By Garden is in. Tomatoes standing straight, accepting their stakes. Added peppers this week — bell, banana, and a jalapeno that Connie said I don't need. I said the jalapenos are for pickled jalapenos, and pickled jalapenos are for nachos, and nachos are for eating. She said that's a lot of steps for one plant. She's right. Planted it anyway.
Made fried catfish Friday. Farm-raised from Kroger — not wild-caught, which you can't get in Lexington unless you know someone with a pond and I don't, not here. Dredged in cornmeal and salt and pepper, no flour, no egg wash, just cornmeal and fish and hot oil. Betty fried catfish every Friday during Lent, not because we were Catholic but because catfish was cheap and Friday was fish day.
Amber drove up Saturday to see Earl Thomas. She held him and her face did the thing Amber's face does when feeling something too large — went still, then crumbled, then smiled in three seconds. She said he looks like Travis. I said he looks like Earl. She said same thing. She's right — Travis looks like Earl, and now Earl Thomas looks like both of them, the resemblance a kind of resurrection.
Clay's doing well. Four weeks straight, solid. Talking about part-time work, maybe the outdoor store on Nicholasville Road. I said sounds good. He said don't get excited. I said I'm not excited, I'm encouraged. He said same thing, Dad.
I planted that jalapeno because the road from pepper to pickled to nachos made sense to me even if it made Connie raise an eyebrow — some things are worth the steps. Enchiladas run the same logic: a little layering, a little patience, and what comes out of the oven is better than anything that took less effort. Betty would’ve understood. This one’s been a Friday-night favorite ever since Clay started coming back around, and it feeds enough people that there’s always a plate ready when someone shows up.
Contest-Winning Turkey Enchiladas
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce, divided
- 8 flour tortillas (8-inch)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup sour cream, for serving
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce across the bottom.
- Cook the turkey. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground turkey, onion, and jalapeno, breaking up the meat, until turkey is no longer pink, about 8–10 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
- Season and simmer. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir in the black beans and diced tomatoes with chiles. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes until most of the liquid has cooked off.
- Fill the tortillas. Spoon about 1/3 cup of turkey filling down the center of each tortilla. Top with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Roll tightly and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish.
- Top and bake. Pour the remaining 1 1/2 cups of enchilada sauce evenly over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
- Finish uncovered. Remove foil and bake an additional 10–15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly golden at the edges.
- Rest and serve. Let the enchiladas rest 5 minutes before serving. Top with sour cream and fresh cilantro.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 480 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 920mg