Books and Garlicky Bean Enchiladas

I'm still unemployed, but I'm officially used to it now.  I also know the right job will come along in due time.  Besides job searching and cooking I have been reading a ton.  So I'd like to talk about Goodreads. If you love to read and haven't checked out Goodreads you should.  It's a social network of readers and authors.  You can set up a profile and keep track of all the books you've read and all the books you want to read.  People review books, there are book clubs, reading challenges, author discussions, and even a giveaway section!  This year they added a section where you could set a reading goal for the year.  Feeling hopeful I decided to challenge myself and commit to reading 75 books by the end of the year.  Due to my recent layoff I'm actually almost there!  Today I finished my 57th book (The Healer's Apprentice) and have started the 58th (The Greatest Knight).  Victory should be mine by December!  Once I've reached my goal, I'm going to post a list of the books I read this year on The Hesitant Cook.  Those of you who are interested can check out what I read and how many stars I gave the books.  I'm hoping my challenge to myself will encourage all of you to take some time and read for pleasure, it really is very relaxing.

Reading might be relaxing, but cooking can still get my blood boiling.  A recent event really set me off and I was ready to throw in the towel.  When the weather started to get cooler, I started craving Chicken Pot Pie.  The anticipation was super high and I got as far as getting the pie over to the oven, when all of a sudden it just got to be too heavy (I blame my carpal tunnel for this, although it was probably just clumsiness) and the pie ended up face down on the floor.  The insides broke through the top crust, so there was no saving it.  Devastation is what I felt after that and I didn't have any more of the ingredients to start over.  When this first happened I didn't want to tell anyone, because it was so embarrassing and I felt terrible about what happened.  Luckily, I had a change of heart and decided to tell all of you.  Now that I've told you, if something like that happens to you or has you don't have to feel so alone.  Mistakes in the kitchen happen to everyone, some more than others!

Now on to a success!

Let's talk about Garlicky Bean Enchiladas.  This is a recipe that I use a lot.  In fact not long after making these for THC, I made them again for our supper club (the theme was garlic)!  If you don't like garlic, then you might be a little crazy and you also won't like these enchiladas very much.  Not a problem for me since I can eat garlic like candy (as long as it's cooked!)  The only part of this recipe that is a little bit of a challenge for me is the frying of the corn tortillas.  Frying and I are not compatible, but this is only mild frying so I can handle it.  Another suggestion I would make is to add 3/4 cup-1 cup broth (you can use chicken or vegetable broth).  According to the recipe you need 1/3 of a cup, but from my experience the beans are too dry without more broth.  One of the items in this recipe I really love is the salsa verde.  I can't get enough of that stuff!

                                                           

Bean Mixture

fried corn tortillas, all rolled up and ready to go

                                             and now all dressed up and to the oven they go

                                                                    Finished Product

and yes that red stuff is Sriracha!

Cost:  (I l already had the oil and garlic)

Veggie Oil:  $2.29

Garlic:  $0.50

(2) Cannellini Beans:  $1.58

Broth:  $0.79

Tortillas:  $1.19

Salsa:  $2.99

Cheese:  $2.99

Total Cost:  $15.12 (Note you will have extra broth, oil, and cheese to use for another recipe!)

Not as cheap as I thought it was to make these enchiladas, but there are leftovers for lunch for a few days.  So it's worth it!  You can also make a batch of these and freeze them before you bake for a busy night when all you have time to do is throw something in the oven.  

Next up:  Potato and Leek Pizza (this was super!) I can't wait to make more!