Leftover Turkey, Part 1: Turkey Enchiladas + Tex-Mex Black Beans and Rice

Friday after Thanksgiving I did a lot of cooking.   The first thing I did was prepare lunch.  We had lots of leftover turkey, and so, naturally, lunch included turkey.

I've made various versions of Turkey Enchiladas over the years.  In the past I've always used recipes, but this time I ended up winging it, as I hadn't planned on cooking that dish.  I combined bits and pieces of various turkey enchilada recipes I could recall and put them all together.   The result was pretty good.

Juli's sister has difficulty handling some milk products, but does okay with highly-processed milk products.  Thus, I used Mexican Velveeta as the primary cheese (I'm using the term 'cheese' lightly in this respect).  I'm not a huge fan of Velveeta, though, so I also picked up some oaxaca cheese for a more authentically Mexican taste.  All of the enchiladas had the Velveeta on the inside, but some were topped with the queso oaxaca.  I preferred those ones, but Juli and several others preferred the Velveeta ones, finding them more spicy.

Since my son Alex is vegetarian, Turkey Enchiladas weren't going to cut it with him, so I also made another dish so he'd have something, and as a side for the Turkey Enchiladas.  I ended up making a from-scratch Black Beans and Rice dish, and to save time, I used some of the same ingredients as in the Enchiladas, so I could cook part of the dishes (the onions, poblano and garlic) together.  The result was a mild but flavorful dish, more warm than spicy-hot.  Alex liked it quite a bit.

All in all, lunch turned out pretty good, especially given that I made it without consulting any recipes.

Turkey Enchiladas
Left:  topped with queso oaxaca
Right:  topped with Mexican Velveeta

Turkey Enchiladas

yield = 8 servings

1       tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2    yellow onion, chopped fine
1       poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1       pound cooked turkey, chopped
1       10-ounce can Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
4       ounces cream cheese, softened
1       10-ounce can enchilada sauce
8       tortillas, warm
2       cups grated Mexican Velveeta

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onion until it is softened.  Add the chopped, roasted poblano pepper and continue to cook, stirring often.  When the onion has started to brown, add the garlic and cook for about 45 seconds, then add the turkey and Ro-Tel.  Cook until almost all the liquid has boiled off (about 10 minutes), then stir in the cream cheese.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray, then spread three tablespoons of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish.  Spread 1/8 of the turkey mixture on one side of a tortilla, top with a bit of the grated Velveeta, roll up tightly and place in the casserole, seam down.  Repeat with the rest of the turkey mixture and tortillas.  Spoon the rest of the enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas, then top with more grated cheese.

Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 20-25 minutes.

Note:
If you are using packaged tortillas, you can warm them pretty easily.  Simply place them on a plate, cover them with a damp (water squeezed out) paper towel and microwave for 1 minute.

Tex-Mex Black Beans and Rice

yield = 6 servings

1       tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2    yellow onion, chopped fine
1       poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1       teaspoon ground cumin
1/2    teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
1       can black beans, drained and rinsed
1       can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and green chilies
2 1/2 cups water
1/2    teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4    teaspoon salt
1/4    teaspoon cayenne pepper
2/3    cup queso oaxaca, grated
1       tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook the onion until it is softened.  Add the chopped, roasted poblano pepper and continue to cook, stirring often.  When the onion has started to brown, add the garlic and cook for about 45 seconds.   Clear a spot in the middle of the pan and add the cumin and oregano.  Cook, stirring constantly, about 45 seconds or until fragrant, then add the black beans, Ro-Tel, water, pepper, salt and cayenne pepper. 

Bring to a boil, then cover, remove from heat and let rest 20 minutes.  Stir in 1/3 cup of the grated cheese, sprinkle the rest of the cheese and the cilantro over the top of the rice, recover and let rest another 5 minutes, then serve.