood out more than the rest, but they're all seeming pretty lackluster to me. I wonder: Am I asking too much from a name? Should I just pick a name I like that holds some kind of meaning and be done with it? I will tell you: My biggest fear is picking a name that I hate, say, 6 months after she's born and there's no going back. Girls' names are much more subject to fluctuations in relevance than boys' names. I was worried about the same thing with Will--but the fact that Chris liked it so much made me feel better about it. And I have not once regretted his name. But so far there are no clear winners. I foresee a date with my name books in the not-s0-distant future, although, I think we still have a few names to go through before I'm willing to give up on my current list entirely. There's one name in particular that I'm looking forward to trying out. And keep your responses coming! Even negative responses are helpful. Something YOU say could help me cross a name off the list or catapult one to the top.

Recipe Reviews

So. I just realized I should have taken pictures, but I did not. However, I'm referring you to all the recipe sites I got these from, so all you have to do is click on the link and see other people's pics :).

P.S. I hate putting punctuation after smiley faces. Especially periods. It looks like I'm trying to be a Marilyn Monroe smiley face, but I'm not.

Breakfast Taquitos: Try this. Try it tomorrow (or today if you regularly keep these things on hand). I promise you won't be sorry. I'm in deep smit. Worried that I might get over-anxious and burn myself out on this recipe, I didn't schedule it again until the end of this month. Silly me. I could eat a lot of these, right now. I'm hungry... Oh, and I made the full recipe and froze the rest. They were even better the next day.

Breakfast Crescent Bread, Our Best Bites (OBB): This was a pretty tasty meal, but the richness of the crescent dough is so strong, I think I would add some fresh herbs/spices (like cilantro) to help cut into that element. I *really* like this idea of your whole dinner rolled up into the crescent dough bread; people in the comments section were talking about all kinds of things you can do with this idea--pizza stuffing, making it into a dessert w/ strawberries & nutella, etc. Great idea that I want to play around with more. We ate most of it, but the leftovers sat (ahem, are still sitting...) in the fridge. It was good, but not so good that we were excited to have the rest the next day.

Sour Cream Enchiladas, Pioneer Woman (PW): I'm sorry to say this was a bit of a disappointment. The picture made me positively salivate, and they were good, but not good enough to justify all the fat or the labor that went into making them. However, this was not a total loss. It gave me some great ideas on how to improve my ever-changing recipe for black bean & spinach enchiladas (now that is a recipe worth posting... maybe I will... someday).

Steak & Mango Salad, OBB: Let me preface this by saying I generally think mangos taste the way Pine-Sol smells. But this recipe was awesome. So fresh tasting. The beef marinade didn't really infuse as much flavor as I'd have liked; I wouldn't use the beef as a stand-alone dish. But, all together, it was fantastic. For Benihana fans out there, the salad dressing tastes just like the dressing there. Super-dee-duper. Maybe my favorite recipe of the bunch. However, I currently have some beef marinating in an orange-Thai sauce... if it tastes anything like it smells, I may just have a new favorite recipe EVER. Then again, I am very hungry right now, and trying my hardest to stay away from the box(es) of Girl Scout cookies I bought yesterday, which are sitting on my counter, just waiting for me to walk by and... mmmmmm, Tag-alongs....

Peter's Lasagna, OBB: I had made lasagna only once before trying this recipe; this was a fairly intensive recipe, using both white and red sauces you make from scratch, but it was good. I made it without ground beef and with Giada's marinara sauce. It was very tasty, but I do think it needs meat--or at least lots more veggies to break up all those noodles.

English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas: These were awesome, will definitely become part of the regular meal rotation. The toppings I used were green onions, bacon, cheese, and green pepper. Next time, I'll 86 the pepper, but I'd like to add some other veggie to get a few more nutrients out of this baby. Still pondering.

So what have you been cooking lately? If you've tried any other recipes from the sites I've got posted, let me know how they turned out for you!

Name #4

This week: Jane

Meaning: "God is Gracious"

Do you ever wonder where the meanings of these names come from? I do, too. For all I know, they could just be making things up. I understand that Jane is the feminine form of John, which means God is Gracious, and therefore, that's what Jane means. I like Jane. It is sweet, and to those of us who pore over every word of Sister Austen's, a little bit sassy. I think that of all the names we are considering, Jane has the most personal meaning to me. It may seem silly for some of you that literary influences are so predominant in my desire to name this girl. But along with some awesome female family members, I really feel like it was the women I read who raised me and taught me about who I want to be and how I want to be it. Jane is full of literary influences: Eyre, Bingley, Bronte, all figures who have meant very, very much to me in my eternal quest to find and define myself. Also, one of my baby-naming books recommends it as a derivative of Janice, my mother's name (they have a whole section of names you can name children if you want to avoid duplicating the name of the person you're naming them after, if that makes sense). In short, to name my daughter Jane would be to name her a lot of things.

You'd think this name would be the obvious choice for me, but it's not. Again, I'm torn with the tension between a name that is lovely and traditional but maybe somewhat out of fashion. Jane is becoming more popular, though it's still nowhere near the top 100, at least according to nameberry.com. I can't help but think of the girls that were in my grade who had names like Marilyn or Sherrie. There's really nothing wrong with these names--it's just that they were so distinctly from another generation. Would Jane date my daughter in the same way? And there's the dreaded nickname of "plain Jane." And before you all chime in with assurances of, "Oh, you don't need to worry about that, any daughter of yours won't be plain!" let's just take a ride in the way-back machine to when we were third graders on the playground at recess. No one escapes that turmoil, cute or ugly. I just don't want to give mean kids easy ammo. Then again, I guess ammo comes pretty easily to mean kids just because they are mean. Well, there you have it. What do you think?

P.S. Recipe reviews coming soon.

But the Times, They Are a-Changing

Gotta love Brother Dylan. Unless you're my mom. She does not like him.

Do you ever go through major instantaneous shifts in your perception of yourself? This doesn't happen to me very often. The last time this happened was when I fell in love with Chris. Something about the man I had (and have) the highest respect for in the world, and he was looking right back and me and saying he loved me. It was humbling; it felt like some major part of my core self shifted into center, and I began noticing changes about myself immediately. It was like a huge step forward in feeling like a grown-up. I felt less silly-girly, more womanly. Since becoming a mom, these changes seem to only have deepened. Some things that I used to be very "into" I'm just not anymore. Sometimes it feels like I'm so different, but nobody else seems to have gotten the memo. Spending time with my before-I-got-married friends and even some family can be confusing sometimes--they'll make some remark that Old Becca would have understood and appreciated, but now feels irrelevant and distant to Current Becca.

I'm a creature who (usually) thrives on and appreciates change. If I don't constantly feel myself expanding or changing somehow or learning something new, I get to feeling blue. My sense of self is fairly fluid. I'm sure my husband loves this. But generally speaking, I like change. And so, I give you...

Top 5 New Things about Becca:

1. Much less interested in movies, more interested in TV shows. Couch potato? Maybe. Mostly I think this has to do with the fact that TV shows are shorter encapsulations, meaning I can enjoy an entire episode of a sitcom in about 20 minutes or a drama in about 45. Sitting down for a three-hour ordeal in a theater makes me feel antsy. Especially if it's an "analyze and discuss" kind of show. I just want to watch something and be entertained without feeling like I need to write an essay afterward.

2. Much less interested in books, more interested in magazines and newspapers. Again, I think this has to do with the ability to ingest as much as I'd like of some short, snappy, to-the-point material, and be able to put it down any time I like without feeling guilty. Since having kid(s), I probably only finish 10% of the books I start. And this leads us to...

3. Much less interested in who-said-what-about-who in social circles, more interested in politics. If I'm going to hear some nasty mudslinging, I'd much rather it be relevant. I'm very interested in how the current social and moral climate is affecting politics. I simply don't care about which of my friends have bones to pick with other friends. Most of the time, current events are appalling, but good to know about nonetheless. And interesting to hear how various political movements will or will not support things that are actually good for their own well-being, all for the sake of survival or the bottom line. Heaven forbid we actually fix something properly.

4. More interested in hands-on hobbies as opposed to intellectual ones. I'd rather knit or cook or travel ANY DAY over ingesting any intellectual material (non-fiction, Sundance docs, History Channel, etc). It's not that I'm interested in becoming dumb; I'm just interested in becoming a different kind of smart, a practical kind of smart. I graduated college with great intellectual curiosities and powers of reasoning (or so I'd like to think), but with very few skills that make a practical difference from one day to the next. Now I knit, sew a very little, cook and bake a LOT, clean, organize, change diapers, remove stains, etc. I LOVE my new set of skills, and as it turns out, I need different parts of my intellect to really take them from being a general hobby to a hobby that is personal and creative. I've gone from being the girl who awkwardly never raised her hand to volunteer, to the girl who says, "I can help you with that!"

5. I like fish. Ok, so maybe I'm a little premature in stating this. Maybe it's just a pregnancy thing, but whatever the reason, I've hated fish my whole life and now I crave it almost daily. I'm telling you, people, mama's gotta move to the coast... preferably a tropical one.

Ok, well, I guess that about sums it up! So. Now you tell me. How are you different from the pervious versions of yourself? Do you like the new you? The jury is still deliberating on various points of that one for me.

Name #3

This week: Elizabeth

NN: Betsey

Meaning: pledged to God (Hebrew)

There are so very many reasons to love the name Elizabeth, not the least of which is all the Elizabeths I personally know and love (and, yes, I'm including Ms. Bennet in that total). This is one of those cases (like Katies) where knowing lots people with that name actually adds to its general appeal. I'm not sure I can say, "Ugh, I knew this girl Elizabeth once... and no way will I give my child that name." It's a beautiful, traditional, standard name. I like the nickname Betsey because it sounds fresher to me than Liz, Lizzie, Eliza (can NOT hear that name without thinking of the King and I), or Beth; and one of my favorite books as a little girl was a chapter book called Betsey's Little Star. I read it over and over. Like the Katherine/Kate combo (pretty sure I like that spelling the best--this week), I like the informal nickname paired with a formal one behind it for more formal purposes. Betsey might be cute for a little girl, but she'll have the option to go for a more serious "Elizabeth" as she gets older if she wants.

My objections:

1. Because I know so many Elizabeths, while the name retains it's relevance and dignity, has it lost some of its freshness/brightness?

2. Four syllables is a lot, feels a little cumbersome next to some other choices, like Kate.

3. Elizabeths, how have you felt about your name?

P.S. I really enjoyed calling her Kate last week.

P.P.S. Emily, the "PF Chang's Chicken" on my menu is from the frozen food aisle. Sorry to disappoint. :)