Recipe: Sweet Potato and Black Bean enchiladas

I've been craving enchiladas recently. We have a couple of recipes for goat cheese enchiladas with mole sauce and they are good, but too rich. There are a couple of other enchilada recipes around our house. I just wanted something a little different. Sweet potatoes and black beans sounded like a good combo, but I wanted some thing more. That's when I thought of spinach. Anyhow, I looked around on the Internets and got some ideas. Ultimately, the recipe below is what I threw together. They turned out pretty well. I used the "options" listed at the bottom, but that's strictly up to the cook. Feel free to experiment!

2 teaspoons oil
1 small onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper stemmed, seeded, and diced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 cups cooked black beans (if using freshly cooked, then save some of the broth...if using canned, then you'll need a little extra water - about a quarter cup)
2 cups chopped spinach
salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups salsa
8 large tortillas or 10 to 12 smaller corn ones (which is what I used)
8 ounces sour cream, yogurt cheese, or creme fraiche
Optional: cheese for topping, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and jalapeno and saute until soft (5 to 10 minutes). Add sweet potatoes and spices. Cover and cook about 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in the beans and the spinach and a little water if it's a bit dry. Cover again and heat another 5 minutes or so; until the spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble: Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with a little salsa. If your tortillas are stiff (as my corn ones are), then heat them in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds or so...just so they become more pliable. You don't want to cook them or let them brown. Place the tortilla on a flat surface. Spoon a line of the filling down the middle of the tortilla. It does not need to be a thick line. Spoon a bit of the sour cream over the filling. Roll the enchilada up and place it seam side down in the pan. Repeat until you're out of filling or you pan is full (I ended up with some left over). Cover the enchiladas in salsa and spread it evenly over the top. If using, sprinkle shredded cheese over top. Cover the pan with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. When finished, if using, sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top.

Makes 4 - 6 servings