When it comes to delicious foods for summer, the sky is the limit! Whether relaxing with family and friends pool side, enjoying a day of boating on the lake, or spending a week at the beach, simple meal ideas are always a winner. They save time and are hassle-free.
This month, we’re excited to share a yummy (and easy) dish from local mom Rachel Fisher.
Rachel and her husband, Chase, live in the Cottage Hill neighborhood in downtown Montgomery. They have 2 1/2 (boy and girl) twins. The couple has known each other since they were kids. Rachel humorously admits, “We probably met on the playground at preschool.” They’ve been happily married for ten years.
Rachel shares, “My husband and I have always enjoyed cooking together. However, I barely knew how to scramble an egg when we got married. Seriously. I didn’t know how to cook a single thing without printing out every single recipe with every tiny detail down to ‘how to cut an avocado’. Chase grew up in a family that cooked together all the time. They owned a restaurant on Woodley Road, and he knew way more about cooking than me. But I eventually learned, and now I love to cook.
Believe it or not, their children also enjoy cooking with them, even at such a tender age. Rachel and Chase make an effort to incorporate their children often while making dinner or baking. The kids love to be the couple’s little helpers. “I think their story with cooking will be much different from my own,” Rachel adds.
With Rachel’s profound love for cooking and Mexican food, she always finds a reason to prepare a great Mexican dish. Here’s one of her favorites:
Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Ingredients:
1 ¼ pound sweet potatoes
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
2 small cans (4 ounces each) diced green chiles
1 medium jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 tsp lime juice
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
¼ tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Remaining Ingredients: 2 cups mild salsa verde, 10 corn tortillas, 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese, 2 tsp sour cream, 1 tsp water, ¼ cup chopped red onion, ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice the sweet potatoes in half and coat the flat sides lightly with olive oil. Place the sweet potatoes flat-side down on the baking sheet. Bake until tender and cooked through about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Pour enough salsa verde into a nine by 13-inch baking dish to lightly cover the bottom. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the remaining filling ingredients.
- Once sweet potatoes are cooked and cooled to handle, scoop out the insides with a spoon. Discard the potato skins and lightly mash the sweet potatoes with a fork.
- Stir the mashed sweet potatoes into the bowl of filling, and season to taste with additional salt
- Warm-up tortillas. Spread about ½ cup filling down the center of each tortilla, then wrap both sides over the filling and place it in your baking dish.
- Top with the remaining salsa verde and cheese. Bake for 25-35 minutes.
- Let the enchiladas cool for five minutes. Whisk the sour cream and water together to make a drizzly sour cream sauce. Drizzle it back and forth over the enchiladas, then top them with cilantro and red onion. Serve.
Recipe and photo courtesy of www.cookieandkate.com.
