Mexican Chicken Enchiladas

What does family dinner mean to you? Comfort, nourishment, respite from the trials of the day? Or does family dinner appear in your mind as a drive thru window, digging in the back of the freezer for the last TV dinner, alone on the couch?

There is so much hurt and pain in this world. From strained relationships, to sickness, aging, and emotional damage. 

The more I think about meals, dinner in particular, and my current reality, the more I see with clarity the reality of those around me, whether personally or in the larger world who do not have the things I so long for and desire for them. I can talk as much as I want about gathering our closest friends and family around a table, enjoying a meal and sharing life and stories and hurts and joys. But what if that's not your reality? What if you have never experienced that and don't know what it would look like if you saw it? 

True family, true community, and true love is found only in one place, through a relationship with Jesus. His name may not make an appearance on this blog in every post, but the heart of everything about this blog all boils down to Him. If you're reading I want you to know how loved and adored by God you are, and how desperately He longs to sit at a table and be with you. To share a meal together, breaking bread, listening to the words leave your lips and comforting you in your loneliness. That is true family dinner. One that doesn't have an end, but will actually live on into eternity. That's the kind of family that I cling to, knowing it will never fade. 

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil, for cooking

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cumin
1-2 chicken breasts

1 (16 ounce) bottle medium heat enchilada sauce

2 cups spinach or kale

juice of 1 lime

a handful of chopped cilantro

20 count bag of flour tortillas
1 cup crushed tomatoes

1-2 tablespoon taco seasoning

1 (10 ounce) block Monterey Jack vegan cheese, shredded (or any kind of cheese you prefer!)

Feel free to leave out the chicken and make this totally vegetarian! We're adding chicken and cheese in our family because my husband can't stand the thought of enchiladas without chicken and cheese. I tried to win him over on the vegetarian route, but sometimes there's just some marital battles you have to lose! ;) 

Preheat oven to 350 f

Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil over medium heat in a 3 qt. sauté pan (or pot). Sauté onions until translucent. Turn down the heat and add garlic, corn and black beans, continuing to sauté for 1 minute. Add salt and cumin and stir to combine. Allow everything to sizzle over medium heat for about 5 minutes. 

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Push bean mixture to one side of the pan, adding more coconut oil to the empty space, then add chicken breast. Allow to brown, about 5 minutes on each side. 

Pour just enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of two 9x13 baking dishes (or one 9x13 and one 9x9 dish). Mix beans and chicken together and pour in the remaining enchilada sauce. Cover and allow everything to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Using two forks, shred the chicken. You may need to transfer to a cutting board to shred, or give a fine chop with a chef knife (if you're lazy like me), then add back into the sauce. Throw in your greens (kale or spinach) and cover the pot again to allow the steam to help it wilt.

Stir in lime juice and cilantro. Fill each tortilla with stuffing and roll up, placing in your baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine crushed tomatoes and taco seasoning, mix together well then pour over top of the tortillas. 

Shred cheese over top and bake for 20 minutes.

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