the purple carrot: Spicy sweet potato and black bean enchiladas revisited

Okay, it’s clearly not a secret to anyone that knows me that I love sweet potatoes!

I’ve told you guys probably countless times how I used to look forward to going to my grandma’s house because I knew she always had huge sweet potatoes. I would pick the biggest one, microwave it, and slather it in butter and salt. I’ve since started eating them in a bit healthier way, ha, but that is when my love of sweet potatoes began. And just last week, I talked about how I was sure to have my favorite food, sweet potato fries (with ketchup!) on my birthday.

This likely explains how I came to “like” North Carolina SweetPotato Commission on Facebook. I’m quite sure I took one look at their profile picture, and didn’t need to know any more. Ha, and to be honest, I had no idea this Facebook page that said “Sweet Potatoes” belonged to them until I noticed a recipe contest pop up in my feed. Sweet potatoes + recipe contest? I’m in!

The contest celebrates the versatility of sweet potatoes by looking past the typical way sweet potatoes are eaten (hence the name, No More Mallows, ha). Anyways … I immediately thought of my absolute favorite sweet potato recipe that I’ve talked about more than once on The Purple Carrot, so I just had to revisit it.

The natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes with the unlikely spicy pairing of chili powder, cumin, and jalapeños give these enchiladas an amazing flavor! It’s a regular in our house, and it’s always, always a hit!

All you need to make these babies are sweet potatoes (obviously!), tortillas, a can of black beans, some salsa, an onion, jalapenos, a few spices, and some cheddar cheese.

It’s really simple too! You start out by peeling and cubing your sweet potatoes, and placing them in the oven to roast for about 30 minutes. (Alternatively, you can microwave the cubed sweet potatoes if you’re in a jam).

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, sauté your chopped onion and jalapeños until softened, add your chili powder, cumin, and black beans, then mix it all together!

Put the mixture evenly into some tortillas, add salsa and cheese, and throw them in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes!

Spicy sweet potato & black bean enchiladas

*makes about 6 enchiladas

Ingredients:

3 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 can black beans, drained
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 jalapenos, chopped (add more if you like it really hot!)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 jar salsa of choice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Cheddar cheese of choice (I kept it vegan and used cheddar Daiya cheese)
Warm tortillas + any other desired toppings

Directions:

Preheat oven at about 375F.
Peel and chop sweet potatoes, tossing them in a little olive oil (optional). Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and place them in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until tender.
In the meantime, chop your onion and jalapenos.
In a heated sauté pan, add about a tablespoon olive oil and once warn, add onions and jalapenos. When they become tender, add drained can of black beans, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and stir together.
Place into a bowl and set aside. Once the sweet potatoes are tender, add them to the black bean mixture. Stir until combined.
Place about a 1/3 of the salsa in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, or until it’s covered with a small layer of liquid.
Spoon mixture evenly into about 6 tortillas, wrapping them up and placing them into your dish, tightly next to one another. Spread out remaining salsa (or however much you’d like) onto the top of the rolled tortillas. Next, layer cheese on top of the salsa.
Bake for 35-40 minutes.